Back to Friday night fever

Fearing that movie- buffs will lose the habit of visiting cinema halls to catch the movies, multiplexes and producers finally came to terms on a 50 per cent sharing model of their earnings as opposed to the previous 40 to 48 per cent granted to them by the multiplexes, depending on the film’s performance. However, movies did not do much business on the 70 mm screens even after a gap of 70 days.

Multiplexes blame the poor turnout of people on the quality of mov .....

Home gets a makeover
The new home secretary G.K Pillai may have been cherry- picked for India’s most high pressure Home Ministry. But PC expects work from more than just the top guns. It’s not just long and regulated working hours under PC’s eagle eye that is troubling the Home babus. Apparently the minister is keen to set the rest of his Home in order! He has already ordered a review of all officials in the ministry and is keen to cut the flab and streamline functioning. And to ensure pu .....

Budget countdown

Pranab da is set to roll at North Block, but for some weeks now babus at the Finance ministry have already begun the exercise to enable the incoming government to present Budget 2009-10. While the rest of the nation was focused on polls, Revenue Secretary P.V. Bhide and his babus conferred with industry chambers on budget related issues. Ashok Chawla appointment’s as Finance Secretary, therefore, seems particularly well-timed. As economic affairs secretary Chawl .....

CCI gets going

The wait is over. The fledgling Competition Commission of India (CCI) has finally got its full quota of members and it can be now hoped that the panel will be fully operational soon. Until a few months ago there was no word from the government on when it would operationalise the panel, after the exit of acting chairman Vinod Dhall last year. However, the pace seems to have picked up following the appointment of Dhanendra Kumar, a former 1968 batch IAS officer, as chairman.

K .....

Hit and miss!

In the buzz that surrounds the Cannes film festival it would be easy to forget that since the screening of “Devdas” in 2002, it has been a no-show for Bollywood at the world’s most prestigious film festival. While India failed to find a place in the competition section, it nevertheless has kept up a regular supply of glamour quotient to keep the buzz going. This year Sharmila Tagore is marking the token Indian presence on the Cannes jury.

Still, for many, the excitemen .....

Starting troubles

The controversy over pay revisions lingered till the last days of the UPA. After IPS officers and defence personnel contested the government’s decision to grant higher salaries and faster promotions to IAS officers, one more set of babus is now poised to agitate on the issue of pay parity. Apparently, the Sixth pay commission had recommended pay parity for Central Public Works Department (CPWD) engineers with other services with a two-year gap and the government had accep .....

The People's Princess?

For years, she was seen as inheritor of the family crown. But Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has made it known that she would rather make cupcakes for her
children than make political hay of her lineage.

Strange in a country that regards anyone bearing the Gandhi name as royalty? No, says Rizwan Qaiser of the department of history, Jamia Millia Islamia University
, who has tracked Priyanka's career for years. "She walks with kings and yet keeps in touch with the common p .....

Dilli ka Pappu pass ho gaya

The widely expected surge of voters that was missing in Mumbai on polling day was witnessed in the Capital. Dilliwalas came out in force to vote and notched up a turnout of 53%, a good 6% higher than the last time. The soaring mercury was widely expected to play spoiler, but pundits clearly misread the weather (and the mind) of the Dilli voter.

In Mumbai some of those smitten by high-powered voter awareness campaigns were confident of an aggressive turnout in th .....

Deputy deficit hits RBI

Rakesh Mohan’s surprise resignation has left the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) with two deputy governors instead of four. V. Leeladhar had retired last December; the government has been unable to name his successor so far. Now with Mohan gone as well, the appointment of successors may have to be fast-tracked.

Among the likely contenders are Arvind Virmani, currently chief economic adviser to the Finance ministry, strongly tipped to replace Mohan, Raghuram Rajan, eco .....

Bollywood blues

With much of the economy teetering, how can Bollywood not feel the effects of the recession? Business has dipped anyway with the ongoing producer-exhibitor standoff, but now things just seem to be getting worse, with banks also going slow on disbursal of loans to filmmakers.

