News for 'State for Commerce'

ED arrests Bengal minister hours after Rs 21cr seized from his aide

ED arrests Bengal minister hours after Rs 21cr seized from his aide

Rediff.com23 Jul 2022

Chatterjee, who was the state education minister when the scam took place, was arrested after around 26 hours of grilling in connection with the probe.

Rajasthan orders closure of schools in urban areas, Sunday curfew

Rajasthan orders closure of schools in urban areas, Sunday curfew

Rediff.com9 Jan 2022

The Rajasthan government on Sunday announced the closure of schools in urban areas, Sunday curfews, time limits on markets and a cap on occupancy at restaurants and movie theatres in view of a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Bilateral trade deal: India to import pork from US

Bilateral trade deal: India to import pork from US

Rediff.com12 Jan 2022

India has agreed to allow import of pork and pork products from the US as a part of a bilateral trade deal which will facilitate export of Indian mangoes and pomegranate to the US. The development comes months after the two governments renewed the India US Trade Policy Forum (TPF), after which both nations agreed to iron out thorny issues that included market access issues pertaining to the agriculture sector.

WTO talks conclude, leaves India disappointed

WTO talks conclude, leaves India disappointed

Rediff.com20 Dec 2015

India has expressed its disappointment over non-reaffirmation to conclude 14-year-old Doha Round pacts

Ecommerce cos hit roadblock as lockdown set to continue

Ecommerce cos hit roadblock as lockdown set to continue

Rediff.com11 Apr 2020

What is aggravating the situation is that e-commerce firms are facing huge shortage of delivery personnel. They have not been able to bring back their staff to work, despite offering higher pay and Covid-related insurance packages.

India helped Ukraine, understand its ties with Russia: US

India helped Ukraine, understand its ties with Russia: US

Rediff.com12 Apr 2022

The 2+2 was attended by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and their Indian counterparts S Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh respectively.

Has Modi Done A Good Job On Exports?

Has Modi Done A Good Job On Exports?

Rediff.com19 Oct 2022

Seven years after Modi took office, merchandise exports were lower in 2020-2021 than when he had taken over from Manmohan Singh, points out Aakar Patel.

After US ban Israel distances itself from Pegasus-maker NSO

After US ban Israel distances itself from Pegasus-maker NSO

Rediff.com8 Nov 2021

"NSO is a private company, it is not a governmental project and therefore even if it is designated, it has nothing to do with the policies of the Israeli government," Israel's Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid, said at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman at the Prime Minister's Office on Saturday evening.

Amazon spent Rs 8,546 cr in legal expenses to 'remain' in India

Amazon spent Rs 8,546 cr in legal expenses to 'remain' in India

Rediff.com21 Sep 2021

US e-commerce giant Amazon, which is said to be investigating alleged bribes paid by its legal representatives in India, spent a staggering Rs 8,546 crore or $1.2 billion in legal expenses for maintaining a presence in the country during 2018-20, sources said. Sources aware of the firm's public account filings said entities of Amazon - including Amazon Retail, Amazon Seller Services, Amazon Transportation Services, Amazon Wholesale, and Amazon Internet Services - paid Rs 3,420 crore in India during 2018-19 and Rs 5,126 crore during 2019-20 towards legal fees. Amazon is locked in a legal tussle over the takeover of Future Group and is facing a probe by the Competition Commission of India (CCI).

Investment for Tatas' small car is Rs 3,700 cr

Investment for Tatas' small car is Rs 3,700 cr

Rediff.com14 Dec 2007

The total investment - by Tata Motors and its vendors - in the Rs 1 lakh car project is Rs 3,700 crore (Rs 37 billion). The West Bengal government on Thursday disclosed that the investment in the vendor park would be around Rs 2,200 crore (Rs 22 billion).

India sells stability, growth, and dynamism at WEF

India sells stability, growth, and dynamism at WEF

Rediff.com24 May 2022

The war in Ukraine has made its presence felt at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos. As political and business leaders' debate, they remain fearful of Europe's economic future. There is a sense of gloom among many business leaders as energy shortage and economic recession rear their heads. Global investors are keenly assessing the presence of Indian delegation at Davos.

