News for '-the-union-budget'

Salaries, perks of ministers to cost Rs 1,259 crores

Salaries, perks of ministers to cost Rs 1,259 crores

Rediff.com1 Feb 2023

The Union budget for 2023-24 has allocated Rs 1,258.68 crore for various heads of expenditure of the Union cabinet, including salaries, sumptuary and travel by ministers and entertainment of foreign state guests.

Passenger vehicle dispatches record best-ever Feb performance: SIAM

Passenger vehicle dispatches record best-ever Feb performance: SIAM

Rediff.com10 Mar 2023

Indian automakers dispatched nearly 2.92 lakh passenger vehicles, the highest ever for February so far, driven by strong demand for cars and utility vehicles, industry body SIAM said on Friday. The total passenger vehicle dispatches from companies to dealers last month increased 11 per cent to 2,91,928 units from 2,62,984 units in February 2022. Passenger car sales rose to 1,42,201 units in February against 1,33,572 units in the year-ago period.

Credit card payments on foreign tours to attract TCS

Credit card payments on foreign tours to attract TCS

Rediff.com24 Mar 2023

Credit card payments for foreign travel will be brought under the purview of the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) of the Reserve Bank, to ensure that such expenses do not escape TCS (Tax Collection at Source). While moving the Finance Bill 2023 for consideration and passage in the Lok Sabha on Friday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the Reserve Bank has been asked to look into ways to bring credit card payments on foreign tours under the LRS. "It has been represented that payments for foreign tours through a credit card are not being captured under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) and such payments escape tax collection at source (TCS)," she said.

Commercial vehicle sales may grow 9-11% in FY24

Commercial vehicle sales may grow 9-11% in FY24

Rediff.com13 Feb 2023

Domestic commercial vehicle sales volume is expected to grow 9-11 per cent in FY24 driven by medium and heavy commercial vehicles and an estimated economic growth of around 6 per cent, rating agency CRISIL said on Monday. Besides, an increased allocation to infrastructure spending in the Union Budget for next fiscal year will support demand, it said. This would be the third consecutive year of growth in the domestic CV industry, according to CRISIL.

Households Happier With Budget Than Markets

Households Happier With Budget Than Markets

Rediff.com18 Feb 2022

Evidently, households see a brighter future after the Budget, reveals Mahesh Vyas.

Factors that will drive markets this week

Factors that will drive markets this week

Rediff.com1 Jan 2023

Macroeconomic data announcements, the Covid situation in China and global market cues would guide Dalal Street in the first week of trading in the New Year, analysts said. Markets would also keep a track on rupee movement, Brent crude oil prices and foreign fund investment trends. "As market players attempt to understand the Fed's stance, Indian markets may respond in lockstep with their international counterparts when the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) minutes are made public later this week.

At all-party meet, Oppn seeks discussion on Adani group in Parliament

At all-party meet, Oppn seeks discussion on Adani group in Parliament

Rediff.com30 Jan 2023

The government on Monday said it was willing to discuss every issue under rules during the Budget session of Parliament and sought the support of the Opposition in running the proceedings smoothly.

Budget: Delhi police allocated Rs 10,355 cr, focus on force modernisation

Budget: Delhi police allocated Rs 10,355 cr, focus on force modernisation

Rediff.com1 Feb 2022

The Delhi police has been allocated Rs 10,355.29 crore in the Union Budget for 2022-23, an increase of Rs 1,701.03 crore from the last fiscal, officials said on Tuesday.

Defence budget hiked by Rs 69,000 cr to Rs 5.94 lakh crore

Defence budget hiked by Rs 69,000 cr to Rs 5.94 lakh crore

Rediff.com1 Feb 2023

The defence budget was increased to Rs 5.94 lakh crore for 2023-24, up from last year's allocation of Rs 5.25 lakh crore.

Sitharaman walks the tech talk with AI, data governance, digilocker in Budget

Sitharaman walks the tech talk with AI, data governance, digilocker in Budget

Rediff.com1 Feb 2023

The Union Budget on Wednesday outlined several initiatives to drive India's technology agenda and boost digital infrastructure, including new centres of excellence for artificial intelligence, National Data Governance Policy, and Entity DigiLocker.

