India

New Delhi, Mar 1: Despite the verve with which it captured the dramatic escape of six Americans from the Canadian embassy during the Iranian revolution - culminating in an Oscar for best picture this year - Argo is perhaps no more than just another American red rag for the Iranians. The chairman of Iran's Parliament and one of the key politicians in the country, Ali Larijani, said on Thursday that

New Delhi, Feb 28: Finance Minister P. Chidambaram Thursday proposed to pump in Rs.5,000 crore ($909.09 million) into ailing national carrier Air India in the next fiscal. "Budgetary support of Rs.5,000 crore has been earmarked for equity infusion in Air India Limited," said the expenditure budget presented to the Lok Sabha for the financial year starting April 1, 2013. In his last budget (2012-13

New Delhi, Feb 28: New tax proposals including 10 per cent surcharge on super rich and higher duties on mobiles, cigarettes and SUVs will help government garner Rs 18,000 crore in 2013-14. Finance Minister P Chidambaram in his budget speech today said, "My tax proposals on the direct taxes side are estimated to yield Rs 13,300 crore and on the indirect taxes side Rs 4,700 crore." As part of budget

New Delhi, Feb 28: Finance Minister P. Chidambaram presented one of the most highly anticipated Indian budgets of recent years on Thursday, as the government looks to rein in a bloated fiscal deficit and restore confidence in Asia's third-largest economy. Following are highlights of the budget: Rs. 2 trillion for defence sector First housing loan up to Rs 25 lakh would get additional deduction of

New Delhi, Feb 27: Finance Minister P. Chidambaram was set to present India's 82nd national budget in the Lok Sabha Thursday that will be the eighth such personal exercise for him -- two short of the record of 10 set by former Prime Minister Morarji Desai. Since independence in August 1947, the country has seen a total of 25 ministers hold the finance portfolio. It has also seen 81 budgets -- 65

New Delhi, Feb 27: Apparently seeking to encash on the troubles in the BJP in Karnataka, Congress today gave signals of going it alone, ruling out an alliance with the H D Deve Gowda's JD-S in the state where assembly polls are due soon. Despite chief ministerial aspirants galore in Karnataka, the AICC would neither project any candidate in the assembly polls nor has it plans to field any MP in

New Delhi, Feb 27: India has lost about 10 per cent share of the global BPO market in the last five years to destinations like China, the Philippines and Brazil, raising concerns for the USD 20-billion Indian BPO industry. The pre-budget Economic Survey 2012-13, which was tabled in Parliament today, said India faces stiff competition from several emerging countries in the BPO sector. It called for

Mumbai, Fen 27: Tension brewed in parts of Mumbai and adjoining Thane districts today following yesterday's incident of stone pelting on Raj Thackeray's convoy by alleged NCP workers in Ahmednagar district, with MNS supporters attacking NCP office in Ambernath and calling a bandh. Angry MNS workers burnt effigies of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit pawar and blackened his posters in some parts of the

New Delhi, Feb 27: India's Economic Survey for 2012-13 has projected a 6.1-6.7 percent growth for the next fiscal after a deceleration to around 5 percent this year, with inflation seen falling slightly to 6.2-6.6 percent. "The slowdown is a wake-up call for increasing the pace of actions and reforms," said the survey, adding that India has navigated difficult times as these before, and with good

New Delhi, Feb 27: Parliament today passed a bill under which cases of sexual harassment at workplace, including against domestic help, will have to be disposed of by in-house committees within a period of 90 days failing which penalty of Rs 50,000 would be imposed. Repeated non-compliance of the provisions of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Bill