TMC calls meet as chorus grows for Partha's removal

TMC calls meet as chorus grows for Partha's removal

Rediff.com28 Jul 2022

Amid demands for expulsion of arrested West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee by Trinamool Congress leaders, the party convened a meeting on Thursday evening.

Stimulus package for economic revival 'inadequate': Par panel

Stimulus package for economic revival 'inadequate': Par panel

Rediff.com28 Jul 2021

The stimulus package announced by the government for the revival of the pandemic-hit economy has been found to be "inadequate", according to a Parliamentary panel report. The report of the department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Industry on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector has noted that in the process of economic recovery post-first wave of the pandemic, the second wave has even more vigorously ripped the economy particularly the MSME sector. "The committee observes that the stimulus package announced by the government for the economic revival from the pandemic hit economy has been found to be inadequate as the measures adopted were more of loan offering and long-term measures instead of improving the cash flow to generate demand as immediate relief," it said.

Droupadi Murmu: In Modi's Own Image

Droupadi Murmu: In Modi's Own Image

Rediff.com8 Jul 2022

Prime Minister Modi saw a reflection of himself -- she does not come from a political background, has no lineage, and had a lifetime of personal struggle and sacrifice.

GoM draws up schedule for creation of Telangana state

GoM draws up schedule for creation of Telangana state

Rediff.com13 Nov 2013

The Union Cabinet is set to discuss the Group of Ministers' report on Telangana and also consider the Telangana Bill clause by clause.

Aviation minister to talk to states on jet fuel tax

Aviation minister to talk to states on jet fuel tax

Rediff.com4 Sep 2014

Taxes on ATF in India are among world's highest, and are seen as key reason for mounting losses of airlines.

Say No To Cookies From Strangers

Say No To Cookies From Strangers

Rediff.com15 Jun 2022

Mothers' advice from 50 years ago reappears, notes Ajit Balakrishnan.

ED raids dozens in Bengal, including 2 ministers, seizes Rs 20 cr in cash

ED raids dozens in Bengal, including 2 ministers, seizes Rs 20 cr in cash

Rediff.com22 Jul 2022

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday carried out simultaneous raids at the houses of around a dozen people, including two ministers, in connection with its investigation into the teacher recruitment scam and seized huge amounts of cash.

Singapore startup Zilingo sacks CEO Ankiti Bose after forensic audit

Singapore startup Zilingo sacks CEO Ankiti Bose after forensic audit

Rediff.com20 May 2022

Singapore-based fashion technology startup Zilingo on Friday said it has sacked Indian-origin co-founder and CEO Ankiti Bose following an independent forensic audit into complaints of serious financial irregularities. On March 31, Bose was placed under suspension following complaints of alleged discrepancies in the company accounts. "Following an investigation led by an independent forensics firm that was commissioned to look into complaints of serious financial irregularities, the company has decided to terminate Ankiti Bose's employment with cause, and reserves the right to pursue appropriate legal action," Zilingo said in a statement.

FDI inflow hits all-time high of $83.57 bn in 2021-22

FDI inflow hits all-time high of $83.57 bn in 2021-22

Rediff.com20 May 2022

Total foreign direct investment into India rose 2 per cent to the "highest ever" $83.57 billion in 2021-22 on account of various measures like policy reforms and ease of doing business taken by the government, the commerce and industry ministry said on Friday. Total FDI comprises equity inflows, reinvested earnings and other capital. In 2020-21, the inflow stood at $81.97 billion. It was $74.39 billion in 2019-20 and $62 billion in 2018-19. "India has recorded the highest ever annual FDI inflow of $83.57 billion in 2021-22," the ministry noted in a statement.

Chinese hackers targeted Indians with e-shopping scams

Chinese hackers targeted Indians with e-shopping scams

Rediff.com19 Dec 2020

'E-commerce scams are not new, but what s more alarming is the covert cyber warfare the Chinese entities are launching in India on a repeated basis.'

KCR Or Nitish? Who Will Be Opposition's PM Candidate?

