Policy

It seems like the Health and Family Welfare Ministry starting from Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has made it a habit to be in the news for all the wrong reasons as the ministry is now working on a new legislation making it mandatory for all doctors to undergo one year rural posting before they get a permanent registration. Last year, the minister had proposed the compulsory rural postings for all MBBS ... [full story]

To mark its centenary on Sept 7, the madrassas in Madhya Pradesh will have to compulsorily sing Vande Mataram, India’s national song. Madrassa board chairman S.K. Muddin said that all the 5,300 registered madrassas across the state have been sent a circular. Vande Mataram has become a major political issue after a section of Muslims objected ... [full story]

Ahead of the Rajya Sabha discussion on the Indo-US nuclear agreement, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will hold a meeting on Wednesday with scientists in the field, apparently to finalise the government's response on the issue. Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar would be among the nuclear scientists who would attend the meeting said. The meeting assumes significance in the light of reservations expressed by eminent scientists on the Indo-US nuclear ... [full story]

India has accused Pakistan of violating the provisions of South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) agreement and jeopardizing its implementation.    India's foreign secretary Shyam Saran told a media briefing after the first day of the two-day SAARC standing committee meeting in Dhaka that India would take up the matter to the SAARC council of ministers.     Meeting sources said that there had been debate on the first day of the two-day meeting of ... [full story]

Small-scale industry regulator NSIC has for the first time roped in a private bank for providing easy credit to firms registered with NSIC as small scale industrial units.   According to a joint statement issued by NSIC and Yes Bank, National Small Industries Corporation will recommend proposals received from SSIs to the private Yes Bank, which in turn, will increase the credit outflow to the SME/SSI customers.   Those SSI units accredited under the ... [full story]

  Nasscom, the apex body for IT software companies is seeking changes in the SEZ Act for the benefit of small firms which constitute a significant number in the industry. According to Nasscom president Kiran Karnik, the stipulation of a minimum of 25 acres or 100 acres for setting up a SEZ has put small IT software companies at a disadvantage as the Indian software industry thrived on small companies and ... [full story]

  With information regarding high-value transactions collected from annual information returns, the tax department now intends to closely watch returns of individuals whose income exceeds Rs 10 lakh per annum.   The number of tax payers declaring an income of above Rs 10 lakh is expected to increase by over 50 per cent.   The investigation wing of the income tax department is tracking new areas to create a data bank since the methodologies ... [full story]