The Hindu Business Line : Saturday, March 01, 2008

Loan waiver for small, marginal farmers
While I am confident that the schemes and measures that I have listed will give a boost to the agriculture sector, the question that still looms large is what we should do about the indebtedness of farmers. Honourable members will recall that ... More

New institution to fund irrigation projects
Notwithstanding some shortcomings, the growth of agricultural credit has been impressive and for this I have to thank our scheduled commercial banks and Regional Rural Banks. Between them, they account for about 75-79 per cent of agricultural ... More

‘Loan waivers, a courageous move’
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Prompt payers may feel cheated: Experts
Mangalore, Feb. 29 “Farmers do not need loan waiver. Rather, the Finance Minister should improve the pricing structure of agriculture commodities,” was what the reaction of Mr Sunny D’Souza, Secretary of the ... More

Bank stocks recover post clarification
Announcement of loan waiver to farmers affected sentiment More

Spin-off effect likely from loan waiver
The Rs 60,000 crore debt waiver should set off a tremendous spin-off. This should instil confidence in the farmers and help them to concentrate in sowing and tilling instead of worrying over paying back loans or getting fresh loans for ... More

BUDGET
ULIP premiums may go up on service tax shift
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Rs 2,000-cr risk capital fund to boost SMEs
SIDBI to provide equity support to projects More

Budget clarifies tax issues of reverse mortgage
The Reverse Mortgage Scheme announced in the last budget did not have the expected response for want of clarity on tax treatment on one hand and the stringent rules put forth by the banks on the other.There were only few takers to this ... More

Currency futures exchange welcomed
Will help price discovery, broadbase market More

BCCT withdrawal: Good for planters
Coimbatore, Feb. 29 The withdrawal of the Banking Cash Transaction Tax (BCTT) from April 1, 2009, planters say “is a positive signal for the plantation sector.”Commenting on the BCTT withdrawal, Mr. D. P. Maheshwari, ... More

Fillip to faster, more inclusive growth
Feb. 29 The key theme underlining the 2008-09 Budget is to provide fillip to the growth process and make it “faster and more inclusive”. The impetus is likely to come primarily from a boost in consumption activity across the social ... More

‘More in the hands of consumers’
Mumbai, Feb. 29 The Budget is growth-oriented in that it places increased disposal income in the hands of consumers. This, with a reduction in excise rates will lead to increased spending, says Mr Motilal Oswal, Chairman & Managing ... More

‘Off-budget’ bonds beginning to exact toll
New Delhi, Feb. 29 Large-scale issuances of special bonds may have helped the Centre meet its fiscal and revenue deficit targets in the narrow technical sense and that too in the short run. But the fact is that these ‘off-budget’ ... More

Loan waiver is win-win for all: S.K. Goel
Kolkata, Feb. 29 The CMDs of three Kolkata-based public sector banks welcomed the waiver of farm loans, as announced by the Union Finance Minister in his budget speech on Friday. “It is a win-win for all i.e. for the government, ... More

`On expected lines'

`Focus on tax compliance welcome'

FOREX
Forex reserves up by $1.75 b
The country’s foreign exchange reserves increased by $1.754 billion to $294.610 billion for the week ended February 22, due to rise in foreign currency assets. The reserves rose by $2.048 billion to touch $292.856 billion for the week ... More

Rupee drops 24 paise
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LIFE INSURANCE
LIC to cover over 30 lakh women SHGs
Mumbai, Feb. 29 The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) will be covering all women Self Help Groups (SHGs) that are credit-linked to banks. A senior LIC official said the corporation had already received a proposal from the ... More

GENERAL INSURANCE
Insurers happy over higher cap on Sec 80D waiver
Payment for parents’ medical cover More

GOVT BONDS
Bond prices up on borrowing
Bond prices moved up as a positive reaction to the Union Budget 2007-08 as the market borrowing was lower than last year and as the Government achieved the fiscal deficit targets. According to a senior official from a public sector bank, the ... More

CORPORATE BONDS
Steps to expand market for corporate bonds
In my Budget Speech of 2006, I had informed the House that, on the basis of the R.H. Patil Committee Report, we shall take steps to create an exchange-traded market for corporate bonds. Both Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange have ... More