Top headlines: Putin accelerates Ukraine crisis; India set to unlock data

LIC has not paid any dividends in nearly three years, something that may have helped shore up the insurer's net worth ahead of its IPO. More on that in our top headlines.

Tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue unabated even as President Vladimir Putin ordered forces Monday to “maintain peace” in separatist regions of eastern Ukraine. Closer home, the Indian government published a draft policy to open up access to government data. Head further down for more on these stories and other top headlines in our morning newswrap. 

Putin orders forces to 'maintain peace' in eastern Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered forces Monday to “maintain peace” in separatist regions of eastern Ukraine, hours after the Kremlin recognized the area’s independence. The announcement raised fears that an invasion was imminent, if not already underway. The Kremlin decree, spelled out in an order signed by Putin, left unclear when, or even whether, troops would enter Ukraine. But it brought swift promises of new sanctions from the U.S. and other Western nations and underscored the steep challenges they face in staving off a military conflict they have portrayed as near-inevitable. Read more

India's draft policy unlocks govt data for all, mulls monetisation

The government on Monday published a draft data policy for public consultation, which says all data collected, generated, and stored by every government ministry and department will be open and shareable barring certain exceptions. Also, detailed datasets that have undergone value addition could be monetised by the government. The policy document, called “Draft India Data Accessibility & Use Policy 2022”, prescribes that a regulatory authority called the Indian Data Council (IDC) and an agency by the name India Data Office (IDO) will oversee framing metadata standards and enforcement, respectively. Read more

LIC dividend payout likely to restart after IPO, say market experts

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has not paid any dividends in nearly three years, something that may have helped shore up the insurer’s net worth ahead of its initial public offering (IPO), said experts. No dividends have been paid this financial year as well as in financial year 2019-20 (FY20) and FY21, years when the insurer reported a net profit of Rs 2,710 crore and Rs 2,974 crore, respectively. This was after six consecutive years from FY14 to FY19 when it had high dividend payout ratios. Read more
 

$8.5 bn TVS Group splits to grow: What's changed structure-wise?

The month of February saw a comparatively muted but significant change in the history of Chennai’s corporate landscape. The $8.5 billion TVS Group received final approval for a family resettlement on February 4 from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). It is an arrangement that is noteworthy because unlike many other corporate settlements this one was sorted out amicably and without any open conflicts. Read more

Tata Motors’ domestic biz’s valuation sees a dramatic change

Tata Motors’ domestic business which was not accorded as much importance by brokerages in the overall sum-of-the-part (SOTP) valuation, has seen a reversal in fortunes. Analysts have now started giving it a higher weight in the overall valuation as compared to the company’s UK subsidiary, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). The equity value of the India business comprising commercial and passenger vehicles now accounts for more than half the value in the SOTP calculations as compared to 0-30 per cent two years ago. Read more