Opposition parties to meet ahead of 2nd phase of Budget session

Opposition parties to meet ahead of 2nd phase of Budget session

Rediff.com12 Mar 2023

The opposition leaders are expected to meet at Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge's office in the Parliament complex around 10 am, sources said.

Huge boost for India's sportsperson in Union Budget

Huge boost for India's sportsperson in Union Budget

Rediff.com1 Feb 2023

The Sports Ministry has got a fillip with the government allocating Rs 3,397.32 crore, an increase of Rs 723.97 crore, in the Union Budget on Wednesday.

Modi urges India Inc to 'think out of box' to grab global oppotunities

Modi urges India Inc to 'think out of box' to grab global oppotunities

Rediff.com13 Jan 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said both public and private sectors need to leverage synergies and think out of the box to seize opportunities arising as a result of the emerging global environment. While interacting with noted economists and experts at NITI Aayog ahead of the Union Budget, the prime minister also applauded the success of the India Digital story and the rapid adoption of fintech across the country, an official statement said. During the meeting, economists offered suggestions on ways in which India can sustain its development momentum, it added.

'Karnataka does not survive on Centre's largesse'

'Karnataka does not survive on Centre's largesse'

Rediff.com9 Jun 2023

'Karnataka's finances are much healthier than the Union government's, which is indebted to nearly twice the extent of the state.'

'We can't leave such complex and innumerable operations to humans'

'We can't leave such complex and innumerable operations to humans'

Rediff.com8 Jun 2023

'When I talk to my colleagues in the Railways, they say 'aadmi toh bohot hai, lekin matlab ka aadmi ek bhi nahi hai (the Railways has a bloated workforce, but doesn't have employees with have the skillsets that matter)'.'

'After the devastation of Covid, I had expected a higher budget for health'

'After the devastation of Covid, I had expected a higher budget for health'

Rediff.com9 Feb 2023

'...to address the serious faultlines that had got exposed during the pandemic.' 'If the economy is looking up this year, we could have been allocated an increase of at least 20%.'

Tomato Prices Increased By 1315%!

Tomato Prices Increased By 1315%!

Rediff.com12 Jul 2023

8 out of 10 households are planning to cut their tomato consumption if prices stay in the Rs 75-150 kg range over the next three months.

Portal for info on unclaimed bank deposits to be ready in 3-4 months: RBI

Portal for info on unclaimed bank deposits to be ready in 3-4 months: RBI

Rediff.com6 Apr 2023

Reserve Bank of India on Thursday said a centralised portal would be ready in three to four months wherein depositors and beneficiaries can access details of unclaimed deposits across various banks. As of February this year, about Rs 35,000 crore of unclaimed deposits were transferred to RBI by public sector banks in respect of deposits which were not operated for 10 years or more. "In order to improve and widen the access of depositors/beneficiaries to such data, RBI has decided to develop a web portal to enable search across multiple banks for possible unclaimed deposits based on user inputs," RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said while announcing the first bi-monthly monetary policy for the current financial year.

Headphones, umbrella: What's cheaper, costlier

Headphones, umbrella: What's cheaper, costlier

Rediff.com1 Feb 2022

While duty on products such as methyl alcohol (methanol) and acetic acid has been brought down to 2.5 per cent and 5 per cent, respectively from the existing 10 per cent.

Is Defence Budget Enough To Counter China, Pakistan?

Is Defence Budget Enough To Counter China, Pakistan?

Rediff.com10 Feb 2023

To threaten China and Pakistan, and then to sharply cut back on military funding, bespeaks a remarkable trust in Beijing and Islamabad that is not borne out by anything they say or do, notes Ajai Shukla.

RCap lenders in a fix as Hindujas retract revised Rs 8,950-cr offer

RCap lenders in a fix as Hindujas retract revised Rs 8,950-cr offer

Rediff.com27 Mar 2023

The Hinduja group is learnt to have backtracked from making a minimum Rs 8,950-crore offer for Reliance Capital (RCap) - a deal that it had belatedly put forth in December, after Torrent Investments emerged as the highest bidder for the bankrupt firm in the challenge process. The Hindujas' latest move has put Indian lenders, with an exposure of Rs 24,000 crore, in a spot as it was the former's revised offer that led to a call for a second auction and litigation by Torrent, which had placed a bid of Rs 8,649 crore in the first auction. Torrent has moved the Supreme Court and plans to wait for the apex court verdict before participating in any fresh auction. A banking source said there was an informal meeting of a few lenders of Reliance Capital with the bidders - the Torrent group and the Hinduja group on Friday when the latter changed its stand. The meeting of RCap's committee of creditors (CoC) is scheduled for Monday.

