Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman rules out quick recovery for economy

Loknath Das

NEW DELHI : India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said it was too early to say if the slowdown in the economy had bottomed out. Companies are planning new investments after $20 billion worth of corporate tax cuts announced in September, Sitharaman told reporters in New Delhi Friday. Actual investments may take some time to materialize, she said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has unveiled several steps since August to revive economic growth from the weakest pace since 2013. The surprise decision to lower taxes for companies raised concerns about India’s fiscal discipline, with Moody’s Investors…

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Finance Ministry dismissed RBI’s warning on electoral bonds: report

Loknath Das

The Reserve Bank of India had warned the government on the perils of electoral bonds and its effect on the country’s currency just before its announcement on Budget 2017. However, the Finance Ministry overlooked it stating the apex bank had not “understood the proposed mechanism”. According to a report by HuffPost India, four days before Budget 2017, a senior tax official flagged an issue with electoral bonds the government was planning to announce. He wrote to his superiors in the finance ministry. The report states that on the same day…

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KPMG, NIIT launch finance academy

Loknath Das

NEW DELHI : KPMG in India and NIIT Limited announced on Thursday the launch of the KPMG NIIT Finance Academy in India to build new skills and talent in the finance sector. The academy proposes to offer programs in finance to fresh graduates and experienced finance professionals, to address new skill requirements that digital transformation has brought about in the finance sector. According to KPMG International’s recently-released ‘Future Ready Finance Survey 2019′ report, future finance teams will not only require traditional finance competencies but also process management and exceptional management skills…

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How to travel with one check-in bag: 8 tips from Ankita Konwar

Loknath Das

Milind Soman and Ankita Konwar Don’t we all hate the whole process of boarding, waiting in long lines to check-in our luggage? The whole process is exhausting when you know you are travelling longer distance. But what if you had a hacks to get through all the irritating process for a smooth travel? Well, Milind Soman’s wife Ankita Konwar has a fool-proof solution for that inspired from her personal experience and she is sharing it with everyone. Ankita took to Intagram today to post a picture of her outside Kilimanjaro…

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Venkaiah Naidu nominates Manmohan Singh to parliamentary standing committee on finance

Loknath Das

Manmohan Singh was the country’s finance minister between 1991 and 1996. (Photo: PTI) Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu has nominated Former Prime Minister and senior Congress leader Manmohan Singh to the parliamentary standing committee on finance in place of party colleague Digvijaya Singh. Digvijaya Singh has now been nominated to the parliamentary standing committee on urban development by the chairman of the Upper House, according to a Rajya Sabha bulletin. “The Rajya Sabha chairman has nominated Manmohan Singh, member, Rajya Sabha, to be a member of the committee on finance…

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Is It Time For Voice Technology To Kill Touchscreens?

Loknath Das

Humans and objects have had a long love affair. Simple tools, as well as sophisticated software are all extensions of our physical bodies. We can trace human progress and wellbeing to the level of sophistication of the tools we have created, and by doing so, the augmentation of our abilities to travel, build, communicate, and create. Since tools are so critical to our existence and prosperity, the way we interface with these tools is also of great importance. So important is the interface between humans and the machines we operate,…

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Why It Might Pay to Delay Planning Holiday Travel

Loknath Das

Procrastinators who have yet to book holiday flights might still have a shot at getting reasonably priced tickets—especially if they’re willing to play chicken with the airlines. AAA analyzed three years of domestic flights to identify the best times to reserve seats for Thanksgiving and Christmas travel and found that dawdlers got the best prices. Those who waited until seven to 13 days before the week of Thanksgiving paid $482 on average. Those who waited until that close to the week of Christmas paid around $488. By those calculations, holiday…

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The Fortune Global Technology Forum, Day One

Loknath Das

Good morning. The Fortune Global Technology Forum got underway this morning in Guangzhou, China. Some excerpts from Fortune’s coverage: “I think innovation means you are willing to do things that others don’t dare.” —Fu Sheng, founder and CEO, Cheetah Mobile. “4G is like driving on the high-speed interstate highway. 2G is like driving on a country road. But 5G is like flying an airplane.” —Freeman Shen, founder and CEO, WM Motor Technology. “I think the (genomic) revolution is definitely here. It’s a combination of revolution[s] of biology and deep machine learning.” —Simone Song,…

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12 Packing Hacks For Winter Travel, So Your Suitcase Isn’t Super Heavy

Loknath Das

Traveling light seems to come easier for some people more than others. Even if you think it’s impossible to, there are ways to pack light — even in the winter. Maybe you learned the hard way: On one trip, your overstuffed bag literally ripped at the seams and you vowed to never overpack again. (Just me?) Plus, you tended to wear the same few outfits anyway — and in most photos, you’re bundled up in your coat, hat, and scarf, so it turned out that it really didn’t matter how many…

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Travel Texas Names MMGY NJF As New North American PR AOR

Loknath Das

AUSTIN — The state-run Texas tourism department has handed MMGY NJF its North American PR business, which was most recently handled by Edelman. As Travel Texas’ North American PR and social media agency of record, MMGY NJF will be responsible for developing earned media and social strategies targeting domestic tourists, who make up 90% of Texas visitors. Out-of-state visitors were responsible for 44% of the $80.3bn Texas travelers spent in 2018. The remit includes targeting national and regional media through proactive pitching efforts, media missions to target markets and marketing…

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