KACHARAGADLA

Sharp pick-up in refinery products and electricity generation led to the fifth straight increase in April Growth in the eight core sectors jumped to 8.5 per cent in April, due to a sharp pick-up in refinery products and a commensurate rise in electricity generation. The index had grown by 6.4 per cent in March. According to data released by the ministry of commerce and industry on Tuesday, growth in the eight sectors— coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertiliser, steel, cement and electricity — comprising nearly 38 per cent of India's total industrial production, had fallen a marginal 0.2 per cent in the same period of the previous year. Refinery products, which have steadily grown since December 2015, had output rising 17.9 per cent in April, after 10.8 per cent in March. Electricity generation rose for a fifth straight month, up 14.7 per cent, after 11.3 per cent in March. Four sectors in March showed double-digit growth; it was two in April. G

For FY17, the deficit target is 3.5 per cent of GDP The country’s fiscal deficit for 2015-16 was Rs 5.32 lakh crore, about 99.5 per cent of the government’s revised target of Rs 5.35 lakh crore, compared with 99.6 per cent for the same period a year before, official data showed on Tuesday. As a percentage of gross domestic product at current prices, also issued on Tuesday, the deficit was 3.9 per cent, as Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said it would be in February. For FY17, the deficit target is 3.5 per cent of GDP. For the year ended March 2016, the provisional figure of combined revenue was Rs 1.24 lakh crore or 99.2 per cent of the revised target of Rs 1.25 lakh crore, compared with 98.7 per cent of the full-year target a year before. Total expenditure was Rs 1.77 lakh crore or 99.3 per cent of the revised target, compared with 99 per cent for the same period last year.  Total expenditure was Rs 1.61 lakh crore, or 8.2 per cent of the full-year estimate, com

India probably gathered momentum to hold its ranking as the world's fastest growing large economy in the quarter through March, giving Prime Minister Narendra Modi more to celebrate after completing two years in office last week. Modi swept to power promising to revitalise Asia's third-largest economy and, despite a dearth of private investment and shrinking exports, his policies are having some success as cooling inflation and lower interest rates have boosted consumer demand. A Reuters survey of economists expected data out on Tuesday will show India's gross domestic product grew 7.5 percent year-on-year between January and March, faster than the previous quarter's 7.3 percent. "This 7.5 percent growth, in a global slowdown environment, has a potential to pick up even more," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said last week in general comments about the trends. India's upbeat outlook contrasts with neighbouring China, where growth slipped to 6.7 i

Today’s teams are different from the teams of the past: They’re far more diverse, dispersed, digital, and dynamic (with frequent changes in membership). But while teams face new hurdles, their success still hinges on a core set of fundamentals for group collaboration. The basics of team effectiveness were identified by J. Richard Hackman, a pioneer in the field of organizational behavior who began studying teams in the 1970s. In more than 40 years of research, he uncovered a groundbreaking insight: What matters most to collaboration is not the personalities, attitudes, or behavioral styles of team members. Instead, what teams need to thrive are certain “enabling conditions.” In our own studies, we’ve found that three of Hackman’s conditions—a compelling direction, a strong structure, and a supportive context—continue to be particularly critical to team success. In fact, today those three requirements demand more attention than ever. But we’ve also seen that modern teams are vulne

The great thing about careers in the 21 st   century is that you get to decide what you want to do. And if you don’t like what you’re doing, you can change. While this is liberating, it’s also scary and confusing. The complexity of today’s employment landscape is overwhelming. Managing your career requires coping with ambiguity and uncertainty and learning some basic navigation skills. After years of research and coaching people on career transitions, here’s what I recommend: Follow your energy and interest.  This is the most fundamental part of your strategy. Energy and interest are to your career path what the North Star is to celestial navigators. Paying attention to what engages and excites you, what lights you up, and what stimulates your intellect points you toward the tasks and situations that enable you to be your best self. That’s where you will thrive. Take Noah Tannen, who used to work as a copywriter and creative director at an advertising and design firm. Over time

Most people recognize that execution is a critical skill and strive to perform it well, but they may a) underestimate how important it is to their career advancement or b) not realize that you can improve on execution without working longer hours. On the first point, bosses place a premium on execution, which we define as the ability to achieve individual goals and objectives. In fact, when we asked senior managers to indicate the importance of this ability, they ranked it first on a list of 16 skills. Other raters in the organization ranked it fourth, behind inspiring and motivating, having integrity and honesty, and problem solving. We recognize that there are many parts of your job that are important, but if you want to move ahead in your career, it might be time to double down on simply getting more stuff done – it’s what your boss wants to see. Which brings us to the second point. Many managers react with defensiveness or despair to this news; after all, most of the manage

If you want flexible working you have to be upfront and unashamed about it With two children there was no way I wanted to work full-time, so I began each job interview by pointing that out. Sometimes you have to ask for what you want a t the age of 23 I applied for full-time positions as a senior accountant with no intention of working five days a week. I had two pre-school children at the time and wanted to work three days a week maximum. At the interview stage I raised the issue unashamedly; I wanted to be upfront about what would work for me and why I thought I would be good for the firm. Out of three job offers, I accepted the only one where I believed I could truly work flexibly, leaving the office for the nursery pick-up without having to sneak away from my desk. This was a huge deal for me. I needed to work, but also wanted to spend time with my children while they were young. I didn’t want to miss out on school drop-offs and pick-ups, concerts, sports days, bei