-Outlook Andhra Pradesh today asked the Centre to increase the number of wage days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Gurantee Scheme (MGNREGS) from the present 150 to 200 to benefit non-farm labour and marginalised sections of the society. In his speech at the National Development Council meeting which was read out by Finance Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy emphasised the need for synchronising MGNREGS with agriculture...
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Manmohan hints at cutting subsidies
-PTI Describing the current economic situation as a difficult one, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday hinted at tough decisions like hike in energy prices and reduction of subsidies to achieve the growth target of 8 per cent in the 12th Five Year Plan. Inaugurating the National Development Council (NDC) meeting, Dr. Singh cautioned that “business as usual” policies will not be sufficient to achieve the scaled down growth target of 8...
More »Plan Panel Cautions Against Policy Logjam
-Outlook The Planning Commission today projected 8 per cent economic growth for the 12th Plan, but cautioned that "policy logjam" could slow the expansion to even as low as 5-5.5 per cent during the five year period. Moving away from previous practice of presenting single growth projection, the Planning Commission has come out with three different economic scenarios for 12th Five-Year Plan. "Growth outcomes will depend upon the extent to which we are...
More »Plan panel sets $100 bn target for pharma sector by 2020
-PTI The Planning Commission has set a target for the Indian pharmaceutical industry to reach USD 100 billion by 2020 and account for 5 per cent share of the global drug industry in the next five years. According to the final draft for 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) by the panel, the objective of the sector will be to cross the USD 60 billion mark in 2017, which will be 5 per...
More »Of FDI, Wal-Mart & controversies: An eventful year for retail
-PTI The retail sector, where the government permitted foreign direct investment in multi-brand, courted controversies during the year with several opposition parties making it a political issue in Parliament. Even before its entry into multi-brand retail, the global chain Wal-Mart was grappling with various issues, including spending money in the US on lobbying for entry into India. Adding action to the drama was Swedish furniture chain IKEA's hectic bargaining with the government over...
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