The minister said that the priority for him will be "rolling out all stuck highway projects that include many of the IL&FS projects within 100 days".
'The current crisis is one of incomes, driven by poor job growth, agrarian distress and poor investment sentiment,' notes Harsh Pati Singhania, director, JK Organisation.
E-commerce major Flipkart on Monday said it aims to help over 10,000 sellers generate business worth Rs 10 lakh through its platform this year.
This is the highest closing for both the indices since May 15.
In a two-page letter written on December 12, 2017, the Reliance head said he was "personally saddened" by the "unfortunate statements" against him and his group by several functionaries of the Congress party.
Most industry players in Tirupur feel that though the idea of GST is good, the problems are largely due to its poor implementation. Refund delays, withdrawal of incentive schemes make Made-in-Tirupur products costlier by 10-15 per cent, say entrepreneurs.
'It seems a wiser decision to pull out at the right moment than regret after joining the pact,' explains Dr Rahul Mishra.
After clearance in 2012, single-brand showpiece still to decide on a single location, with first store unlikely before 2017.
Every 30 seconds its website is connected to an SME for a loan, every five minutes it evaluates a loan, and every 20 minutes it disburses a loan.
'You peel one layer, then another layer, then another, but in the end, you will see that there is no onion inside.' 'This package has been packaged well, but there is nothing much inside the package!'
The corridor is expected to attract around Rs 1,250 billion investment and create 4,00,000 jobs. It will start from Mysore, pass through Bengaluru in Karnataka, to connect with Chennai, Coimbatore, Salem and Tiruchy in Tamil Nadu.
The transformational reforms like GST, Bankruptcy Code and recapitalisation of banks, Black Money Act, demonetisation, flexible inflation targeting and adoption of fiscal discipline (FRBMA), etc, have temporarily and purposefully pulled us back only to propel us forward with greater velocity, Rajiv Memani.
Even if the same party returns to power, what is important to debate is that having introduced an entitlement, how challenging it is to reverse such decisions, says Mukesh Butani.
Defence experts want defence expenditure to be at 3% of GDP, which they consider minimum to counter the two-front threat from China and Pakistan, internal insurgencies, and dominating a 7,500 km coastline and the Indian Ocean beyond. What Arun Jaitley has given India this Budget is 2.16% of GDP, observes Ajai Shukla.
'Igniting in this country, a false feeding of nationalism combined with religion.' 'They are promoting the religion of the majority people in the country to feed their political agenda.'
'We are in the reverse gear and we are not there anywhere compared to the rest of the world'
'Breaking down silos and ensuring a more integrated governance process is just as important to performance.' 'It has been a major priority in the last six years, especially in national security,' External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar points out when delivering the Sardar Patel Memorial Lecture-2020: India and the Post-Covid World.
We present our alphabet of 2020, pulling in everything you'll remember about this year we'd rather forget.
The losses in state elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh have put the ruling party under pressure to announce swift measures aimed at addressing rural distress and lack of employment.
'Our government has created 10 million jobs when the Indian unemployment rate is at a 45-year high.'
Rediff.com does a quick checklist on what the two manifestos have to say on hot-button issues of the day.
The Nifty rose 176.50 points, or 1.74 per cent, during the week.
It has been a decade since Shyam Srinivasan took over as managing director and chief executive officer at Federal Bank. He wants to ramp up the bank's unsecured lending going ahead even as it homes into the space vacated by competition. Reappointed for a fresh three-year term as the bank's helmsman, he spoke to Hamsini Karthik on the plot ahead.
'The Modi government is about privatising profits and nationalising losses.'
The navy wants to spend Rs 40,000 crore on INS Vishal, a choice the army and air force oppose. This is as much about turf as about funding. explains Ajai Shukla.
'The reason is that you may not enter the branch but you want to see it near you as it establishes trust.'
For financial institutions, it will be an opportunity to provide better lending options. For instance, customers who pay their overdrafts on time will get access to more credit and probably at a cheaper rate.
'This prime minister thinks he knows everything.' 'He has to consult, he has to talk and he has to mobilise the best people, but having seen him function, I have no expectations from him.'
Overall, the populist/ electoral elements in the budget have remained measured with the finance minister being clearly aware of a higher-than-expected rise in oil prices, less-than-planned tax revenues and the wider deficit for FY 17/18, constraining his margin of maneuver, says Claude Claude Smadja.
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.
Senior bankers are trying to impress upon the central bank that the shift to external benchmark-linked lending be postponed to April 1, 2020.
India moving in right direction on GST, says Panagariya.
Ahead of the assembly elections next year, the BJP has been wallowing in a welter of ideas that has resurrected the debate on populism versus pragmatism, as it has to pander to two important but incompatible constituencies, of the freebie consuming masses and Bengaluru's heavy hitters craving for even roads, pristine lakes and unbroken power supply, reports Radhika Ramaseshan.
In 50 days, 60% of the work force was let off in retail, agri, textile and other sectors.
'The armed forces have been given clear indication that they have to give priority to Make in India and indigenisation and dependence on foreign source should be reduced.' 'Almost Rs 90,000 crores contracts have been signed during my tenure. Another almost Rs 70,000 crores are in the pipeline.'
A political party's manifesto is the first stage of building a compact with the voters in any governance plan. If that compact is dependent on a document that reeks of fiscal imprudence and lacks credibility, it is a serious setback to the country's democracy and governance, says A K Bhattacharya.
Tamal Bandyopadhyay, columnist and author of several books like From Lehman to Demonetisation: A Decade of Disruptions and Sahara: The Untold Story, tells Rediff.com why Yes Bank depositors should not panic and the current crisis at India's fifth largest private lender does not pose any systemic risk.
Even as the government's move to hike import duties on 45 items is seen as a sign of protectionism, the prime minister was himself involved in the process.
Pensioners, India Inc may get tax breaks in Budget
The govt hiked defence budget by 7.81 per cent over last year's Rs 2.74 lakh crore.
