The vote share of national parties has come down. Even in 2009, the combined vote share of the Congress and the BJP, at 47.5 per cent, had declined by 1.2 per cent compared to 2004. This means the Indian democracy is no longer run by a majority's mandate. Will NOTA (none of the above) option with voters further reduce vote share of parties?

Someone save the majority mandate

Business Standard

A graphical representation of issues impacting business

Mandatory Auditor Rotation: India & the World

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is a party with a low budget, but high spirits. The party has a budget of Rs 20 crore, which it plans to spend ahead of the Assembly elections. Some reports say this amount is as much as the sum the Bharatiya Janata Party had spent on preparing the "grand stage" for Narendra Modi's mega rally in the national capital. But the AAP volunteers are unruffled - they feel a small budget is no election impediment and, in fact, Rs 20 crore is good enough to make a clean sweep during the upcoming polls. Big isn't always better, is it?

No budget too small

Conventional wisdom suggests that lenders are on a stronger footing than the borrowers. Indeed, one has often heard stories of recovery agents arm-twisting and bullying borrowers, sometimes even driving them to extreme steps such as suicide. But in the case of the National Spot Exchange (NSEL), it is the borrowers who seem to have the upper hand - they come in imported cars, surrounded by gun-toting private security officers. In comparison, recovery officers appointed by the NSEL are junior officials who are in no position to dictate terms to the borrowers. No wonder, only a small part of the Rs 5,600-crore dues has been recovered so far.

Role reversal

In July 2013, the Advertising Standard Council of India's Consumer Complaints Council upheld complaints against 177 advertisements that were deemed misleading. Most of the misleading advertisements were from the education sector and the promise of 100 per cent job placement was one of the recurring unsubstantiated claims made by the advertisers. This was followed by the health and personal care category, where most of the upheld complaints were against advertisements making unsubstantiated claims. Earlier reports show these two sectors are repeat offenders. When the vanguards of development are tripping, God bless the foot soldiers.

Health of education

This refers to the report "The challenge of staying relevant" (BS Weekend, September 28). A K Bhattacharya's review of George Brock's Out Of Print draws attention to important points that are of interest to journalists and their end-customers, the readers.While updating of knowledge and skills is a vital survival mechanism in all professions, it is more intricate in journalism, particularly the print media. The longer the stint of the paper, the higher the number of its committed readers - some of whom want the paper to continue with the "time-honoured values of objectivity, fairness , balance and credibility" and the rest and new set of readers who want a change - in the get-up, content and presentation of news.Should pin-ups be used to illustrate news? Should the headings be matter-of-fact or sensational and tantalising? Should technology be used to strengthen investigative reporting or extended to sting operations whose premise is to cheat the unsuspecting responder? Should the easy

Letters: Journalism - Threat and treat

This refers to the editorial "Bending over backwards" (September 30). One way of not incentivising the "backward race" would be to give whatever special assistance to the backward states by way of loan rather than as doles. Such a loan should be repaid together with interest in instalments. Also, no more special assistance should be given to a backward state until it fully repays the last loan. Otherwise, this will be another saga such as "caste-based reservations" that have encouraged a competitive jostling for being slotted as a backward caste.Kishor Kulkarni  MumbaiLetters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:The Editor, Business StandardNehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar MargNew Delhi 110 002Fax: (011) 23720201E-mail: letters@bsmail.inAll letters must have a postal address and telephone number

Letters: A loan system

This refers to the report "Budget planners take over to trim big, fat Indian weddings" (September 29). Weddings are a significant event for anyone but in the Indian culture they take on a heightened level of importance. They have become an extravagant affair and cost a fortune. No gold, no wedding is the norm. The haute cuisine served is not only exotic but often wasteful. Invitations are another saga. The weddings of the Indian diaspora have also taken a similar trend. In Europe or the US, plans tend to be even more lavish and several of them run easily into the seven figures.In these times of economic downturn, one has to scout for newer business avenues and that is to tap the weddings of children of politicians who seem to have vast resources.Another innovative way to cut costs is to invite sponsors for a segment of the wedding programme. The muhurath could be used for advertising jewellery and designer saris. Receptions can be sponsored for promoting more exotic and upscale designe

Letters: Wedding blueprint

Rahul Gandhi does the right thing, but the wrong way

Rahul Gandhi's outburst reflects the embarrassing ineptitude of the Congress

In July last year, the all-India average wholesale price crossed Rs 2,000 a quintal and this month moved above Rs 2,400 a quintal

