Business
Bureaucracy Today
Modi's ' make in India' & What Is Going Wrong With PSUs?
The year was 1930. The Great Depression had hit hard the world’s wealthiest and the mightiest nation, the United States of America.
9 min |
September 01 2016
Bureaucracy Today
After the Congress roadshow...
Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s Varanasi roadshow in August was important for more than one reason for both the party and its leaders. Banished from Uttar Pradesh governance for 27 long years, the Congress has been praying for an opportunity and a window that could start the process of its recovery and being relevant in State Assembly elections in 2017. A Bureaucracy Today report.
3 min |
September 01 2016
Bureaucracy Today
The Evolution of Fashion Retail in India
Organised retailing in India registered remarkable growth in the last decade owing to favourable demographics, growing consumer aspirations and brand consciousness. Correspondingly, the fashion category has a profound transformation over the years in terms of types and positioning of brands, formats, products and emergence of new players. The depth and variety of fashion brands took a quantum jump in shopping malls across all the sub-categories, including apparels, footwear, bags and accessories. Fashion retailers not only expanded in metros but also moved into Tier II and III cities as organised retail spaces started mushrooming in smaller towns.
3 min |
September 01 2016
Bureaucracy Today
Of Legal Quagmire and an Honest Bureaucrat
On august 16, 2016, the news of former coal secretary Hc Gupta, an accused in several coal scam cases, seeking to withdraw his personal bond to secure bail due to financial difficulties shook the entire bureaucracy. a week later, on august 27, he withdrew his petition seeking to take back his bail bond and agreed to “follow the normal legal procedure and practices”. observers opine that Gupta’s case is not just an incident of an “honest officer” finding himself unable to bear the huge cost of fighting litigation but it reflects “the deep-rooted malaise” in the indian administrative system which gives no protection to upright bureaucrats who are left all alone to fend for themselves for restoring their dignity and reputation. the incident, bureaucrats say, will demoralise officers to take any decision which will be detrimental to national interest. a Bureaucracy Today report.
3 min |
September 01 2016
bureaucracy today
how much protection is available to judges and magistrates?
after the recent supreme court observation that no public servant is entitled for the protective umbrella of section 197 of the code of criminal procedure, it is being debated whether this ruling applies equally to judges of the district courts or other subordinate courts in india.
3 min |
october 1-15,2016
bureaucracy today
five trends that will reshape the indian real estate market
among the many different factors influencing the way real estate is developed, transacted and used in india, there are five big major emerging trends that have both real-time and long-term significance.
4 min |
october 1-15,2016
Bureaucracy Today
Kill 19th Century Bureaucracy To Keep India Alive
On Independence Day this year, Indians heard Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that his Government’s motto “is to reform, perform and transform”. On September 1, the US- headquartered think-tank, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, noted: “India’s economy has grown rapidly in recent years, but the country’s bureaucratic quality is widely perceived to be either stagnant or in decline.” I think it is time to relook at overhauling the bureaucracy if we wish to realize the vision of Modi’s idea of India. Our country needs speed, efficiency and effectiveness in its entire chain of command. This is the prerequisite for realizing the vision of the greatest statesman of India.
4 min |
October 16-31, 2016
Bureaucracy Today
A Visit To Pakistan
A retired Indian Revenue Service officer, SK Goyal, reminisces here about his visit to Pakistan way back in 1978 and talks about the complex realities of the ties between the two nations.
3 min |
October 16-31, 2016
Bureaucracy Today
The man Behind the Successful Crackdown on Black Money Syndicate
Taking India a step closer towards making it a fully tax-compliant nation and unravelling the thick layers of the tax evasion circle, an Indian revenue Service officer, Dhruva Purari Singh, took upon himself the task of conducting a project based investigation under which he collected the database of money launderers, identified bogus companies and conducted a nationwide search to turn the “income Disclosure Scheme, 2016” into a grand success. While the nation was aware as to how Prime Minister Narendra Modi cracked a whip on tax defaulters, not many Indians knew about the intricacies of the undertaking by Dhruva Purari which makes it all the more pertinent to put him on the Cover Page of Bureaucracy Today.
