GDP, India GDP

According to the RBI's assessment, the slow growth in H1FY25 was temporary, attributed to inadequate public spending in Q1FY25 due to the general election and excess rainfall in Q2FY25

Q2 GDP growth at 5.4%: Growth slowdown cyclical or policy-driven?

Business Standard

Insurance Amendment Bill, which proposes 100 per cent FDI in the insurance sector, may not be introduced in Parliament in the ongoing session, sources said.
Some finetuning may be required in the draft Bill after receiving comments from stakeholders, sources said.
Given the paucity of time, it is difficult to present the Bill in the ongoing session, sources said, adding it may, however, come in the Budget session.
The finance ministry has proposed to amend various provisions of the Insurance Act, of 1938, including raising foreign direct investment (FDI) in the insurance sector to 100 per cent, reduction in paid-up capital, and provision for composite licence.
The Department of Financial Services (DFS) has sought public comments on the proposed amendments by December 10.
As per the proposal, the FDI limit in Indian insurance companies will be raised from 74 per cent to 100 per cent.
This is the second public consultation that the DFS has sought on the proposed amendments to the .

Parliament, New Parliament

The National Green Tribunal has sought a response from the Hyderabad regional office of the Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change and others on the blast at a pharmaceutical company in Hyderabad last month that left one dead and three others injured.
The green body was hearing a matter where it had taken suo motu (on its own) cognisance of a PTI report published on November 21 titled 'One dead, three injured in reactor blast at pharma company in Hyderabad.'
In an order dated November 28, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava said, "The news item relates to a flash fire triggered by a reactor blast at a pharmaceutical company in Hyderabad, resulting in the death of one man and injuries caused to three others. As per the article, the incident occurred while the four workers were repairing the reactor."
The bench also comprising judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A Senthil Vel said the news item did not indicate whether steps h

National green tribunal, NGT

Even before the French and German governments collapsed, Europe's economy had enough difficulties. Tepid growth and lagging competitiveness versus the US and China. An auto industry that's struggling. Where to find billions for defense against Russia? And now Donald Trump threatening tariffs.
Solutions will be harder to find while the two countries that make up almost half of the eurozone economy remain stuck in political paralysis well into 2025.
Where once there was the so-called French-German axis to push Europe ahead, now there's a vacuum. French Prime Minister Michel Barnier resigned Thursday after losing a vote of confidence, and while President Emmanuel Macron will appoint a successor, the new head of government will lack a majority. Elections are not constitutionally permitted until at least June.
Germany's coalition led by Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz with the Greens and pro-business Free Democrats fractured in November, triggering an early election on Feb. 23. 

European Union flag

Around 66 per cent of business firms surveyed across 159 districts admitted that they paid bribes in the last 12 months, a report by online platform LocalCricles said on Sunday.
The survey, which received 18,000 responses, found that 54 per cent were forced to pay bribes while 46 per cent paid voluntarily to expedite the process.
"As many businesses would vouch anonymously, bribes remain a way of life when wanting to get government departments to speed up the permit or compliance process, even getting duplicate copy of the authority license or anything to do with property matters. 66 per cent of businesses surveyed paid a bribe in the last 12 months," the report said.
Only 16 per cent of businesses surveyed claimed that they always managed to get work done without paying a bribe and 19 per cent said they "did not have a need" to do so.
"Of businesses that paid bribes in the last 12 months, 54 per cent were forced to do so, while 46 per cent paid it for timely processing. This kind 

Image via Shutterstock

SBI holds primary securities worth Rs 230.46 crore against the asset, collateral securities worth Rs 31.58 crore, and third-party guarantees of Rs 23.28 crore

SBI, State Bank Of India

A day after presenting bi-monthly monetary policy, Reserve Bank Governor Shaktikanta Das on Saturday met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The meeting comes just ahead of the extended term of incumbent RBI Governor coming to an end. Das's three-year extended term comes to an end on December 10.
In 2021, the government had announced a three-year extension to Das's tenure, a month before his term came to an end.
According to sources, Das called on the Finance Minister in the evening here.
The career bureaucrat-turned-central banker, Das, was appointed the 25th RBI Governor on December 12, 2018, after the abrupt exit of Urjit Patel.
With the three-year-extension granted to Das, he is already one of the longest serving RBI governors in its 90-year history.
The RBI had on Friday opted for a status quo on the rates for the 11th consecutive time, amid growing calls to address the slowdown in GDP growth in the September quarter at 5.4 per cent.
Das, while unveiling bi-monthly policy,

Shaktikanta Das, Shaktikanta, RBI Governor

The US on Saturday rejected the BJP's allegations that organisations funded by the US State Department and elements in the American "deep state" were behind attempts to destabilise India through targeted attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and business tycoon Gautam Adani.
A spokesperson at the US embassy described the allegations as "disappointing" and asserted that the US government has been a champion of media freedom around the world.
The BJP alleged on Saturday that the US deep state colluded with the media portal OCCRP (Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project) and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to "damage" India's image.
The BJP had cited Gandhi's use of reports by OCCRP to attack the Adani Group and to accuse it of having closeness with the government.
"It's disappointing that the ruling party in India would make these kinds of accusations," the US embassy spokesperson said.
"The US government works with independent organisations on programming that supports ...

