News for 'Forum of Regulators'

Why Deepfakes Are A MENACE

Why Deepfakes Are A MENACE

Rediff.com7 Dec 2023

'With free software on the Internet and apps, creating a deepfake video can take 3 to 5 minutes. Anyone can make these videos.'

Stock market regulation: India slips to 62nd in global ranking

Stock market regulation: India slips to 62nd in global ranking

Rediff.com8 Sep 2014

The country, last year, stood at the 27th spot for effective regulation and supervision of securities exchanges.

SC rejects legal status for same-sex marriage, bats for queer rights

SC rejects legal status for same-sex marriage, bats for queer rights

Rediff.com17 Oct 2023

Directing the Centre, states and Union Territories (UTs) to ensure the queer community is not discriminated against, the CJI, who is heading the constitution bench, said queer is a natural phenomenon known for ages and is neither urban nor elitist.

G20 Summit: Startups hope Delhi Declaration to help ease capital access

G20 Summit: Startups hope Delhi Declaration to help ease capital access

Rediff.com11 Sep 2023

The Indian startup ecosystem has lauded the inclusion of startups in the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration for the first time ever in the history of G20. Industry stakeholders say that the move will lead to easier access to capital, reduce regulatory hurdles, and may revive funding activity. The Declaration, through the Startup20 initiative, recognised startups as "natural engines of growth" and key to socio-economic transformation by driving innovation and creating employment.

Now, medical device resellers need to register

Now, medical device resellers need to register

Rediff.com5 Oct 2022

The Centre has asked traders and resellers of medical devices to register in an attempt to expand the ambit of regulating the medical devices industry in the country. The move can have far-reaching consequences for both consumers and traders alike as products like face masks or prophylactics - now sold through grocers and other channels - may face issues of availability. In a notification dated September 30, the union ministry of health and family welfare said anyone wanting to sell, stock, exhibit or offer for sale or distribute a medical device, including in-vitro diagnostic medical device, will need a certificate of registration.

New SC plea says Adani probe panel members have conflict of interest

New SC plea says Adani probe panel members have conflict of interest

Rediff.com18 Sep 2023

An expert committee, set up by the Supreme Court to probe allegations against the Adani group following a bombshell report from a US short seller, has members with potential conflict of interest, a fresh petition filed in the apex court on Monday said.

'No shell company in Mauritius; Hindenburg allegations false, baseless'

'No shell company in Mauritius; Hindenburg allegations false, baseless'

Rediff.com10 May 2023

In a boost to the embattled Adani Group, Mauritian Financial Services Minister Mahen Kumar Seeruttun has told the nation's Parliament that Hindenburg Research's allegations of the presence of 'shell' companies in the Island nation are 'false and baseless' and that Mauritius was in compliance with OECD-mandated tax rules. US short seller Hindenburg on January 24 alleged that billionaire Gautam Adani used shell companies based in Mauritius to manipulate stock prices of his Indian-listed companies.

Grievance redressal method of e-com players not up to mark

Grievance redressal method of e-com players not up to mark

Rediff.com22 Dec 2022

The grievance redressal mechanism of many big e-commerce players is not up to the mark as the number of complaints received by the National Consumer Helpline has risen sharply over the last four years, Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said on Thursday. Addressing an event organised by the Public Affairs Forum of India (PAFI), Singh said the number of complaints registered on the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) has gone up to 90,000 in November compared to 40,000 in the same month last year. "Four years back, the number of complaints pertaining to e-commerce transactions was 8 per cent of the total complaints.

Budget 2023: What tax experts want from Sitharaman

Budget 2023: What tax experts want from Sitharaman

Rediff.com22 Dec 2022

Widening of the tax base, doing away with cess and surcharge, improvement in compliance and moderation in tax for emerging sectors are some of the suggestions submitted to the Finance Ministry ahead of the Budget by Think Change Forum (TCF). Experts are of the opinion that there is a need to grow tax revenues for the government to drive economic growth and make investments in developmental activities, TCF, the think tank said in a statement. Towards this end, poor compliance was identified as a weak link in achieving targeted collections leading to complex issues like overtaxing, complicated tax structures, rising litigation, among others.

