A civilised society depends on having the greatest possible number of people who have a stake in society. Being a homeowner gives one a secure and direct stake in society; so that is the goal we need to work towards.
Deora's visit assumes importance in view of Musharraf's proposals to China and China's quest for shorter, safer and commercially viable routes for importing gas and oil.
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India favoured on Monday auctioning spectrum for third generation mobile services to firms which already provide second generation services, a development that could be a setback to new players who wish to offer only the advanced telephony system. The regulator also said entry fees for new mobile licensees in all the circles should be raised as there is good growth potential in the telecom sector.
NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul on Wednesday said that the Indian government should first target containing inflation rather than focus on growth. Lord Paul said that it is necessary that India should focus more on containing runaway inflation witnessed at the moment, which hit the poor people hard. Referring to the recent acquisitions made by the Tatas in UK, he said that UK was delighted to welcome the Tatas there. Relationship between India and UK was at its peak now.
In 2007, 5.08 million tourists had thronged India. This has helped India get Rs 50,730 crore (Rs 507.3 billion) worth of foreign exchange in 2008 compared with Rs 44,260 crore (Rs 442.6 billion) in 2007, up about 14 per cent, she added.
India's exporters are looking out for Euro-dominated trade opportunities due to strengthening of rupee and pressure on profit margins, according to a survey by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
Currently, we are planning to construct one animation centre in Pune. We have asked PwC to prepare a detailed report for the same; it should be ready in the next four months.
India Inc has welcomed the Sixth Pay Commission report that suggested an average increase of 40 per cent in salaries of central government employees and said the move will not lead to a rise in inflation and revenue deficit of the government. Industry body Ficci said the pay hike would not add to inflationary conditions and revenue deficit due to buoyant revenue collections. Also, Ficci said the hike would reduce the problem of governance and attract talented personnel.
Ficci has demanded cuts in excise duties and interest rates to lift the manufacturing sector. It also calls for appropriate raw material policies.
Inflation is affecting consumer spending and advertisers say they will now spend only on media which gives them the highest measurable returns. TV, for instance, grabs the biggest ad pie due to its mass appeal and the ready availability of TRPs, used to assess its returns.
The Reserve Bank of India will soon appoint an external agency to assess the claims of complete financial inclusion in different states of the country.
My only request to the finance minister is to allow retailers to adjust the service tax on all inputs such as rent and telephone against the sales tax we collect from consumers. We will be relieved to that extent, says BS Nagesh.
Iran's Finance Minister was here. And he lists the reasons why is country holds great promise for Indian companies willing to do business with his country.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee is expected to visit Iran soon, said Manbir Singh, India's ambassador to Iran.
Clearly not. But to take the case of the Indian airline industry which is in the news, its fleet must be cut by a fifth but it can't do this unless it also has the right to fire workers.
Reeling under severe credit crunch, the Indian industry on Friday welcomed the decision of Reserve Bank of India to cut CRR rate by another 100 basis points but said the government and the central bank need to take more steps such as slashing interest rates to restore market confidence.
BIS proposes compulsory registration for selling hallmarked jewellery. This will kill business of online sales as BIS registration is given only to physical premises.
Rajya Sabha member and former Chairman of Prime Minister's Economic Panel C Rangarajan on Monday said he expects inflation to ease to 10 per cent by December. He said inflation last year was moderate almost at the end of December, so base effect will be to heighten inflation in the current year.
"We have always said if the WTO Director General feels there is a chance for (another) opening, then we will be prepared to come again to Geneva," Commerce Secretary G K Pillai told reporters on the sidelines of a Ficci-CUTS conference in New Delhi. A marathon meeting of 30 trade ministers failed to reach a common ground when they met in Geneva between July 21-29 on an issue of the level of protection for developing countries in case of import surge.
The print media's declining share of the media industry is not as worrying as its attitude to the factors critical to growth.
Reforms in the Indian economy have brought about a change in the nature, role and functioning of industry chambers and their membership, both in terms of composition and numbers.
"Whatever may be the political undercurrents, the economy, and the markets, are bound to go forward at its own pace. It will get bigger and better. Our challenge is to keep it safe (for the benefit of investors)," the Sebi chief said.
In spite of the Orient snub, Tatas are still negotiating with them for the hotel takeover as well as scouting other US cities for luxury hotels.
Oil companies have welcomed the hike in petrol and diesel as it will help them cut losses on sale of fuel.
Marigold has been in the making for a long time.
"My offer to the US is that they should reduce their subsidy by just one dollar and we have a deal," Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath said on Monday at a conference on globalisation, organised by FICCI and University of Oxford.
The Budget proposal to upgrade ITIs to train workers in specific skills should help meet industry demand.
The IT department of West Bengal is in the process of negotiations with some animation companies to set up an animation park in Kolkata. The state IT department initiative to set up incubation centres in Kolkata, Siliguri and Durgapur aimed to make West Bengal among the top three Indian IT states in revenue terms by 2010.
Industry bodies said India's move to grant the status to Pakistan had not made much of a difference as it was not reciprocated
The media and entertainment industry in 2007 grew by an estimated 17 per cent over the previous year to touch Rs 51,300 crore (Rs 513 billion), according to a recent Ficci-PwC 2008 report. However, this is 6 percentage points lower than the 23 per cent growth registered in 2006. All the major segments within the M&E industry, comprising TV, film and print, will see a year-on-year fall in their growth rates going by the report estimates for 2007.
Pharmaceutical major Wockhardt is looking at foraying into Japan either through exports or by setting up a manufacturing base.
Maharashtra topped the chart in terms of attractiveness at sub-national level in a weighted index calculated on the basis of individual ranking provided by participants of Ficci FDI Survey 2006.
The allegations by an unnamed person, who claimed to be an ex-colleague of Johri at the Discovery Channel, were posted on Twitter by an author, Harnidh Kaur, who later stated that she did not want the charges published nor her name used in the context.
'As the world goes digital, we cannot afford to be left behind.'
Stating that India has not made much progress since the Beijing Olympics, Ajit Sharan, Secretary - Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS), said that India needs to become a sporting nation if it has do well in big event.
The risk of non-performing assets, challenges of the knowledge economy and need for scale in the banking sector are issues needing immediate attention as India moves to a higher growth trajectory, he said.
GST stabilisation, DTC implementation and banking reforms are crucial for sustaining high growth for a long period, says Rashesh Shah.
With the introduction of the single window clearance provision, pre-production windows are expected to reduce significantly. Not only will it have an impact on the operational cost of the film, it will also allow studios to release films faster.
The US on Tuesday made a strong case for pushing forward the civil nuclear agreement with India to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and increase use of alternative sources to achieve energy security.
While the country is liaising with other countries through free trade agreements, the Indian manufacturing industry is gradually losing its grip over the domestic market due to inverted Customs duty structure, a Ficci survey has said.
