13.10.2007

• While answering one of your shout-box queries, I had a chance to revisit what I noted about SLR sometime back in our Discover It blog. Having seen it (I remember vividly one of your discussions about the SLR funds being with the RBI, instead of the bank itself as noted by me), I decided that it should better be updated with your inputs as well as the recent amendment that has been affected to the BR Act, 1949. Take a look at it here.
• I have answered a couple of questions raised in the shout-box in our Discover It blog today. Look at my answers here.
• Then one of you asked me whether all the shout-box discussions can be accessed. It currently has a capacity to hold only the latest 100 discussions. I gave a blind copy of it in today’s Discover It here. Look at it. If required, I would do it frequently.
• Nobel Peace Prize for IPCC and Al Gore
• The IPCC is headed by Dr. RK Pachauri. He is the Director General of TERI, The Energy & Resources Institute (formerly Tata Energy Research Institute). It has been given the award for its efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change.
• Mr. Al Gore is the former US Vice-President and has made a film -- “An Inconvenient Truth”, about the importance of preserving our environment. This film was awarded the Oscar Award in 2007 for the best documentary film category. Watch the following 2.30 minute trailer of the documentary...
  

• The Supreme Court’s ruling on reservations for Muslims in AP
• The SC ruling has put paid to Andhra Pradesh government’s attempts at having the stay given by the AP High Court lifted by the SC.
• The SC has questioned the methodology adopted by the government for determination of the Muslim community as backward classes.
• India’s wheat production/consumption scenario
• India produces about 70 mn tonnes. Out of this, around 35 mn tonnes is sold by farmers in the market. The rest is kept by them for self consumption, seed and animal feed purposes.
• Private traders usually buy around 20 mn tonnes, while Government buys about 15 mn tonnes. The actual demand from ration shops and the government’s food-for-work programmes together is around 18 mn tonnes. The shortfall is met from previous stocks in FCI godowns.
• Government is legally obliged to hold about 4 mn tonnes as buffer stock on April 1, each year.
• Navaratnas and PSUs bring lot of profit for Government
• The government earned Rs. 16,000 crores as dividend income from the 58 listed PSUs last year alone.
• Government has become wealthier by over Rs. 314,000 crores or $78 bn due to appreciation in stock prices of PSUs and new listings.
• Total market value of government holdings in PSUs is now almost $210 bn – a 60% rise over last year.
• At the end of June 2007, the government’s contribution to the equity capital of these 58 listed PSUs is about Rs. 31,000 crores.