Business
RBI Draft Mandates 60% C/D Ratio For Rural And Semi-Urban Branches
MUMBAI: Banks have been mandated to have a credit-deposit (CD) ratio of 60 per cent for their rural and semi-urban branches in the country, according to the regulator’s draft revised guidelines on the lead bank scheme (LBS). The norms, laid down by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), have...
Electronics Sector Must Shift From Assembling To Component Manufacturing: NITI Aayog
NEW DELHI: India’s electronics strategy must transition from assembly-led gains to component-led manufacturing, a Niti Aayog report released on Friday said. In its quarterly Trade Watch report, the government think-tank said that in order to transition to the next level of manufacturing, incentives to the sector needs to be...
April-December Inflation At 1.83% Under New CPI Series, Only Modestly Higher
NEW DELHI: The average annual retail inflation for April-December of the current fiscal year would be 1.83% under the new consumer price index (CPI) series, just 11 basis points higher than measured under the old series. The old series used 2012 as the base year, while the new one,...
India Looks For ‘Big Oil Moment’ In Andaman
NEW DELHI: For decades, India’s hydrocarbon map barely moved. Exploration stayed confined to familiar provinces while nearly a million square kilometres of sedimentary basin lay locked behind regulatory barriers. That inertia is now breaking — and the Andaman Sea is at the centre of the shift. After opening up...
New Consumer Inflation Data To Bolster Policy Responses: CEA Nageswaran
NEW DELHI: India’s new Consumer Price Index (CPI) series using 2024 as a base year, unveiled on Thursday, captures the transition in household consumption trends over the past decade with greater spends going towards services even as the share of food in domestic budgets declined, and will help fiscal...
Govt Needs To Implement New PSE Policy Without Delay: Parliamentary Panel
NEW DELHI: A parliamentary panel on Thursday emphasised the need for the implementation of new Public Sector Enterprise (PSE) Policy without delay for achieving the intended objectives of fiscal prudence. The New PSE Policy for Atmanirbhar Bharat envisages that loss-making public sector undertakings (PSUs) in non-strategic sectors should be...
Finance Panel Urges Faster Disinvestment, MSME Credit
NEW DELHI: The Standing Committee on Finance, in its 29th report, tabled in the parliament on Thursday, seeks faster progress on fronts such as disinvestment, MSME lending, job generation, digitisation, and R&D while acknowledging the efforts made by the government to sustain the stability of the macro-economy. The report...
India Moving Towards Nuclear Self-Reliance, Says Government
NEW DELHI: The government on Thursday informed the Rajya Sabha that it was following timelines and safety measures on commissioning of nuclear plants in the country, and the third unit of the Kudankulam nuclear plant is likely to be completed by 2026 and the fourth by 2027. Replying to...
Reserve Bank Of India Moots Rules To Rein In Harsh Debt Recovery
MUMBAI: Seeking to ensure fair treatment of borrowers during the recovery process, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released draft guidelines barring banks and their recovery agents from using harsh or coercive practices. The draft norms explicitly prohibit abusive or threatening language, excessive or anonymous calls, inappropriate messages,...
RBI Looks To Ban Sales Incentive To Bank Staffers From Third Party
MUMBAI: In a move aimed at curbing the mis-selling of financial products, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed banning incentives paid to bank staffers by third parties such as insurance companies and mutual fund houses for selling their products and services. It has also proposed that banks...
US Softens Claims On Trade Deal Terms With India
NEW DELHI: The United States on Wednesday revised the factsheet on the trade deal with India released two days earlier, climbing down significantly on its claims about concessions wrested from New Delhi. The modification allayed apprehensions caused by the February 9 version of the factsheet, and gave more credence...
Trade Pacts Calibrated To Help Exporters, Farmers: FM
NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday strongly defended the India-US interim trade deal and the Union Budget for 2026-27 in the Lok Sabha, asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “always acts in India’s interest.” Responding to Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s “Bharat Mata sold” remark attacking...
FDI Norms Reset To Ease Investments, Improve Oversight
NEW DELHI: The government is examining a broad rationalisation of foreign direct investment (FDI) rules, covering listed and unlisted companies, company-level foreign holding caps, downstream investment norms, and pricing guidelines for cross-border share transfers. The proposed overhaul is part of a comprehensive review of the Foreign Exchange Management Non-debt...
Centre Plans Push To Revitalise Hospitality Training As Tourism Sector Expands
NEW DELHI: The Centre is exploring plans to revitalise the hospitality sector to produce skilled professionals who can support the country’s fast-growing tourism industry. Sources said the initiative is aimed at addressing the rising demand for trained personnel in hospitality services. As India emerges as a major hub in...
Government To Step Up PSU Stake Sale To Meet 25 Per Cent Public Float
NEW DELHI: To meet the minimum public shareholding (MPS) norm of 25% in listed public sector enterprises at the earliest, the government will accelerate stake sales in over a dozen PSUs and list major unlisted state-run firms, sources told FE. Apart from meeting regulatory norms, the stake dilution will...
India To Commit Zero Tax On Digital Services In Trade Pact
The US has said that India will remove its digital services taxes and negotiate rules that prohibit the imposition of customs duties on digital transmissions as part of the trade deal finalised on Saturday through a joint statement. The key detail of the digital trade was made public in...
FDI Inflow In Banking Sector Declines To $115 Million In FY25
NEW DELHI: Foreign direct investment (FDI) equity inflow in the banking sector has declined from $898 million in FY23 to $115 million in FY25, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. Total FDI inflow includes equity inflow, equity capital of unincorporated bodies, re-invested earnings, and other capital, Minister of State for...
Unemployment Falls Slightly To 6.7 Per Cent In Q3: Govt Survey
NEW DELHI: The rate of unemployment among persons aged 15 years and above in cities declined marginally to 6.7 per cent in October-December 2025 from 6.9 per cent in the previous quarter, showed a government survey released on Tuesday. In rural areas, the unemployment rate (UR) or joblessness among...
