Top headlines: Govt stares at revenue shortfall, OTTs tie up with telcos

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Budget 2021: Govt stares at revenue shortfall of Rs 7 trn this fiscal year

Tax collection and the proceeds from disinvestment in state-owned entities are likely to miss the budget estimates target by Rs 7 trillion this fiscal year, two senior officials said. The Budget for FY21 estimated Rs 24.23 trillion to come from direct and indirect taxes and Rs 2.10 trillion from disinvestment, aggregating Rs 26.33 trillion. Read more

Decoded: What are the reasons behind the bull run as Sensex hits 50,000?

One possible reason is that the economy is recovering after an extended period of contraction and you’re feeling optimistic. Another is the hope that there will be some sops in the Budget to keep sentiment buoyant. Read more

Budget 2021: Go for bond, not cess to fund Covid expenditure, say experts

As the Budget may try new options to finance the Centre’s Covid expenses and additional spend on reviving the economy, most experts favour bonds to fund extra outlays (compared to cess). “In a situation where the demand-side continues to be weak, any additional form of taxation is a bad idea,” said former chief statistician Pronab Sen. Read more 

Indian exports likely to lose edge on rising rupee, says RBI study

Indian exports risk losing competitiveness as large capital inflows can cause the rupee to appreciate, says a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) study. Absorbing the inflows through current account deficit and mopping them up as foreign exchange (forex) reserves can help avoid such a situation. Read more

Telcos miffed about new communication security certification rules

The department of telecommunications’s (DoT) push to create a parallel framework for mandatory testing of telecom equipment and mobile phones for the proposed new communication security certification (Comsec) has raised the hackles of the telecom industry. Read more

A captain working in stealth: Ajinkya Rahane shows grace under pressure

As Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar were in the midst of pummelling the Australian bowlers and steering their team to an unlikely win, India's stand-in captain cut a figure of implausible poise. Read more

OTT platforms tying up with telecom companies to expand their market

Telecom companies are offering a big push to OTT (over the top) platforms to expand their reach and provide them with new avenues for revenue. The reason for the video streaming platforms’ high dependence on telcos is simple: while the number of TV screens in the country is pegged at 200 million, the number of smart phone mobile screens is double that size — 400 million, and growing. According to industry estimates, the number of screens in the country would hit 1 billion to 1.1 billion by 2025, but nearly 75-80 per cent of that would be smart phone screens. Read more