Business
New IRDAI head can study existing reports, plug gaps

Even as strong views are being voiced on the need to review and recast of the two decade old Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) by industry experts, some experts hold contrary opinions.
“There are reports submitted by various agencies. If these reports are studied and a number of gaps noted and noticed periodically are addressed, I think there may not be a need to have another review,” a former Member of IRDAI told IANS preferring anonymity.
“When a new Chairperson joins IRDAI the above can be the agenda to carry out the mandate envisaged in the preamble of the IRDAI Act,” he added.
According to him, the Standing Committee of Finance and the Parliamentary Committee on subordinate legislation reviews the Regulations and working of Regulators periodically.
“Financial Sector Assessment Programme (FSAP) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank reviews the regulators including IRDAI periodically to see whether the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS), Insurance Core Principles (ICP) are adhered to,” the expert added.
Financial Action Taken Force (FATF) – the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog — also reviews the insurance regulatory bodies from the money laundering angle periodically, he added.
“On the twin aim of IRDAI Act ‘to protect policyholders interests and promote orderly growth of the industry’ IRDAI seems to have done a reasonably good job in the 20 years of its existence,” K.K. Srinivasan, former Member, IRDAI had told IANS.
According to him, a Government review of IRDAI be taken up after reviewing the older financial services regulators like the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
“It is time to do a review of IRDAI. It is more than two decades since IRDAI came into existence. As a matter of fact, every regulatory organisation should be reviewed at regular intervals,” N. Rangachary, the first Chairman of IRDAI told IANS.
It was Rangachary who had paved the regulatory path for the sector as the first head of IRDAI.
“There should be a review committee to go into all regulatory aspects. It is time to see whether the original goal of forming the regulatory body has been fulfilled and if not, the action to be taken,” Rangachary suggested.
Echoing similar views was R. Ramakrishnan, Member of the Malhotra Committee on Insurance Reforms.
“It is high time the IRDAI is completely reviewed. This should have been done at the end of the first five years. Better late than never,” Ramakrishan told IANS.
“But the internal organisation of IRDAI needs to be professionalised and strengthened. There is an undeniable perception that compared to its rather small size, there is excessive trade unionism within the Body,” Srinivasan had said.
“This is perhaps attributable to a large extent to the inevitable and somewhat not desirable back-door recruitment of employees in the initial years of its formation. However, this may get corrected in due course when retirements take place,” he added.
One of the areas that needs to be strengthened is the IRDAI’s adjudicatory mechanism.
“With the advent of adjudicatory mechanism that should precede penal action in certain cases, it cannot be said that the adjudication officers have to be continuously well trained and equipped with at least rudimentary legal nuances so as to lend credibility to their performance in quasi-judicial capacity, and recommending penalty with justice and good conscience,” D. Varadarajan, a Supreme Court lawyer specialising in Insurance and Corporate Laws and a Member on KPN Committee on Insurance Laws Reforms.
“In this context, it is also pointed out that unlike the SEBI Act, there is no provision in the IRDA Act, to credit all sums received as penalties to the Consolidated Fund of India. Hence, the penalties imposed have to be just and reasonable, and not excessive, leading to unjust enrichment of the coffers of the Authority,” Varadarajan added.
Business
Maharashtra presents deficit budget, new tax burden on citizens

