-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 The government today expanded the ambit of Competition Commission of India (CCI), with an amendment to the Competition Act, following which all sectors would fall under the purview of the fair trade regulator. Approving a proposal by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs in this regard, the Union Cabinet this evening decided to amend the Competition Act, 2002 with a view to fine tune the regulations to bring it at par with...

-The Hindu In response to my recent article in The Hindu, “The real questions from Kudankulam” (edit page, September 14, 2012), supporting nuclear power and arguing for an independent regulatory authority, I received much feedback, largely positive, some critical; some of which deserves a response. Many of these points have been made by others, repeatedly, but some are new to me. 1) Independent oversight: Two credible people said that I was too...

-Outlook The death of 39 rhinos in and around the world-famous Kaziranga National Park in less than 10 months has brought to the fore the threat faced by the endangered animal. The threat comes from poachers, who kill the rare one-horned rhinoceros for its prized horn whose price in the international market varies from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 90 lakh, and flood which is an annual occurrence in Assam. Early last month,...

-The Economic Times KOLKATA/ AHMEDABAD: India's protein basket comprising pulses, egg, meat and fish has become costlier by 15-20 % over the last one month. Producers and traders say lower acreage in pulses, less availability of poultry feed like corn and rising input costs for fish breeding have impacted the stocks of protein food. Eggs, the breakfast protein staple , have become expensive by 20% in the past few weeks. Current retail...