CATEGORIES

Goodwill earned in 1st stint, but slips in the 2nd

Economic data shows history will be kinder to him for his first term rather than second

A maker of modern India

Dr Manmohan Singh was that rarity of rarities, a good man in politics. He was never a politician, for he brought to politics a decency and integrity that is unmatched.

A legacy of rights-based laws

From MGNREGA to RTI, Manmohan Singh's policies transformed India's social welfare landscape

A gentle but effective leader

Dr Manmohan Singh passed away on December 26, and his loss has inspired a wide range of tributes for a political leader distinguished by his integrity, humility, deep understanding of the economy, and achievements as both finance minister and long-standing Prime Minister.

'Eminent economist, great human being'

We have lost a very distinguished leader, an eminent economist and a great human being with the passing away of Dr Manmohan Singh.

Manmohan Singh: A personal memoir

I first met Manmohan Singh in 1981. As a reporter for Business Standard in Delhi, I had accompanied my bureau chief to meet the member-secretary of the Planning Commission.

Peerless policymaker who shaped equity markets

Seeds for robust equity markets were sown during his tenure as FM in Narasimha Rao government. Economic growth gathered momentum in Singh's first term as PM

Defining reforms under Singh as finance minister, Prime Minister

India pledges gold with the Bank of England and UBS to increase foreign currency reserves in the face of an imminent external payments crisis

India's uncharismatic reformer

Charisma. The late Manmohan Singh had many gifts, but charisma was not one of them. That lack of charisma was actually foundational to his political career and his remarkable achievements.

Dr Singh's other reform

Manmohan Singh's success lay in making a decisive and historic shift towards the West. It was also audacious, in my book even more so than the 1991 reform, given how little support it had within the Congress and the UPA

Trump gloom or green shoots? Europe's year ahead

After Covid-19 and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is Europe about to get its next existential shock in the shape of Donald Trump? From trade to defense to tech, the combination of mercantilism and MAGA is going to hurt—but hopefully also jolt Europeans out of typical complacency.

Future fast-forwarded

Eye Culture

The riddle of leadership

There are two contrasting views about great leadership. Business writing has largely adopted the \"Great Man Theory\", perhaps inspired by Scottish essayist Thomas Carlyle, who wrote: \"The history of the world is but the biography of great men.\"

Richard Parsons, Who Led Time Warner, Citigroup, Dies at 76

Richard D. Parsons, whose humane approach to business made him a serial troubleshooter at distressed companies such as Time Warner, CBS, and Citigroup and a sought-after adviser at the highest echelons of American industry, died on Thursday at his Manhattan home. He was 76.

1 million nonimmigrant visas issued to Indians in Jan-Nov

The US mission in India on Friday said it issued more than one million nonimmigrant visas for the second year in a row, including a record number of visitor visas, underscoring the huge demand of Indians for travel to the US.

India Loses Manmohan, Pakistan Mourns ‘Mohna’

“The entire village is in mourning. We feel that someone from our family has died today,” Altaf Hussain told PTI as a group of local residents held a meeting to condole the death of village boy Manmohan who became prime minister next door.

German Prez calls for snap polls in Feb, dissolves Parl

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (pictured) on Friday dissolved Germany's lower house of parliament to pave the way for snap elections on February 23 following the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-way coalition.

Passengers say they heard a loud bang

Two passengers on the Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan told Reuters that they heard at least one loud bang as it approached its original destination of Grozny in southern Russia.

S Korea Impeaches 2 Leaders in 2 Weeks as Crisis Deepens

Lawmakers voted 192-0 in favor of acting Prez and Prime Minister Han's impeachment

CAD moderates marginally to 1.2% of GDP in July-Sep qtr

India's current account deficit (CAD) marginally narrowed to $11.2 billion, or 1.2 per cent of GDP, during the July-September quarter of financial year 2025 (Q2FY25) from $11.3 billion, or 1.3 per cent of GDP, a year ago, amid a rise in service exports.

Forex kitty falls $8.4 bn in a week

Down by $61 billion since touching all-time high in September-end

Govt plans to borrow ₹3.9 tn via T-bills in Q4

The government plans to borrow ₹3.9 trillion through the issuance of treasury bills (T-bills) in the last quarter of the current financial year.

Credit, deposit growth up at 11.5%

Credit growth gained pace in the fortnight ending December 13 over the previous fortnight, latest data by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) showed.

RBI allows interoperability of PPIs using third-party apps

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday allowed interoperability of prepaid payment instruments (PPIs) for Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions through third-party application providers (TPAPs).

DGCA suspends two Akasa Air executives

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday suspended two senior Akasa Air executives—Director of Training Niraj Bhatia and Director of Flight Operations Floyd Gracious—for six months over pilot training lapses, Business Standard has learnt.

Visionary auto tycoon who made winning bet on India

Osamu Suzuki, an ingenious pennypincher who led Japan's Suzuki Motor for more than four decades and played a key role in turning India into a flourishing auto market, has died aged 94.

Air India to strengthen practices in 2025, become profitable: CEO

If 2024 was the year of consolidation, when Air India, Vistara, Air India Express and AirAsia (India) came under one roof, 2025 will be the year when the Tata-owned airline will strengthen its practices and processes to become consistent, efficient in service, and ultimately profitable in its operations, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Managing Director (MD) Campbell Wilson told employees in a message sent on Friday.

JSW Energy inks pact to buy O2 Power unit for ₹12,468 cr

This will be largest acquisition by Sajjan Jindal-promoted firm

Adani Ports orders 8 tugs from Cochin Shipyard for ₹450 crore

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) on Friday announced it has placed an order for eight harbour tugs, to be constructed by Cochin Shipyard in a deal worth ₹450 crore.

UltraTech to pick up 8.7% in Star Cement

UltraTech Cement said on Friday it will invest ₹851 crore to pick an 8.6 per cent stake in the Meghalaya-based Star Cement, which has 7.7 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) capacity in East India.