The government has asked the Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority to open the retirement scheme--which has so far been confined to central government employees--to the self-employed and those in the unorganised sector.
After years of waiting, finally there seems to be hope for the passage of the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill, thanks to the Left's withdrawal of support from the government. The passing of the Bill will provide statutory backing to the regulatory agency, enabling it to issue guidelines and allow non-government employees to save for the long-term. PFRDA Chairman D Swarup spoke to Business Standard about the issues involved.
The four Left parties may no longer be allies of the Congress party-led United Progressive Alliance, but their concerns on the pension Bill will still be addressed by the government.
Membership to help domestic banks access developed markets.
A day after Fitch lowered India's local currency outlook to negative, international rating agency Moody's said it was also worried about the reversal of India's fiscal situation due to high oil prices and the lack of policy adjustment by the government. Moody's, however, said it was unlikely to change its investment grade rating to India's sovereign foreign currency rating or the domestic currency rating, which is below investment grade.
Last week, after months of scrutiny, the Forward Markets Commission, the regulator for futures trading in commodities, approved a proposal from state-owned MMTC Ltd and finance-to-real estate group Indiabulls to set up a national multi-commodity exchange.
Coal ministry says Sasan coal cannot be used for other plant.
It's a difficult time for banks both at home and abroad. But Sanjay Nayar, Chief Executive Officer, Citi India, shrugs off Citigroup's problems in the US saying they haven't really impacted the Indian operations. Nayar admits there have been a few problems with the consumer finance business but tells Business Standard that Citi's India operations are well-positioned to see double digit growth over the next few years.
The United Progressive Alliance government has made it clear to states that it will not permit them any relaxation in labour laws in special economic zones, petrochemical hubs and industrial parks such as easing norms for hiring and firing and employment of women and restricting union activity, among others. Over the last two weeks, at least three state governments have seen their proposals for relaxing labour laws in duty-free areas being rejected by the Centre.
The move comes even as Bank of India on Wednesday said its corporate clients will suffer mark-to-market losses of around Rs 125 crore. It has 34 clients with 74 derivative transactions. Last week, State Bank of India said its clients may incur MTM losses of up to Rs 700 crore at the end of March 2008.
With little clarity on the list of companies that have mark-to-market losses on derivatives transactions, banks are now asking their corporate banking departments to scan the books of borrowers and also seek details of their foreign exchange exposure. Within this pie, banks are segregating companies with turnover of Rs 30-40 crore (Rs 300-400 million) to Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) and those which are above this threshold.
There may not be any legal obstacles to the State Bank of Saurashtra's merger with the State Bank of India but it is the United Progressive Alliance's political compulsions that are holding back the deal, which is expected to pave the way for merger of the other six SBI associates with the parent. In response to the law ministry's objections, the RBI has told the government that the Centre could go ahead with the merger without any immediate legal glitches.
A host of public sector banks had cut interest rates in the earlier part of this year following an advisory from Finance Minister P Chidambaram in January. Private and smaller state-owned banks, however, did not cut rates.
Three years after IDBI became a bank, Yogesh Agarwal, bank's third chairman and managing director in as many years, is trying to put the pieces in place. After all, as he pointed out in an interview with Business Standard, the erstwhile development financial institution is grappling with a unique situation, where IDBI and the two commercial banks it acquired since 2005 offer loans at different interest rates.
Lenders ask RBI to ensure cheaper credit for infrastructure sector. Banks say while hardening of rates may be required to combat inflation, even a 50 basis point rise could render many projects unviable. In a meeting with RBI, bankers factored in the impact of higher interest rates on most sectors as a part of the inflation management drive but indicated that the government & the central bank should take steps to ensure cheaper credit for building roads, power plants & ports.
The power regulator's office may have been functioning "normally" without a chairperson for almost a year, but industry executives see this as the Central government's lack of seriousness towards the body and the power sector.
Not only is Chinese equipment being deployed by quite a few power companies in the country, Chinese manpower is also employed in large numbers in the country.
When Internet search major Google Inc decided to power its 'Googleplex' in Mountain View with one of the largest solar panel installations in the world last year, it was a big vote for solar energy, which presently provides less than 1 per cent of the energy generated worldwide.
Clean development mechanism (CDM) should be used to make the prices affordable for the poor.
The main "culprit" for CO2 emissions is coal-based energy which has 24 per cent share in India's emissions and 41 per cent worldwide. While coal accounts for 25 per cent of energy, the role of renewables is 13 per cent. Of these, wind, solar and bio masses contribute just 4.1 per cent.
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