'What accounts for the huge difference in death tolls between the most advanced countries and the relatively poorer countries?' mulls Virendra Kapoor.
The officials, sources said, will impress upon rating agencies the resolve of the government to follow the path of financial prudence and bring down the fiscal deficit to 3 per cent by 2016-17.
'The Indian economy has been subsidised by the poor.'
The broader markets were positive with mid-caps and small-caps gaining 0.4-0.6 per cent on the BSE.
The S&P warning was largely a repeat of comments made to Reuters in late August, and no missiles were reported to have landed in Syria, but Indian investors were so unnerved that the reports exacerbated a sell-off in the rupee and local stocks.
Markets will watch the policy meeting on June 18 and 19 for clues to a rollback of stimulus measures. Fed officials are divided over their ultra-easy monetary policy and some warn it could stoke future inflation and financial instability.
Global ratings agency Standard & Poor's on Thursday pegged India's FY'14 GDP growth at 6.4 per cent, one of the most optimistic estimates among analysts, and said it may upwardly revise outlook on the sovereign rating if the government continues to focus on policy initiatives.
It believes that there had been "little progress" in structural reforms.
India deserves a rating upgrade in view of improvement in macro-economic situation, the conservative outlook of Standard & Poor's notwithstanding, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said.
While retaining India's sovereign rating at 'BBB-' with a negative outlook, S&P said there is at least a one-in-three likelihood of a downgrade within the next 12 months.
Late-recovery led by rate sensitives and capital good stocks; banks shares slip on profit booking.
A study by eminent economists, by Jean Drze, Reetika Khera and Meghana Mungikar released few days back shows that more than 100 million people are excluded from the PDS because the central government insists on using 2011 population figures to calculate state-wise coverage under the National Food Security Act.
'We must not compromise with the standard, the quality. We don't need to be the first to launch a drug but what we need is a Made in India vaccine that the entire world can rely on'
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's uncharacteristic outburst against a controversial umpiring decision led to the Chennai Super Kings captain being fined 50 percent of his match fee in Thursday night's Indian Premier League match in Jaipur.
Import curbs on Chinese panels and modules may help, but low demand and capacity remain problem areas, says Shreya Jai.
Replying to the debate on the Finance Bill in Lok Sabha, the minister said he did not propose any change in the tax rate but only provided few rebates which will boost spending and help the economy.
'I could have joined the BJP in 2014, the doors were open.' 'I stayed on with the TMC, a party I was involved with since its very inception.' 'But today enough is enough.'
Vinod Mirani gives us his weekly box office verdict.
Standard and Poor's had in April lowered India's rating outlook to negative from stable.
Contraction in mining and capital goods pulls down industrial growth to 0.1%; FM says steps being taken to revive investments.
The worst may perhaps be over for these stocks, suggests Sanjay Kumar Singh.
Shortage of ICU beds, oxygen, ventilators, vaccines, doctors, nurses and crematorium space in India has dominated headlines around the world in the past few weeks with Covid-19 cases surging beyond control and the government failing to deliver. Yes, election rallies, Kumbh Mela, blatant flouting of social distancing and mask protocols coupled with a messy vaccination process are said to be responsible for the health crisis of colossal proportions that India is facing today. But an analysis of Budget speeches made by finance ministers over 75 years also offers a glimpse of how low on the priority list healthcare has featured for the political class and policy-makers, which is a significant reason for the current situation.
According to medical practitioners, the treatment is especially useful in controlling disease among those who have not received the vaccine or got only one shot and also the high-risk contacts of a patient.
'In states where all shops are allowed to function and pedestrians are allowed to move around, there is no reason to presume that vendors are not allowed to operate. But ambiguity surrounding the operation of street vendors de jure has led the police to harass them de facto,' say Bhuvana Anand, Jayana Bedi and Prashant Narang.
When you are born with six toes on each foot like Indian heptathlete Swapna Barman, you cannot help being fussy about your footwear.
There were concerns that simply opening a bank account wouldn't constitute meaningful financial inclusion, as the poor would rarely use these accounts. However, recent data submitted to Parliament attests to increased account usage, says Ishan Bakshi.
The idea is to monitor centrally sponsored schemes, partly funded schemes, loans, programmes and any other endeavour into which funds are pumped.
The outlook cut is based on a weak premise since the economy is expected to rebound this fiscal but a wake-up call was needed.
All the top action from Day 8 of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing on Saturday.
Moody's, on Thursday, reaffirmed its positive rating outlook for the Chinese economy on the back of favourable medium-term growth prospects.
For the current fiscal which ends on March 31, it put the real GDP estimate at 5 per cent. It estimated a 7 per cent growth in 2022-23 and 2023-24 fiscal years. The inflation rate was seen moderating to 4.4 per cent in the next fiscal from 4.7 per cent in the current.
They (minorities) cannot be handed over to them (Opposition), who benefit because we keep quiet.
Several companies and technology heavyweights including Microsoft, Oracle and Salesforce are working to create a digital vaccination passport or health passport app in the hope that governments and airlines will require travellers to upload details of their Covid-19 tests and immunisation. The vaccine passport will effectively create digital credentials that could be the key to attending crowded events or even visiting countries.
Bond issue oversubscribed 15 times despite gloomy sovereign rating.
'In the last five years of UP government, the UP police were given a fair environment and the rule of law always remained supreme.' 'In these five years, nobody within BJP dared tell a police officer to act against the rule of law.'
Bernard Tomic and Lleyton Hewitt gave local fans some excitement before the Australian Open with victories in warm-up tournaments on Saturday while David Ferrer entered the record books.
Instructions from the Union rural development ministry to the state officials on the WhatsApp group show that the chat was also used as an off-record avenue for the Union government to pass instructions, which it could not have done through formal channels, keeping the law in mind.
McLaren apologised to Formula One rivals Red Bull on Tuesday after a standard engine control unit that they supply to all teams contributed to Mark Webber's poor start at his home Australian Grand Prix.
S&P also cut China?s GDP growth forecast to 7.5%t and that of rest of Asia.
Describing its choice as a "vote for the future", a distinguished four-member jury selected State Bank of India (SBI) Chairman Om Prakash Bhatt as Business Standard's Banker of the Year for 2006-07.
