News for 'economic-affairs'

I have no personal ambitions: Chidambaram on Cong polls

I have no personal ambitions: Chidambaram on Cong polls

Rediff.com20 Feb 2023

The former Union minister asserted that an objective analysis of the political situation will lead to the conclusion that the Congress has to be the "pole" around which Opposition unity in the 2024 Lok Sabha election can be built.

Sonia constitutes committees on economy, foreign affairs, security

Sonia constitutes committees on economy, foreign affairs, security

Rediff.com20 Nov 2020

Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will head all the three committees.

Pakistan-China sign pacts to strengthen 'iron-clad friendship'

Pakistan-China sign pacts to strengthen 'iron-clad friendship'

Rediff.com22 Mar 2022

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi discussed ways to further strengthen the "iron-clad friendship" between the two countries as the two sides signed five agreements to deepen their bilateral cooperation in various fields, the foreign office said on Tuesday.

In 75th year of Independence, govt may shut down British India Corp

In 75th year of Independence, govt may shut down British India Corp

Rediff.com17 Aug 2022

Once the iconic red-brick building of British India Corporation (BICL), which manufactured the popular "Lal-Imli" brand of woollen products, made Cawnpore (now Kanpur) the Manchester of the East. In the 75th year of independence, the government may finally pull the curtains on the century-old, now defunct public sector enterprise. "The Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) has floated a draft cabinet note for closure of British India Corporation (BICL) along with National Textiles Corporation (NTC). "The Cabinet may soon tak

Infra Brushstrokes For The Budget

Infra Brushstrokes For The Budget

Rediff.com30 Jan 2023

7 key areas that the Budget must address to re-energise the infrastructure sector, suggests Vinayak Chatterjee.

FinMin to kick-start Budget exercise from October 10

FinMin to kick-start Budget exercise from October 10

Rediff.com8 Sep 2022

The finance ministry will kick-start the exercise to prepare the annual Budget for 2023-24 from October 10, in the backdrop of revival of the Indian economy and fears of recession in developed countries. The budget for the next year will have to address critical issues of high inflation, job creation, boosting demand, and putting the economy on a sustained 8 per cent-plus growth path. On Wednesday, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said inflation is no longer "red-lettered" and the priority for the government now is job creation and boosting growth.

Big decisions soon by MHA on PM security lapse: Thakur

Big decisions soon by MHA on PM security lapse: Thakur

Rediff.com6 Jan 2022

Union minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is gathering information on the security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Punjab and "big and tough decisions" will be taken.

'Economic rebound has run out of steam'

'Economic rebound has run out of steam'

Rediff.com9 Mar 2023

'When the average growth in the last three years was just 2.5%, how does that make us the fastest growing country?' 'They only tell you what has happened in the last 2 years; they are not taking into account what happened in FY21 on account of their mistakes.'

Agriculture, health to be focus of Union Budget 2021

Agriculture, health to be focus of Union Budget 2021

Rediff.com6 Oct 2020

The ministry of finance will kickstart its massive budgetary exercise from October 15.

China sends warplanes near Taiwan as US delegation visits Taipei

China sends warplanes near Taiwan as US delegation visits Taipei

Rediff.com31 May 2022

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said 30 Chinese warplanes made incursions into its air defense identification zone, or ADIZ, the highest daily figure in more than four months.

How a tortoise made due diligence process NPA-free

How a tortoise made due diligence process NPA-free

Rediff.com28 Dec 2022

Only NIIF has stayed the course as a viable infrastructure financing institution.

'We are closing loopholes exploited by highest level of taxpayers'

'We are closing loopholes exploited by highest level of taxpayers'

Rediff.com3 Feb 2023

'...Market-linked debentures, high-value insurance, exemptions from capital gains by investment in real estate, etc.' 'So, there are a number of measures directed at collecting a fair share from higher income individuals.'

Is The BJP Stung By Rahul's Walk?

Is The BJP Stung By Rahul's Walk?