Govt sets up high-level 11-member panel to oversee cheetah project

Govt sets up high-level 11-member panel to oversee cheetah project

Rediff.com26 May 2023

The Centre has set up an 11-member high-level steering committee to review and monitor the progress of the cheetah reintroduction programme and provide suggestions on the opening of the cheetah habitat for eco-tourism.

DGCA issues show cause notice to Air India over 'peeing' incidents

DGCA issues show cause notice to Air India over 'peeing' incidents

Rediff.com10 Jan 2023

Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday said it has issued a show cause notice to Air India regarding two incidents of passenger misbehaviour onboard a flight from Paris to New Delhi last month.

Tribunal dismisses Sebi order against HDFC Bank

Tribunal dismisses Sebi order against HDFC Bank

Rediff.com21 Feb 2022

The Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) has quashed a Sebi order against HDFC Bank, whereby the regulator had imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on the lender in a case pertaining to invoking securities pledged by stockbroker BRH Wealth Kreators. In addition, the regulator had directed to transfer Rs 158.68 crore along with seven per cent interest per annum into an escrow account till the issue of settlement of clients' securities is reconciled. These directions were issued by Sebi in January 2021 as HDFC Bank invoked securities pledged by BRH Wealth Kreators in violation of the regulator's interim order passed in October 2019.

How Jio plans to auction spectrum required by NGSO

How Jio plans to auction spectrum required by NGSO

Rediff.com14 Jun 2023

Reliance Jio has suggested an alternative plan to the The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) under which spectrum required by non-geostationary orbit satellite (NGSO) operators to run their gateway terminals should be auctioned geographically, based on districts, rather than circles as done for mobile services. For spectrum which would be required to connect user terminals (like individual homes), Jio has suggested it should be auctioned frequency-wise and exclusively to an operator at a pan-India level. The move is significant as the auctioning of satellite space spectrum has been vehemently opposed by low earth orbit satellite operators (satellites which circle at low altitudes of 200-2000 km).

Will stick to constitutional validity of 'talaq-e-hasan', not cases, says SC

Will stick to constitutional validity of 'talaq-e-hasan', not cases, says SC

Rediff.com4 May 2023

The Supreme Court said on Thursday it will examine the larger constitutional issue of challenge to the validity of extrajudicial divorce like 'talaq-e-hasan' among Muslims.

Why RERA scores over consumer courts for home-buyers

Why RERA scores over consumer courts for home-buyers

Rediff.com16 Dec 2018

State real estate regulators are the best option for home-buyers when it comes to seeking relief. The cases are disposed much faster, and the individuals don't need to engage lawyers as the process is simpler, says Tinesh Bhasin.

Air India bans peeing incident accused for 4 months

Air India bans peeing incident accused for 4 months

Rediff.com19 Jan 2023

An airline official said the ban is with immediate effect and is in addition to the 30-day ban it had imposed on the individual earlier.

Travellers from G20 nations can use UPI in India: RBI

Travellers from G20 nations can use UPI in India: RBI

Rediff.com8 Feb 2023

The Reserve Bank on Wednesday allowed inbound travellers from G20 nations arriving at select airports to use the popular UPI for making payments in the country. Later, the RBI also proposes to extend the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) facility to travellers from all countries. UPI is a system that powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application, merging several banking features, seamless fund routing & merchant payments into one hood.

Obama pitches for simplicity in Indian regulations

Obama pitches for "simplicity" in Indian regulations

Rediff.com26 Jan 2015

US President Barack Obama said there is natural convergence between India and the United States.

Rahul seeks JPC probe into Adani family investing in own shares

Rahul seeks JPC probe into Adani family investing in own shares

Rediff.com31 Aug 2023

Billionaire Gautam Adani's group was on Thursday hit by fresh allegations of associates of the promoter family using Mauritius-based 'opaque' investment funds to secretly invest hundreds of millions of dollars to fuel the spectacular rise in group stocks during 2013 to 2018, a charge the conglomerate denied vehemently.

SpiceJet offloads unruly flier for misbehaving with female cabin crew member

SpiceJet offloads unruly flier for misbehaving with female cabin crew member

Rediff.com23 Jan 2023

The sources said that during the boarding, the male passenger behaved in an unruly manner and touched the female cabin crew member inappropriately.