6 min |
November 01 2016
Bureaucracy Today
India As An Oyster Of Global Dairy Industry
At present India is the largest milk producing and consuming country in the world with a compounded annual growth rate of 5%. The Government has been implementing the National Dairy Plan Phase I (201217). Its focus is on the development of the dairy industry for increasing its productivity, improving the village level milk procurement system and giving greater access to markets. However, it is also time for private sector players to provide extension services to farmers.
3 min |
November 01 2016
Bureaucracy Today
Is it a Crackdown or Creation of New Lords of Black Money Hoarders?
On the night of november 8 this year, Prime minister narendra modi appeared on national television to declare his Government’s decision to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, with a window of 50 days for a smooth transition. no doubt the move has hit those who have accumulated unaccounted black money. the Bureaucracy Today magazine analyses whether the move will stop the hoarding of black money in time to come.
10+ min |
November 16-30, 2016
Bureaucracy Today
A Paradigm Project for the Future
What makes for a great development project in Morocco? Which qualities imbue an initiative with longevity and sustainability, enabling it to meet a whole range of interconnected material and emotional needs? Is there a single concept applicable to a specific geographical location that exceptionally embodies those qualities?
4 min |
November 16-30, 2016
Bureaucracy Today
Expedite Subsidy Reforms
After protracted wrangling, members of the Organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) agreed on November 30, 2016 to reduce their combined output by 1.2 million barrels a day. Likewise, 11 non-OPEC countries led by Russia decided on December 10, 2016 to knock off over 550,000 barrels from their supplies. The agreement is effective from January 1, 2017. These developments need to be viewed in the backdrop of a steep drop in the price of crude from its peak of US$ 114 per barrel in mid-2014 to US$ 27 per barrel in February, 2016 and had recovered only marginally to US$ 40 per barrel by November-end. The price of LNG which follows the trend in crude also plummeted from a high of US$ 13-14 per mBtu (million British thermal units) to USD 6.5-7 per mBtu during the same period.
4 min |
January 01 2017
Bureaucracy Today
Challenges of ‘Skilling' India
India enjoys a demographic dividend where more than 60 percent of its population is in the working age group. The youth bulge presents an opportunity for India to enhance its growth and also supply skilled manpower to the rest of the world. According to a World Bank report, this is because India’s working age population will be more than the dependent population for at least three decades till 2040
3 min |
January 01 2017
bureaucracy today
has bureaucracy failed modi?
the ambitious swachh bharat abhiyaan, which was officially launched on october 2, 2014 amid much fanfare with prime minister narendra modi himself cleaning the road with a broom at rajghat in new delhi, was seen as a harbinger of change which would influence the behaviour of millions of indians who are notoriously known for dumping their wastes in public places. for months, bureaucrats wielding the broom also continued to dominate the media space. however, over two years since the campaign was launched, the cleanliness zeal, it seems, has taken a backseat. a reality check done by bureaucracy today in shastri bhawan in lutyens’ delhi which houses major central ministries indicates that those in the corridors of power are not readying themselves to become part of a new, clean and swanky india.
4 min |
january 16 - 31,2017
bureaucracy today
can cag audits be more innovative and transformative?
audit, if used properly, can become an effective aid to administration. the thumb rule is that audit must essentially capture the other side of the coin of governance. a responsive, relevant and responsible audit can only complement, supplement, support and strengthen quality governance. right audit themes, analysis and outcome can help administrators conduct a swot analysis of their strengths and weaknesses, providing deeper insights on missing issues to evaluate and take a midcourse corrective and preventive action, and help the government refocus to derive the planned outcome from projects and schemes.
