-Live Mint Consideration of land acquisition Bill deferred after opposition seeks more time to study new clauses India’s Parliament got down to business on Tuesday with the Lok Sabha passing two critical Bills, the Companies Bill, 2011, and the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2011, although it deferred consideration of the land acquisition Bill. The new Companies Bill, when it is enacted, is expected to improve the quality of corporate governance by strengthening...

-The Indian Express FDI in retail will bring competition to non-tradable services, and make Indian firms globally competitive India removed barriers to trade in goods in the 1990s. Removing protection brought global competition and raised productivity. But introducing global competition in services is harder. In certain services that are tradable, like legal or financial services, the removal of trade barriers can introduce competition and increase productivity. But these often involve complicated and...

-The Hindu FDI cap in insurance raised to 49%; foreign investment in pension sector allowed; new Companies Bill 2011 cleared Notwithstanding the strong opposition to its reforms agenda, the Manmohan Singh government on Thursday pressed ahead with more big-ticket reforms, raising the FDI cap in the insurance sector to 49 per cent, opening up the pension sector for foreign investment and clearing the Companies Bill, 2011. It also approved amendments to the...

-PTI In another round of big-ticket reforms, the Union Cabinet will consider on Thursday raising the FDI cap in insurance sector to 49% and opening the pension sector to foreign investment besides creation of a National Investment Board. The Cabinet will also consider a number of other crucial measures like giving more powers to commodity market regulator FMC, Competition Bill to bring all sectors under Companies Act, and model tripartite agreement for operationalising...

-Bloomberg It wasn't the Gettsyburg Address -- unless it's poker faces we're comparing. Future historians aren't going to be parsing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's speech for hidden meanings, and rhetoricians won't be delighting in the majesty of its style and the compression of its effects. It inflamed no passions, as did Mitt Romney's words about the "47 percent," and asserted no big idea or thesis, unless there was one contained in the...