Political

Business

Additional spends: Parliament okays Rs. 58k crores, mainly for rural and farm sectors

December 19, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: During the ongoing Winter Session, Parliament on Tuesday approved a net additional spending of Rs 58,378 crore in the current fiscal ending March 2024, with a large chunk allocated to MGNREGA and fertilizer subsidies. The gross additional spending would now be more than Rs 1.29 lakh crore, out of which […]

Business

Transport: Introducing driverless cars in India? Never, says Gadkari

December 19, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has ruled out the introduction of driverless cars in India as it could throw a lot of drivers out of jobs, while he welcomed Tesla if it starts manufacturing electric cars in the country. Reiterating his strong opposition to the introduction […]

Business

Reforms: IMF praises India, says it can contribute over 16% to global GDP

December 19, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Praising India’s near-term fiscal policy and its central bank’s proactive monetary policy actions, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said the South Asian nation is likely to contribute over 16% to the global GDP soon, the media reported on Tuesday. In its annual Article IV consultation report on India, the […]

Business

Fraudulent loan apps: Google Play removed 2,500 of them, says Sitharaman

December 18, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said search engine giant Google either suspended or removed over 2,500 fraudulent loan apps from its Play Store between April 2021 and July 2022. The government is constantly engaged with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and other regulators and stakeholders concerned with controlling […]

Business

Remittances: India leads the world with $ 125 billion in 2023, says WB

December 18, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: As against USD 89 billion in 2021 and USD 112 billion in 2022, India’s remittances in 2023 were USD 125 billion this year, making it lead the world, according to a World Bank report. The WB’s latest Migration and Development Brief reveals a continuing growth in remittance flows from the […]

Business

Russia: President Putin to run as an “independent” in March 2024 polls

December 16, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Announcing that he will seek yet another six-year term in March 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he will “contest the elections” as an “independent” candidate. For Putin, 71, the so-called election is a formality. With the support of the state, the state-run media, and almost no mainstream public […]

Business

Economy: By 2026, India to be a $5 trillion economy, says Panagariya

December 16, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: Summing up India’s economic surge, eminent economist Arvind Panagariya said on Friday that the South Asian country is set to become the world’s third-largest economy by 2026 when its GDP in current dollar terms will swell to USD 5 trillion in 2026 and USD 5.5 trillion in 2027. “I am […]

Business

Roving Periscope: His own digital double ‘shocks’ Russian President Vladimir Putin!

December 15, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: As the world grapples with Artificial Intelligence (AI)—arguably the digital ecosystem version of Dr. Jackyll/Mr. Hide in our era—and rushes to regulate the technology monster, Russian President Vladimir Putin was ‘shocked’ as his own AI version, a Putin-double, confronted him on Thursday. Interacting with his digital double, President Putin was […]

Business

Petroleum: As the US eases sanctions, India to resume buying Venezuelan oil

December 15, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: With the US easing sanctions against oil-rich Venezuela after over four years, India is ready to resume buying cheaper oil from the South American country, Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Friday. Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves and a scaling back of US sanctions on […]

Business

Roving Periscope: Impeachment probe begins against US President Joe Biden

December 14, 2023 Vinayak Barot

Virendra Pandit New Delhi: The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives has launched an impeachment inquiry in alleged corruption cases against President Joe Biden, 81, who is running for next year’s presidential poll as the Democrat candidate for a second term of four years. Republicans have yet to provide evidence of corruption by the President […]