-IANS Banking services were paralysed, coal production came to a halt, and transportation was hit in Andhra Pradesh by the two-day nation-wide strike called by major trade unions, which began Wednesday. Bank services in Hyderabad and the rest of the state were totally paralysed as over 70,000 employees of public sector banks joined the strike. Coal production came to a halt in the mines of the state-owned Singareni Collieries, with 65,000 workers in...

-The Indian Express The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation is set to widen its investment horizon by including 'AAA' rated corporate bonds of any private company in its portfolio following a clean chit from Crisil, a move that can open up a window for blue-chip corporates to raise about Rs 35,000 crore through long-term debt papers annually. Crisil, which was appointed by EPFO to advice on investment portfolio, has said that none of...

-Live Mint High court asks state to review law in light of proposed national regulations to govern the sector The Andhra Pradesh high court on Monday upheld a law that led to the near demise of the microfinance industry towards the end of 2010, but asked the state government to review the legislation in the light of proposed national regulations to govern the sector.   News of the review sent the stock of the...

-The Hindu Thousands of acres of uncultivable forested hills in Haryana, Gurgaon and Faridabad face the same prospect Gurgaon: Two decades ago when Sunil’s parents sold off 25 acres of their family’s share of land in the Mangar forests of Faridabad, they and other villagers thought the buyers were fools to buy it up because they were assured that they could continue to use it for grazing cattle and firewood. Today, 25-year-old...

-Outlook UPA’s populist trumpcard of 2008—the farm loan waiver—has fallen short of its intended target, as a CAG audit throws up The Scheme     2008 Union finance minister P. Chidambaram announces farmer debt waiver and relief scheme in budget; PM Manmohan Singh writes to beneficiaries “seeking their support”     Rs 52,275 cr Total money that was disbursed to eligible farmers across the nation as part of loan waiver scheme     Rs 50,000 The loan...