The Major Ports Authority Bill, 2020 was passed through ballot votes in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday with 84 votes in its favour and 44 against it. The Lok Sabha had passed the bill on September 23 last year.
Finance firms in these SEZs likely to get tax breaks.
Both have been robustly muscular leaders who began as immensely charismatic politicians conveying an impression that they were makers of history, raring to go. Both have been hyperactive on the world stage. But in the final analysis, Abe is departing on a sombre note, unceremoniously and apologetically, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The government will take necessary action on lobbying by Walmart to enter India if US authorities come out with "something tangible" on this matter, but a probe here could not substantiate allegations against the global retail giant, Corporate Affairs Minister Sachin Pilot says.
BJP on Thursday alleged the government is trying to spread disinformation that the opposition had initially supported the bill on convicted lawmakers but did a volte face later and insisted that it has been against the move from the beginning.
There is a great need to introduce a transparent process to select information commissioners, who are expected to oversee transparency, says former Central Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi.
The productivity of the Lok Sabha was 91.58 per cent while that of Rajya Sabha was 56.29 per cent.
Jaitley said the government had earmarked Rs 25,000 crore (Rs 250 billion) for recapitalisation.
Chaos in Parliament threw a spanner in the government's efforts to revive the economy and kick-start reforms.
Vishwajit Rane purportedly can be heard saying that during a Goa cabinet meeting last week Parrikar stated he had an entire file and all documents relating to the Rafale deal lying in his bedroom, Surjewala claimed, playing the conversation for the media outside Parliament.
This historic Vishaka judgement brought the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace into the mainstream discourse says Kanika Dutta.
The imapsse continues over issues like bank scams and special status demand for Andhra Pradesh.
Congress Member of Parliament and party spokesperson Sushmita Dev tells Kavita Chowdhury that party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi's "new kind of politics" has revitalised the party, lifting it from the gloom of the 2014 general elections.
The move would help the PM Modi shape a women-centric narrative.
The leadership styles of the two Gandhis being different, the party appears to be pulling in different ways. While Sonia Gandhi, the longest-serving Congress president, seems more predisposed to holding the government accountable on issues of probity, the younger Gandhi is more keen on taking up battles that ensure immediate victories.
P Chidambaram accused the BJP of making a u-turn on bills like GST after having stalled them during the UPA regime.
Insolvency professionals feel the bankruptcy code will deter defaulters, but NPAs will not cease unless banks are sensitised on credit appraisal and experts are hired by banks to inspect what is happening with their loans.
Accusing the United Progressive Alliance government of "heaping hardships on people," Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa flayed its "knee-jerk" reaction of increasing Foreign Direct Investment cap in different sectors and warned that its "insensitivity" towards people will take its toll soon.
'Whatever the BJP tries to do, they will not be able to make a big mark in Kerala.'
'If Urjit Patel had resigned after the five-state elections results people would have taken a different view. So this was the right time for him to resign.' 'He rightly resigned as he felt the differences with the government were not getting settled.'
Economists expect Modi to announce big-bang reforms.
Will RBI chief have the final say, in the form of a veto
P Chidambaram said that the fiscal deficit target for 2013-14 will be met and the current account deficit will be contained below $40 billion.
The man who led this journey is 50-year-old Kalanithi Maran, chairman and managing director of the Sun Group.
'The critics are getting carried away.' 'The challenge for the RBI is not any erosion of autonomy caused by demonetisation.' 'It's the whole attempt to reduce the RBI's stature and role that has been under way,' says T T Ram Mohan.
Congress leaders have hit out at the BJP governments at the Centre and in Karnataka, questioning its timing.
There are unprecedented political implications of identification based on 'biological attributes of an individual', such as employed by Aadhaar, warns Gopal Krishna.
Any delay in passing the coal bill may cause a crisis in the coal sector which would also affect the power sector.
While India has to curtail its side, those who do business in India have to be more conscious that they should be less part of the problems and more part of the solution, the business magnate said.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday presented the Union Budget for 2016-17.
Nowhere on the planet, nowhere in mankind's history has such an idea taken the concrete shape in form of a law. The National Food Security Bill, which will come via ordinance and not after the debate in Parliament, is an incredible economic tool to tackle the hunger of poor Indians. Also, it has already been condemned widely as a political gimmick.
Relying on the private sector to undertake infrastructure investment may not be a realistic proposition.
The year 2014-15 could well go as one of long-pending financial sector reforms, expected to have a lasting impact.
Parliamentary panel seeks 5-yr jail term and penalty of up to Rs 50 lakh if a celebrity-endorsed product misfires
Markets closed in the red on domestic worries.
'We are in touch independently with leading players, and they are denying it as well.' 'The Indian digital footprint is rising, creating new opportunities.'
'His contributions in setting up transparent precedents of governance are still basically intact despite the cynicism of several of his successors,' notes Jamini Bhagwati.
'Decisions on nuclear power have so far been taken by a small select group, primarily interested in profiteering from their actions, stating 'secrecy' as necessary from the national security point.' 'This argument is false, because we are dealing with the 'civilian' nuclear power sector, which is open even to the IAEA,' says Dr A Gopalakrishnan, former chairman of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board.
'Most Indians know very little about Patel which is a great shame.'
'It is the government's most important duty to ensure that when war breaks out, the armed forces are absolutely ready to face the adversary -- well equipped, well trained and in high spirits,' says Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retd).
