News digest: Netanyahu's India visit, Aadhaar, HDFC m-cap, and more

Non-oil, non-gold import shows deceleration in growth, indicating subdued IIP rise

UIDAI allows face recognition for Aadhaar authentication from July 1
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has decided to enable face recognition as a means of biometric verification for Aadhaar, in addition to fingerprint and iris scans, from July 1.
The move is meant to facilitate the authentication of those who are unable to verify biometrically due to their worn-out fingerprints, old age or hard work conditions. Read more

Netanyahu calls Modi a revolutionary leader as India, Israel ink 9 deals

India and Israel on Monday inked nine pacts across diverse sectors, from increasing cooperation in the oil and natural gas sector to film co-production, marking 25 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India and Israel would seek to strengthen cooperation in sectors that touch the lives of “our peoples”, in agriculture, science and technology, and security. Read more

Uneasy calm after the storm as Supreme Court judges get back to work

The three-day commotion over the functioning of the Supreme Court, a matter flagged by four senior judges, appeared to have petered out on Monday when all the top five judges involved in the matter, including the Chief Justice, resumed work. Read more

Export growth rate dips by half in Dec; trade deficit at 3-year high
The pace of growth in export declined by a little more than half in December, compared to November, even as these grew by double-digits for a second month in a row. At $27 billion, export was up 12.4 per cent in December, compared to 30.5 per cent growth in November. The December figure has again prompted exporters to air grievances about refunds in the goods and services tax (GST) regime. Read more

HDFC m-cap crosses Rs 3 trn for first time on Rs 130-bn fundraising plan

Shares of Housing Development Finance Corp (HDFC) jumped more than six per cent on Monday after the country’s largest housing finance company approved raising Rs 130 billion in equity capital.

The stock gained 6.2 per cent to reach an all-time high of Rs 1,870. The market capitalisation of the mortgage finance touched Rs 3 trillion, surpassing FMCG major Hindustan Unilever and top car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki to become India’s fifth most-valued firm. Read more