News for 'Department of Finance'

How Pune duo hatched the plan to kill Baba Siddique

How Pune duo hatched the plan to kill Baba Siddique

Rediff.com14 Oct 2024

The conspiracy to kill Nationalist Congress Party leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique was hatched in Pune and shooters were provided with a photo and a flex banner for the target identification, police said on Monday.

'God Save Insurance Industry'

'God Save Insurance Industry'

Rediff.com9 Dec 2024

'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.'

'We Lost So Many Things In This War'

'We Lost So Many Things In This War'

Rediff.com9 Oct 2024

'The war ended in 2009 and I believe the new generation of Tamils don't know what was going on there.' 'I felt it was my duty to tell our story.' 'Since 2009, it seems like we are sleeping.'

Govt exempts non-basmati white rice from export duty

Govt exempts non-basmati white rice from export duty

Rediff.com28 Sep 2024

Withdrawing a blanket ban on overseas shipments of non-basmati white rice, the government on Saturday imposed a floor price of $490 per tonne and exempted the commodity from export duty. Exports of non-basmati white rice have been banned since July 20, 2023 to boost domestic supply. "The export policy for non-basmati white rice (semi-milled or wholly milled rice, whether or not polished or gazed) ...is amended from prohibited to free, subject to MEP (minimum export price) of $490 per tonne with immediate effect and until further orders," the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) said in a notification.

As finance secretary, Garg rubbed too many the wrong way

As finance secretary, Garg rubbed too many the wrong way

Rediff.com25 Jul 2019

Owing to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman being new to her role, a number of crucial announcements in the Budget bore Garg's imprint, especially the decision to borrow in overseas markets, reduce the fiscal deficit as a percentage of gross domestic product, and resort to off-Budget borrowing to meet that target, says Arup Roychoudury.

Budget: Time To Bet On Big Ideas

Budget: Time To Bet On Big Ideas

Rediff.com16 Jul 2024

The generation of quality jobs and skill development should be the focal point, cutting across ministries and departments, asserts Nivedita Mookerji.

Public sector banks may take QIP route to meet shareholding norm

Public sector banks may take QIP route to meet shareholding norm

Rediff.com26 Jul 2024

Public-sector lenders Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) and Uco Bank are likely to raise funds through qualified institutional placement (QIP) next month. Punjab & Sind Bank is likely to follow suit later this financial year to meet the public shareholding norm of 25 per cent. When a public-sector unit raises funds through QIP, the money goes to the company because it involves issuing new shares whereas in the case of offer for sale (OFS), the money raised goes to the government because its shares are sold.

Major changes in finance ministry after Budget

Major changes in finance ministry after Budget

Rediff.com10 Jan 2017

Three key babus will make room for a new set of officers to carry the baton of Budget programmes.

Maha portfolios: Sena gets home, NCP finance, Cong revenue

Maha portfolios: Sena gets home, NCP finance, Cong revenue

Rediff.com13 Dec 2019

Portfolios were distributed 2 weeks after the MVA govt was sworn-in. Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde will be home minister while NCP's Jayant Patil will be finance minister.

Above-normal monsoon likely to ease food prices: FinMin

Above-normal monsoon likely to ease food prices: FinMin

Rediff.com26 Apr 2024

With the prediction of an above normal monsoon in 2024, the government is expecting food prices to come down, the finance ministry's monthly economic report for March has said. The report, released on Thursday, said robust foreign inflows and comfortable trade deficits were expected to keep the rupee within a comfortable range. "Further easing of food prices is on the anvil as IMD (India Meteorological Department) has predicted above-normal rainfall during the monsoon season, which is likely to lead to higher production, assuming good spatial and temporal distribution of the rainfall," the monthly report, released by the Department of Economic Affairs, said.

BJP MLA Fights BJP Government On Corruption

BJP MLA Fights BJP Government On Corruption

Rediff.com14 Oct 2024

'I gave enough evidence and proof to punish corrupt officials.' 'But my own government has not filed any FIR against such officials.'

Finance secretary to head FIPB

Finance secretary to head FIPB

Rediff.com13 Feb 2003

Fema tweaks on the cards to allow FPIs to seamlessly access FDI route

Fema tweaks on the cards to allow FPIs to seamlessly access FDI route

Rediff.com31 Aug 2024

The government is planning to introduce legislative changes to the Foreign Exchange Management Act (Fema) regulations, with a focus on easing the pathway for inflows from a foreign portfolio investor to transition seamlessly into foreign direct investments (FDI) once the FPI surpasses the 10 per cent ownership threshold in a company. This move stems from multiple requests by foreign investors seeking to streamline the reporting requirements that arise when their stakes in Indian firms cross the 10 per cent mark.

