[PDF] 14 Feb 2015

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News Bits - 14 Feb 2015

   

1. Forex reserves reach $330 billion.
2. Regulators turned a blind eye to chit fund scams: SC
3. President’s Rule possible in Bihar, fears JD(U).
4. MoEF accepts some High-Level Committee ( led by T.S.R. Subramanian) recommendations.
5. Rift in censor board over use of ‘bad words’. CBFC chief lists out words and

The Hindu News - 14 Feb 2015

Regulators turned a blind eye to chit fund scams: SCCBI will have to probe cases which have been transferred to it: judge
Even as the Saradha scam investigation is yielding more arrests, the Supreme Court on Friday reiterated its commitment to bring to justice the perpetrators of multicrore ponzi scams spread across several States and hauled up regulators such as the RBI and the SEBI

[Ed] Data whirlpool

After GDP, here are the new price indices to get used to
For economy watchers, these are statistically bewildering times. The recent set of GDP data revealed a dramatic increase in the growth rate for 2013-14. Now, the base year for the consumer price index has moved from 2010 to 2012, with lower weights for food items. The change is meant to reflect a shift in consumer expenditure patterns away from food since 2004-05. According to the 68th Round of the National Sample Survey Organisation on consumer expenditure, the proportion of

[Ed] Clear the field for Special Economic Zones

Sort out tax burdens and ambiguities in the law so that SEZs become ‘make in India’ hubs
In early 2000, when the India growth story was still struggling to be written, special economic zones (SEZs) were introduced to set up new infrastructure with the idea of creating jobs and giving an impetus to exports.
In 2005, the SEZ Act and Rules provided a policy framework with minimum regulations, simplified procedures and single window clearance at the State and central levels. SEZ developers and

[Ed] India and the CTBT

India’s future with the CTBT is still unwritten. Leadership until now may have been delayed, but there are opportunities for it to be reengaged and renewed
India’s past with the treaty to ban all nuclear tests in all places for all time is well known. Some might characterise it as leadership defaulted or, more optimistically, merely delayed. A lot has changed for India since the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) was opened for

[Ed] Medicines in India, for India

Tropical diseases have often been neglected by pharmaceuticals because the size of the drug market is smaller, people have lower incomes and companies are uncertain about IPR

January marked an important breakthrough in the fight against tropical diseases. Researchers and the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) in Delhi found a drug candidate that prevented TB and malaria pathogens from

[Ed] The Internet’s tempting presence

Toward the end of last year, there was an uproar when India’s leading telecom carrier Bharti Airtel decided to charge subscribers extra for use of applications such as Skype to make free calls over the Internet. Airtel was criticised for violating a key principle influencing Internet traffic, which is that all data must be treated equally and there must be no discrimination. The principle goes by the name Net neutrality. Within days, the company

[Ed] A budget to transform

In the present state of the economy, when there is excess capacity in manufacturing, adequate stocks of foodgrain and the inflation rate is trending downwards, there is an opportune moment for a public investment-centred fiscal expansion
Over the past eight months, the government has issued some strong statements on the economy and taken some bold steps aimed at transforming it. As it prepares to present its first real budget we may reflect upon the direction that it should take.