KCR Or Nitish? Who Will Be Opposition's PM Candidate?

Rediff.com3 Sep 2022

Like Nitish, Mamata and KCR have prime ministerial ambitions, but, unlike Nitish who has established a rapport with Sonia, both Mamata and KCR are cold towards the Congress president, points out Virendra Kapoor.

Trade settlement in rupee: Fearing sanctions by West, banks seek clarity

Trade settlement in rupee: Fearing sanctions by West, banks seek clarity

Rediff.com9 Aug 2022

Banks have raised concerns over the new international trade settlement in rupee, fearing that facilitation of such a mechanism could result in them facing the ire of economic sanctions by the West, people aware of the matter said. Large banks with overseas operations have sought clarity and assurance from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that they will not be targeted with sanctions for facilitating rupee trade with a sanction-hit country such as Russia. The present payment mechanism is a shift from earlier such arrangements, like the one with sanction-hit Iran, which involved banks facilitating settlement of international trade that did not have business in the sanctioned nation.

Hit by Partha episode, Trinamool plans major overhaul, cabinet rejig

Hit by Partha episode, Trinamool plans major overhaul, cabinet rejig

Rediff.com30 Jul 2022

Sources said the reshuffle will also aim at an image makeover for the party hit by school jobs scam probe.

Payments taxable under I-T Act not liable for equalisation levy

Payments taxable under I-T Act not liable for equalisation levy

Rediff.com1 Feb 2021

The government on Monday clarified that transactions involving royalty/ technical services fee would be taxable under income-tax and not be liable for equalisation levy that is paid by foreign companies for conducting business with Indian parties, while explaining what would construe online sale of goods or services.

US trade body hails Budget, says it's fiscally prudent

US trade body hails Budget, says it's fiscally prudent

Rediff.com2 Feb 2022

In the midst of third wave of COVID-19, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has come up with an impactful Budget which is balanced, fiscally prudent and growth-oriented, the USA India Chamber of Commerce has said. President of the Boston-based USA India Chamber of Commerce (USAIC) Karun Rishi, however, said it is a matter of concern that the budget lacks tangible measures to increase revenue generation. "Opting to keep the fiscal deficit at 6.9 per cent and increase capital expenditure by 35 per cent is a masterstroke. "The annual budget estimates the effective capital expenditure of Rs 10.68 lakh crore in 2022-23, making up about 4.1 per cent of the GDP," he said. "A phenomenal increase in the government's capital expenditure is likely to facilitate the expenditures on infrastructure and create jobs.

The Mystery of Narayana Murthy's Retail Biz

The Mystery of Narayana Murthy's Retail Biz

Rediff.com2 Sep 2021

In a short span of time, with the help of Amazon, Cloudtail was able to devise a model that could protect it from the vagaries of online retail business.

Mandatory rules that e-retailers will have to follow from this week

Mandatory rules that e-retailers will have to follow from this week

Rediff.com20 Jul 2020

Among other things, the e-commerce players will have to display the total 'price' of goods and services offered for sale, mention the 'expiry date' of goods and the 'country of origin' of goods and services.

Raj govt brings 3 bills to negate impact of Centre's farm laws

Raj govt brings 3 bills to negate impact of Centre's farm laws

Rediff.com1 Nov 2020

The move comes after the Punjab assembly earlier this month adopted a resolution against the farm laws and unanimously passed four bills to counter the Centre's contentious legislations.

Antrix dispute: Devas seizes $87,457 cash in US

Antrix dispute: Devas seizes $87,457 cash in US

Rediff.com17 Aug 2022

Devas Multimedia has seized $87,457.47 cash that ISRO's commercial arm Antrix Corporation held in the US as it looked to enforce a $1.2 billion compensation it had won over a cancelled satellite deal, its lawyer said on Wednesday. Devas Multimedia America Inc had sought seizure of $145,000 but the actual recovery was $87,457.47 (a little less than Rs 70 lakh). This came after it secured a favourable order from the Eastern District Court of Virginia, Matthew D McGrill said.

