Faced with huge cost overruns due to a delay in building the rural roads under Bharat Nirman, the Planning Commission is now looking at alternative ways to fund the ambitious rural development project of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.The rural road project, christened the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), has seen tardy performance on the target of constructing 146,185 km of rural roads by 2009.
A disclosure on its land reserves by the joint venture firm Emaar MGF has sparked off a debate on whether a real estate company with foreign investment can own agricultural land in India. Dubai-based Emaar holds around 41 per cent in the joint venture that is expected to raise Rs 5,000 crore (Rs 50 billion) from an upcoming maiden public issue.
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) is in talks with the Department of Posts to take the help of its staff in collecting sample data for the proposed Consumer Price Index for Rural India (CPI-R). The data for the index would be collected from 1,000 villages, Chief Statistician of India Pronab Sen said on the sidelines of a national seminar on the results of the 61st round of the National Sample Survey.
The finance ministry has opposed the proposed airport at Greater Noida, and has instead favoured upgrading infrastructure at Delhi airport, which it says makes more economic sense. This has come as a shot in the arm for the GMR group, the private sector developer of Delhi airport, which has been opposing another airport so close to the existing one.
Real estate firm Parsvnath Developers' quest for a mobile licence seems to have hit a roadblock at the Department of Telecom (DoT). Parsvnath, which is one of the seven realty firms in the fray for mobile licences, hasn't mentioned the business of "telecommunications" in its memorandum of association (MoA).
The Sixth Pay Commission is likely to significantly raise basic salaries for an estimated 4.5 million central government employees. The recommendations are expected to be submitted in January, a few months ahead of schedule, and the award is likely to come into effect from January 2006.
Leading TV channels will see a blackout of spot advertising from midnight tonight after Hindustan Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Airtel, Pepsi, Coca-Cola and Reliance Communications, among others, directed their media-buying agencies not to book such advertisements on 16 news and entertainment channels, including NDTV, Network 18, Zee News, Star News, starting October 16.
Officers of the elite Indian Administrative Service (IAS) want their pay scales to be determined on the basis of prevailing market rates. However, they are not ready to give up the substantial perks they enjoy, like palatial bungalows in city centres, number of attendants, guards, drivers and other assorted facilities.
An assorted bunch of farmers, small traders and non-government organisations (NGOs) have trained their guns on a legislation that allows private companies to directly procure produce from farmers. Termed the Model Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act, the legislation was drawn up by the central government a few years back.
AT&T has also applied for a universal access service licence (UASL), which allows operators to offer services in both GSM and CDMA technology, with the Mahindra & Mahindra group, for 22 circles. The US company, however, has stipulated that it wants a majority equity stake in the mobile venture.
The sixth central Pay Commission is examining the feasibility of introducing performance-linked salaries for government employees. The commission has constituted a study group headed by Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad Professor Biju Varkkey to develop a model on these lines.The study group has submitted interim reports and is expected to send its final report soon.
The high level of capital inflows has forced the government to put fresh restrictions on ECBs. In August this year, the Reserve Bank of India tightened ECB rules by limiting the use of foreign loans in India at $20 million per company.
The project will entail an investment of over Rs 60,000 crore (Rs 600 billion) and will be developed in a 50:50 joint venture with the Dubai-headquartered Limitless Holdings, a sister company of Nakheel and a part of the diversified Dubai World group
About 50,000 to 100,000 people - representing associations of farmers, traders, hawkers, and even chemists from all over India - will converge on Mumbai's Azad Maidan to demand that big corporations quit the retail business.
The company sacked nearly 900 employees and shelved its investment plans in the state, which included nearly 200 Reliance Fresh stores over three years and a back-end logistics chain.
The two groups have another JV, Wadia BSN, set up in 1996 to launch Groupe Danone's products from its global portfolio. However, nothing has been launched through the JV till date and Danone is in negotiations with the Wadias to dissolve the JV.
LVMH, which has brands like Christian Dior, Fendi, TAG Heuer and Dom Perignon in its stable, is planning to float a 1 billion private equity fund for emerging markets in Asia, of which 40-50 per cent will be dedicated to India.
Having completed the country's largest initial public offering of $2 billion (about Rs 8,200 crore), DLF Chairman K P Singh is getting ready to raise a similar amount in Singapore.
South India relatively insulated from the increase in prices.
So what does the future hold for small grocers? The ones Business Standard spoke to said they would also love to revolt, as smaller retailers did in Lucknow.
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