In private, questions are being raised about the wisdom of a 'dual-SIM' leadership during the long run-up to the 2026 assembly polls where 'family rule' could become an election issue, reports N Sathiya Moorthy.
The Delhi high court on Friday sought the stand of news portal NewsClick and its editor-in-chief on a plea by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking vacation of an earlier order granting them protection from coercive action in a money laundering case.
Till the other day, the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) had made no secret of its opposition to foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail. But the trade-union wing of the ruling Congress party at the Centre has now had a change of heart.
With the Union government clearing the way for foreign direct investment (FDI) in the railways, the Railway Board is devising a plan for operations, maintenance and construction projects.
The data will be released in coordination with the Reserve Bank, which has so far been the sole agency for compiling information on the outward FDI.
In 2011-12, FDI rose 34.4 per cent to $46.84 billion, compared with $34.84 billion in 2010-11 and $37.74 billion in 2009-10, according to data from the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion.
Will help to reduce current account deficit and restore growth.
China's FDI growth saw ups and downs in the first 11 months of 2015.
After approving 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail, the CoS is said to have suggested stringent conditions for foreign retailers such as minimum investment of $100 million.
The Union Cabinet on Thursday deferred a decision on a proposal to allow FDI in construction sector.
In January 2014, the country had received $2.18 billion FDI.
Global FDI inflows rose five per cent to $1.24 trillion in 2010, but were still 37 per cent below the 2007 peak and 15 per cent below the pre-crisis average.
While India allows 100 per cent FDI in a large number of the sectors, there is a ceiling on foreign investment in sensitive segments like multi-brand retail, insurance, defence and telecom.
The Foreign Investment Promotion Board on Friday gave conditional approval to the proposal of InterGlobe Aviation which would pave the way for fresh foreign direct investment in private air carrier IndiGo.
The government is considering to tweak FDI policy in retail sector so as to allow global chains like Walmart, Carrefour and Tesco to open multi-brand stores in non-hilly cities with population less than one million.
Retail, telecom, media and a host of sectors in which foreign direct investment is restricted stand to gain from changes in FDI policy that the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs cleared on Wednesday linking approvals to the concept of control for the first time.
Finance ministry considers tax sops, regulation of hospitals to make health care affordable.
Foreign Direct Investment to Asia reached record heights in 2011, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) World Investment Report 2012.
FDI in the defence sector during 2000-2014 has been a meagre $4.94 billion, despite the total FDI flow into the country across sectors standing at $321.81 billion.
FDI inflows into India declined from $31.5 billion in 2011 to $27.3 billion in 2012, Unctad said in a report on global investment trends, which it released on Thursday.
The Enforcement Directorate has upgraded its Look out Circular (LC) issued against Byju's founder and CEO Byju Raveendran in connection with a FEMA probe, seeking to stop him for going abroad. The earlier such alert meant that immigration authorities had to just intimate the agency about his movements through various ports. Official sources said that the over an year old LC was revised sometime back in light of investors' concerns and ongoing adjudication of a FEMA contravention case against Raveendran and some others.
United Progressive Alliance's second largest partner Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Monday demanded reconsideration of the decision to allow FDI in the multi-brand retail sector and said it would back any opposition-sponsored resolution that may be brought on the issue in Parliament.
"I don't think that it is government's view that the present inflation cannot be brought under control without FDI in multi-brand retail. We can bring inflation under control," Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said.
Despite public-private partnership projects announced in several rail budgets, the investment since 2000 has been merely Rs 3,000 crore.
There is unlikely to be a rush towards the country unless New Delhi is ready with fairly applied regulations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said his government has carried out major reforms -- including labour reforms and reforms in insurance and defence sectors -- 'in less than 100 days' and stopped reversals Indian economy had been facing.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) into China fell for a sixth straight month in April amid global economic downturn causing concern in the world's second largest economy.
The US companies have huge interest in investing in high-tech commerce in India, which has the advantage of large human capital, David C Mulford, US Ambassador to India, said on Tuesday.
After the UPA tried unsuccessfully since 2010 to raise the 26 per cent cap on foreign direct investment (FDI) in defence production, a move that indigenous defence companies and former Defence Minister AK Antony resisted staunchly, the new government has initiated a fresh attempt along the same lines.
The government has relaxed the norms for allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in the construction development sector. It is expected the move will boost affordable housing projects and smart cities across the country.
Bentonville-based Walmart has also raised apprehensions about the ongoing probe by investigating agency Enforcement Directorate, said an internal note of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion.
Commerce Minister Anand Sharma on Monday expressed optimism that the total FDI inflows this fiscal will the same as in the previous year's at $27 billion.
Countries all over the world are struggling to attract foreign direct investment.
Leading corporate lawyers and accounting firms have swung into action to interpret the grey areas in the multi-brand retail FDI policy and suggest follow-up action to clients before they start striking deals.
The government engineered a victory of sorts when it succeeded in neutralising the Samajwadi party, the Bahujan Samajwadi Party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Trinamool Congress in stacking up the numbers on the FDI issue, says Renu Mittal.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday sprung a surprise for the UPA-II and more so for Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who is championing the cause of Foreign Direct Investment, when it released a letter dated December 21, 2002, in which the prime minister had opposed FDI.
India and China are emerging as significant sources of foreign direct investment in Africa even as the overall percentage of FDI from Asian countries targeted towards the continent remains low, the United Nations has said.
Following the government move to allow FDI policy in the civil aviation sector, Chairman of debt-ridden Kingfisher Airlines Vijay Mallya on Wednesday said the carrier was in talks with foreign airlines.
