Top headlines: Air India union gets its say; IPO bet starts paring for rich

Business Standard brings you the top headlines of the day

The government is considering allowing foreign direct investment in Life Insurance Corporation of India. It is about to accept the demands of Air India employees as it seeks to sell the state carrier. 

Here are the top headlines of the day:

Asset monetisation pipeline: Govt used 4 methods to value Rs 6-trn assets

The government has used four methods to value the assets that it is looking to monetise under its Rs 6-trillion National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP). The value of the assets on the block is indicative that the government is expected to realise either in the form of upfront accruals or by the way of private sector investment, NITI Aayog said in its report. Read more...

NMP plan: Low-risk assets attractive but road may be fuzzy, say experts

The Central government’s National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP), which focuses on leveraging value derived from operational projects, will have to face the same test of contractual sanctity and regulatory oversight, which public-private partnership (PPP) endeavours have so far countenanced. Read more...

Losing steam: IPO bets of wealthy investors turn sour in August

For much of this year, wealthy investors had made a killing on the initial public offerings (IPOs) that hit the market with some regularity. This month, however, most of their bets have gone awry. Up until July, 14 of the 19 companies that made their debut on the bourses made money for these investors on day one, after taking into account the financing cost and significant oversubscription. Read more...

Govt may permit foreign direct investment in LIC ahead of mega IPO

The government is considering allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) to enable overseas investors to buy stakes in the insurer. Read more...

Fearing conflict, govt agrees to Air India employees' main demands

The central government has agreed in-principle to Air India employees' main demands. It fears an industrial dissension now could impede the process of privatisation. It has agreed to bear the cost of liquidation loss on account of transfer to the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) from company-owned trusts, inclusion of employees in the central government health scheme (CGHS), and encashment of leaves. Read more...