-The Times of India With award of highway projects slowing down due to bad market sentiment, the government is banking on rolling out about 3,000-4,000 km highway projects with 100% financial support.  The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which has identified these stretches, is likely to spend about Rs 15,000-Rs 20,000 crore (including land acquisition expenses) in the next two years.  Industry insiders said that this could save the day for the...

-PTI The Enforcement Directorate has questioned former Telecom Minister A Raja in connection with its money laundering probe in the 2G spectrum case. This is the first time that the ED has questioned Raja in the case. During questioning, ED investigators grilled Raja on various issues related to spectrum allocation under his ministership and also about his personal Finances, sources said. Raja, according to sources, was also questioned about his Ministry associates and their...

ASHAs will continue to bear the burden of the government's rural health mission as a new order lists more incentive-based services. On May 31, a Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare order listed additional incentivised duties for accredited social health activists, or ASHAs, but was silent on the issue of regularisation of their employment. ASHAs, who bridge the gap between the rural population and the nearest health care outlets under...

MANMOHAN SINGH AND ECONOMICS Sanjaya Baru’s article "The economist as saviour", an account of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s economics could have juxtaposed specific issues of economic policy with Dr. Singh’s stance on them. Sanjaya Baru’s article “The economist as saviour” (editorial page, The Hindu, July 4, 2012), an account of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s economics could have juxtaposed specific issues of economic policy with Dr. Singh’s stance on them. What we...

-The Hindu Unsustainable import competition and the end of the investment subsidy that the sale of under-priced resources provided to Indian companies are the main reasons why the economy has slowed down What has been called the ‘golden age’ of India’s economic growth was underpinned by global integration, high rates of investment and savings growth and low current account deficits. The slowdown is characterised by a sharp deceleration in investment growth on...