Industry watchers say this slowdown is reflected in the annual growth rate which is expected to be around 9 per cent up to 2013 from the high of 17.7 per cent. Multiplex owners, for one, are also feel .....

Roadblocks on highways

Netas may go on electoral road shows but the march of new roads has halted. Some say it’s the financial meltdown that has impacted road projects. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has apparently had to shelve projects worth Rs 70,000 crore and can no longer guarantee completion of its various highway projects. Moreover, last year NHAI had set itself a worthy target of Rs 1,700 crore in toll revenue on the back of increased collections. But that was befo .....

Bay watch

US colleges are not as hot as they were recently with Indian students. A survey has noted a 9 per cent decrease in the number of students applying for graduate courses from India. Curiously, Indian disinterest in a US education comes at a time when there is a surge in applicants from China and the Middle East, up 16 per cent and 20 per cent respectively. So are Indian banks more cautious in lending to desi students who harbour dreams of a US degree or is it that Indians find visas-t .....

CIC’s latest biz venture

After his pronouncement that the assets of Supreme Court judges are under the purview of the RTI Act, Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) Wajahat Habibullah now wants corporate houses also to be answerable to the CIC. Presently, a corporate authority can deny information related to corporate houses and other business concerns citing section 8 (d) of the RTI Act that does not oblige corporates to give out information regarding their works in public unless larger pu .....

Prasar Bharati: Act Two

The goings-on at Prasar Bharati, the national public broadcaster, continue to make waves. B.S Lalli, the controversial CEO of Prasar Bharati, who has been indicted by the CVC and a standing committee of Parliament for a series of alleged financial irregularities, has failed to ensure that the minutes of a crucial board meeting held in January are withdrawn. The board had decided to revoke his executive powers. Consequently, union leaders and other staff members have de .....

Liquid assets

Closing Elevate, Noida’s on-the-edge nightclub, may sound moralistic for a booze baron. But for Ponty Chadha who lost his monopoly in the liquor business in Ludhiana district of Punjab but bagged the Uttar Pradesh market, the Ludhiana setback may not have even registered. Even those who are inured to the quirky ways of the UP chief minister have been left stumped by Mayawati’s decision. Whatever else it may mean, the announcement has strengthened Chadha’s stranglehold on t .....

How comms could call the election

Public relations and social media could have a decisive part to play in the battle of ideas which will determine the outcome of India's looming general election, says Dilip Cherian

Political parties now increasingly seem to realise that it requires more than mere ideologies and mandates to woo today’s voters

It’s only in the last 10 years that political parties, especially in south Asia, seem to have understood the value of planning and using pr .....

Cops and robbers

The parity between IAS and IPS cadres brought about by the Sixth Pay Commission after a grim battle fought by the IPS association now seems to be under threat once again. At least this is what IPS officers fear. Apparently, the men in khaki believe, the government is all set to clear a proposal to give chief secretaries at the Centre a higher salary slab of Rs 85,000 per month. This proposal, if cleared by the Cabinet, would undo the recently attained parity in the civil ser .....

Whose Metro is it anyway?

Whose Metro is it, anyway? The poser is valid since the government itself is unsure. With several Central departments and state governments fighting over the ownership of the Metro rail systems in the country, the Centre hopes the view of the Attorney General of India will resolve this vexed issue.

Apparently, the railways, urban development and finance ministries and the Planning Commission are at loggerheads over the Centre’s legislative powers in respect of .....

Manmohan’s gamble

When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh attends the G20 meet in London it will be his first major international engagement since his surgery. But Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Ahluwalia has set the tone for Manmohan’s visit at the preparatory meeting of G20 finance ministers’. Ahluwalia led the 10-member Indian delegation, which also included Mumbai’s moneyman D. Subbarao.

A 50-year-old unwritten rule whereby the heads of the IMF and World Bank are decid .....

Cracking the heritage code

Even as elections mercifully ravage fewer walls now across the country thanks to a vigilant EC, our heritage buildings remain endangered. While the Taj Mahal may have mercifully escaped Mayawati’s initial attempts to “develop” it, it is clear that our glorious heritage is still under attack from votaries of “development”. The hoary “heritage” versus “development” debate has reared up again, this time with the focus on Mumbai’s 140-year-old histor .....

