Top headlines: BSNL-MTNL merger shelved, India Inc's big boys get bigger

Multinational companies operating in India and big domestic firms are grappling with an emerging challenge: How to deal with employees who refuse to take the Covid vaccine. Read top stories here

BSNL-MTNL merger shelved as GoM says not feasible; Cabinet to meet soon

The plan to revive the state-owned telecom companies — Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL) — by merging the two entities is set to be shelved after almost two decades of deliberations on the matter. A six-member group of ministers (GoM), mandated to take a call on the issue, is learnt to have recommended last week that a merger would neither be beneficial nor feasible, thereby closing a long-drawn chapter in the telecom sector. Read more

May need to reverse Rs 800 cr in interest income: YES Bank's Prashant Kumar

YES Bank will soon complete a year after the RBI-driven restructuring. While balance sheet is stabilising, Prashant Kumar, managing director and chief executive, told that the bank will need to reverse interest income when the Supreme Court lifts the stay on treating loans as non-performing assets (NPAs). Read more

Firms' next challenge: Handling staff refusing to take Covid-19 vaccine

Multinational companies operating in India and big domestic firms are grappling with an emerging challenge: How to deal with employees who refuse to take the Covid vaccine when they come back to office.

A top European business group with representatives from leading companies is planning to approach the government through national industry associations as well European Union bodies, requesting guidelines on this issue. Read more

Atmanirbhar farm schemes may get boost in Budget amid farmers' protest

Amid the ongoing farmers’ protests, the forthcoming Union Budget is expe­cted to allocate resources for items rel­ated to agriculture and the rural sector under the Atmanirbhar Bharat package, including funds for creating farmgate-level storage infrastructure and flagship schemes such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Gua­rantee Act (MGNREGA). Read more

India leads the mobile-first consumer economy amid Covid-19, shows data

All around the globe, the year of the pandemic has seen a significant increase in app downloads, the time spent on mobile, and consumer spending on mobile. This was equivalent to the progress made over the last few years combined, and India led this transition globally. Read more

India Inc's big boys get bigger still as unorganised market shrinks

The Covid-19 pandemic appears to have given large companies a fillip, many of whom have seen sharp volume, market share and margin improvement, as they fight to stay ahead of the curve.

December quarter (Q3) results of firms in the consumer, retail, paints, wires, home improvement and electricals categories shows that the big are getting bigger, with consolidation likely to continue, according to sector experts. Read more

Statsguru: Informal sector plays important role in India's labour market

The informal sector plays an important role in India’s labour market. According to official statistics, it contributes more than half of the gross value added in the economy, which varies across sectors, the highest being in agriculture, construction, and real estate. Informal employment, on the other hand, is more entrenched: It exists in both informal and formal sectors. Read more