Farmer representatives and agricultural stakeholders urged the government to provide cheaper long-term credit, implement lower taxes, and double the PM-KISAN income support during a comprehensive pre-budget consultation with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday. The two-hour meeting saw a detailed discussion of proposals, aimed at addressing multiple challenges in the agricultural sector, with key demands focusing on financial relief, market reforms, and strategic investments.
Budget 2025-26 delivers a carefully calibrated strategy-stimulating demand and investment while keeping fiscal discipline intact. In an environment marked by global trade disruptions, and a softening in urban consumption, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has taken a measured approach.
Many financial sector reforms suggested by the Percy Mistry Committee may not figure in Budget 2008-09.
New India Assurance and Niva Bupa have invested in the Bima Sugam India Federation.
'We are going to need more technical people in government.' 'You can't expect a generalist to understand the complicated world of financial engineering.' 'I regret to say that most of our politicians have no competence to deal with these things. Nor is there a willingness to learn.'
'It is imprudent on the part of Indian insurance companies to invest out of the shareholders' fund in a private limited company.'
The ATAGS has a range of 35-45 kilometres, depending on the ammunition used, and achieved a 47-km firing range during trials.
The High-Powered Expert Committee report sounds impatient on various issues like capital account convertibility.
Crucial financial sector reforms are again stuck, despite Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's appealing to political parties to help pass the legislations in this regard.
But their trajectory and direction have been largely influenced by politics and the political leadership's understanding of how the economy needs to be managed, explains A K Bhattacharya.
The committee on financial sector reforms headed by Raghuram Rajan has recommended that provident funds and insurance companies should be allowed to invest abroad, a move that will require legislative changes.The panel's draft report has also called for the introduction of "true auctions" in securities, reduction in the auction and trading period, unified disclosure norms for multiple securities, use of call options for opening and closing price on exchanges.
India Inc on Thursday pitched for lowering income tax burden on common man, increase in capital expenditure, and firm steps to contain food inflation in their nearly two-hour long interaction with finance minister Nirmala Shitharaman ahead of the Union Budget. During pre-Budget consultation with Sitharaman, the industry leaders and associations also urged the government to focus more on infrastructure development with a view to maintaining the economic growth momentum. The industry leaders also laid stress on boosting the MSME (micro, small, and medium enterprises) sector, considered a backbone of the Indian economy and main employment generator.
Chaos in Parliament threw a spanner in the government's efforts to revive the economy and kick-start reforms.
It would amount to penalising the people, who make an attempt to repay loans.
'Some of the astounding proposals, if translated into statutory provisions, would be suicidal.' 'This would not be a wonder cure for increasing insurance penetration and only result in mushrooming growth of players like paan kiosks with deleterious consequences.'
If the concerns over risking political capital are overcome, the long-term gains for the Indian economy will be immense, asserts A K Bhattacharya.
'Today, let us reaffirm our commitment to strive to realise Gandhiji's dreams. His watchwords, truth and nonviolence, will continue to remain relevant for the whole world. He also taught us that rights and duties are but the two sides of the coin - indeed, the true source of rights is duty. Today we recall his lessons in compassion too - compassion not only for our human neighbours but also for our other neighbours, namely, flora and fauna, rivers and mountains.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge were among the top leaders who paid homage to former prime minister Manmohan Singh at his home in New Delhi on Friday.
What stood out in his 15-year journey as a member of the political executive at the Centre was his glowing record as India's most successful and effective finance minister. Both as prime minister and finance minister, he understood the importance of gradualism, except when the economy or the polity was in a crisis.
'There are deeper, underlying, forces at work and we need institutional arrangements to guard against them.'
Why did the political system in the country react to these two decisions of the Modi government in a diametrically opposite manner? asks A K Bhattacharya.
The generation of quality jobs and skill development should be the focal point, cutting across ministries and departments, asserts Nivedita Mookerji.
The finance ministry has put out a revised draft in public domain.
DBS called Rajan's decision not to seek an extension as a 'negative surprise'.
The governance reforms, as an official put it, would bring in measures to track the performance of the executive-rank employees of the banks, intensively.
Banks in India must have a modern approach, suggests a panel comprising of banking bigwigs.
The government package for public sector banks, announced last Friday, has been welcomed by the stock market with the PSU banking index booking smart gains.
Few finance ministers announce any taxation measure that could upset the stock market. Ms Sitharaman decided to take that risk, observes A K Bhattacharya.
The decision assumes significance in the wake of a scam in the PMC Bank affecting lakhs of customers who are facing difficulties in withdrawing their money due to restrictions imposed by the Reserve Bank of India.
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Addressing a Ficci-organised banking summit in Mumbai, he at the same time said that it will take several years for the country's banks to achieve the status of a large global bank.
This is despite expectations of a stormy session, given the unresolved standoff on the Opposition's insistence on a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the telecom spectrum controversy.
There is nothing to be worried about as bilateral ties are robust with solid foundations. Both are on the same page on the economic and defence/security ties bilaterally and globally and that shall continue irrespective of change in political dispensation in either country, points out Dr Rajaram Panda.
DEA officials to push for this at a meeting with FM Jaitley.
Discussion paper fixes Rs 1,000 cr as minimum capital for these specialised banks
FY22 will be the year to rebuild with the IMF projecting output growth at 11.5 per cent, economic survey at 11.0 per cent and the RBI's Monetary Policy Committee at 10.5 per cent.
The Budget sets out a comprehensive vision.
The report suggests that one of the major impacts of COVID-19 on the media and entertainment industry is the instability caused and the downfall in the advertising revenues across all media segments
The Cabinet on Thursday approved 49 per cent foreign investment in insurance companies through the Foreign Investment Promotion Board route ensuring management control in the hands of Indian promoters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said his government has within 100 days in office steered the economy out of a "difficult situation" and brought stability, and promised to remove roadblocks to foreign investment.
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