The UPA government has done &ldquo;all we could&rdquo; to aid the country&rsquo;s beleaguered aviation sector, according to Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh. As for the crisis emanating from the Kingfisher Airlines&rsquo; flight cancellations, it is now up to the airline to utilise those measures and come up with resources, he tells Kavita Chowdhury in an interview.

Not helping any one airline, the whole sector is in crisis: Ajit Singh

Business Standard

The Supreme Court order asking the government to implement the inter-linking of rivers project is expected to change the water situation. Former minister Suresh Prabhu, who headed the task force on this project during the NDA rule, explains the necessity of the project in an interview with Sanjay Jog.

Inter-linking of rivers not an answer to all issues: Suresh Prabhu

Iraq is aggressively looking at India to cooperate and participate in the West Asian country&rsquo;s reconstruction programme. As for importing basmati rice from India, which has apparently irked the US, Iraq&rsquo;s trade minister Kheer Allah Hassan Babkr tells Nayanima Basu that his country will continue to buy the rice from India.

We'll keep buying Indian basmati: Kheer Allah Hassan Babkr

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke to DD News shortly after the Budget

FM has taken steps to reverse pessimism: Manmohan Singh

Puneet Wadhwa, Investment Editor, Business Standard, speaks to Abheek Barua, Chief Economist, HDFC Bank

'Finance Minister tried to fit in too many things'

Chief Economic Advisor says we need to be sensible rather than flashy, over-the-top hits

We're on a sticky wicket, but the sun will dry out the pitch: Raghuram Rajan

The rail ministry today announced a reformist budget

The unreserved passenger will be out of this hike: Vinay Mittal & Vijaya Kanth

Immediately after presenting his budget in Parliament, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal answered questions on various measures he proposed. Eager to explain his decision to link freight rates to fuel prices by leaving basic passenger fares unchanged, Bansal made it clear that he was not averse to taking the hard steps required to improve the railways' finances. Edited excerpts:You have introduced a fuel price adjustment mechanism. How much will the railways gain from this move?The total outgo on account of additional burden due to diesel and electricity cost from April 1 has been estimated at Rs 5,100 crore. The burden has been put on freight only. From April 1, there would be about five per cent increase in freight charges, which would yield Rs 4,200 crore.The balance Rs 850 crore, part of which comes on passenger fares, is being absorbed by the railways.Passenger fare has been hiked in a hidden way. Isn't it?Nothing can be hidden. You have to come to Parliament for everything. Onl

Fuel price adjustment has to be dynamic, it can go either way: Pawan Kumar Bansal

Though the finance ministry expects the economy to grow at 8.6 per cent this year, the Prime Minister&rsquo;s Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) has lowered the growth forecast to 8.2 per cent from nine per cent earlier. Chairman C Rangarajan told Vrishti Beniwal the revenue target might remain at the budgeted level and the focus should be on expenditure.

Q&A: C Rangarajan,Chairman, PMEAC

&lsquo;It looks like the US Fed will have to resort to another dose of liquidity pumping or QE-3. Its impact, however, is debatable&rsquo;. Ritesh Maheswari, managing director and lead analytical manager, Asia Pacific, for Standard &amp; Poor&rsquo;s talks to Rajesh Bhayani on the US debt rating and the Indian growth scenario.

Q&A: Ritesh Maheswari, Lead Analytical Manager, S&P

With corporate governance becoming the focus of attention, the significance of independent directors on company boards has increased manifold.

Q&A: Omkar Goswami, Economist and Corporate Advisor 

The labour ministry is optimistic that rising interest rates would help in better returns on the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) for 2011-12. Labour and employment secretary P C Chaturvedi tells Santosh Tiwari a final decision on the EPF interest rate would be in December.

Q&A: P C Chaturvedi, Secretary, Labour and Employment

Mahesh Rangarajan, professor of Modern Indian History, University of Delhi, historian and political analyst tells Aditi Phadnis what the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been looking at in its new identity.

Q&A: Mahesh Rangarajan, University of Delhi

Karan Thapar: Hello and welcome to Devil&rsquo;s Advocate. With the Opposition training its guns on the Prime Minister, we ask what exactly did he know about the 2G scam and when. That&rsquo;s the key issue I shall explore today with the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

Q&A: Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission

Trade ministers from 153 member countries will meet for the eighth Ministerial Conference at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) headquarters in Geneva from December 15 to 17. The members are expected to chalk out the future course of action to keep the decade-old Doha round of global trade talks going, said WTO Director General Pascal Lamy in an interview with Nayanima Basu.

Q&A: Pascal Lamy, Director General, WTO

Downstream oil sector regulator Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has been mired in controversies in the past over alleged misuse of office by a member, differences over the Ghaziabad city gas network authorisation of IGL and over authorisation of trunk pipelines. Recently, two Board members have alleged in a petition before the Supreme Court that Chairman L Mansingh controls and decides matters singlehandedly, destroying the Board&rsquo;s multi-member character.

Q&A: L Mansingh, Chairman, PNGRB

State-run Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) has drawn up ambitious plans to invest over Rs 70,000 crore to increase its production capacity by two-thirds to 24 million tonnes in three years. But chairman and managing director C S Verma told Sudheer Pal Singh and Jyoti Mukul the Maharatna enterprise was now faced with the task of wading through the turmoil in the global and domestic markets and a fast changing mining regime.

Q&A: C S Verma, CMD, SAIL

The R&amp;R in the new draft Land Acquisition Bill has been praised, but critics say the land acquisition process has been made so easy that it is almost regressive...

Q&A: Jairam Ramesh, Rural Development Minister

National Power Exchange (NPE) is yet to see the light of the day even though it was set up way back in 2008. Its commissioning had repeatedly been postponed due to various reasons, including fulfillment of regulatory requirements. In an exclusive interview with Sanjay Jog, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer M G Raoot explains NPE&rsquo;s strategy to take on competitors and consolidate its position in the power trading business.

Q&A: M G Raoot, National Power Exchange

Indian Railways is passing through a tough phase but it is not braking on its ambitious project of putting up dedicated freight corridors. The task has been assigned to Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation (DFCC), a wholly-owned entity of the ministry of railways.

Q&A: R K Gupta, MD, DFCC

As sowing for the kharif crop season is now nearing its end, the focus has shifted to rabi crops. Though comfortable in cereals, the country is deficient in oilseeds and pulses. In an interview with Sanjeeb Mukherjee, Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) chairman Ashok Gulati said the government should not focus on palm and other oilseeds to correct this imbalance and also cut down on the import bill.

Page 69 - InterviewsS