Somesh Jha, Arup Roychoudhury And Shrimi Choudhary

Stories by Somesh Jha, Arup Roychoudhury And Shrimi Choudhary

Assam changes labour laws, but differs from BJP model

Assam changes labour laws, but differs from BJP model

Rediff.com   10 May 2020

Unlike the other Bharatiya Janata Party-led governments, Assam has not proposed doing away with most labour laws for a certain number of years. Instead it has proposed introducing fixed-term employment to help both workers and industries, and seeks to take more firms out of the ambit of laws governing factories and contract workers.

YES Bank: Rs 5,500-crore kickback charge slapped on Rana Kapoor

YES Bank: Rs 5,500-crore kickback charge slapped on Rana Kapoor

Rediff.com   7 May 2020

Other than Kapoor, the complaint, running into more than 10,000 pages, named his wife, Bindu; three daughters Rakhee, Roshini, and Radha; and three firms, Morgan Credits, RAB Enterprises, and Doit Urban Ventures, allegedly controlled by them.

Gold smugglers locked down, no seizure in April

Gold smugglers locked down, no seizure in April

Rediff.com   6 May 2020

Custom authorities have been keeping strict vigil on the cargo movements from Bhutan, Taiwan, China, Afghanistan, South Korea Japan, and Dubai since January.

Employers may be allowed to pay PF in instalments

Employers may be allowed to pay PF in instalments

Rediff.com   5 May 2020

Apart from this, employers may be allowed to deduct EPF contributions only on the basic pay of up to Rs 15,000, even if the employees' basic pay is above this ceiling. While on one hand this will allow companies to lower their wage bills, employees can also get a higher salary in hand.

Many challenges await new FinMin secretary

Many challenges await new FinMin secretary

Rediff.com   2 May 2020

The finance minister is ready to present a second financial package. The Centre has ruled out a mega stimulus and will rely on targeted, incremental packages. Industry is clamouring for a bailout, the liquidity upheaval in capital markets is nowhere close to being sorted out, and all budgetary forecasts now stand irrelevant, reports Arup Roychoudhury.

Deadline for tax settlement scheme may be extended

Deadline for tax settlement scheme may be extended

Rediff.com   1 May 2020

The revenue department has not seen a single deposit, owing to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rights issue pricing norms for NRIs tightened

Rights issue pricing norms for NRIs tightened

Rediff.com   29 Apr 2020

Experts said the rules will help curb market manipulation and money laundering, which could take place during the transfer of shares between residents and NRIs.

Industry will have to wait, 2nd stimulus package to target MSMEs, weaker sections

Industry will have to wait, 2nd stimulus package to target MSMEs, weaker sections

Rediff.com   29 Apr 2020

The beneficiaries of the second set of announcements are expected to be micro, small, and medium enterprises, farmers, women, poor, migrant workers, and other marginalised sections of the society, reports Arup Roychoudhury.

Govt portal for stranded migrant workers soon

Govt portal for stranded migrant workers soon

Rediff.com   27 Apr 2020

The portal, which has been tentatively named by the labour and employment ministry as the National Portal for COVID-19 Affected Unorganised Migrant Workers, will gather the details of all the unorganised sector workers who are stranded in relief camps, residential or industrial clusters.

Post-coronavirus GDP, Budget targets likely in July

Post-coronavirus GDP, Budget targets likely in July

Rediff.com   27 Apr 2020

'The numbers are null and void now. Look, we can give out projections now, but we know that a week later those numbers will also be irrelevant. So we need to wait,' a top government official said.

Audit report says Cox & Kings siphoned off Rs 4387 cr from business sale

Audit report says Cox & Kings siphoned off Rs 4387 cr from business sale

Rediff.com   26 Apr 2020

The 'mystery' of the education business sale by Cox & Kings is part of an Enforcement Directorate investigation, which is also examining the siphoning-off of funds to the tune of Rs 21,000 crore to dozens of so-called related-parties, highlighted by the forensic auditor.

Don't pay workers wages during calamities, says House panel

Don't pay workers wages during calamities, says House panel

Rediff.com   25 Apr 2020

Parliamentary standing committee on labour, led by Biju Janata Dal MP Bhartruhari Mahtab, has said in its report that it is unjustifiable for owners to pay workers' wages during natural calamities.

Despite fall in crude prices govt may hike excise duty on petrol

Despite fall in crude prices govt may hike excise duty on petrol

Rediff.com   23 Apr 2020

A government official said out that with hardly any economic activity, an immediate duty hike will not be productive and could be announced once the lockdown eases and demand revives.

RBI unlikely to monetise Centre's fiscal deficit

RBI unlikely to monetise Centre's fiscal deficit

Rediff.com   21 Apr 2020

This is because the bond market has factored in the Rs 4.88-trillion gross borrowing for April-September 2020.

Restarting work: Industry staring at higher operations cost

Restarting work: Industry staring at higher operations cost

Rediff.com   16 Apr 2020

Ensuring health insurance for all workers would be major challenge for the industry that is already grappling with cash crunch, and the government should have borne the cost.

Work can wait, family can't, say stranded migrants

Work can wait, family can't, say stranded migrants

Rediff.com   16 Apr 2020

Daily wagers are running out of resources, including ration and cash, and the state governments might not be able to sustain their needs for a longer period of time, given the lockdown has already been extended until May 3.

PM-FM meeting soon to decide second stimulus package

PM-FM meeting soon to decide second stimulus package

Rediff.com   15 Apr 2020

The stimulus package is expected anytime this week and will be aimed at the urban and rural poor; disadvantaged sections of society; MSMEs and some of the worst-affected sectors.

Centre's lockdown plan: Red, Orange and Green zones

Centre's lockdown plan: Red, Orange and Green zones

Rediff.com   13 Apr 2020

It is likely the government will divide the country into different zones during the proposed extended period of lockdown and might permit a few services to function in safe zones.

The coming vegetable crisis

The coming vegetable crisis

Rediff.com   12 Apr 2020

There have been several instances of traders dumping fruits and vegetables outside mandis. Or of farmers dumping produce outside their villages or feeding them to their animals.

60 officers to address worker issues during shutdown

60 officers to address worker issues during shutdown

Rediff.com   12 Apr 2020

The labour ministry has made public a list of 60 officers -- essentially labour commissioners in 20 regions across the country -- along with their e-mail address and contact numbers. They will deal with distress calls from workers who are working under the 'central sphere'.