SKS Microfinance, India's largest microfinance player, arrived with a bang with its hugely successful IPO in August. However, the recent sacking of its MD and CEO Suresh Gurumani has opened up a pandora's box that is now threatening to expose the ugly underbelly of the sector which, many allege, is teeming with players who are no better than moneylenders but have so far been able to operate under the pious...
More »SEARCH RESULT
No power tariff hike for agriculture consumers by Rajshri Mehta
The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) on Thursday spared a power tariff hike for nearly 16 lakh non-metered agriculture consumers consuming up to 5 horsepower and 1.20 crore residential consumers of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) with a monthly consumption up to 300 units, for 2010-11. Taking note of the grievance of educational institutions, dispensaries and hospitals consuming a load up to 200kw,MERC has de-clubbed them from the commercial...
More »Look beyond just stocking foodgrains by Yoginder K Alagh
Under ideal conditions, grain storage options in India are built up from the buffer stock strategies. These, in turn, are derived from fluctuations in grain output and the need to ride through, say, two bad years. To the needs of the required buffer are added the demands from operational requirements and those of grains in transit. Once upon a time, there used to be controversies concerning why should we separately account...
More »Displacement
KEY TRENDS • Section 105 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, which provides for excluding 13 Central legislation, including Land Acquisition (Mines) Act 1885, Atomic Energy Act, 1962, Railway Act 1989, National Highways Act 1956 and Metro Railways (Construction of Works) Act, 1978, from its purview, has been amended for payment of compensation with rigours $ • The amendments have now...
More »Martyrs to transparency by Venkitesh Ramakrishnan
In the five years of the Right to Information Act, activists who use it have faced reprisal across the country. OCTOBER 2010 marks the fifth anniversary of the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The Act and its implementation have been described in both administrative circles and civil society as “revolutionary” , “a blow for transparency”, “a check on corrupt practices” and “a people's intervention tool with tremendous impact”. Social activists and...
More »