4 min |
january 16 - 31,2017
bureaucracy today
increase import duty on stainless steel flat products: issda
bogged down by an unprecedented surge in imports in the last three years, especially from china, and to remain globally competitive, the indian stainless steel development association (issda) has recommended the government to increase the basic import duty on stainless steel flat products from 7.5% to 15% and to decrease the import duty on key raw materials like ferro nickel, pure nickel, ferro moly and stainless steel scrap to nil.
5 min |
january 16 - 31,2017
bureaucracy today
amritsar's emergence as a real estate hotspot
amritsar, famous for the golden temple, is the second largest city of punjab after ludhiana. it is also the most popular destination for non-resident indians in india. amritsar enjoys a strategic location with good connectivity to the prime cities of india. along with its excellent connectivity through road and rail transport, the city has an airport with a capacity of 150 commercial flights per week, both domestic and international. for the population of approximately 1.21 million in amritsar, a 31-kmlong brt corridor is nearing the completion stage to ease traffic congestion and improve public transportation in the city.
5 min |
january 16 - 31,2017
Bureaucracy Today
How Progressive Policy Has Enabled The Evolution Of Indian Automobile Industry
The stepping up of the Indian automobile sector began when the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises announced the Auto Policy 2002 to promote its integrated, phased, enduring and self-sustained growth. For the first time a national level policy support was declared to promote the sector as a lever of industrial growth and employment and to achieve a high degree of value addition in the country. However, the period of 2006-2016 was a step further from Auto Policy 2002.
3 min |
February 01 2017
Bureaucracy Today
What Makes Real Estate Investment Location Lucrative?
The year 2017 should be for residential real estate investment as the Government is ensuring low interest rates and a slew of incentives via schemes such as the Prime Minister’s Awas Yojana. So, interest in and appetite for real estate investment is back in force – but where should one invest? After all, successful real estate investment is proverbially driven by “location, location, location”.
2 min |
February 01 2017
Bureaucracy Today
Breaking the Glass Ceiling
The inspiring Usha Sangwan needs no introduction. She is a technocrat who has shattered a major glass ceiling by becoming the first woman Managing Director of the State-run Life Insurance Corporation of India, a feat achieved in the insurance behemoth in its nearly six decades of existence. Under her leadership, the LIC has scaled amazing heights. Her glorious journey of rising to a position that for decades has been a male bastion is an inspiration for crores of women in a world which stereotypes the finance sector to be a men’s domain. As the world celebrates International Women’s Day this month, Bureaucracy Today speaks to Sangwan about her journey to the top, her life’s philosophy, her work and the recent trends in the insurance sector of India.
9 min |
March 01-31 2017
Bureaucracy Today
Was Modi's Demonetisation A Flop Show?
When the demonetisation of Rs1,000 and Rs 500 notes was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8, 2016, the expectation was that about Rs 350,000 – 400,000 lakh crore out of a total Rs 15,44,000 lakh crore (embedded in these notes) would not come to banks. This was taken to mean tremendous success of this policy decision. On the one hand this would tantamount to sternest punishment to hoarders of black money (via junking all of their illegal wealth – accumulated over the years – to a worthless piece of paper) and on the other this would give a bonanza to the Reserve Bank of India by way of extinguishing its liabilities to the extent of amount not returned. Eventually, the money will flow into the coffers of the Union Government – being the owner of the apex bank. Now that almost all cash held in these currency notes has come to banks, critics have flayed the policy decision as a monumental failure. But it would be premature to jump the gun.
3 min |
March 01-31 2017
Bureaucracy Today
Making Indian Steel Industry An Investment Hub
While dedicating the rs 12,000-crore expansion project at the SaIl’s rourkela Steel Plant to the nation on april 2015, Prime Minister narendra Modi had asked the Indian steel industry to boost its production to surpass china and ensure quality which attracts global attention. “We must go to the top,” Modi had said. now two years down the line, the Indian steel sector is all set for a boom with the initiatives being taken by the Steel Ministry to realise PM Modi’s dream of a self-reliant nation. In a conversation with Bureaucracy Today, Union Steel Minister chaudhary Birender Singh and Steel Secretary aruna Sharma share how the Ministry is leading the sector to a fast-paced growth and striving to give it a massive makeover.
