Plan & Policy
Rejecting reports that it considered conducting assembly polls in 11 states along with the next Lok Sabha election, the BJP on Tuesday asserted that it was in favour of holding simultaneous elections with consensus among different stakeholders and in accordance with law.
Proposing a policy on pre-determined tariff for upcoming public-private partnership (PPP) airports, the government has promised lower airport charges to make flying more affordable. It seeks to make the new regime more investor-friendly by allowing 10 per cent land of the airport for real estate and commercial development.
Wholesale inflation eased to 5.09 per cent in July on account of cheaper food articles, especially fruits and vegetables, government data showed on Tuesday.
The finance ministry and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) are in consultations to increase the open market operations (OMO) by the central bank in the second half of the current financial year to boost liquidity in the system.
The government proposes to operationalise a new industry-friendly mineral policy this month that would aim to invigorate the investment climate in the sector hit hard by a slowdown in demand, delayed statutory clearances and court introduced restrictions on production.
Among the changes aimed at promoting investment, the new mineral policy would offer a long-term export policy for all minerals that would act as a catalyst for attracting large-scale investment in commercial mining activities.
The Apeejay Business Centre (ABC), the plug ‘n’ play and co-working spaces brand from Apeejay Real Estate, has launched a 330-seat centre in Gugugram, Haryana. The company has also doubled capacity in Hyderabad and Kolkata in pursuit of growth strategy in the last two months.
A part of the 108-year-old Apeejay Surrendra Group, ABC said the Gugugram centre will offer fluid co-working space, work cabin, meeting rooms, serviced offices, a virtual office and breakout areas.
Signalling resumption of the family feud over DMK stalwart M Karunanidhi’s legacy days after his death, his estranged son MK Alagiri claimed on Monday all loyal party workers were with him and that the DMK will “dig its own grave” if it does not take him back.
Karunanidhi had expelled Alagiri and his supporters from the party in 2014 at the height of his fight with his younger brother MK Stalin over establishing supremacy in Tamil Nadu’s main opposition party. Stalin is now the working president of the DMK and looks set to assume its reins.
Former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee passed away at a private hospital here on Monday morning following multiple organ failure. He was 89 and survived by wife, a son and two daughters.
The finance ministry on Monday said that safeguard duty will not be insisted upon on import of solar cells for the time being in deference to interim directions passed by the high court of Orissa. Last month, India had imposed safeguard duty on solar cells imports from China and Malaysia for two years to protect domestic players from steep rise in inbound shipments. The duty was imposed following recommendations by the directorate general of trade remedies (DGTR) under the commerce ministry.
Companies are bullish about recruitment activity in the July-December period as replacement hiring and job creation are expected to see an uptrend in the next six months, says a report. According to Naukri hiring outlook survey, 70 per cent recruiters believe hiring activity is expected to increase in the second half of 2018, while layoffs are likely to be negligible as it was cited by only 2 per cent of recruiters.
