News for 'Finance Ministry and Department of Posts'

7th pay panel's draft report riddled with dissent notes

7th pay panel's draft report riddled with dissent notes

Rediff.com12 Nov 2015

The notes argue that it will widen the talent base available to govt to deliver increasingly complex services to a demanding population.

Why India Inc sees Modi's PMO as the 'mover'

Why India Inc sees Modi's PMO as the 'mover'

Rediff.com11 Aug 2017

Corporates understand that the PMO drives all key decisions in this government.

Fadnavis allocates portfolios; BJP retains key depts

Fadnavis allocates portfolios; BJP retains key depts

Rediff.com6 Dec 2014

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday allocated portfolios to the twenty-member council of ministers, including 10 of the Shiv Sena, who were inducted into his expanded cabinet.

No family planning, haircutting, 'soap toilet' allowances for govt employees

No family planning, haircutting, 'soap toilet' allowances for govt employees

Rediff.com10 Jul 2017

Funeral and cycles allowances have been retained and revised.

Moily defends seeking extension for Vasudeva as ONGC chairman

Moily defends seeking extension for Vasudeva as ONGC chairman

Rediff.com27 Feb 2014

D K Sarraf replaces Vasudeva, who turned 60 on Tuesday and is due to superannuate on Friday.

2018's top 20 science colleges in India

2018's top 20 science colleges in India

Rediff.com30 May 2018

Presenting the Top 20 of 100 science colleges as per India Today's findings.

2018's top 20 science colleges in India

2018's top 20 science colleges in India

Rediff.com30 May 2018

Presenting the Top 20 of 100 science colleges as per India Today's findings.

Karunanidhi saw the 2G episode -- from the leak of the CAG report to the weak defence put forth by Congress leaders -- as politically motivated

Karunanidhi saw the 2G episode -- from the leak of the CAG report to the weak defence put forth by Congress leaders -- as politically motivated

Rediff.com9 Apr 2021

Karunanidhi was convinced that using the 2G cases against the DMK and reopening the fodder case against Lalu Prasad Yadav were products of the Congress leadership's short-sightedness. A revealing excerpt from A S Panneerselvan's Karunanidhi: A Life.

In LoP absence, govt starts CVC appointment process

In LoP absence, govt starts CVC appointment process

Rediff.com21 Jul 2014

While Lok Sabha Speaker is yet to decide on Leader of Opposition, the Centre on Monday went ahead with the process of appointment of Central Vigilance Commissioner and sought nominations of eligible candidates from all secretaries.

Reshuffle: Modi snubs AIADMK again

Reshuffle: Modi snubs AIADMK again

Rediff.com8 Jul 2021

AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam is said to be upset at his son Raveendranath Kumar, a Lok Sabha MP, being denied a ministerial chance for a second time in a row, beginning with the formation of Modi 2.0 in 2019, reveals N Sathiya Moorthy.

CBI registers case against ex-VC of Viswa Bharati

CBI registers case against ex-VC of Viswa Bharati

Rediff.com24 May 2016

The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a case against former Viswa Bharati University Vice Chancellor Sushanta Kumar Dattagupta

IB clearance must for appointing private person as OSD

IB clearance must for appointing private person as OSD

Rediff.com23 Jun 2014

The central government has made Intelligence Bureau's clearance mandatory for appointment of a private person as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to a minister.

Pranab cremated with full state honours in shadow of pandemic

Pranab cremated with full state honours in shadow of pandemic

Rediff.com1 Sep 2020

Mukherjee's family and relatives paid their last respects clad in PPE kits while conforming to COVID-19 safeguards.

Centre pays higher price to keep pensioners happy

Centre pays higher price to keep pensioners happy

Rediff.com15 Feb 2017

Government to pay disproportionately high interest for borrowings from savings, overturning a nearly two-decade-long process of reforms in the management of public debt.

'Politicians have to stand tall in a crisis'

'Politicians have to stand tall in a crisis'

Rediff.com2 Jun 2020

'It is the moment where compassion and empathy must supersede our identity, politics, or our ambitions.'

'FDI policy should be seen in light of Make in India'

'FDI policy should be seen in light of Make in India'

Rediff.com15 Jul 2016

With EU, it is part of the FTA that we will need to negotiate.

Economists in India: Endangered species?

Economists in India: Endangered species?

Rediff.com21 Jul 2016

The pipeline for well-qualified and experienced policy economists at senior levels of government has broken, leading to a growing dearth of suitable candidates for top economist positions.

Pakistan's devotion to LeT's Saeed runs deep

Pakistan's devotion to LeT's Saeed runs deep

Rediff.com13 Jan 2021

The perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attack, who shot dead 166 people, had confessed to details that should have been enough to hang him, but Pakistan enjoyed his anti-India rhetoric and let him spread his tentacles. A revealing excerpt from Khaled Ahmed's Pakistan's Terror Conundrum.

Fear stalks babus at Raisina Hill after Sujatha Singh sacked

Fear stalks babus at Raisina Hill after Sujatha Singh sacked

Rediff.com30 Jan 2015

Sujatha Singh is the third senior official to have been dismissed by NDA.