Same sex marriage: Humongous exercise, judiciary not equipped, govt tells SC

Same sex marriage: Humongous exercise, judiciary not equipped, govt tells SC

Rediff.com26 Apr 2023

The Centre on Wednesday requested the Supreme Court to consider leaving questions raised in the pleas seeking legal sanction for same sex marriages to Parliament.

Aakar Patel sues CBI for contempt as agency challenges relief

Aakar Patel sues CBI for contempt as agency challenges relief

Rediff.com8 Apr 2022

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday approached a Delhi court seeking revision of its order directing the agency to withdraw a Look Out Circular issued against Aakar Patel even as the activist filed a contempt plea against the agency, stating that he was not allowed to leave the country once again despite the court's order.

Wrong to assume that sacked H-1B staffers have to leave America within 60 days: USCIS

Wrong to assume that sacked H-1B staffers have to leave America within 60 days: USCIS

Rediff.com28 Mar 2023

Amid mass layoffs in the tech sector, the federal agency for immigration services has said it is wrong to assume that sacked workers holding the much-sought-after H-1B visas have to leave the country within 60 days, asserting they have multiple options to stay in the US. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

The many battles that Amazon is fighting in India

The many battles that Amazon is fighting in India

Rediff.com8 Jul 2021

Among all the geographies where Amazon is fighting regulators, India is the only place where its lines are also tangled in a major corporate battle, this one with India's largest company by market capitalisation over the acquisition of Mumbai-based Future Group's retail chain, the country's second largest. No other corporate entity in any country offers a challenge to Amazon's hegemony in a way Reliance Industries does - and the final hearing of an arbitration case filed at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre between the two may decide at least some of these issues. This legal battle between one of the world's most powerful corporations and one of India's most powerful conglomerates could be complicated by a host of other developments.

News broadcasters demand exemption from new IT rules

News broadcasters demand exemption from new IT rules

Rediff.com27 May 2021

The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) Thursday urged the government to 'exempt and exclude' the traditional television news media and its extended presence on the digital news platforms from the ambit of the IT Rules 2021, saying it is already 'sufficiently regulated' by various statutes, laws, guidelines, codes and regulations.

Centre may bring PSBs under Companies Act to enable sale

Centre may bring PSBs under Companies Act to enable sale

Rediff.com24 Apr 2021

The government can also individually exempt the PSBs, that are to be privatisated from the two Bank Nationalisation Acts. This will bring such lenders under Banking Regulation Act, and make them companies, reports Nikunj Ohri.

Cong attacks Centre over 'Chinese shelters in Ladakh'

Cong attacks Centre over 'Chinese shelters in Ladakh'

Rediff.com3 Dec 2022

Citing media reports that China has built shelters in the Depsang area in Ladakh, the Congress on Saturday questioned the government's 'silence' over the issue and asked what steps were being taken by it to ensure status quo ante of April 2020.

Who is George Soros? The man who criticised Narendra Modi

Who is George Soros? The man who criticised Narendra Modi

Rediff.com17 Feb 2023

George Soros, who is in the eye of the storm over his remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Adani issue, is an Hungarian-born American financier, philanthropist, and activist whose success as an investor made him one of the wealthiest men in the world. He is also known as a powerful and influential supporter of liberal social causes. In a speech at the Munich Security Conference on Thursday, the billionaire philanthropist said he believes the turmoil at Gautam Adani's business empire may weaken Prime Minister Narendra Modi's hold on the government, a statement which was strongly contested by the BJP as an attack on Indian democracy.

NBA round-up: 76ers snap Bucks' 16-game winning streak

NBA round-up: 76ers snap Bucks' 16-game winning streak

Rediff.com5 Mar 2023

Milwaukee led by 18 in the third quarter before Philadelphia used a 23-9 run to tie the game at 108 mid-way through the final period.

Why telcos fear 5G rollout is unviable

Why telcos fear 5G rollout is unviable

Rediff.com10 Jun 2022

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has bluntly told the government there is no reason for its members to roll out 5G networks as they will be unviable if 'captive private wireless networks' are allowed to be run by enterprises. The COAI, which has Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea as its key members, has written to Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw saying there is 'no business case for the roll out of 5G networks'. Permitting such captive networks will 'diminish the revenue so much that there will be no viable business case left for the telecom service providers and there will not remain any need for 5G network roll out by telecom service providers (TSPs)'.

