Monsoon failure in Parliament

Even as the government and the Opposition are mulling whether the monsoon session of Parliament should be extended by a week, it seems both Houses would need 20 working days to finish the scheduled......

Parl function is govt's responsibility: Yashwant Sinha

Yashwant Sinha, member of Parliament, Bharatiya Janata Party and former finance minister, tells Gyan Varma compromises with the UPA government in Parliament are meaninglessThe BJP has stalled......

TEXT: President Patil's last address to Parliament

President Pratibha Patil on Monday addressed Parliament for the last time as President when she flagged off the Budget session. Here's the text of her speechHonourable Members I welcome you to this......

Legislations on hold, as UPA juggles numbers

The Manmohan Singh government may have to take a legislative holiday on at least controversial issues till the next Budget session. Or it needs to get a lot more creative on coalition building. The......

'Huge demand for life insurance products in India'

'As our per capita income increases and various demographic segments emerge, the need for various kinds of protection and risk covers will become even more explicit.' Photograph: Kind courtesy LIC......

Tax parity with ULIPs tops Afmi's wish list ahead of Union Budget

The pre-Budget proposals sent to the finance ministry aim to bring uniformity in tax treatment for investments in different financial sectors, mitigate hardship to retail taxpayers, and encourage......

EPFO may now get to invest in cash-starved infra sector

At present, the EPFO is mandated to invest 20-45 per cent of its incremental funds - of around Rs 1.5 trillion - in debt-related instruments. The Centre is planning to bring in special changes to......

Can Gujarat's GIFT city be Asia's next financial hub?

'GIFT City is now on a growth trajectory,' says Tapan Ray, MD and group CEO, GIFT City, 'The time has come for the GIFT City to take the big leap and emerge as the next financial hub of Asia.'......