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Last week’s two developments have again pushed Punjab into media headlines. One is the Badal-led Akali Dal’s sweeping victory in the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee elections. The other is the report of the latest edition of Economic Freedom of the States of India, which has indicted the Akali-BJP government for the deep downslide in Punjab’s economy. Have the two developments any implications for the relationship between the ruling allies Akali Dal and BJP, particularly in the context of 2014 Lok Sabha elections due in 15 months?

KOLKATA: The silent war between Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the Western countries continues unabated.

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh is looking forward to good investment in UP after the successful CII Global Partnership summit held in Agra recently.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala unit of the Communist Party of India (CPI) has deplored the angry outburst of V S Achuthanandan against CPI(M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan.

NEW DELHI, INDIA – The President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Haruhiko Kuroda, visited New Delhi, India this week to discuss ADB Annual Meeting preparations with India’s Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram and to attend the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit.

KOLKATA: Sikkim will soon have air and railway links with the rest of the country, with flights from the state expected to begin from end of 2014 or 2015.

Businessman Azim Premji, the country’s second richest person after Mukesh Ambani, may be a well-meaning person, but his suggestion at the recent World Economic Forum meet at Davos that it may be ‘politically correct’ to ask India’s super-rich pay a higher rate of tax will not go down well with India’s Richie-riches. Even the government is divided on the issue. Highly pragmatic Union Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram himself seems to disagree with the idea. Instead, he emphasizes the need for higher tax compliance.

DELHI, INDIA – Disaster losses have risen faster than Asia-Pacific’s economy has expanded, says a new report from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which recommends regional governments find ways to offer disaster risk financing instruments such as calamity funds, tax credits, and catastrophe bonds to strengthen disaster resilience.