India US Flag

Leading cement maker UltraTech Cement has received a notice from the fair trade regulator CCI over its proposed acquisition of the South-based India Cements Ltd.
UltraTech Cement, in a regulatory filing, said it has received notice from the Competition Commission of India (CCI), and the Aditya Birla group flagship firm is confident in the merits of its case.
"The Company has received a communication from the Competition Commission of India under Section 29 (1) of the Competition Act, 2002, regarding the proposed acquisition of The India Cements Ltd. The Company will be responding to the same," said UltraTech.
The southern market for grey cement, where India Cements primarily operates, is highly competitive and fragmented, with the presence of over 35 grey cement manufacturers.
"We are confident of the merits of our case," the Aditya Birla Group firm said.
Under the CCI Act, where the fair trade regulator is of the opinion that a combination is "likely to cause, or has caused an ..

UltraTech

Mumbai Police on Saturday received a message threatening to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an official said.
The number from which the message was sent was traced to Ajmer in Rajasthan and a police team was sent there immediately to nab the suspect, said an official.  The WhatsApp message, received on the helpline of the traffic police in the early hours, mentioned two ISI agents and a plot to carry out a bomb blast to target Modi, he said.
The investigators suspect that the sender is a mentally disturbed person or was under the influence of alcohol but further probe was on, the official added.  A First Information Report was registered under the relevant Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections.  The helpline of the Mumbai traffic police has received hoax threat messages many times in the past.

Modi, Narendra Modi

Stakeholders from the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sought a reduction in GST, technology upgrade, and production-linked incentive scheme benefits for various segments in a pre-Budget meeting with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday.
The meeting aimed to seek inputs and suggestions for the Budget for 2025-26, expected to be presented on February 1.
Members from the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Karnataka (AWAKE); Karnataka SC and ST Entrepreneurs' Association; Plant-Based Food Industry Association (PBFIA); Ambala Scientific Instruments Manufacturers' Association (ASIMA); Rajasthan Footwear Manufacturers' Association were among the participants at the meeting.
The All-India Plastics Manufacturers' Association; All India Manufacturers' Association; Gujarat Chamber of Small Industries Association; Federation of Associations of Cottage and Small Industries (based in West Bengal); Federation of Andhra Pradesh Small and Medium Association; and Laghu Udyog 

Baroda's Bhanu Punia scored a massive 134 not out in just 51 balls to hand Baroda a memorable day in the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on Thursday

Highest team totals in T20 cricket

Apple views Apple Intelligence as a core part of its product and is not currently planning on charging for artificial intelligence-powered features, said Tim Cook in an interview with Wired

Tim Cook, Tim, cook, Apple, Apple CEO

The Delhi to Srinagar Vande Bharat sleeper train is set to begin operations in January 2025: Check project updates, stops, ticket prices, and more here

chenab rail bridge

SBI has demonstrated its strength in the last few quarters both on core operating performance and asset quality, while, management remains confident on growth, maintenance of margins and steady RoA.

The DMRC, on Thursday morning, had reported a theft of signalling cables between Moti Nagar and Kirti Nagar stations, causing considerable inconvenience to passengers

Delhi metro

For the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index, Nomura predicts muted returns, with end-2025 targets ranging from 573 to 859. The index is currently around 590 levels

Nomura

The debt-laden telco's board will consider the issue of equity shares and/or convertible securities, Vi said in an exchange filing on Thursday

Vodafone

Delhiites breathed cleaner air for the second consecutive day on Thursday as the AQI was recorded in the "moderate" category with a reading of 165. Restrictions under Stage 4 of the GRAP were lifted and replaced with the Stage-2 measures.
The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) of the city was recorded at 165 at 4 pm, registering a slight improvement from 178 on Wednesday.
It marks a significant improvement as on Tuesday, the AQI was recorded in the "poor" category with a reading of 268, compared to 280 on Monday and 285 on Sunday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) data.
For the month of December, the city has not seen such clean air since December 14, 2022, when the AQI was 163.
In comparison, the lowest AQI recorded in December 2023 was 286, according to the CPCB.
The Supreme Court allowed the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to shift to the Stage-2 restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on Thursday.
As a result, severa

Barendra Kumar Bhoi

Barendra Kumar Bhoi

Barendra Kumar Bhoi

Q2 GDP growth at 5.4%: Growth slowdown cyclical or policy-driven?

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Insurance Amendment Bill proposing 100% FDI unlikely in winter session

NGT issues notice to environment ministry over Hyderabad pharma unit blast

Europe's economy to suffer if chaos continues in France, Germany: Experts

66% businesses surveyed paid a bribe in the last 12 months: Report

SBI looks to sell Rs 2,732 cr of bad loans in ARSS Infrastructure Projects

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RBI Guv Das meets FM Sitharaman two days before end of his extended term

US State Dept denies BJP's allegations of backing anti-India agenda

UltraTech receives CCI notice over proposed acquisition of India Cements

Mumbai Police receives message threatening attempt on PM Modi's life

Pre-Budget meet: MSME stakeholders seek tech upgrade, PLI benefits, GST cut