Oppn parties to jointly raise Adani issue in Parliament, but...

Oppn parties to jointly raise Adani issue in Parliament, but...

Rediff.com3 Feb 2023

Opposition parties on Thursday agreed to jointly raise the issue of allegations of fraud against the Adani Group in Parliament but were yet to agree on the mode of inquiry into the Gujarat-based corporate major.

Govt to borrow record Rs 15.4 lakh crore in FY24

Govt to borrow record Rs 15.4 lakh crore in FY24

Rediff.com1 Feb 2023

The government plans to borrow a record Rs 15.4 lakh crore from dated securities in FY24 to meet its expenditure requirement to prop up the economy.

LS passes Rs 45L cr Budget 2023-24 without debate amid Oppn ruckus

LS passes Rs 45L cr Budget 2023-24 without debate amid Oppn ruckus

Rediff.com23 Mar 2023

The Lower House of Parliament took up the Demands for Grants and Appropriation Bills after two adjournments as the ruling and Opposition MPs engaged in a matching duet over demands for an apology by Rahul Gandhi and the Adani issue.

Unclaimed Shares, Dividends? Read This!

Unclaimed Shares, Dividends? Read This!

Rediff.com23 Mar 2023

I stumbled upon shares worth around Rs 300,000 in my late father's name, which are currently with the Investor Education & Protection Fund, points out Harsh Roongta.

RBI to issue green bonds in two tranches of Rs 8,000 cr each

RBI to issue green bonds in two tranches of Rs 8,000 cr each

Rediff.com6 Jan 2023

The RBI on Friday said maiden Sovereign Green Bonds (SGrBs) would be issued in two tranches for an aggregate amount of Rs 16,000 crore, and proceeds will be utilised for funding public sector projects seeking to reduce carbon emissions. The first auction would be done on January 25 while the second on February 9, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in a statement. The proceeds will be deployed in public sector projects, which help in reducing the carbon intensity of the economy, it said.

Adani issue, ED raids set to rock Parliament, again

Adani issue, ED raids set to rock Parliament, again

Rediff.com12 Mar 2023

The opposition parties will meet on Monday morning to evolve their strategy in both Houses of Parliament after protests by them on the Hindenburg-Adani issue overshadowed most of the first half of the Budget session.

Hindenburg effect: Trading volumes rose amid rout in Adani Group shares

Hindenburg effect: Trading volumes rose amid rout in Adani Group shares

Rediff.com15 Feb 2023

The rout in Adani Group stocks after US-based short seller Hindenburg Research released a report on January 24 has sparked a rebound in trading activity this month. The average daily trading volume (ADTV) for the cash segment (both NSE and BSE combined) so far in February stands at Rs 59,346 crore, and is around 15 per cent more than the previous month's tally of Rs 51,844 crore, which was the lowest in six months. The ADTV for the futures and options (F&O) segment rose to a record Rs 204 trillion (notional turnover) against Rs 202 trillion in January.

Meagre hike in MEA budget; Rs 990 cr allocated towards G20 presidency

Meagre hike in MEA budget; Rs 990 cr allocated towards G20 presidency

Rediff.com1 Feb 2023

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has been allocated a total of Rs 18,050 crore in the Union Budget for 2023-24 which is an increase of around 4.64 per cent over last year's allocation of Rs 17,250 crore.

RBI to launch first pilot of digital rupee on Tuesday

RBI to launch first pilot of digital rupee on Tuesday

Rediff.com31 Oct 2022

India's first digital rupee pilot project will commence on Tuesday with nine banks, including SBI, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, issuing the virtual currency for transactions in government securities. "...the first pilot in the digital rupee - Wholesale segment shall commence on November 1, 2022," the RBI said in a statement on 'Operationalisation of Central Bank Digital Currency-Wholesale (e?-W) Pilot'. It also announced that the first pilot in digital rupee - Retail segment is planned for launch within a month in select locations in closed user groups comprising customers and merchants.

