-
Borrowed wisdom
After its first introduction in August 1995 and several years of debate,
the Union Cabinet finally passed the bill that allows foreign universities
to set up campuses in India and offer degrees independently. The
Foreign Educational Institutions (Entry and Operation) Regulation Bill
2010 will permit foreign players to invest 51 per cent of the total
capital expenditure needed to establish the institute in India.
|
-
Oman-India ties, vital than before
With strong ties across the board and a brighter trading outlook globally for 2010, Oman and India look set to see continued bilateral growth, with the Sultanate well placed among its GCC neighbours to take advantage of the best investment opportunities on offer in the subcontinent.
|
-
Pitch it right
An aggressive disinvestment agenda lined up for the next fiscal is one of the key reasons behind the post-Budget rally in the stock market. A target of Rs 400 billion from disinvestment is definitely ambitious. The government
is pinning hopes on the sale of public sector stake to come to its rescue to curb fiscal
deficit. But, market volatility and active retail participation along with inflows from
foreign institution investors (FIIs) are critical factors that would come into pla
|
-
A bit of West and a bit of Bengal
The FM and his government are clearly happy with the results of its stimulus resulting in public spending starting mid last year. With an expectation of over 8 per cent growth
in 2010-11, Mukerjee decided to only slowly roll back the stimulus, increase excise duty, broaden
the service tax base, selectively increase customs duty (including on oil) and rationalize the personal income tax structure.
|
-
UBI public offer: A mid-term bet
Since United Bank of India is adequately capitalized, it will mainly utlilise the public offer money to scale up its operations, besides shedding its regional image. The stock is attractively priced at a discount for retail investors.
|
-
To be or not to be
Finance Minister Pranab Mukhejee has his task cut out.The wily politician has been entrusted with a tough job of rolling back the economic stimulus without derailing growth.
His ministry is under pressure to reduce the fiscal deficit,
which is pegged at 6.8 per cent of the GDP and over 10 per cent if off-balance sheet items are taken into account.
|
-
Going with the Wind
Legendary American film studio MGM’s deteriorating condition and impromptu sale have highlighted on Hollywood’s studios’ ongoing struggle for survival. Hit by falling revenues, flopping films and dwindling creativity, studios paint a bleak picture for the future ahead.
|
-
The rot within the red brigade
Nothing is right for the Left Front led government in West Bengal. After more than three decades in power and virtually no opposition, CPIM and its allies are suffering from a growing rot within. The basic structure of its organisation is now beginning to fragment.
|
-
Reform, what reform?
One of the prime reasons that India managed to evade financial recession last year lies in its ability to attract capital inflows. Both the portfolio investments and direct inflows sustained the working capital requirements of various firms. Sending confusing signals to foreign investors through continuous policy flip-flops and half-baked attempts at reforms would
surely turn them out.
|
-
End of an era
The veteran of Bengal’s politics is dead. Jyoti Basu will be remembered as an exceptional politician, a pioneer who organised like-minded people to set a series of successful governments and a leader par excellence.
|
-
A Bitter Pill
The problem of fake drugs in India is growing at such a fast speed that it has almost become a parallel industry in itself. The worst affected are, unfortunately, the consumers who trap themselves in the web of fake drugs with no help.
|
-
Publicitymandi.com
Film producers are trying every tricks of the trade to create as big a hype as they can, so as to get good openings during the weekend box office collections. Slowly but surely, promoting a movie is turning out to be a game changer in an industry that so far had been thriving upon formulaic approach for success.
|
-
Citizen Cane
The spiraling sugar prices have caused a lot of bitterness this season. Almost everyone, including farmers, industrialists/ millers, retailers, consumers and the government, have been bearing the burden of a crisis that has created a lot of ruckus over the past few months. At the heart of the issue lies the age-old problem of demand-supply mismatch. But, the government’s inept handling of the pricing issue further aggravated the crisis.
|
-
Small is beautiful
While the spectacular launches were accompanied
by thumping statements, the route taken by the
auto industry is imprinted with the theme ‘small is big’. Not less than three launches were tailored to meet the needs of the growing Indian middle-class population.
|
-
Economics of Low-Budget Films
Low-budget films are no longer the experimenting ground for beginners to prove their mettle in the industry, even industry veterans like Subhash Ghai and corporate houses like UTV and PNC have turned to the low-budget theme of late. The rise of low cost model is fast turning out to be a game-changer in Bollywood known for its opulence and larger than life images.
|
Commentaries
