Pakistan’s public money a privilege? World Bank report reveals stark fiscal faultlines

Years of fiscal decentralisation have failed to narrow Pakistan’s regional spending disparities, with provincial capitals continuing to receive significantly higher public spending per person than the rest of their provinces.According to the World Bank’s Strengthening Fiscal Federalism report, cited by The Express Tribune, Quetta recorded the widest spending gap among provincial capitals. Per capita expenditure … Read more

Market recap: Top-10 firms add Rs 1 lakh crore in market capitalisation; Airtel, Bajaj Finance lead gains

Dalal Street ended the last week with gains, with six of the country’s 10 most valued companies together adding more than Rs 1 lakh crore to their market capitalisation. Bharti Airtel and Bajaj Finance emerged as the biggest gains as equities ended the week on a positive note.The broader market remained firm, with the BSE … Read more

Ex-CFO of RCap, Amit Bapna, held in connection with ADAG probe

NEW DELHI: CBI has arrested Amit Bapna, former chief financial officer of Reliance Capital Ltd, in connection with the ongoing investigation into the Reliance ADA Group cases.Investigation has allegedly revealed that Bapna, who served as CFO at Reliance Capital Ltd from Aug 2014 to Dec 2019, was one of the key decision-makers responsible for managing … Read more

‘Criticism is welcome, rumours are not’: Puri on E20 fuel buzz, engine damage claims

Union petroleum and natural gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday pushed back against social media claims surrounding ethanol-blended fuel, saying that the government welcomes constructive criticism but not misinformation about the biofuel programme.Referring to the recent online debate, Puri said people were free to point out shortcomings in the government’s work and assured them … Read more

Beyond Hormuz: What HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited inaugurated by PM Modi means for India’s energy future

The Strait of Hormuz disruption served as a stark reminder of how vulnerable global energy supplies can be. Now, India is responding with a major push to strengthen its energy security.Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited (HRRL) project, the country’s first greenfield integrated refinery-cum-petrochemical complex. He also launched and … Read more

Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train: India to get its 1st high-speed rail service by 2027; check key features, travel time & more

India is set to get its first bullet train ride by 2027! Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday announced that the first operational section of the bullet train project will be ready in 2027, saying that construction on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor has crossed the 80% mark.Speaking on the sidelines of the Commencement … Read more

Trump Praises India’S Economy: Year after calling India ‘dead economy’, Donald Trump says country ‘doing very well at 7-8%’

File photo: US President Donald Trump (Picture credit: AP) US President Donald Trump has praised India’s economic performance, saying the country is “doing very well”, marking a sharp shift from his remarks last year when he described India as a “dead economy” amid trade tensions.Speaking in an interview with CNBC on Thursday ahead of the … Read more