If things work to plan, the Posco story may get a twist, and the Korean steel giant may come home to Karnataka. After a long-drawn battle with agencies to get environmental clearance for a Rs 50,000-crore integrated steel plant and captive port at Jagatsinghpur in Orissa, now it has set its sights on the state. "One-third of the required ore will be mined in Karnataka. Posco officials met me recently and...
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A cut above the rest, MFIs in East ease borrowers’ pain by Atmadip Ray
Amid the heat and dust over high interest rates charged by microfinance institutions and reports of coercive recovery methods by some lenders in Andhra Pradesh, MFIs in eastern India are trying to strike a more cordial note with borrowers by lowering interest rates. At least three MFIs based out of Kolkata are on the verge of slashing lending rates by nearly 500 basis points to 19.1% per annum, on reducing balance...
More »Andhra reply to MFI ordinance soon by B Krishna Mohan
Tight liquidity continues; rise in bank rates likely for such lending. The Andhra Pradesh government will take some time to reply in the high court to the petitions filed against the Andhra Pradesh Microfinance Institutions (Regulation of Money Lending) Ordinance, issued last month. The Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN), SKS Micro Finance and Spandana Sphoorty Financial have filed petitions saying the ordinance threatens to disrupt their business. The government sought an extension after...
More »Five myths about microfinance by TT Ram Mohan
The microfinance bubble has burst. The AP government ordinance, the AP oppositionfs campaign asking borrowers not to repay and the sheer public hostility towards MFIs . all these have put the brakes on MFI activities for now. We need to rethink the role of MFIs in the rural economy . In order to do so, we must first grasp some of the myths on which the MFI sector has rested...
More »Malawi seeks Indian help in 'greenbelt initiative'
Inspired by India’s “Green Revolution”, Malawi has sought Indian assistance in its “Greenbelt initiative” aimed at raising agricultural output. The southeast African nation is looking to India to tap its huge uranium deposits. Malawi is also negotiating to sign Double Taxation as well as Investment Promotion and Protection agreements with India. “Our main aim is to get India’s participation in our Greenbelt initiative to increase our farming capacity,” visiting Malawian Trade and...
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