No immediate gains, but new spectrum formula welcome

Ending uncertainty

Business Standard

All predictions are off in this strangest of campaigns

POTUS pending

The Indian internet user-base reached 317 million by October 2015, overtaking the United States, courtesy year-on-year growth of 40 per cent. India's rapid growth was largely responsible for pushing the global internet base to three billion by end-2015, according to a widely circulated report prepared by Mary Meeker on internet trends for 2016. The report by Ms Meeker, a general partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers LLC, classifies India as a market with "mixed demographics" and medium-to-high infrastructure barriers. Although smartphones are cheap in absolute terms at an average price of $158 a piece, the price is about 10 per cent of India's per capita income. The report highlights areas where paradigms are changing rapidly. Growth should zoom in voice-operated computer interfaces, image-based e-commerce platforms, mobile video advertising, messenger-based marketing and communication and in on-demand transportation.One out of every five mobile searches is now voice-initiate

Internet opportunities

Industrial output numbers warn against policy complacency

The April blues

Certify, don't censor

Click on graphic

StatsGuru: Taking stock of the telecom sector

The telecom sector's contribution to government revenues has increased dramatically over the past years

Cybercrime in India

As many as 9,622 cybercrimes were reported in India in 2014, an increase of 69 per cent over the previous year

Case study

Business Standard analyses one family's finances and suggests a way forward

Ishan Bakshi's article, "For panchayats, financial freedom a distant dream" (June 10), is timely and demands the immediate attention of policymakers

Letters: Lifeline of India

Apropos Archis Mohan's report, "New certification norms soon: Jaitley" (June 11), whatever be the rules the government plans to implement

Letters: 'Milder' films

With reference to the report, "Telcos to invest Rs 12,000 cr to check call drops" (June 11), the DoT deserves kudos for making efforts to find an amicable solution to the problem

Letters: The writing on the wall

It seems the Congress has been left high and dry in West Bengal

Feeling high and dry

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad turned 69 on Saturday

Summer of 69

Just as Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu began addressing a press conference in Rajkot last week

Cheap tactics, says Venkaiah

All ministers in the Narendra Modi government were told to fan out across India to hold press conferences and reach out to the people to showcase the government's achievements on its second anniversary. Those who didn't take the diktat seriously, or tried to shirk their task citing personal engagements were ticked off.

Ministers ticked off

Home Minister Rajnath Singh's closest advisors have tried to nip in the bud the buzz that he is agreeable to be the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) chief ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh in the run-up to Assembly polls in the state next year. Those in Singh's camp fear that a loss for the BJP in the state might dent his image as not only the home minister but also effectively the number two in the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. Meanwhile, the party leadership has indicated to other CM aspirants to curb their ambition and rein in their supporters. These include Sultanpur Lok Sabha member Varun Gandhi, Gorakhpur Lok Sabha member Yogi Adityanath and Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani. The leadership hasn't taken kindly to posters in some cities of UP projecting Gandhi as a CM candidate.

CM hope: Rajnath not eager, others more than eager

Gujarat is the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and till recently, his picture featured prominently on one side of the driving licence cards issued by the Regional Transport Office (RTO) of the state. However, the new licence cards issued by the RTO don't have Gandhi's picture. State RTO officials in their defence have said that "safety and security" were the two "more important" factors which were kept in mind while designing the new cards. When some journalists mentioned this to state Transport Minister Vijay Rupani, he said he was unaware of the development and would get it investigated.

Licence cards without Gandhi

Will Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati come to the rescue of the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, where elections are due to be held for 11 Rajya Sabha seats on Saturday? At an event on Thursday, she dropped a hint. Asked which way the needle would point, she said: "In Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are together. There are many issues where they have come together." The Congress might already be counting on her. "Mayawati's words are most encouraging," said Congress member of the state Assembly Pramod Tiwari. "Her 12 lawmakers will come in handy. We have also been promised support by Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal. The BJP will see itself deflated on Saturday."

A saviour for the Congress?

Having a leadership team that speaks and acts in one voice is a key component of a strong corporate culture. Japanese car maker Nissan took this management lesson to a new high this week. It had organised a multi-city launch for its new entry segment vehicle rediGO (under the Datsun brand). While the launch was backed by a huge amount of publicity, its public relations team overlooked a simple fact: two press releases that went out from two different city offices - Chennai and New Delhi - used the same statement to describe the car, but attributed it to two different spokespersons from the company. The Chennai event was held on Monday; the Delhi launch took place on Tuesday.

Same quote, different speakers

With reference to Swaraj Baggonkar's front-page report, "Pay cut for five Suzuki directors as a result of mileage scandal" (June 9), the Japanese are known for their moral and ethical standards. Their forthright approach in fixing responsibility and penalising the guilty with regard to the scandal in question is impressive. They don't look for junior scapegoats, as we, in India, often do; instead, they go for the top people. No one can beat them in accepting mistakes and publicly apologising for the same.The West handles such matters differently. German car maker Volkswagen committed the grave offence of cheating on emission tests. None of the people in the top management team was known to have taken pay cuts. Citi Bank made billions from the Libor scandal. When the bank was caught, it coughed up a hefty fine, but as far as I can remember there were no job or pay cuts. For both companies, the cost-benefit analysis seemed to go in their favour.Then there was the WikiLeaks episode and th

Letters: Japanese wisdom

For the past two years, my letters to the editor have been critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party in terms of their pronouncements and speeches in India and abroad.However, after fully listening to Modi's speech delivered to the US Congress on Wednesday, I am convinced he offers hope for India and the world. This requires some positive response from extremist elements in his own party as well as other political parties and social organisations. They should congratulate him. His speech oozed honesty, ability and courage. He mentioned Swami Vivekananda as eloquently as B R Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi. This is the strength of secular India, which he displayed in his speech.I would like to ask Modi to analyse if the transformation of India into a rich nation can be achieved by following the path of industrialisation based on the Green Revolution started by Norman Borlaug, whom the prime minister paid tribute to in his speech.Chandrashekhar G Ranade   Fairfa

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