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Tiger Global's Indian investments

The fund has managed to make only seven exits, worth $473 million

Business Standard

Bank consolidation needs supportive reform

Moving forward on mergers

New intellectual property rights policy a step forward

Meeting halfway

The European Court of Justice has delivered a ruling on this subject that is applicable in Europe

Letters: A complicated issue

For crime investigation, there could be a separate institution, possibly an independent constitutional authority, along the lines of the Election Commission

Letters: Separation is key

The opposition to the merger is only with respect to the existence of the employees' unions rather than the benefits to their members

Letters: Merger is welcome

Targeting the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its advertisement bill, the Congress has decided to rename it the "Arvind Advertisement Party"

AAP criticised for 'ad blitz'

Ajay Maken is being credited with scripting the party's return in the national capital, signified by the municipal corporation bypoll results

Scripting a 'success' story

Patnaik's comment, inspired by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's election-winning slogan "ma, mati, manush (mother, land, people)" drew sharp criticism from his opponents

Drawing flak for inspiration

Image via Shutterstock

MFs back in the saddle

So far this month, domestic funds have bought shares worth Rs 2,000 cr, while FIIs have bought Rs 1,343 cr

Like CBI, NIA's independence is open to question

Another caged parrot?

Manifest risks to national security should spur quick decisions

Security risks from delay

The agriculture ministry has installed an automatic seed dispenser at the entrance of Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi. The dispenser works like any other vending machine and delivers a pack of vegetable seeds once you insert Rs 10 in cash. The idea is interesting, but given that adequate quantities of good quality, certified seeds do not reach farmers in remote villages quite often, a device like this one would have been of immense help if it were installed in a village.

Right idea, wrong place

First it was Kumar Vishwas, now it is Arvind Kejriwal. In a video posted on Facebook by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the chief minister of Delhi can be seen singing Kishore Kumar's hit number, "Aa chal ke tujhe main leke chaloon", with the lyrics changed suitably to make it sound like a clarion call for change in Punjab, where Assembly elections are due in 2017. Envisioning a state "jahan chor bhi na ho, jahan bhrasht bhi na ho (where no one is a thief and no one is corrupt)", the song promises a Punjab where "bas aap (or AAP, depending on how you want to perceive it) ka raaj chale". The AAP, which has four members of Parliament from Punjab, is building its campaign in the state on the planks of corruption, drugs, unemployment and the poor financial health of the state.

AAP's 'anthem' for Punjab

Though the country's largest steel producer, Tata Steel, has received seven expressions of interest for its loss-making UK plant, industry officials say most of the bidders are not serious contenders, but those who would like to use the opportunity to find out how Tata Steel financed the plant. When a bidder expresses interest and carries out due diligence, it gets the rare chance to study the way the existing owner has funded the operation. This can offer valuable lessons for a potential buyer. JSW Steel, which has been on an acquisition spree for sometime now, is on the list of potential buyers.

Interest and acquisition

With reference to the editorial, "Improve telecom infra" (May 13), the Supreme Court has ruled against the imposition of penalty for call drops by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). The court's decision would help all stakeholders focus more on core issues.Technology has to keep pace with the rapid increase in consumer access in the digital era. As intricacy and spread leapfrog, it is imperative that sophistication is assisted by unfailing connectivity. Even existing call drop norms need to be improved, as we get into more complex applications and higher density. Technology and the internet, in particular, have blurred the traditional boundaries between computing, telecommunications and broadcasting; in fact, the boundaries would now increasingly overlap.It is time Trai shifted its focus from licensing, which prevents it from becoming a true enabler of convergence. Developing technologies must be piloted and leveraged for economic growth. Trai must be equipped to switch from

Letters: Trai must change its focus

Apropos the report, "Six PSBs bottom line hit as bad loans mount" (May 14) by Namrata Acharya, Anup Roy and Abhijit Lele, while the results of some public sector banks are yet to be declared, those that have been published are painful to investors.Several banks have contended that the surge in bad loans and profits turning into losses are due to the asset quality review made in terms of the Reserve Bank of India directives to cleanse the balance sheets. Had the banks identified their non-performing loans in time, it would have been possible to administer remedies. By postponing the death of these accounts, banks have paved the way for deterioration in the quality and value of the securities charged, as well as left the door open for wilful default.Despite the initiatives taken by the government and the banking regulator, there is no marked improvement in the banking business. Mounting bad loans and plummeting returns on assets are beating down the value of the scrips of public sector b

Letters: Save public sector banks

This is with reference to Sukumar Mukhopadhyay's letter, "Jaitley not to blame" (May 16), in response to T N Ninan's article, "Mr Modi's ministers" (May 14). It seems Mukhopadhyay is in a haste to support the policies of the National Democratic Alliance government.While non-performing assets of banks are indeed the legacy of the earlier United Progressive Alliance government, factors such as taxation are well within the ambit of the present government.Similarly, it is not the Reserve Bank of India policy that alone dictates interest rate. For example, reduction of interest rate in savings is hurting the common man, leading to a cut in purchasing power and weak demand in the market. Inflation is high and indirect taxes are increasingly burdening the common man.Now, the Goods and Services Tax Bill, which seeks to ensure reasonable taxation for the common man, must be the highest priority of the government.Partha Sarathi Mukhopadhyay, NagpurLetters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:The

Letters: Supporting in haste

Higher food inflation pushes WPI up

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) has risen to 0.34 per cent, for the first time since October 2014. This was led by higher food inflation especially in pulses, vegetables, and milk. Fuel inflation continued to fall, albeit at a slower pace, in April, while core inflation as measured by the CRISIL Core Inflation Indicator (CCII) rose to 1.82 per cent from 1.04 per cent earlier, driven by higher inflation in manufactured food products and beverages.Food inflation (primary plus manufactured food) rose to 5.4 per cent from four per cent in March due to a rise in both primary and manufactured food inflation. Primary food inflation inched up to 4.2 per cent from 3.7 per cent, led by higher inflation in pulses (at 36.4 per cent), vegetables, milk, and spices. Inflation in processed food jumped to eight per cent from 4.5 per cent in March on the back of a rise in sugar, edible oils, and tea & coffee processing inflation.In the 'fuel and power' category, prices fell at a slower rate as infla

Geospatial Bill needs to be rewritten from scratch

Map licence raj?

FM takes realistic view of govt policy agenda

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