Category:

Policy

Cabinet approves privatisation of a PSU general insurer

The amendments, approved by the cabinet, will remove the clause for the Centre to hold at least 51 per cent in public sector insurance companies at any given time and transfer of management control to a private player who wants buy the compoany. ‘

India has four general insurance companies in the public sector – National Insurance Company Limited, New India Assurance Company Limited, Oriental Insurance Company Limited and the United India Insurance Company Limited. One of these will be privatised for which the government is yet to finalise the name.

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Changing VT code of Indian aircraft will have big financial implication on airlines: Govt

In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha from BJP MP Harish Dwivedi, Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh said, ”If we change the VT call sign, then all documents have to be reissued, the aircraft will have to be repainted and cannot fly till all markings are changed.” ”Aircraft will remain grounded during the whole process. It will also have a big financial implication on the airlines,” he added.

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Space Activities Bill under consideration to promote private players in sector

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) was created as an independent nodal agency under the Department of Space with the mandate of promoting, handholding, licensing, authorization and monitoring of private space activities in India. Access to Department of Space (DOS) facilities and expertise is extended to private entities to support their space activities.

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Progress on tobacco fight, but new nicotine products pose increasing threat

Of particular concern, new data shows that children who use electronic nicotine delivery systems, such as ‘e-cigarettes’ are up to three times more likely to use tobacco products in the future.

WHO is concerned that these products are often being marketed to children and adolescents by the tobacco and related industries that manufacture them, using thousands of appealing flavours and misleading claims about the products.

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New York city to offer 100 dollars for vaccination

The announcement comes just days after the mayor said all city workers would have to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by mid-September or face weekly testing. De Blasio also announced that more than 9.9 million doses of vaccine have been administered in the city so far. Sixty-six per cent of adults have been fully vaccinated and 71 per cent have received at least one dose, according to the New York City health department, The Hill reported.

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Regulators turn spotlight on company sustainability ratings

The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), which groups market regulators from the United States, Europe and Asia, recommended in a consultation paper on Monday that its members consider formally regulating an industry that has so far largely been left to its own devices. 

This lack of regulation has prompted concerns among some investors, who say methods of calculating ESG ratings are opaque, and environmentalists, who fear “greenwashing” – or that companies might sometimes get an ESG rating they don’t deserve.

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