9 min |
April 1 - 30 2017
Bureaucracy Today
Tips For Investing In Rental Property
From the initial choice of having rental property to really purchasing the first one as an investment, there’s plenty of planning and work involved. Buying rental property should be approached with a lot of circumspection and forethought so as to get an optimal return and avoid a serious financial setback resulting from a wrongly chosen piece of property. There are a number of aspects to be considered when looking for income-generating property.
4 min |
April 1 - 30 2017
Bureaucracy Today
Restructuring Entrepreneurship And Employment System
With every passing year, the Skill India Mission is taking steps forward in strengthening its skilling agenda in collaboration with industries, training partners and other stakeholders. Important steps which have brought some groundbreaking changes include the PMKVY scheme and the establishment of multi skill centres, the introduction of vocational programmes at government schools and the implementation of the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) that standardizes the quality of training and connects with job roles in the industry. Based on the NSQF individuals can progress through education and training with multiple entry and exit options since the Framework paves the way for interoperability. A large amount of money and energy has been invested in the skilling and vocational education which in our country is still at the nascent stage. However, much more is desired to give it a sharper edge and greater quality, especially in terms of developing pedagogic procedures and implementation at the ground level.
4 min |
April 1 - 30 2017
Bureaucracy Today
It Takes Hercules To Cleanse Augean Stables, Mr FM
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s this year’s budget speech lacked the fireworks that some might have expected. However, he managed to beat the monotony by raising the issue of political funding and proposing initiatives to cleanse its Augean stables in India. The initiatives do reveal the positive intent of the Government to introduce transparency in a system which presently remains shrouded in clandestine opaqueness. However, the policy proposals of the Finance Minister fail to pass muster and it would not require too much of an insight to pronounce a verdict: “too little and too misdirected”.
5 min |
April 1 - 30 2017
Bureaucracy Today
A Strong Case For Chennai's Rental Housing Market
Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, has grown exponentially in recent decades. Employment, education, opportunities and lifestyle are the magnets that keep pulling people into Chennai from all directions of India. This naturally has a profound impact on the demand for rental housing in the city.
5 min |
April 1 - 30 2017
Bureaucracy Today
PCMC Townships Save The Day For Pune's Home Buyers
Townships are a new property mantra in India, and for the bigger cities they’re without any doubt the sole remaining hope for good quality living standards. Slowly but surely, the residential quality of life in cities like Pune is on the decrease, and township property is rightfully getting increasing importance as the most logical response to the increasing need for quality-based living.
2 min |
April 1 - 30 2017
Bureaucracy Today
Cracking down on dodgy developers
In recent times, the Indian real estate developer community has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. The good news is that the “black sheep” of this family are being brought to book, simultaneously increasing the contrast between unscrupulous operators and transparent, honest builders who have hard-won reputations to protect. The fact that law is coming down heavily on unreliable builders is very positive, as it prevents the entire community from getting maligned. Also, consumers now know that their grievances will be heard and acted upon.
2 min |
April 1 - 30 2017
Bureaucracy Today
Are We Punching Above Our Weight?
International diplomacy is about Games Nations Play. This title of the celebrated book on world politics suggests that the success and failure of a country in the international arena will be determined by how good or bad it plays the game of politics at the global level. Like any other game, diplomacy is also about the calibre, skill and strength of the players which will decide the outcome of the game. In this context, we are talking here about the Ministry of External Affairs which is mandated to project India in the comity of nations and promote national interests by a sound mix of depth touches, dexterous policy measures and a bold declaration of official intent.
5 min |