PMO Monitoring Red Sea Crisis

PMO Monitoring Red Sea Crisis

Rediff.com16 Feb 2024

Any government support or incentive to help exporters deal with high freight and insurance costs is unlikely.

Kumaraswamy allocates portfolios, retains finance

Kumaraswamy allocates portfolios, retains finance

Rediff.com8 Jun 2018

Portfolio sharing had turned out to be a thorny issue between the Congress and JD-S and was thrashed out after much haggling, with both parties announcing an agreement on June one.

MPS: FinMin may extend August deadline for PSBs, insurers

MPS: FinMin may extend August deadline for PSBs, insurers

Rediff.com10 Jun 2024

The finance ministry is in favour of extending the August deadline for public sector banks (PSBs) as well as insurance companies to increase their minimum public shareholding (MPS) to the mandated 25 per cent, said a senior government official. "The election results will determine the course of action. "Most likely, those who did not receive an extension to meet the minimum shareholding norm will be granted one," the senior government official said.

26/11 attack mastermind Lakhvi gets 5-year jail term in terror financing case

26/11 attack mastermind Lakhvi gets 5-year jail term in terror financing case

Rediff.com8 Jan 2021

United Nations proscribed terrorist Lakhvi, 61, who was on bail since 2015 in the Mumbai attack case, was arrested by the Counter-Terrorism Department of Punjab province on Saturday.

Tatas to build Rs 650 cr museum of temples in Ayodhya

Tatas to build Rs 650 cr museum of temples in Ayodhya

Rediff.com25 Jun 2024

Sharing details about the decision, tourism minister Jaivir Singh said the tourism department would provide the company land for the international-level museum on a 90-year lease for a token amount of Re 1.

Bihar govt transfers over 100 bureaucrats amid political turmoil

Bihar govt transfers over 100 bureaucrats amid political turmoil

Rediff.com27 Jan 2024

The transferred officers included 22 IAS, 79 IPS, 45 Bihar Administrative Service officers

Nirmala Sitharaman and her team decode the fine prints of Budget 2024

Nirmala Sitharaman and her team decode the fine prints of Budget 2024

Rediff.com24 Jul 2024

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, along with her team of bureaucrats, delved into the fine print of the 2024-25 Budget documents in a press conference, detailing the government's road map on bringing down the debt-to-GDP ratio and bold tax measures.

I-T dept sets up control room in Delhi to check black money in polls

I-T dept sets up control room in Delhi to check black money in polls

Rediff.com20 Mar 2024

The identity of the informant shall be kept a secret, it said.

Sitharaman urges banks to boost deposits

Sitharaman urges banks to boost deposits

Rediff.com19 Aug 2024

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharman on Monday held a performance review meeting with heads of public sector banks and asked them to make concerted efforts to garner deposits. Deposits have been growing 300-400 basis points lower than the credit growth in the last few months, creating an asset-liability mismatch for banks. During deliberations on the deposit mobilisation, she said that while the credit growth has picked up, mobilisation of deposits could further be improved to fund the credit growth sustainably, and asked banks to make concerted efforts to garner deposits by conducting special drives.

Bengal Guv 'feels unsafe' in presence of Kolkata cops

Bengal Guv 'feels unsafe' in presence of Kolkata cops

Rediff.com20 Jun 2024

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Thursday said that he was apprehending a threat to his security because of the presence of the current contingent of Kolkata Police posted at Raj Bhavan in Kolkata.

Centre gives more powers to JK L-G; Oppn slams move

Centre gives more powers to JK L-G; Oppn slams move

Rediff.com13 Jul 2024

The L-G will take decisions on police, officers of all-India services such as the IAS and the IPS, and giving sanction for prosecution in various cases.

100 metric tonnes of gold shifted from UK to Indian vaults

100 metric tonnes of gold shifted from UK to Indian vaults

Rediff.com31 May 2024

India has moved 100 metric tonnes of its gold stored in the UK to domestic vaults in FY24, sources said on Friday. This is one of the biggest movements of gold undertaken by the country since 1991, when pledging a substantial part of the gold holding to tide over a foreign exchange crisis resulted in its movement out of vaults. The country's overall gold holding increased 27.46 metric tonnes in FY24 and it stands at 822 metric tonnes, as per official data.

Govt seeks Parl nod for additional Rs 2 lakh cr spend

Govt seeks Parl nod for additional Rs 2 lakh cr spend

Rediff.com5 Feb 2024

The supplementary demands for grants include a gross additional spending of over Rs 2 lakh crore, which would be matched by savings of over Rs 1.21 lakh crore.