Babus divided over government's new promotion policy

Babus divided over government's new promotion policy

Rediff.com1 Aug 2017

The new policy would create more vacancies at the Centre, as some who were denied promotions are thinking of returning to their home state, report Sahil Makkar and Ishan Bakshi.

B Ashok is new Chairman of IOC

B Ashok is new Chairman of IOC

Rediff.com14 Jul 2014

Modi is believed to have signed on Ashok's appointment file before he left for Brazil to attend BRICS Summit, an oil ministry official said in New Delhi.

Thai protesters ignore PM's plea, cut power to police HQ

Thai protesters ignore PM's plea, cut power to police HQ

Rediff.com28 Nov 2013

Defiant Thai protesters on Thursday cut power supply to the national police headquarters, ignoring a plea by beleaguered Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to end their anti-government rallies and negotiate after she emerged unscathed from a no-confidence debate.

The man behind the raids on Kejriwal's offices

The man behind the raids on Kejriwal's offices

Rediff.com16 Dec 2015

All you need to know about the case and the man behind the drama that has ensued.

Exclusive! 'Modi has taken his job seriously in letter and spirit'

Exclusive! 'Modi has taken his job seriously in letter and spirit'

Rediff.com22 Aug 2014

'Modi as the PM of the country has to take everybody on board and deliver on good governance. That is his responsibility. In that talking alone won't help, he's working.' Commerce Minister Dr Nirmala Sitharaman tells Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com how the Modi government plans to change India.

PMO sees rape centres as 'waste of money'

PMO sees rape centres as 'waste of money'

Rediff.com5 Mar 2015

Is the Modi government serious about the safety of women in India?

Jaitley may need to tighten fiscal belt by Rs 1 lakh cr

Jaitley may need to tighten fiscal belt by Rs 1 lakh cr

Rediff.com19 Dec 2014

Despite crude comfort, heavy spending cuts needed to offset Rs 80k-cr revenue shortfall

India's National Security is being transformed

India's National Security is being transformed

Rediff.com22 Oct 2018

Prime Minister Modi felt there were too many silos with no arrangement to take a comprehensive view on national security. The PM has entrusted NSA Ajit Doval to evolve a comprehensive roadmap and get it implemented, reveals Nitin Gokhale, Editor-in-Chief, Strategic News International.

Markets fall on profit-booking despite RBI's surprise rate cut

Markets fall on profit-booking despite RBI's surprise rate cut

Rediff.com4 Mar 2015

Benchmark indices failed to sustain gains and retreated from day's high dragged primarily by the losses in metals, information technology and bank shares as investors started to book profits in late noon deals. Earlier, markets had scaled fresh all-time highs on the surprise post-budget rate cut by Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The 30-share Sensex ended down 213 points at 29,380 and the 50-share Nifty closed down 74 points at 8,922. Intra-day, Sensex reached the all-time high mark of 30,024.74 while Nifty touched the life-time high level of 9,119.20. In the broader market, both the BSE Midcap index and Smallcap indices, down 1% and 1.2% each underperformed the front-liners. Market breadth in BSE ended negative with 1,882 declines against 1,010 advances. A day after signing an agreement with Finance Ministry on inflation targeting, RBI surprised the markets with an early post-budget repo rate cut of 25 bps (basis points) to 7.5% from 7.75% which was again outside of central bank's scheduled policy review meetings as the earlier rate cut effected on January 15. "RBI's latest rate cut of 25 basis points, while a surprise in its timing is in-line with our expectations of a sharp rate-cutting cycle over the coming quarters. With inflation sustainably lower by 500bps, the RBI has in recent months acknowledged the scope for rate cuts and was only waiting for additional comfort that the government's fiscal policy would not play spoil-sport," said Dinesh Thakkar, chairman and managing director at Angel Broking in a note. Analysts at Karvy believe that further monetary policy action will depend on number of factors including easing of supply constraints, improved availability of power, land, minerals and infrastructure, fiscal consolidation, the pass through of rate cuts by banks and the expected monsoon. Citing weakness in some sectors of the economy and the overall global trend towards monetary easing as rationale for the rate cut the central bank also exuded confidence in the road map for fiscal consolidation as laid out in the Union Budget, 2015. Commenting on how the markets reacted to RBI's surprise move, K Subramanyam assistant vice-president (institutional research), Asit C. Mehta Securities said, "The unexpected cut did take the market by surprise .However, credit off-take is not dependant only on interest rates. A gradual revival in the economy would be of more help which would trigger credit off-take. Hopefully this will follow and RBI's action would prove helpful. From market point of view this is bullish as equity becomes more attractive vis-a-vis falling interest rates." On the macro-economic front, the HSBC services PMI rose to an eight-month high of 53.9 in February up from 52.4 in January indicating strong expansion in output across the sector. Respondents cited robust growth of new business as the principle factor for the increase in activity. Meanwhile, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth a net Rs 773 crore on Tuesday, as per provisional data. Buzzing Stocks 9 out of the 12 sectoral indices of BSE ended in red. BSE Metal index, down 2.4% was the top loser followed by BSE Oil & Gas and Power indices, down 1.3% each. BSE Healthcare index, up 1.2% and BSE FMCG index, up 0.9% were the top losers. Bank stocks came under during late noon trades as traders booked profits at higher levels. However, RBI rate cut may encourage large lenders to cut their lending rates boosting demand for home and auto loans and provide funds for various stalled and new projects. Many stalled projects across the country are waiting for cash to restart work. The stock of stalled projects at the end of December 2014 stood at Rs 8.8 lakh crore or 7% of GDP. ICICI Bank ended down 0.1%, Axis Bank and SBI declined over 3% and HDFC Bank shed 1.5%. Sun Pharma gained over 6% on approval granted to Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company (SPARC) by US FDA for an antiepileptic drug. The product will be manufactured by Sun Pharmaceutical Industries at its Halol (Gujarat) facility in India. SPARC was formed in 2007 when Sun Pharma separated out its active projects in drug discovery and innovation into a new company. Dr Reddys Lab and Cipla have gained over 1% each. ITC gained over 1% after consecutive sessions of losses on the proposed larger-than-expected hike in excise duty on cigarettes in the Union Budget. The biggest ever auction of spectrum by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) started on Wednesday in the morning where government expects to garner Rs 80,000-1lakh crore from the sale of spectrum. Idea Cellular gained over 2%, Reliance Communication gained around 1% and Bharti Airtel closed 0.5% higher. Metal stocks were under pressure in today's session. Hindalco declined over 3%, Sesa Sterliteended down over 4% and Tata Steel closed down 2%. Profit-taking in IT stocks led to Wipro losing around 1.8%, Infosys declining 0.7% and TCS losing 1.5%.