Budget 2023: Key numbers to be watched

Budget 2023: Key numbers to be watched

Rediff.com1 Feb 2023

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will be presenting her fifth Budget that may do a tightrope walk between staying fiscally prudent and meeting general public expectations of lower taxes and a wider social security net, while at the same time firing the engines of the economy.

Cement sector remains a puzzle to investors

Cement sector remains a puzzle to investors

Rediff.com13 Jan 2023

The cement industry continues to present a puzzle to investors.

States add 1.1 million families to un-electrified list

States add 1.1 million families to un-electrified list

Rediff.com29 Jun 2022

Two years after the Centre's flagship village electrification scheme Saubhagya concluded with the government claiming 99.9 per cent success, several states have added close to 1.1 million rural households that remain to be connected to the electricity grid. This new list includes earlier unwilling households that have now agreed to have a metered connection and also those built or discovered in the states' surveys since 2019. Assam and Uttar Pradesh are the states that have the majority of such new additions.

Why Start-Ups Are Melting Down

Why Start-Ups Are Melting Down

Rediff.com13 Apr 2023

PEs and VCs are taking a closer look at their bouquet of investments. Leading voices in the sector are categorical that cash-burn rates -- that's blowing up equity to acquire market share -- as a business model can't continue to be the polestar.

Budget 2023: Tax sops, fiscal consolidation, a tight rope walk for Sitharaman

Budget 2023: Tax sops, fiscal consolidation, a tight rope walk for Sitharaman

Rediff.com31 Jan 2023

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will have to do a tight-rope walk between staying fiscally prudent and general public expectations of lower taxes and a wider social security net, while at the same time firing the engines of the economy before general elections. Sitharaman will on Wednesday present her fifth straight Budget at a time when the economy is slowing due to global headwinds and specific sectors need attention. In the run-up to the Budget presentation, expectations are rife that she may tweak income-tax slabs to provide relief to the middle class and increase spending on the poor through programmes such as the rural job scheme while ramping up financial incentives for local manufacturing.

Watch Live! All the action in Parliament

Watch Live! All the action in Parliament

Rediff.com24 Mar 2022

The stormy second part of Budget Session continues. Both houses of Parliament have been facing continuous protests by opposition parties over issues like fuel price hike.

Investors budget for growth on Feb 1; tax sops for salaried expected

Investors budget for growth on Feb 1; tax sops for salaried expected

Rediff.com24 Jan 2023

Reminiscent of the past two years, the market has made positive strides ahead of the Union Budget 2023-24 (FY24). The benchmark National Stock Exchange Nifty has gained 1.8 per cent in the last month. Typically, markets tend to gain ahead of the Budget as investors build in optimism.

PSB privatisation will impact economy in 2 ways: Subbarao

PSB privatisation will impact economy in 2 ways: Subbarao

Rediff.com7 Sep 2022

Former RBI governor D Subbarao has suggested that the government should come up with a 10-year road map for privatisation of all Public Sector Banks (PSBs) as it would provide much needed predictability to stakeholders. Subbarao further said that the big bang approach to privatisation of state-owned banks is not desirable but at the same time the issue should not be put on the back burner. "Ideally, we should have a road map, maybe over a 10 year timeframe, to privatise all PSBs. "That will give much needed predictability to all stakeholders," he told PTI.

Why stocks of listed REITs are risky bets in the near term

Why stocks of listed REITs are risky bets in the near term

Rediff.com28 Feb 2023

In addition to the negative sentiment as a consequence of changes announced in the Union Budget 2023-24 concerning tax treatment for debt repayment distribution, concerns about hiring slowdown and its leasing impact, as well as higher interest rates, could blight the sector in the near term.

Budget session of Parliament resumes from Monday, Oppn set to corner govt

Budget session of Parliament resumes from Monday, Oppn set to corner govt

Rediff.com13 Mar 2022

Top on the government's agenda would be getting Parliament's approval to the budgetary proposals and presentation of the budget for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.