Indicus price monitor

Taking stock of the economic situation in the Euro zone

StatsGuru: 30-September-2013

Every Monday, Business Standard analyses one family's finances and suggests a suitable way forward

Case study

The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) report on the 2G spectrum scam, which gave a clean chit to PM Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram, was adopted by the government on Friday. The report, to be tabled in Parliament's winter session, differs on many counts with the draft Public Accounts Committee (PAC)'s report*, submitted in April 2011, that said the PM's Office and department of telecommunications (DoT) had "misled" PM on 2G spectrum allocation. A look at the two reports

The 2G maze

New index should not perpetuate backwardness

Bending over backwards

At an event to launch documentary films on good governance organised by the Information & Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry on Friday, Manish Tewari was asked about the growing friction between the minister and, the chief executive officer of Prasar Bharati. Tewari was quick to quip that he does not know of any Sircars. "The only Sarkar I know is Pradeep Sarkar of Percept," the minister said before leaving the stage. According to sources, the chairman and the minister have been having troubles for the past few months and cannot see eye to eye. Percept had conceptualised the government's Bharat Nirman campaign and Pradeep Sarkar was the director of the advertisements.

What's in a name

It is that time of the year again when travellers throng the Indian Railways website to book tickets ahead of the festive season. And as always there is no let up in the level of frustration. The website continues to be slow and the number of failed transactions is climbing. However, this time around when visitors - who may have given up all hope to successfully book a ticket - log out in dismay, they are greeted with IRCTC's e-commerce page. The newly added service peddles everything from shoes to bags to electronics to furnishings. Only if IRCTC could provide a train ticket also sans the hassle. Time to focus on core competencies, maybe.

More for less

Apropos the report "Govt wrong in shielding convicted netas: Rahul" (September 28), it is important to ask why Rahul Gandhi remained silent when the government brought the law, for annulling the Supreme Court verdict on convicted MPs and MLAs in the Parliament  and, after failing to get the Parliament's clearance, the cabinet hastily cleared the ordinance and sent it for presidential approval. However, it doesn't seem possible that Rahul may have publicly slammed the ordinance and his party's government without Sonia Gandhi's consent. It is possible that alarmed by the sharp media and public criticism and the President's reservations, this may be a part of their strategy to avoid direct confrontation between the Congress president and party's government and to provide an escape route to the highly embarrassed party. Anyhow, with the President not inclined to clear the ordinance and the government set to withdraw it, the good work has been done but only partly. The notorious law cleared

Letters: Ordinance drama

Apropos the editorial "Unnecessary ordinance" (September 27), there is a clear attempt to undermine the guiding spirit of the Indian constitution envisioned by its framers. It is strange that politicians never tire of commenting on every big or small case of irregularity, corruption, or misuse of office in the media. In reality, they themselves do not allow the law to work properly and find ways to save their own skin. The attempts over the years to enforce stringent rules against political candidates have been to stem the growing criminalisation of Indian politics and to debilitate the nefarious nexus of politicians with goons and unlawful activities. If politicians can devise ways and means to overturn the apex court's judgment, then we should stop talking about the Lokpal, the Central Vigilance Commission and other agencies that are supposed to weed out corrupt elements and bring probity in public life.M M Gurbaxani  BangaloreLetters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:The Editor, B

Letters: Overturning judgments

The tiny and pointless - but repeatedly successful - terrorist incursions both from Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Pakistan itself over the last few months primarily show the discomfort in anti-India quarters in Pakistan over their realisation that peace between the two nations is inevitable in the not too distant future. At the same time, these events also show the poor morale in the Indian armed forces and other security establishments.This poor morale arises primarily from the repeated and visible downgrading of the armed forces relative to other departments of the government establishment over the past 66 years. While demands such as one-rank one-pension are clearly unrealistic, one hopes that the government of India does realise that this morale issue must be addressed at the earliest if a situation like 1962 is to be avoided.The simplest way of doing this would be an adequate representation of the Indian armed forces in the coming Seventh Pay Commission, so that justice to the Ind

Letters: Poor morale

Indian travellers plan to lower their holiday budgets with majority of them planning to travel  within the home market

Business Standard

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Someone save the majority mandate

Mandatory Auditor Rotation: India & the World

No budget too small

Role reversal

Health of education

Letters: Journalism - Threat and treat

Letters: A loan system

Letters: Wedding blueprint

Rahul Gandhi's outburst reflects the embarrassing ineptitude of the Congress

Indicus price monitor

StatsGuru: 30-September-2013

Case study

The 2G maze

Bending over backwards

What's in a name

More for less

Letters: Ordinance drama

Letters: Overturning judgments

Letters: Poor morale

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