Top headlines: Monsoon 2022 could be 'normal'; Lalu gets 5 years in jail

Business Standard brings you the top headlines on Monday

'LIC is well capitalised,' says chairman M R Kumar ahead of mega IPO

State-run Life Insurance Corporation Of India (LIC), which is planning the country's largest IPO next month, is well capitalised, the company's chairman M.R Kumar said on Monday.

Kumar said LIC's potential investors should not worry about government control post the IPO as decisions in the country's largest insurance company are taken by its board and not by the government, which will hold 95% of stake post the IPO. Read more

Skymet says initial signs indicate monsoon 2022 could be 'normal'

Though early days, private weather forecasting agency Skymet on Monday said that the 2022 southwest monsoon could be ‘normal’ , finishing around the mid-way mark of the normal range of 96-104 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA).

LPA for the four-month southwest monsoon season that starts from June is 881 millimeters. Read more

Putin and Biden could meet or talk but no firm plans yet: Kremlin

The Kremlin said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden could set up a call or meeting any time but there were no concrete plans yet for a summit.

Tensions were growing over Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, but diplomatic contacts were active. He said Putin would imminently address a special session of Russia's security council. Read more

CBI court sentences Lalu to five years in prison in fodder scam case

A special CBI court in Ranchi on Monday sentenced Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad to five years imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 60 lakh on him in the Rs 139.35 crore Doranda treasury scam, the fifth fodder scam case.

The former Bihar chief minister along with other accused was pronounced guilty by the court on February 15. Read more