Rediff.com23 Dec 2022

Nowadays, our politics is habituated to sitting on a high pedestal, hobnobbing with world leaders, generating impressions of a superpower and returning to earth for the purpose of winning elections. In contrast, the yatra never left earth, observes Shyam G Menon.

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.

Ukraine war poses upside risk to inflation: FinMin

Ukraine war poses upside risk to inflation: FinMin

Rediff.com16 Mar 2022

The finance ministry said on Tuesday that high energy and commodity prices due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine may provide an upside risk to inflation and continued vigil is required. "Going forward, elevated energy and commodity prices may act as an upside risk to the inflation outlook in the near-medium term. "Given the inherently unsustainable nature of high prices, international commodity prices are expected to level off early with an increase in supplies outside the crisis zone," the department of economic affairs said in its latest monthly economic report for February.

Budget 2022: Industry groups want Sitharaman to rationalise I-T slabs

Budget 2022: Industry groups want Sitharaman to rationalise I-T slabs

Rediff.com22 Dec 2021

Rationalisation of income tax slabs, infrastructure status for digital services and incentives to hydrogen storage as well as fuel cell development were some of the suggestions made by various stakeholders at the pre-Budget consultation meeting convened by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The customary pre-Budget consultation meetings were held with the finance minister virtually between December 15 and December 22, as per the finance ministry statement. More than 120 invitees representing seven stakeholder groups participated in eight meetings, scheduled during this period, it said.

Ramping up vax cover key to restoring economic activity: FinMin

Ramping up vax cover key to restoring economic activity: FinMin

Rediff.com10 Jul 2021

Maintaining a rapid pace of the vaccination drive and quickly bridging healthcare infrastructure gaps across both urban and rural areas would emerge as the most sustainable stimulus for durable recovery of the Indian economy, says a report by the department of economic affairs.

LIC IPO to hit markets by March

LIC IPO to hit markets by March

Rediff.com13 Jan 2022

The government will launch the mega public offer of LIC by March and file draft papers with market regulator Sebi by the end of this month, an official said. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had last week reviewed the progress of the initial public offering (IPO) of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) in a meeting with top officials of the ministry. The official said the September 2021 quarter financials of LIC are getting finalised as well as fund bifurcation is in progress.

Govt invites applications for chief economic adviser post

Govt invites applications for chief economic adviser post

Rediff.com26 Oct 2021

The government has invited applications for the post of chief economic adviser (CEA) to replace K V Subramanian, who will complete his three-year tenure next month. Subramanian was appointed as CEA on December 7, 2018, while he assumed charge on December 24 in the same year. As per the public notice dated October 24, 2021 issued by Department of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, officer of central, state governments, RBI and public sector banks holding analogous post on regular basis in parent cadres or department are eligible to apply for the post.

Tamil Nadu bureaucrat K Rajaraman is new telecom secretary

Tamil Nadu bureaucrat K Rajaraman is new telecom secretary

Rediff.com1 Oct 2021

Tamil Nadu cadre IAS officer K Rajaraman on Friday took charge as the new telecom secretary. His joining comes following the superannuation of Anshu Prakash on September 30. "Shri K Rajaraman, IAS (TN:89) takes charge as Secretary, @DoT_India in presence of senior officials of the department," a PIB tweet said. He was serving as the additional secretary for investments at the Department of Economic Affairs before being promoted to the position of secretary, DoT.

Meet FM's A-team behind Budget 2022

Meet FM's A-team behind Budget 2022

Rediff.com31 Jan 2022

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the much-awaited 2022-23 Union Budget on February 1. While there has been strong recovery in some sectors, touch services like hospitality, tourism and leisure continue to suffer after two Covid-19 waves. Household savings have been hit due to increased spending on health care. Consumption has still not reached pre-pandemic levels.

Iconic TVS group families start restructuring businesses

Iconic TVS group families start restructuring businesses

Rediff.com12 Feb 2022

As part of the exercise, each family will get complete ownership of the businesses it manages while scrapping the holding company.

