-The Indian Express   After a week of parliamentary gridlock over retail reform, it appears as though both government and opposition are getting too used to this state of stalemate, the squandering of precious parliamentary time over one thing or the other. The constant adjournments, disruptions and boycotts over the last three sessions have, by now, seriously undermined Parliament — blocking important legislation, putting showy partisanship above the nation’s real needs. Is the...

At a time when the government and regulators are emphasizing inclusion and increase in credit delivery to those without access to formal sources of finance, private sector banks are found to have low credit-deposit ratios in rural areas as compared to public sector counterparts. In a recent interaction at the state-level bankers committee (SLBC) meeting, in which Reserve Bank of India governor D Subbarao was present, bankers brought this to the...

-The Times of India   Use of red light beacons atop cars and an upgrade in the warrant of precedence to serial number 17 from 21 at par with chief justices of high courts outside their jurisdictions and chairpersons of statutory bodies are part Lok Sabha's privileges committee's latest recommendations. In its report tabled on Wednesday, the committee suggested that the highways ministry be asked to issue a notification under the Central Motor...

The current impasse in Parliament has created a logjam that threatens to disrupt the proceedings of the winter session. The latest reason that has brought the situation to such a pass is the decision of the Union cabinet to permit foreign direct investment (FDI) in the multi-brand retail sector, opening the way for international supermarket giants like Wal-Mart, Carrefour and Tesco to open their shops in India. While the Cabinet does...

With deep pockets and international sourcing capabilities, global retail chains will outcompete domestic players, displace jobs, and undermine livelihoods. In predictable fashion, the Manmohan Singh government chose to ignore voices of opposition and implement its agenda of permitting foreign investment in the retail trade. While Parliament was in session, the Cabinet met to approve the hitherto prohibited foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail, with a cap of 51 per cent on...