Imports from Russia jump 33% to $1.1 bn in March

Imports from Russia jump 33% to $1.1 bn in March

Rediff.com9 May 2022

Shipments from Russia rose nearly 33 per cent to $1.1 billion in March from $831.17 million in the previous month, which was when the country mounted aggression on Ukraine and faced sanctions from Western nations, the data accessed by Business Standard shows. Growth in imports was largely on account of oil, people aware of the matter said. The Department of Commerce is learnt to have written to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), seeking details of imports, including the payment mechanism, which India has not made public.

Google tax in line with WTO rules: Govt

Google tax in line with WTO rules: Govt

Rediff.com17 Jul 2020

The government said that far from targeting any US entity, the purpose was to ensure fairness, healthy competition, and to exercise the ability of governments to tax businesses having a nexus with the Indian market through digital operations.

Farmers bring their own food, tea at govt meeting, again

Farmers bring their own food, tea at govt meeting, again

Rediff.com5 Dec 2020

During their last meeting on Thursday also, the farmer leaders had their own lunch, tea and even water.

Infrastructure sectors' output rises 16.8% in May

Infrastructure sectors' output rises 16.8% in May

Rediff.com30 Jun 2021

The output of eight core sectors grew by 16.8 per cent in May, mainly due to a low base effect and uptick in production of natural gas, refinery products, steel, cement and electricity, official data released on Wednesday showed. The eight infrastructure sectors of coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity had contracted by 21.4 per cent in May 2020 due to the lockdown restrictions imposed to control the spread of the COVID-19 infections. In March this year, these key sectors had recorded a growth of 11.4 per cent, and 60.9 per cent in April.

PM gives his ministers of state a pep talk

PM gives his ministers of state a pep talk

Rediff.com1 Apr 2015

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held a meeting with ministers of state with independent charge

MP's serial killer a school dropout, harboured anger since his childhood

MP's serial killer a school dropout, harboured anger since his childhood

Rediff.com3 Sep 2022

The first three killings came in a space of 72 hours earlier in the week, while the fourth victim, from Bhopal, fell prey a few hours before Dhurve was arrested.

11 crypto bourses evaded Rs 81.54-crore GST

11 crypto bourses evaded Rs 81.54-crore GST

Rediff.com29 Mar 2022

The Centre has recovered around Rs 95.86 crore from at least 11 crypto exchanges for evading goods and services tax (GST), according to data released by Parliament on Monday. The amount includes interest and penalty. The GST investigation department has detected a total tax evasion of Rs 81.54 crore by crypto exchanges that include WazirX, Coin DCX, CoinSwitch Kuber, Buy Ucoin, UnoCoin and Flitpay, among other exchanges. In a written reply to Lok Sabha, minister of state (MoS) for finance Pankaj Chaudhary said 11 cases of GST evasion by cryptocurrency exchanges have been detected by central GST formations.

Rs 1,900 crore deficit likely to hit infrastructure projects in FY23

Rs 1,900 crore deficit likely to hit infrastructure projects in FY23

Rediff.com20 Apr 2022

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce has observed that a massive shortfall in the budgetary allocation of over Rs 1,900 crore by the finance ministry to the industry department may have an adverse impact on the implementation of infrastructure (infra) projects in 2022-23 (FY23). While the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) had sought Rs 10,267 crore from the finance ministry for FY23, it received Rs 8,348-crore allocation. For the National Industrial Corridor Development & Implementation Trust (NICDIT), the finance ministry has allocated Rs 1,500 crore instead of Rs 2,400 crore demanded for the project.

UPSC takes 31 pvt sector experts as jt secretaries

UPSC takes 31 pvt sector experts as jt secretaries

Rediff.com8 Oct 2021

Minister of state for personnel Jitendra Singh said it is a major step to place the right talent for the right role.

Govt sets up control room to ensure essential supplies

Govt sets up control room to ensure essential supplies

Rediff.com26 Mar 2020

The department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT) has set up a control room to monitor in real-time the status of transportation and delivery of essential commodities amid the coronavirus lockdown in the country. It will also monitor the difficulties being faced by various stakeholders during the lockdown period from March 25 to April 14.