Daily Archives: September 8, 2018

2+2 = ?

India must watch its side of the ledgerwhile deepening defence ties with the U.S. The India-U.S. defence relationship has been given a significant boost with the three agreements signed on Thursday after the inaugural 2+2 Dialogue in Delhi: the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), “hotlines” between the Defence and …

Read More »

Post office solutions

The new India Post Payments Bank canhasten financial inclusion, but detailing is key Amidst some fanfare, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), a financial service provider that will operate under the country’s age-old postal department. The government-owned payments bank will be able to accept deposits …

Read More »

A strange new world

American footballer Colin Kaepernick’s protests have underlined the power of sport and endorsement It is a strange world when a brash young man, a multinational corporation with a reputation for running sweatshops and a Twitter-happy American President combine to convince you that American football is more than a bunch of …

Read More »

The sadness of silence

What has become of the Indian intellectual as storyteller? Is he only an annexe of the state or can he be critical? A few months ago, I was at a screening of a documentary on the Bengal Famine.Bengal Shadows , while well-intentioned, was more a pretext for the text that …

Read More »

Punjab’s new addicts

The State’s drug crisis has acquired another dimension following a steady increase in the number of female addicts. Vikas Vasudeva reports on the toll substance abuse has taken on the lives and families of these women and the infrastructural support needed to help them Jasmeet works as a domestic help …

Read More »

Ministry moots greater autonomy for AI board

‘Plan part of restructuring effort’ The Ministry of Civil Aviation has proposed greater autonomy for Air India’s management, as part of its strategic turnaround plan for the cash-strapped national carrier, sources said. Cash infusion The plan is part of efforts to bring about organisational and financial restructuring at Air India …

Read More »

Govt. shortlists 11 CPSEs for buyback

Coal India, NTPC, Nalco, NMDC in list The Finance Ministry has shortlisted about a dozen companies, including Coal India, NTPC, Nalco and NMDC, for a possible buyback of shares in the ongoing financial year. The other companies which are in the list include NLC, BHEL, NHPC, NBCC, SJVN, KIOCL and …

Read More »

CAD widens on higher trade deficit

Rises by $0.8 billion in Q1 of 2018-19 The current account deficit (CAD) in the first quarter of 2018-19 increased by $0.8 billion. However, as a proportion of GDP, it declined marginally to 2.4% as compared with 2.5% in the first quarter of 2017-18 as per data released by the …

Read More »

Input shortage may hit small, medium-sized rubber units

Flood-hit producers bracing for 25% crop loss The financial health of small and medium players in the Indian rubber industry may suffer a setback due to the impending shortage in natural rubber following floods in Kerala, according to Vikram Makar, senior vice-president, All India Rubber Industries Association (AIRIA). Mr. Makar, …

Read More »

Suzuki to test EVs in India

Firm aims to commercially unveil such vehicles by 2020 Japanese auto giant Suzuki Motor Corporation will start testing a fleet of electric vehicles (EVs) in India next month onwards with an aim to commercially introduce such vehicles here by 2020. “We have decided to launch EVs in India around 2020 …

Read More »

‘Help India reduce oil bill’

Consider public transport with alternative fuels: Gadkari Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Friday appealed to the industry to invest in public transport propelled by alternative fuel and electricity to help the country reduce its oil import bill. “Our import bill is nearly Rs. 8 lakh crore. …

Read More »

NuMetal can bid for Essar Steel: NCLAT

However, rival ArcelorMittal has to clear the dues of 2 firms to be eligible to bid The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Friday ruled as eligible the second bid of Russian VTB Bank-promoted consortium NuMetal for debt-ridden Essar Steel. And, rival bidder ArcelorMittal would have to first clear …

Read More »

Pak. caves to pressure over Ahmadi adviser

Removes economist from council Pakistan Premier Imran Khan’s government backed down on Friday over its controversial decision to appoint a member of a persecuted religious minority as an economic adviser, underscoring the pressure it faces from hardline Islamists. Atif Mian, an MIT-educated Pakistani-American economics professor at Princeton University, was recently …

Read More »

Leaders fail to agree on Idlib truce

Putin, Rouhani, Erdoğan agree to eliminate IS, Nusra and other terrorist groups in Syria The Presidents of Turkey, Iran and Russia on Friday failed to agree on a ceasefire that would forestall a Syrian government offensive in rebel-held Idlib province which the UN fears could cause a humanitarian catastrophe involving …

Read More »

China plays down 2+2 dialogue

India’s inaugural 2+2 ministerial dialogue with the United States on Thursday has “symbolic” significance, but is unlikely to yield a structural change in regional security, says a posting on a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) website. “From a long-term perspective,…it’s unlikely to have any significant impact on the regional security layout …

Read More »

Chabahar port hand-over on track

“They have moved as per schedule so far and we hope the handover will happen as agreed,” said an official informed of the matter. The positive observation came a day after Iran’s Transport Minister said here that Tehran would proceed with handing over responsibility of running the port to an …

Read More »