In 1982, the late L K Jha had a fortuitous meeting with Swraj Paul on board an Air-India flight from London to Delhi. Mr Jha suggested to him that non-resident Indians (NRIs) should give back

Look here, see there

Business Standard

While the lowered access deficit charges (ADC) are to be welcomed since they help reduce the charges for long-distance calls, the six-month long review by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India

Illogical

There are reports that the government might be considering doing away with the popular Public Provident Fund (PPF) scheme. This thought follows the ordinance setting up a pension regulator. 


Don`t dump PPF

Since India and the US follow different legal systems, little notice has been taken here of two significant corporate developments in the US. 


Directors` responsibility

Mild fear has replaced nascent greed in the markets. The Sensex has dropped nearly 600 points, or almost 9 per cent, in seven trading days. 


The risks of leveraging

A former governor of the Reserve Bank of India used to warn his colleagues that they should never surprise the markets with bad news; if there had to be a surprise, then it should be about good news.

The virtues of silence

The first crop of results for software companies could not have been better. Both TCS and Infosys have recorded an increase of more than 50 per cent in net profit, and boosts to the top line of almost

Software gets better

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Indias latest recommendations for a unified telecom licence are to be welcomed since they include a dramatic slashing of licence fees for long-distance

Divergent policy

Are just some of the hurdles India faces as it gears up to make the most of the Kyoto opportunity


Sunil Jain: Pig manure and hot airA

The Prime Ministers exhortation to Indias oil companies to think big, think creatively and think boldly may be an indication of his personal commitment to managerial autonomy in the public sector,

Energy & synergy

For the two million passengers who travel between India and the United Statesand the number is growing significantly each yearthe decision to have an aviation pact between the two countries is good

Flying high

The White Paper on state-level value added tax (VAT) mostly sets out what was already known, while introducing some modifications in the scheme. What is important is that its publication sets the

Setting the stage

The petroleum ministry under Mani Shankar Aiyar has acquired a new zeal and sense of purpose, judging by the way the fifth round of the new exploration licensing policy (NELP-V) is being handled. 


Aiyar, the salesman

The Food Corporation of India (FCI) may not be a worthy representation of an efficient public sector unit (PSU), but it has managed to do something that many other government-run entities need to

Rare example

Just when it seemed that the government had managed to get its supporters from the Left parties to play ball on some aspects of economic policy, the water has been muddied again and it is no longer

Breakthrough or not?

The New Delhi meet of the 17 gene-rich countries, including India, China and Brazilon issues related to access to biological resources and sharing the benefits arising from their useis crucial for

How to use bio-resources

The frequently forecast slowdown in the corporate sector doesnt seem to have arrived. The <B><I>Business Standard Research Bureaus </I></B>comparison of the December quarter results of 318

At a canter

As he gets down to the preparation of his first full-year Budget for the railways, Lalu Prasad faces a number of immediate and serious challenges. 


Getting back on track

Given the Securities and Exchange Board of Indias (Sebi) patchy track record in regulating the countrys stock exchanges, more so with so many of its orders routinely being quashed by the Securities

Regulating commodities

Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs call to Indian CEOs to emulate the Chinese model, made at a summit last week, should raise some eyebrows amongst those who have been observing the striking contrasts

Walk the talk

The Prime Ministers economic advisory council is reported to be of the view that nominal interest rates may have dropped too low as the system responded to the low rates of inflation that prevailed

The interest question

Incisive columns and editorial comment by top opinion leaders

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