An 84-year old farmer&rsquo;s court injunction has converted a booming export hub into a ghost town, causing exports to plummet and businesses to relocate.

Dyeing hub pollutes area, kills itself

Business Standard

A general strike planned by Telangana supporters in September promises more violence.

Telangana is on the boil

America may just do the right thing when all options are exhausted.

The last straw

Standard &amp; Poor's (S&amp;P) gave the US government some bad news earlier this month, lowering its AAA credit rating by one level to AA+ and assigning a negative outlook on it. The US government reacted immediately, trying to deflect the blow by questioning the credit rating agency&rsquo;s analysis, claiming that the action was hasty and inaccurate.

S B: The great American tamasha - Credit rating downgrade

The battle for resources is growing fiercer across the globe, driven by rising demand coupled with rapidly dwindling sources. Businesses will need to take a long-term view by securing their future sources of supply and shifting to next-generation fuels and alternative energy sources. Seeking out creative ways to transform waste into profit and satisfying the huge demand for energy-efficient products and services can present profitable business opportunities.

The resource economy

The sub-8% growth should be seen in the context of global and domestic headwinds.

Q1 GDP growth shows resilience

After a gap of seven long years, Gujarat finally got a Lokayukta. In an unprecedented move, the Gujarat Governor, Dr Kamla Beniwal appointed retired justice Ramesh Amritlal Mehta, 74, as the Lokayukta of the state last week. Entrusted with the new responsibility, Mehta, a low-profile individual who served as a judge of Gujarat High Court for 14 years, has decided to once again don his judge&rsquo;s garb after hanging it up for good. With his significant judgments in the past associated with a discernable pro-poor image, Mehta's appointment has put an end to Gujarat's seven year wait for a Lokayukta.

BS People: Ramesh Amritlal Mehta

The new West Bengal Chief Minister has set a scorching pace, drafting a new land policy and overhauling Presidency College.

A 100 days of Mamata

The Budget for 2011-12 will be presented, as it usually is, on February 28. But a group of extremely unusual individuals will have been involved in creating the Budget. Here&rsquo;s a look at who they really are.

Getting to know Pranab's Budget team

For Sanjiv Goenka, moving with the times was an important decision, but more tedious has been changing mindsets.

Wind of change blows through Victoria House

&lsquo;Procedure is the handmaiden of justice&rsquo;. The axiom often cited by legal eagles is perhaps best exemplified by the report submitted to the government by Justice Shivraj Patil on Monday. The one-man panel tasked with reviewing telecom licensing procedures is believed to have identified former telecom minister A Raja and several government officials for lapses.

BS People: Shivraj Patil

Economists Vijay Kelkar and Montek Singh Ahluwalia richly deserve to be on this year&rsquo;s Padma Vibhushan honours list.

Carrying the torch of transformation

Gyan Verma profiles BJP&rsquo;s Anurag Thakur, of Ekta Yatra and cricket fame, a young political star with hundreds rather than thousands of followers.

Batting for Himachal

A walk through the sprawling building of the Centralised Processing Centre (CPC) on Hosur Road near Electronics City in Bangalore does not give an inkling that it is a government department &mdash; a sensitive one like the income-tax department. This is where 300-odd executives of Infosys and 30 I-T officials, headed by Commissioner Sanjai Kumar Verma, process all I-T returns filed electronically (e-filing) across the country and all paper filings of Karnataka.

I-T dept's refurbished unit cuts red tape, hastens work

Many Congress managers are petrified with the possibility of actor-turned-DMDK-chief Vijayakanth joining his former colleague J Jayalalitha. This coalition, Congress privately fears, could sweep the forthcoming assembly polls in Tamil Nadu. In the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, these managers are just as relaxed after a well-knit plot, involving another southern superstar, reached its expected climax.

Newsmaker: Chiranjeevi

A technology advisory group headed by Nandan Nilekani has recommended that national information utilities be set up to handle several large e-governance projects ranging from goods and services tax to the new pension scheme. The country is lucky to have come as far as it has through the successful functioning of the large IT backbones of key operations like the National Stock Exchange and the National Securities Depository.

IT as utility

Unfazed by political hurdles in the introduction of a goods &amp; services tax (GST), Sumit Dutt Majumder, who recently took over as chairman of the Central Board of Excise &amp; Customs (CBEC), is working towards putting in place the technology and processes for the much-awaited &ndash; and much delayed -- indirect tax regime.

BS People: Sumit Dutt Majumder

The country today moves to a new consumer price index that includes services and is likely to help govt improve policymaking.

Towards superior retail price data

Ram Vishwanathan is determined to fight out the Devas deal.

S-band meister

Sanjay Jog looks at Prithviraj Chavan&rsquo;s 100 days as CM of a state embroiled in controversies.

Bouquets or brickbats?

Trade unions are mostly averse to changing their top order. In at least two of the five leading central trade unions, elections are due in 2011, while in others, it is a year or two later. But, there has been a second rung that has been supporting the unions, often for too long. These are the vice-presidents and secretaries (often the latter), who do the bulk of the work.

It's the second rung that flies the flag at trade unions

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