To make Indian Railways work like a corporate

To make Indian Railways work like a corporate

Rediff.com29 May 2017

'You can never bring about a change if you only bring in outsiders. Consultants will never feel what changes are necessary and where,' says Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu.

The sorry state of Delhi's bureaucrats

The sorry state of Delhi's bureaucrats

Rediff.com1 Jun 2015

A tussle between the Delhi government and the Lt Governor has left bureaucrats vulnerable to sudden transfers.

DDCA inquiry was pressured to name a certain 'VIP' says probe panel chief

DDCA inquiry was pressured to name a certain 'VIP' says probe panel chief

Rediff.com11 Jan 2016

The DDCA probe panel chief has informed the Centre that he was under "pressure" for naming some individuals, including a "VIP", in his report on the cricket body's affairs.

CBI lodges fresh FIR against Nirav Modi, approaches Interpol

CBI lodges fresh FIR against Nirav Modi, approaches Interpol

Rediff.com17 Feb 2018

The agency on Friday also carried out searches on the premises of the Gitanjali Group at 20 places in Mumbai, Pune, Surat, Jaipur, Hyderabad and Coimbatore.

In a major push to Ayushman Bharat govt allots Rs 61,398 cr for health sector

In a major push to Ayushman Bharat govt allots Rs 61,398 cr for health sector

Rediff.com1 Feb 2019

Ayushman Bharat aims at providing a cover of Rs 5 lakh per family annually and is aimed at benefitting more than 10 crore poor families across the country.

Ex-bureaucrats blame PM for India's 'darkest hour'

Ex-bureaucrats blame PM for India's 'darkest hour'

Rediff.com16 Apr 2018

A group of retired civil servants also called upon the PM to reach out to the families of the victims in Unnao and Kathua and "seek their forgiveness on behalf of all of us".

EC cuts short campaign period in West Bengal

EC cuts short campaign period in West Bengal

Rediff.com15 May 2019

The EC also ordered the removal of Principal Secretary (Home) Atri Bhattacharya and Additional Director General, CID, Rajiv Kumar from their postings in West Bengal.

Indradhanush: Rainbow of hope for Indian banks?

Indradhanush: Rainbow of hope for Indian banks?

Rediff.com6 Jun 2016

Indradhanush-II is likely to chart out the process for resolution of non-performing assets.

2G verdict is a big win for crony socialism

2G verdict is a big win for crony socialism

Rediff.com27 Dec 2017

The judgment in the 2G case is a huge, huge, indictment of the criminal investigation and justice system, says R Jagannathan.

When a Nobel Laureate comes to town!

When a Nobel Laureate comes to town!

Rediff.com14 Jan 2020

What does Nobel Laureate Abhijit Banerjee thinks about India's education sector?

The Income Tax officer who won a Shaurya Chakra

The Income Tax officer who won a Shaurya Chakra

Rediff.com1 Mar 2018

Captain Pradeep Shoury Arya is an Income-Tax officer whose mission against terrorists in J&K won him the Shaurya Chakra.

It's the end of the road for Uber in Delhi

It's the end of the road for Uber in Delhi

Rediff.com8 Dec 2014

International cab-booking service Uber was banned on Monday in the national capital, a day after one of its drivers was arrested for allegedly raping a 27-year-old woman executive amid growing outrage over the incident which renewed focus on safety measures for women.