Accountancy
Duck soup
This is an old story. Mulla Nasruddin's distant uncle gifted him a duck, made his usual enquiries and left. ``Make soup,'' Mulla told his wife. When the couple was about to relish the delicacy, there was a knock on the door. ``I am the cousin of your unc
le who gave you the duck,'' the visitor said. Mulla gave him some soup and they discussed the uncle's generosity over lunch.
Will the CCI deliver?
The Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1969 (the MRTP Act) was amended in 1984 to equip the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (the MRTPC) with powers to combat unfair trade practices as well. Despite being popularly known
as the Monopolies Commission, the MRTPC has largely remained a consumer protection forum. It has hardly ever bestirred to deal with monopolies. Nor has the Central Government taken the initiative in a big way in referring a monopolistic trade practice t
o the MRTPC for an inquiry.
Banking and Finance
Fund management: Art of tight-rope walking
WILL it not surprise you, if some one asserts that a similarity can be discerned between, say, a rustic funambulist (commonly known as a tight-rope walker), and a white-collared fund manager of any contemporary establishment, say, a bank. But both have t
o perform a balancing act that will not admit of even the smallest of errors.
Information Technology
Euphoria vs economics
Never before has a concept had such a spectacular rise and an equally precipitous fall in a short space of time as the dotcoms did. Dotcom companies are ones which facilitate business operations through the Internet. The genesis of these companies were t
he path-breaking developments of the 1990s in the fields of communication and information technology and the growth of the Internet. Business through the Internet was acclaimed as the single most revolutionary development in recent times for doing busine
ss, either business-to-customer or business-to-business. The idea was great and the modus operandi was novel except that its potential was probably grossly over-estimated.
Miscellaneous
A peace package
NOT MANY would have watched the TV channel, the Maharishi Veda Vision, that recently broadcast an interesting video conference involving 1,500 participants, including journalists from all over the world, to propagate its novel and enduring peace package.
The channel is dedicated to propagating the preachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, especially what is called the Vedic technology - a life based on the core principles, procedures and performances of a Vedic way of life, that would guarantee peace and aff
luence to the whole world.
Radio/TV
Opening up new channels
When this column began, a little over seven years ago, the economy was looking up, the air was thick with talk of economic reform, and every time one blinked, another business programme or channel was born.
Terrorism
Afghan operations: A Marshall plan?
"We are also looking forward to strengthening our cooperation on a full range of bilateral and regional issues. And I made the point to the President that this is not just a temporary spike in our relationship, but we believe, as a result of the actions
taken by Pakistan over the last five weeks, we are truly at the beginning of a strengthened relationship, a relationship that will grow and thrive in the months and years ahead".
From India first to Pakistan first
THE administration of the US President, Mr George Bush Jr, has a large number of ex-Pentagon/CIA/DIA hands, who had in the past closely interacted with the military-intelligence establishment of Pakistan and, hence, think well of it.
Afghan war: Indian perspective
ON SEPTEMBER 28, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved Resolution 1373. The Resolution requires all member-states to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorist organisations, deny safe havens to those who finance, plan, support or
commit terrorist acts and freeze their funds without delay. Member-states are required to suppress the recruitment of terrorist organisations and eliminate their weapons supplies.