Mumbai: Finance Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar presented the state budget in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly today. The public has expressed confidence in us in the assembly elections, so Mahayuti is committed to maintaining their trust. In this budget, special concessions and facilities have been given to the middle class. An attempt has been made to solve the problems of the people. With this resolve, Ajit Pawar has presented the budget for 2025-26, which is the first annual budget presented by the Mahayuti government.
Presenting the budget in the Assembly, Ajit Pawar said in his speech that Maharashtra will not stop, development will not be delayed, he also claimed that large-scale projects will be completed in the state, which will increase employment opportunities and boost the economy.
The state has set a target of an economy of one lakh trillion. Work on the Bengaluru-Mumbai Industrial Corridor is underway. Along with better industrial facilities in the state, employment opportunities and a technical center in the state and establishment of Maharashtra Technical Textile Mission for development work have also been implemented. It has also been assured in the budget that electricity rates will be reduced in the state. Electricity rates in the state will be lower than the rates of other provinces.
Ajit Pawar has also promised to complete many facilities and projects in the state budget. The work of Navi Mumbai airport is 85 percent complete, while work has started on Nagpur airport. Establishment of markets for agriculture has been ensured. Rs 3610 crore has been allocated for the transport department, out of which work has started on a 41 km long metro route in Mumbai.
A special project has been included in the budget for Mumbai, in which Rs 64,783 crore has been allocated for Versova to Madha, Versova to Bhayander Coastal Road, Malind to Goregaon, Thane to Borivali and Orange Gate to Marine Drive underground road to eliminate traffic problems in suburban areas. Thane to Navi Mumbai International Airport will be connected to the international airports of Thane, Dombivali, Kalyan and other important cities.
The work of the missing link at Khapoli-Khandala Ghat on Mumbai-Pune Highway will be completed by August 2025. Mumbai, Navi Mumbai Global Market will be established as well as Taluka Market Committee will be established across the state. Housing Scheme: Financial assistance of Rs 50,000 will be given for the house. Implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana will be ensured in the state. Under this scheme, assistance of Rs 50,000 will be provided to each person. Under the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Yojana, Rs 1.30 lakh has been allocated for domestic electricity and Rs 1,000 crore for power generation of more than 500 MW.
The state government has so far spent Rs 33,232 crore on Ladli Behan in the budget, while the Finance Ministry has allocated Rs 36,000 crore for it. A Hope Mall will be started in every district to establish savings banks and 10 malls will be set up in the first phase.
A 200-bed hospital will be built in Thane of Ratnagiri district, which will provide medical facilities to the citizens. The second phase of construction of metro route will be implemented in Pune. In the second phase, Rs 9894 crore has been allocated for two metro routes. Both the metro projects have been sent for approval from the Central Government. A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will be installed in Sangameshwar. Apart from this, Maratha Shaurya Smarak will be built in Panipat. A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will be built in Agra.
In this budget of the state government, a new tax has been imposed on the citizens. In this, a lump sum tax of 7% has been ensured on the purchase of cars. This tax has been imposed on electric cars and other things. This tax has been imposed on the purchase of cars worth more than 30 lakhs so that the common citizens do not face any problem. The state government has presented a budget of 7 lakh thousand crores. In this deficit budget, the burden of tax has been imposed on the citizens.
Business
Maharashtra Budget 2025: Dy CM Ajit Pawar Says Will Create 50 Lakh Jobs With ₹40 Lakh Crore Investment In 5 Years

Mumbai: The Maharashtra state budget for fiscal year 2025-26 is being presented by the state Deputy CM and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar in Maharashtra State Assembly in Mumbai.
Jobs In Maharashtra
During the speech, the FM Pawar said that his government intends to create 50 lakh jobs for citizens of Maharashtra through a Rs 40 lakh crore investment over the next 5 years.
Pawar added that Maharashtra’s new Industrial Policy 2025 will soon be announced.
Special polices will also be announced in space, defence, electronics, MSME and circular economy.
Pawar also spoke about the introduction of new labour laws in the richest state.
In the speech, the FM said that he intends to build new business corridors in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, or MMR, and make it a Growth Hub.
Mumbai-Bengaluru Corridor
Highlighting CM Fadnavis’s trip to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Pawar said, MoUs signed with 63 companies at Davos Economic Summit, investment of a whopping Rs 15.72 lakh crores and estimated creation of 16 lakh jobs.”
The finance minister also updated the house on the status of the Bengaluru-Mumbai Industrial Corridor.
He said that land acquisition for the Bengaluru-Mumbai Industrial Corridor is underway and this project will help set up industries in drought-prone areas of the state.
Business
Mumbai Metropolitan Region To Be Developed As ‘Growth Hub’: Dy CM Ajit Pawar During Maharashtra Budget

Mumbai: Maharashtra state’s budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 is currently underway in the Maharashtra state assembly. The state’s finance and deputy chief minister, Ajit Pawar, while speaking in the budget, said that the Mumbai Metropolitan Region or MMR, will be developed as an international-class ‘Growth Hub’.
In order to achieve this, trade hubs will be set up in Bandra-Kurla, Kurla-Worli, Wadala, Goregaon, Navi Mumbai, Kharghar, Virar-Boisar.
The state government also aims to take the Maharashtra economy to USD 300 billion by 2030 and take it to new heights and reach the coveted trillion-dollar mark or USD 1.5 trillion by 2047.
The state of Maharashtra is the largest state economy within India.
The state FM also announced a major decision to exempt Port Development from property tax.
In his speech, Pawar said, “In the “Maharashtra Maritime Development Policy-2023”, port development has been exempted from property tax, non-agricultural tax, electricity duty, stamp duty, and industrial rates have been implemented for electricity. Passenger and port taxes have been exempted to promote passenger shipping and coastal tourism.”
At the beginning of the speech, Pawar highlighted the state election results. While speaking in the Maharashtra state assembly, he said, “The people gave an unprecedented majority to the Mahayuti in the November 2024 assembly elections. Heartfelt gratitude to all the people! This trust is a sense of responsibility and guarantees to uphold its honor.”
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