The Intern's Dilemma

The Intern's Dilemma

Rediff.com12 Sep 2024

'When it is unpaid, sometimes, they don't take you seriously.' 'Work is not reviewed, and there is no effort in making interns learn.'

Tablet in a red pouch, FM presents 3rd paperless Budget

Tablet in a red pouch, FM presents 3rd paperless Budget

Rediff.com1 Feb 2024

Sitharaman, India's first full-time woman finance minister, had in July 2019 ditched the colonial legacy of a Budget briefcase for the traditional 'bahi-khata' to carry Union Budget papers.

Mr Jaitley, why is the income tax department hiding data?

Mr Jaitley, why is the income tax department hiding data?

Rediff.com13 Nov 2014

Our income tax department should bring out monthly bulletin as well as annual reports providing insights into the nature of our direct tax segments, points out R Vaidyanathan.

Finance Secretary Mayaram transferred even before taking charge

Finance Secretary Mayaram transferred even before taking charge

Rediff.com30 Oct 2014

Arvind Mayaram, who was shunted from Finance Ministry to Tourism only a fortnight ago, has now been transferred as secretary in minority affairs ministry even before he took charge of his new post.

Health ministry's allocation hiked by 12.59% to Rs 90,659 cr

Health ministry's allocation hiked by 12.59% to Rs 90,659 cr

Rediff.com1 Feb 2024

The government also announced that healthcare cover under the Ayushman Bharat insurance scheme will be extended to all ASHA and anganwadi workers and helpers.

WazirX Seeks FBI Help To Recover $230M

WazirX Seeks FBI Help To Recover $230M

Rediff.com31 Jul 2024

WazirX lost about 45 per cent of its crypto assets to the security breach. People privy to the discussions say North Korea has been mentioned.

The Woman Who Lost Everything

The Woman Who Lost Everything

Rediff.com13 Nov 2024

When the landslide hit, Sruthi's house was washed away, along with its inhabitants. She lost her entire family and some relatives. All she had left for a close confidante was her fiance Jenson. Days after the landslide and the loss of her family, Jenson died in a road accident that also left Sruthi with serious injuries. News of the accident and Sruthi's backdrop as the lone surviving member of a family wiped out in the July landslide, was picked up by the media, and people rushed to help.

I-T department issues notice to Rebook India executives

I-T department issues notice to Rebook India executives

Rediff.com24 May 2012

In more trouble for Reebok India, the I-T department has launched a probe into its finances and has begun issuing notices to its executives after an alleged Rs 870-crore (Rs 8.7-billion) fraud case was detected by the company against two of its top officials.

Nirmalaji And Why I Quit The Government

Nirmalaji And Why I Quit The Government

Rediff.com15 Jan 2024

She said I treated her like a bachchi. At another moment, she said I had gone to various people and 'bitched' about her. She also threatened to bring the entire matter to the PM's notice. A revealing excerpt from Subhash Chandra Garg's We Also Make Policy: An Insider's Account of How the Finance Ministry Functions.

Goyal runs finance ministry, but Jaitley's watching

Goyal runs finance ministry, but Jaitley's watching

Rediff.com26 Jun 2018

While Arun Jaitley remains part of the decision making process, Piyush Goyal, who was given additional charge on May 14, attends cabinet meetings and takes the day-to-day decisions.

The Formidable Editor, Vimla Patil

The Formidable Editor, Vimla Patil

Rediff.com3 Oct 2024

Vimla Patil always stressed the importance of proving wrong the perception that women were women's worst enemies. And it iss a lesson I carried forward with me all through my career, learning empathy, understanding and ways to help as I went along. Sathya Saran, who succeeded Mrs Patil as Femina's editor, pays homage to the well-known journalist who passed into the ages on September 29, 2024.

Income tax dept conducts survey at Hinduja group firm

Income tax dept conducts survey at Hinduja group firm

Rediff.com29 Nov 2023

The income tax department on Wednesday conducted a survey operation at Hinduja Global Solutions, an entity of the Hinduja Group, in Mumbai and some other cities, official sources said.

Full list: Modi's New Ministers And Their Portfolios

Full list: Modi's New Ministers And Their Portfolios

Rediff.com10 Jun 2024

Here is the complete list of ministers in Modi 3.0 and their portfolios:

Water resources, Ganga allocations surge 55% to Rs 30,234 cr

Water resources, Ganga allocations surge 55% to Rs 30,234 cr

Rediff.com23 Jul 2024

The revised budget for 2024-25 shows a sharp rise in the allocations, particularly for major irrigation projects and the Namami Gange Mission-II.