Policy Watch

Chidambaram to soon seek cabinet's nod for all-women bank

With Rs 10 lakh cr pending projects and 5 meets, investment panel is a joke

When it was first launched, the CCI had stirred the enthusiasm of investors and media alike with its reported sweeping powers to clear projects in a time-bound manner. Nothing of that sort seems to have happened

RBI obliges FM with a 25 basis rate cut, more easing unlikely

The RBI reduced the repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.5 percent today

Do your worst, Mr C; India isn't about to give up on gold

The increase in gold duties and linking ETFs to gold deposit scheme may not work the way the government hopes they will

More reforms will treat the symptoms, not the disease

Yesterday's cabinet decision to set up an apex investment committee, clear the Land Bill and offer incentives for urea plants are half-measures at best

Taxing diesel cars is a remedy worse than the disease

Bad ideas and half-solutions are being dusted up to deal with the issue of diesel subsidies.

2012 not a year that govt will like to remember: Anand Sharma

Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma today said 2012 is not a year that the government would like to remember with recent developments in the world having adversely impacted the country's economic growth.

Land Bill will kill growth: Govt knows this, but does Sonia?

With several cabinet ministers getting the jitters on the Land Bill, the cabinet referred it to a GoM. But the Bill in its present form should really be killed.

The diesel car tax is off

The plan to tax diesel cars to avoid subsidisation of the rich is off the table since a diesel price hike may be round the corner.

Does UPA want a coal block scam to rival 2G? Seems so

The coal ministry wants to award coal blocks for power players without an auction. It's an open invitation to controversy.