Will allowing business correspondents to hawk insurance products help in reviving 5-lakh strong field agents as a viable channel?
If the concerns over risking political capital are overcome, the long-term gains for the Indian economy will be immense, asserts A K Bhattacharya.
Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella on Wednesday highlighted the importance of driving inclusivity and empowerment through technology and economic growth and asserted that the company is "very committed to India". He was speaking at Microsoft's Tech for Good and Education showcase, an event that highlighted the impact created by technology in the areas of philanthropic work and education. Nadella did a walk through, interacting with teachers, students and professionals who are making a difference in the society, by leveraging various Microsoft programs, initiatives and tools.
Reserve Bank Governor Shaktikanta Das has pitched for policy support from all sides -- fiscal, monetary and sectoral -- to nurture recovery of the economy hit by the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The dent on economic activity due to the second wave of the pandemic during April-May necessitated continuation of monetary measures to support the process of economic recovery to make it durable, Das had said while participating in the meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) earlier in the month. "Overall, the second wave of COVID-19 has altered the near-term outlook, and policy support from all sides - fiscal, monetary and sectoral - is required to nurture recovery and expedite return to normalcy," Das said, as per the minutes of the meeting released on Friday.
The growth target of 9 per cent is, in fact, not sustainable in the long run, Stiglitz said during a public lecture on 'Globalisation, Development and Inequality' organised by the Azim Premji University and Institute for New Economic Thinking in Bengaluru.
ITC, State Bank of India, HCL Technologies and IndusInd Bank were the other big laggards. NTPC, UltraTech Cement, HDFC Bank and Mahindra & Mahindra were among the gainers.
Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) have net sold domestic shares worth over $10 billion so far this month amid a shift to China, which not only offers attractive valuations compared to India but has also announced several measures to support the economy and the stock market in recent weeks. If the trend doesn't reverse, this will be the first time that overseas funds will yank out more than $10 billion from Indian equity markets in a month.
The external environment has worsened further. While the Finnish economy entered into a recession, Swedish economic growth also dipped. The Finnish gross domestic product (GDP) dropped 0.6 per cent in October-December, 2022. It was the second quarter of negative growth, which is a technical definition of recession.
Economic think-tank Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations has warned that higher economic growth of 7-7.5 per cent annually cannot be achieved in the next five years unless the government accelerates reforms.
India has a long way to go to catch up with Thailand let alone the US.
IMF projected India's economic growth at 4.25% in 2013-14.
'The conspiracy is to end India's entrepreneurship culture even before it fully blooms.' 'Negativity is being spread in society towards all those who do business, and this hatred for business and wealth creators is spilling everywhere.'
'Many do not have robust business models, and their prospects of survival and long-term growth are poor.'
The outcome of the Union Budget, quarterly earnings from corporates and global trends are the major factors to drive stock market sentiments this week, analysts said. Besides, the trading activity of foreign investors, the rupee-dollar trend and the movement of global oil benchmark Brent crude are also crucial aspects to watch out for.
Economists have asked Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to lower interest rate, rationalise subsidies, remove all cess and surcharge, do away with the retrospective tax amendments and scrap dividend distribution tax to revive investment cycle and promote growth.
India's foreign exchange reserves, now at $100.05 billion, is expected to reach $104 billion by March, but its high growth may slow down due to rising trade deficit, according to the Institute of Economic Growth.
Piyush Goyal, who held the post of finance minister when Arun Jaitley was undergoing treatment, told the Confederation of Indian Industry's annual session: "All stakeholders, including the RBI, should introspect on their respective roles (on low economic growth)."
During a three-hour long virtual meeting with CEOs of large public and private sector banks along with heads of NBFCs, the prime minister assured them that the government is ready to take all steps to support the financial sector.
'We emphasise the importance of not basing investment decisions solely on electoral outcomes.' 'Instead, focusing on investing in high-quality businesses capable of prospering regardless of the political landscape is paramount.'
RBI's latest rate cut is positive for the economy.
The Reserve Bank on Wednesday retained the GDP growth forecast at 9.5 per cent for the current fiscal but cautioned that the economic recovery is not yet strong enough to be self-sustaining and durable.
Government-estimated growth for 2008-09 is 7.1 per cent. However, as per RBI estimates, GDP growth would be around 6 per cent in 2009-10.
Domestic equity markets, which are at record high levels, will be driven by quarterly earnings, global trends and foreign fund movement, analysts said. The movement of rupee and global oil benchmark Brent crude will also be tracked by investors. "The direction of global stock markets, fluctuations in the rupee-to-dollar exchange rate, and movement in crude oil prices will all play a crucial role in influencing the overall market trend.
'What is Balaji without Ekta (Kapoor), what is Dharma without Karan (Johar?)'
'As we enter 2025, it must be acknowledged that there is a convergence of capital, influential people (from business and politics) and technology deciding the destiny of others in the name of pride, patriotism, nationalism, nation building, all of it thinly veiled disguises for personal profit and glory,' asserts Shyam G Menon.
Among the Sensex firms, Adani Enterprises and Adani Ports sustained their gaining momentum and traded higher by 4.40 per cent and 4.37 per cent, respectively. BPCL, Axis Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra and SBI were the other major gainers. On the other hand, HCL Tech, Infosys and Bajaj Auto traded in the negative zone with a loss of up to 1.54 per cent.
'The Budget needs to focus more on social welfare schemes.'
He speaking in New Delhi on the occasion of release of a copy of India's Rurural Infrastructure Report prepared by National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER).
'Banks may find small ticket size lending economically unviable due to the cost of branch operations.'
The highlights of RBI's bi-monthly monetary policy announced by Governor Shaktikanta Das:
Reminiscent of the past two years, the market has made positive strides ahead of the Union Budget 2023-24 (FY24). The benchmark National Stock Exchange Nifty has gained 1.8 per cent in the last month. Typically, markets tend to gain ahead of the Budget as investors build in optimism.
Elections in nine states coupled with possible geo-political tension and rise in oil prices may prove to be a dampener for high economic growth.
Delivering a thinly veiled message to Pakistan from its soil, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said activities across borders characterised by the 'three evils' of terrorism, extremism and separatism are unlikely to encourage trade, energy flows and connectivity.
'We are going to need more technical people in government.' 'You can't expect a generalist to understand the complicated world of financial engineering.' 'I regret to say that most of our politicians have no competence to deal with these things. Nor is there a willingness to learn.'
He was most recently credited as one of the brains behind labour law reforms in Rajasthan
Taxing the rich will fetch nothing; only votes, argues Debashis Basu.
Gandhi said just like the Constitution, the "caste census" is a policy framework and a guide for the Congress.
False and acrimonious debates such as Modi versus Manmohan might allow for victories that are political and partisan. But the real loser is the nation, India and Bharat, notes Arvind Subramanian, former chief economic advisor to the Modi government in its first term.
Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty rebounded from early lows to settle higher on Wednesday following buying in Reliance Industries, Larsen & Toubro and ITC and positive trends in Asian and European markets. The 30-share BSE Sensex rose by 173.22 points or 0.26 per cent to settle at 66,118.69. The index opened lower and fell further to a low of 65,549.96 in morning trade.
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