Be afraid, very afraid…

Elections on his head, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar seems serious about moving against corrupt babus in his state. The government is now armed with the new Bihar Special Court Bill, 2009, which will allow the sarkar to confiscate property of errant babus even if the case is sub-judice. Bihar is now only the second state after Orissa to have this law.

So, do corrupt babus have ample reason to be afraid? Will the law help root out corruption in Bihar? Cynics sa .....

Carrot, not stick for N-E babus
The Northeast states may have become hot tourist destinations among babus from the rest of the country thanks to complimentary air fares and leave travel incentives, but clearly not among their brethren of the Northeast cadre. The government has always had a problem retaining officers in these states. A good number of N-E babus manage to stay out of their cadre states on Central deputation, foreign assignments or inter-state deputations. Apparently, 52 per cent o .....

Another attack at the Taj

A little bird tells us that a certain poetry session at the Mumbai Taj has set the dove cotes aflutter. The spread effect of the kerfuffle has reached Delhi too where a Cabinet Minister is being queried on his loyalties. This at an awkward time when elections make everybody jumpy including some Mumbai ministers.

Sadly the aforesaid event was poorly attended, lamented one of those involved in hosting it. Apparently the Sensitive Sorts could not stomach poetry in th .....

Bright spots

Bucking recessionary fears and the growing list of corporate burnouts, there are some bright spots on an otherwise grey horizon. Though the auto industry is facing shrinking sales, Mahindra and Fiat have both launched new vehicles and, Mercedes bashing BMW is going ahead with the new 7-Series. Similarly, several hotel brands are announcing aggressive expansion plans, despite a sharp decline in occupancy rates. Hilton, Marriott and Leelaventures have all unveiled plans to increase .....

Slum loan millionaires

Eight Oscars and the runaway success of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ has definitely focused the spotlight on India’s poverty, slums and squalor. Home Minister P. Chidambaram had already nudged it. He has suggested that the movie should now inspire banks to provide loans to budding entrepreneurs from slums, which he feels, are humming with business ideas. The government is now trying to provide the slum dwellers with a better lifestyle. Is Mumbai listening – even as the .....

Profligacy in the interim

A slowdown is perhaps not the right time for a government to increase its workforce. And then, to pay them more! Ah the Indian government is doing exactly all of this. So while babus feel more secure, the staff shunted out by the slowing private sector may see this development as a ray of hope.

According to the Interim Budget, the government is estimated to add about 92,000, or 3 per cent more, to its staff strength even as its outgo on salaries and allowances i .....

Shortfall of babus

Bihar and Jharkhand have long grappled with a common crisis – an acute shortfall in babus. However, according to observers, it is far from being resolved. Rather, the crisis in these two states has only deepened after the superannuation and retirement of a number of babus.

Bihar, we learn, has 264 sanctioned IAS posts but only 232 babus, many of whom are on central deputation or study leave. This leaves the state with less than 200 IAS babus. In Jharkhand, too, there .....

Chavan strikes back

Babus pay the price when politicians fight. And in the cold war between Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and his predecessor Vilasrao Deshmukh, it is the babus who are caught in the crossfire. Since becoming chief minister, Chavan has already bundled out two of Deshmukh’s favourite babus – C.S. Sangitrao, who was secretary in the CM’s secretariat, and Rajiv Jalota, who was MD of the state Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC). According to sources, the nex .....

When politics gets brand savvy
26th January The Economic Times

Indian politicians might do worse than take a page out of US President Obama’s book and learn the importance of communication, especially during elections. Repetitive rallies, long speeches and expensive ad campaigns are out; building a brand is in.

"Any political party is the magnification of a brand,’’ says Prathap Suthan, national creative director, Cheil India, and the brain behind the India Shining campaign of the .....