Court directs Aakar Patel not to leave country without permission

Court directs Aakar Patel not to leave country without permission

Rediff.com8 Apr 2022

Special Judge Santosh Snehi Mann passed the order on a petition filed by the CBI seeking revision of the order passed on Thursday by a magisterial court which also asked the agency to apologise to Patel.

Xi Jinping and Pomegranate Seeds

Xi Jinping and Pomegranate Seeds

Rediff.com8 Sep 2021

Why is China's supreme leader promoting Han Chauvinism so aggressively, asks Claude Arpi.

Trade margins capped at 70% for oximeters, BP meters, other medical devices

Trade margins capped at 70% for oximeters, BP meters, other medical devices

Rediff.com14 Jul 2021

The medical devices, which have been in high demand during the Covid-19 pandemic, will now see a drop in prices, as the earlier margins were up to 709 per cent for some of these products.

Mukesh Ambani bats for data privacy, cryptocurrency bills

Mukesh Ambani bats for data privacy, cryptocurrency bills

Rediff.com3 Dec 2021

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani on Friday backed the proposed data privacy and cryptocurrency bills, saying India is putting in place the most forward-looking policies and regulations. Ambani, who has been a votary of Indians owning and controlling their own data and the nation drafting strict rules around how digital information is stored and shared, said nations have the right to build and protect strategic digital infrastructure. Stating that data is the 'new oil', he said every citizen's right to privacy has to be safeguarded. "India is putting in place the most forward-looking policies and regulations," he said at the Infinity Forum, hosted by International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA).

Over Rs 86,600 crore fraud probe against Sahara

Over Rs 86,600 crore fraud probe against Sahara

Rediff.com3 Sep 2020

All four societies were under common management of the Sahara group and had collectively garnered Rs 86,673 crore, including more than Rs 47,000 crore collected by Sahara Credit Cooperative Society Ltd from nearly 4 crore depositors.

Housing sales to breach pre-pandemic levels in 2022

Housing sales to breach pre-pandemic levels in 2022

Rediff.com21 Aug 2022

India's residential market is expected to sustain demand momentum despite rise in mortgage and property rates as sales this year across the top 7 cities are likely to breach pre-pandemic level of 2.62 lakh units, industry players said. After braving four back-to-back disruptions in form of demonetisation, RERA, GST and COVID-19 in the last 6 years, industry experts feel the housing market is going through a lot of structural changes and is now at the start of a long-term upcycle. Homebuyers body FPCE gives credit to the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) under the Real Estate (Regulation & Development) Act, 2016 for this improved buying sentiment.

Will carefully study India's new rules: Facebook

Will carefully study India's new rules: Facebook

Rediff.com26 Feb 2021

Homegrown microblogging platform Koo said the new guidelines will help clarify the responsibilities of intermediaries.

Budget 2020: Centre, Sebi spar over transfer of surplus funds to exchequer

Budget 2020: Centre, Sebi spar over transfer of surplus funds to exchequer

Rediff.com28 Dec 2019

In 2009, FinMin proposed to move regulators' reserves into public account. These accounts were finally opened in 2013-14. However, no funds have been deposited in it so far.

Tax dispute? Govt offers immunity scheme

Tax dispute? Govt offers immunity scheme

Rediff.com2 Feb 2020

The Vivaad se Vishwas scheme is a replica of the Sabka Vishwas (Legacy Dispute Regulation) Scheme, 2019 (SVLDRS) for indirect tax litigation. The hope is that this would unlock revenue blocked in long-drawn litigation at various forums. Sources in the department say the total value at stake in these disputes would be Rs 5-6 trillion.

India's rising medical devices imports hurt small and medium units

India's rising medical devices imports hurt small and medium units

Rediff.com19 Jul 2022

India's medical devices imports surged 41 per cent to touch Rs 63,200 crore in 2021-22, led by a 48 per cent year-on-year (YoY) jump in imports from China to Rs 13,538 crore, the commerce ministry data analysed by the Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMeD) has showed. Local industry players say this has led to several small and medium units to shut shop. Rakesh Vaid of Usha Fabs, a garments exporter, had started making N95 masks in his Gurgaon factory during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.