The Hindu Business Line : Friday, March 19, 2004

REGIONAL RURAL BANKS
Regional rural banks need a shot in the arm
THE latest policy pronouncements of the Government have been largely agriculture and rural centric. The constitution of a Farmers Commission is one among them. Rural credit is emerging as a focal issue and this can be ... More

EDITORIAL
One licence is good call
THE PROPOSED MOVE by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to consider a Unified Licensing/Authorisation Regime for all telecom services is desirable, considering the long-term growth of the industry. There is a broad consensus among the ... More

PETROLEUM
America's African safari for oil
AMERICA loves to impose sanctions on any country it hates. American companies hate sanctions that hurt their interests. There are recurring conflicts between the political goals of the US government and the ... More

POLITICS
Spain's vote for peace and the people
AFTER the ghastly tragedy in Madrid following the serial bomb blasts on March 11, and the Spanish government's dubious attempts to garble the truth regarding the perpetrators of the crime, the people of Spain have ... More

Utterly unethical
ALL those who care for ethics and principles in public life would have been shocked at the acceptance by the former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Dr M. S. Gill, of the membership of the Rajya Sabha offered by the ... More

TAXATION
MAT strengthens India Inc.
Minimum Alternative Tax possesses important properties that have strengthened India Inc. It infuses realism and sanity into corporate earnings. It provides strong economic disincentives to companies that may want to overstate incomes. MAT makes it di fficult for companies to get away with inflated earnings. The case for retaining and reinforcing MAT has become stronger now, say G. Ramachandran and C. Ramesh. More