Book ahoy

Mumbai will gets its turn soon. In the meantime smart folk will go and start buying/ reading/ absorbing. When the Caravan arrives in Bombay, issues will be raised that this city already buzzes with the launch of ‘Prism Me a Lie’ – “Tehelka as Metaphor” Madhu Trehan’s 600 page tome on truth as it is practiced in India, actually packed the Hyatt’s banquet hall. Abandoning the ritual launch function format, Madhu innovated instead. She had a dozen “young lawyers” and .....

Army wives must explain

The Army establishment is in the spotlight and some time-honoured traditions are now under increased scrutiny. An RTI application has now sought clarity on the legal status of the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA), traditionally headed by the Army chief’s wife.

Consequently, the Chief Information Commission has summoned Kirti Kapoor, wife of the relatively new Army chief Deepak Kapoor and the ex-officio president of AWWA, to appear before the panel and furnis .....

A Miliband-battered MEA needs a breather. Without the buzz that trailed French President Sarkozy’s visit last year, Republic Day celebrations may be a low-key affair this time but high on warmth, they hope. Kazakhstan president Nursultan Nazarbayev’s visit, after all, will see some serious business being conducted. India’s signing a nuclear cooperation deal with Kazakhstan, which has already signed strategic agreements with Russia, Japan and China. The deal is significant considering that .....

THE WORLD of tumultuous capitalist growth is a monstrous and complex thicket. The survivors in that jungle are often truly adventurous scoundrels, who harness their highest levels of ambition to create commercial juggernauts. Adventure and amorality are, in a sense, inextricably linked in the very DNA of capitalism. Even John Maynard Keynes said, “Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone.” Look a .....

Babu-watchers have noted a steady trickle of babus from Tamil Nadu to the capital to take up Union government assignments. Among the state’s senior babus who’ve shifted to New Delhi are Dr C. Chandramouli, Shaktikanta Das, C.V. Shankar and Ambuj Sharma. They will soon be joined by the state energy secretary, Smita Nagaraj, who will be joint secretary in the Ministry of Defence. According to reliable sources, Industries Secretary M.F. Farooqui too is preparing to shift to Delhi soon.

Whil .....

The nation may be worried about the global slowdown but not Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi who seldom wastes an opportunity to plug Gujarat’s business potential. The Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit in Ahmedabad was an ideal platform for Modi to woo not just wealthy NRIs with tinges of saffron but also global business.

Certainly, by managing to rope in Japan as an international partner to the event, and getting 65 British MPs to pledge their support will be a major boost to Mo .....

There are no signs of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) getting off the ground despite Parliament clearing the CCI bill last year and Minister of Corporate Affairs Prem Chand Gupta’s announcement that it would be operational by the year-end. Now, many babu-watchers believe, the panel may not be able to get underway until 2010. Not only has the government not found a replacement for Vinod Dhall, the acting CCI who resigned several months ago, it has also not been able to fill the member .....

My response to this article:- "Consolidation may be now finally, in the offing for Indian media. Most of them have sold their spaces – in almost all the places! What next. Will the smoke signals emanating now, soon reveal the fire?

Does the change at Mint, the new fury at the Hindu and losses at Times all make for a trend story- any other clues around – would be happy to hear"



New York Times Starts Selling Ad Space on Front Page

New York Times Co. signed CBS Corp. as a fr .....

Missing the spark
Early signs of crumbling confidence in youth markets. Whether its the economic downturn or the deadly combo with the Mumbai’s terror attacks, dampened college festivities are a new warning sign. Traditionally, corporates have been happy to shell out more and more for the college ‘fests’. But this year, many campuses in Dilli are scrambling for funds and sponsors. In fact, IIT Delhi’s usually high profile Rendezvous festival was held without a title sponsor. And in Ban .....

Home improvement

It’s a clean sweep. Never quite seen before. Home Minister P. Chidambaram, keen to make his mark in his new assignment, has set off a host of remarkable changes in the ministry. He is changing babus methodically in the security set up and has already appointed a new internal security advisor. The Home Minister has already cleared the name of Rajiv Mathur, a 1972 batch IAS officer of the UP cadre and special director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), to succeed Haldar as IB c .....