-The Hindu Property empire was built on soft loans handed out in unusual circumstances, documents show In February, as rumours of the ambitions of Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law swirled amidst the heat and dust of the election campaign in Uttar Pradesh, her daughter Priyanka moved to scotch speculation about Robert Vadra’s possible political future. “He’s a successful businessman,” the younger Ms. Gandhi said of her husband, “who is not interested in changing...

-The Business Standard Flawed govt policy is forcing car makers to shift to SUVs Over the next few months, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, Ford, General Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra will launch new sports utility vehicles (SUVs). That’s because the market for SUVs is booming. Sales have grown 57 per cent in the first five months of this financial year (to 207,000 units), while passenger car and van sales have fallen...

-Outlook To protect BPL families from possible price rise, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) today gave its approval for selling imported pulses and edible oil at subsidised rates through ration shops. The CCEA also approved an outlay of Rs 884 crore for computerisation of public distribution system (PDS) that is aimed at, among other things, elimination of bogus ration cards. Announcing the decisions, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said, "The CCEA today...

-NDTV A letter written by BJP president Nitin Gadkari lobbying for contractors building a mega-dam project in Maharashtra has the Congress demanding his resignation, and the BJP on the defensive. Written on July 30 to Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, Mr Gadkari asks for Rs. 400 crores to be released to the contractors hired for the Gosikhurd dam in Vidarbha. The main contractor is Ajay Sancheti, a BJP member of the...

-The Economic Times Anyone between 18 and 55 years can join National Pension Scheme. There are three intermediaries: A point of presence to collect funds, a fund manager to handle investments based on your decision and a record-keeper to keep track of your investment. You can select your fund manager from a list of seven - UTI, LIC, SBI, IDFC, ICICI Prudential, Kotak Mahindra and Reliance Capital. Annual portability is allowed free of...