LIC mega IPO to hit the market in March, draft prospectus next week

LIC mega IPO to hit the market in March, draft prospectus next week

Rediff.com2 Feb 2022

The government is likely to file draft papers for the mega initial public offering of LIC with market regulator Sebi by next week, while a portion of the issue would be reserved for anchor investors, a top official said on Wednesday.

Will govt restart rupee-rouble trade?

Will govt restart rupee-rouble trade?

Rediff.com10 Mar 2022

The government may soon give the green light to bilateral trade between Russia and India in their national currencies to avoid any trade disruptions, multiple people aware of the matter said. While the Department of Commerce has recommended the proposal, an announcement is likely to be made by the finance ministry after further deliberations between the Department of Economic Affairs and Department of Financial Services. "The finance ministry will take a call on how to peg the two currencies," a senior government official told Business Standard. In the past, the two nations have had rupee-rouble trade, and when such an arrangement is implemented again, it will bypass the sanctions imposed on Russia by the West.

Bimal Jalan to head expert panel on RBI reserves

Bimal Jalan to head expert panel on RBI reserves

Rediff.com26 Dec 2018

The panel will include Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg and RBI Deputy Governor N S Vishwanathan.

CCEA, Union Cabinet meetings scheduled for today cancelled

CCEA, Union Cabinet meetings scheduled for today cancelled

Rediff.com7 Jul 2021

This came amid the buzz of an imminent reshuffle in the Union Cabinet.

Why Raghuram Rajan Raced At RBI

Why Raghuram Rajan Raced At RBI

Rediff.com13 Jan 2023

The speed at which he led the central bank in different areas -- ranging from internal reorganisation to inflation fighting, stabilising the currency, taking on rogue corporations, cleaning up bank balance sheets, and opening the sector -- makes one believe that Rajan knew he had only three years to do his job. A fascinating excerpt from Tamal Bandyopadhyay's MUST-READ Roller Coaster: An Affair with Banking.

Bill on crypto currencies likely in winter session of Parliament

Bill on crypto currencies likely in winter session of Parliament

Rediff.com15 Nov 2021

The government is likely to introduce a bill on crypto currencies during the winter session of Parliament beginning November 29, amid concerns over such currencies being allegedly used for luring investors with misleading claims and for funding terror activities, sources said on Monday. Currently, there are no particular regulations or any ban on use of crypto currencies in the country. Against this backdrop, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday, held a meeting on the crypto currencies with senior officials and indications are that strong regulatory steps could be taken to deal with the issue.

Govt likely to miss capex target for FY 21-22

Govt likely to miss capex target for FY 21-22

Rediff.com14 Apr 2022

Only 80.6 per cent of the Rs 6-trillion allocation has been spent by February, data from the Controller General of Accounts shows.

Waiting for Cabinet approval, FM on cryptocurrency bill

Waiting for Cabinet approval, FM on cryptocurrency bill

Rediff.com16 Aug 2021

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said she is awaiting an approval from the Cabinet on bill on cryptocurrency as the proposed legislation is before it. The inter-ministerial panel on cryptocurrency under the chairmanship of secretary (economic affairs) to study the issues related to virtual currencies and propose specific actions has already submitted its report. It has recommended that all private cryptocurrencies, except any virtual currencies issued by state, will be prohibited in India.

Shaktikanta Das first RBI governor under Modi to get extension

Shaktikanta Das first RBI governor under Modi to get extension

Rediff.com29 Oct 2021

The government has extended the term of Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das by another three years upto December 2024, according to an official order.

Lanka crisis: Gotabaya forms panel to manage finances

Lanka crisis: Gotabaya forms panel to manage finances

Rediff.com7 Apr 2022

The Sri Lankan government has appointed an advisory committee comprising eminent economic and fiscal experts to provide guidance on addressing the current debt crisis and engaging with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other lenders as the country struggles to combat the unprecedented shortage of foreign reserves.

