China supplies several components for air conditioners made in India. Shortage of these components could affect AC production in India. "We are well stocked till the first week of April. But unless the supply from China is restored in the next couple of weeks, we could face a challenge in the production front after that," said C P Mukundan Menon of Blue Star.

Appliances and consumer electronics makers are using social media platforms and other online tools to reach their customers, who are facing problems with products amid the lockdown.

Electronic items like the mobile phones, TVs, laptops will be available on the e-commerce platforms from April 20, the official said. However, the delivery vans of the e-commerce companies will need permission from authorities for plying on the roads. According to Wednesday's guidelines, commercial and private establishments were allowed to operate during the extended lockdown.

​​Individually, each brand is seeking more clarity and approval on the guidelines. The guidelines say that we would have to open in a phased manner. All brands are gearing up to open up, wherever, it will be permitted," CEAMA President Kamal Nandi said.

Companies like Panasonic India, Godrej Appliances, Dixon Technologies and Super Plastronics Pvt Ltd said with retail outlets shut there is no point to start production as there is existing unsold inventory of March at warehouses and dealers.

Summer sales of air-conditioners, refrigerators, soft drinks and ice creams will take a massive hit this year.

Production cuts will be most in premium portfolio as consumers curb discretionary spending.

The company has cut prices anywhere from Rs 2,000 on the smaller screen televisions going up to Rs two lakh on a flagship 85-inch model apart from rolling out long tenure no-cost EMI schemes and bundling offers. It has launched a new 85-inch model at Rs 5.9 lakh bringing down its earlier pricing structure of Rs 10 lakh in this screen size.

With just 73 confirmed cases of the virus and no deaths, India, a country of 1.3 billion people, has so far fared better than elsewhere in Asia, Europe and North America. But experts say India's already overstretched medical system would struggle to deal with a major rise in serious cases.

Tour operators estimate January-March quarter earnings could fall by more than 60 per cent.

The association also demanded six to nine months' moratorium on all principal and interest payments on loans and overdrafts, besides deferment of GST and advance tax payments. They also asked the minister for removal of fees for any upcoming licenses, permits renewal, excise exemption for liquor for the hospitality and travel industry across the country.

"We are closely working with all our airline and hotel partners on lenient customer policies for date change, cancellations and waivers in the face of evolving travel trends and are seamlessly passing the waiver benefits to our customers, as applicable," MakeMyTrip said in the letter.

India's biggest OTA MakeMyTrip has issued alerts to its customers stating there are attempts being made by fraudsters to seek bank account details and other personal information from customers who are seeking refunds for booking cancellations.

The ministry said the portal will help tourists get information on state tourism departments and regional offices of the ministry of tourism to help them stay safe and healthy while in India. It will also help them find information on ways of getting back to their home country, the ministry added.

IATO said it seeks a financial bailout package to defray the salaries of the employees and operational cost of offices based on the turnover of the company in last financial year. IATO also that said it also seeks a 9 to 12 months deferment (without any interest) on all principle and interest payments on bank loans.

Uber Essentials, for which approvals are being sought from state governments, will be extended to other cities early this week once approved, said Pradeep Parameswaran, President of Uber India, and South Asia.

The ministry said the webinar series will provide information on the many destinations and the 'depth' and 'expanse' of the culture and heritage of India. The first webinar on Tuesday touched upon the history of Delhi and was titled " City of Cities- Delhi's Personal Diary'.

According to senior member Rajiv Mehra, no international flights are operating till May 1, so international ticket booking would not have happened during the first phase of the lockdown. "When there is no booking, the question of refund does not arise. As regards the domestic sector, everything is in lockdown, so virtually no bookings have taken place, so no refund would be required," he said.

Sensing a long-term lull in overseas travel, the Ministry of Tourism launched ‘Dekho Apna Desh’, a webinar series hosted by experts who will share key nuggets and information on destinations like Varanasi, Pondicherry, Ladakh, Kolkata and Lucknow.

At least 40% of premium class foreign tourists visiting Nepal or Bhutan prefer touching Sikkim. Arrival of near 1.5 lakh foreign tourists and around 14 lakh domestic visitors in a year contributes a significant share to near Rs 400 crore worth annual tourism business of Sikkim-Darjeeling hills.

Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Ltd (MHRIL) on Sunday said it plans to first reopen resorts that are at drivable distance from the metro cities once the coronavirus lockdown is lifted.

Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality, the policy federation of all the national associations representing the tourism, travel and hospitality industry of India has revised upwards its value estimates at risk to Indian tourism.

Lockdown has pushed hotel business in tourism hotspot Sikkim to the brink where investors from Bengal and other states are the first tire victims. Equal sufferer is over 70% of Sikkim's population dependent on hospitality industry that generates around Rs 1.5 k croer business there in a year.

High mortality and fast-changing fortunes are a given when it comes to payments ecosystem, much like food-ordering and ecommerce marketplaces.

Digital wallets need to look beyond purely functional benefits to catch on in India, argues Leo Burnett’s Dheeraj Sinha.

It has been billed as the 'WhatsApp of money'.

Nevermind the short-term hype. Banks believe they will be the last men standing in the payment wars.

A move to reduce active offline banking in the country resulted in the extreme opposite, at least in the short term.

Given the ingenuity of virtual thieves, the bug zappers of the virtual world are counting on there always being a need for their services.

Speaking the same language is a business imperative if e-wallets want to make any kind of impact outside big cities.

Bhavik Vasa, chief growth officer of ItzCash, contends the market opportunity is huge as 85% of the population is still dealing with cash.

Now, wire makers want their spot in the light after providing us safe ways to light our homes.

From the glow of the once-admired brand the venture has seen its stock slip and slide.

Author Jeetendr Sehdev says that he is living and breathing the KKP.

It is that moment of impulse, where satiation of a craving overtakes all rationale and emotions.

The Micromax chief is not unnerved with the over-the-top aggression of Chinese rivals who have been 'burning' money on a marketing blitzkrieg.

How Adidas India is making a style statement Originals, which now contributes over 10% to its revenues.

With over 50% share, Chinese smartphones have run roughshod over their Indian rivals. How did this happen and what next?

Default of a Portugese bank, Ukraine-Russia face-off, developments in Middle East and signs of weakness in US economy have subdued investor sentiment.

While the economy appears likely to rebound from a first-quarter contraction, Yellen said the progress “bears close watching.

IBM salesmen to now recommend Apple devices to their healthcare & banking clients

Huatong Road & Bridge Group Co, based in the northern province of Shanxi, said it may miss a 400 million yuan ($64.5 million) note payment due July 23.

By comparison, the US had a 260% total-debt-to-GDP ratio in 2013 and Japan has 415%, according to the Financial Times.

Opening of the Saudi stock market would be a major positive for the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region, with a total market capitalisation expected at $1.2 trillion.

China shares rose sharply as investors plowed into blue chips, cheered by progress of a trading plan that will soon make it much easier for foreigners to buy Shanghai stocks.

We asked dozens of our favorite analysts, economists, strategists, and portfolio managers on Wall Street and around the world to send us their most important charts.

Market peaks have occurred historically at 25x-30x times earnings. On that basis, the market is fairly valued but not exceedingly expensive.

If the S&P 500 earns $115 in 2014, it is selling at 17.1x earnings. Market peaks have occurred historically at 25x-30x earnings.

In his latest note, Jonathan Krinsky of MKM Partners, uses parable of the boy who cried wolf to describe the past year and a half of action in the stock market.

US stocks ended near flat as concern about an escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict offset gains in consumer staples shares.