'Government is doing the right thing'

'Government is doing the right thing'

Rediff.com27 Jul 2022

'It is building the country's infrastructure, and delivering it very efficiently.'

It's official, govt will divest stake in LIC

It's official, govt will divest stake in LIC

Rediff.com12 Jul 2021

The Union Cabinet has cleared disinvestment of the country's largest insurer LIC and a panel headed by the finance minister will now decide on the quantum of stake dilution, a senior official said on Monday. The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) had in January appointed actuarial firm Milliman Advisors LLP India to assess the embedded value of LIC ahead of the IPO (initial public offering), which is touted to be the biggest public issue in Indian corporate history. The Budget amendments to the LIC Act has been notified and the actuarial firm is expected to finalise the embedded value of the life insurer. Under the embedded value method, the insurance company's present value of future profit is also included in its present net asset value.

Amarchand Mangaldas to be legal advisor for LIC IPO

Amarchand Mangaldas to be legal advisor for LIC IPO

Rediff.com26 Sep 2021

The government has shortlisted Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas for giving legal advice on upcoming mega IPO of India's largest insurance company LIC, an official said. Four law firms - Crawford Bayley, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, Link Legal and Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co - had made presentations before the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) on September 24. Following presentations, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas has been selected as legal advisor for the initial public offering (IPO) of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), the official told PTI.

Railways, India Post not among PSUs to go on sale block

Railways, India Post not among PSUs to go on sale block

Rediff.com6 Feb 2021

The department of investment and public asset management (Dipam) can also seek in-principle approval from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) for strategic divestment of PSUs on a case-to-case basis considering investor appetite and sectoral trends.

Who will be India's new oil regulator?

Who will be India's new oil regulator?

Rediff.com16 Dec 2021

Former oil secretary Tarun Kapoor, present and former chairmen of ONGC and a former director of IOC, are among over a dozen people who have applied for the top job at the oil and gas regulator, PNGRB, sources said. Kapoor, who superannuated as Secretary to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas last month, is the most prominent name in the list of 13 persons who have applied to become the chairman of Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB). Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) chairman and managing director Subhash Kumar and his predecessor Shashi Shanker are also in the race and so is G K Satish, who superannuated as Director for Planning and Business Development from Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) a couple of months back.

Revealed: How PM Planned Demonetisation

Revealed: How PM Planned Demonetisation

Rediff.com8 Nov 2022

November 8 marks 6 years after demonetisation. A K Bhattacharya reveals how the prime minister and the RBI worked together for months before Modi's 8 pm speech. A riveting excerpt from The Rise Of Goliath: Twelve Disruptions That Changed India.

10 merchant bankers to manage LIC IPO

10 merchant bankers to manage LIC IPO

Rediff.com8 Sep 2021

The government has appointed 10 merchant bankers including Goldman Sachs (India) Securities, Citigroup Global Markets India, and Nomura Financial Advisory and Securities India to manage the mega initial public offering of country's largest insurer LIC. Other selected bankers include SBI Capital Market, JM Financial, Axis Capital, BofA Securities, JP Morgan India, ICICI Securities, and Kotak Mahindra Capital Co Ltd, a circular on the divestment department website said. "Government has finalised the book running lead managers and some other advisors for the IPO of LIC," DIPAM Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey tweeted. The divestment department had invited applications for the appointment of merchant bankers on July 15.

Govt targets gross tax revenue of Rs 22.17 lakh cr in FY'22

Govt targets gross tax revenue of Rs 22.17 lakh cr in FY'22

Rediff.com1 Feb 2021

The government on Monday projected a 16.67 per cent growth in gross tax revenue in the next fiscal beginning April 1, at over Rs 22.17 lakh crore. The revised estimates of gross tax revenue for the current fiscal has been pegged at Rs 19 lakh crore, lower than the Rs 24.23 lakh crore budgeted earlier. Economic Affairs secretary Tarun Bajaj said, "Our revenue figure is under-stated not overstated.