Since the first lockdown extension, Crane Owners Association of India, which has over 150 members, have written twice to MSME Minister Nitin Gadkari and once to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, seeking their help.

In commodity markets, US crude futures sank in early trade on worries about oil oversupply, even as some US states start to ease coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

The NSE Nifty 50 index was down 4.25% at 9,448.15, while the S&P BSE Sensex was 4.34% lower at 32,260.30.

India's solar and gas-fired electricity generation rose in April even as overall power demand fell at the steepest monthly rate in at least thirteen years, a Reuters analysis of provisional government data showed.

The rupee opened weak at 75.70 at the interbank forex market and then fell further to 75.80, down 71 paise over its last close.

The state retailers' petrol and diesel sales in first half of April declined by 61% and 64%, respectively, as a nation-wide lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus brought economic activity to a standstill.

Antibody testing is an important step to tell if someone has been previously infected. It will provide more understanding of the virus.

After a highly volatile session, the 30-share BSE index settled at 31,715.35, plunging 2,002.27 points, or 5.94 per cent.

Bharat Petroleum was seeking to buy a May 25 delivery cargo two weeks ago, but the tender was not awarded then, market sources said previously.

Professional indemnity policy offers protection to professionals against potential claims for injury or loss resulting from their advice action for failure to fulfil their duties.

Sectoral meetings, held separately in two sessions through video conference, were also attended by Deputy Governors and other senior officers of RBI.

As many as 43 crore transactions leading to disbursement of Rs 16,101 crore took place during the lockdown period, the Finance Ministry said in a tweet on Monday.

Petrol in Delhi now costs Rs 71.26 a litre as against Rs 69.59 previously, oil industry sources said.

ONGC was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying over 5 per cent, followed by M&M, Bharti Airtel, IndusInd Bank, ICICI Bank, PowerGrid and Tech Mahindra.

Forex traders said a positive start of domestic stocks supported the local unit, while sustained foreign fund outflows and concerns over coronavirus outbreak weighed on the local unit.

Investors, however, remained worried about brewing Sino-US tensions after President Donald Trump threatened new tariffs on China for its handling of the outbreak.

Imposition of anti-dumping duty is permissible under the World Trade Organization (WTO) regime. India and China are members of this Geneva-based organisation, which deals with global trade norms.

The report said the increase in non-performing assets by 2-4 percentage points will need a government recapitalisation requirement by $7-15 billion.

Slumping over 810 points from the day's high, the 30-share BSE index settled 261.84 points or 0.83 per cent lower at 31,453.51.

Analysts agree that Covid-19 pandemic will lead to an increase in bank's gross non-performing assets with some reports pegging the stock to double as well.

These duty rate changes will come into effect from May 6.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell as much as 2.1 per cent to $24.05 a barrel and were down 14 cents at $24.41 a barrel at 0201 GMT. WTI has snapped a five-day winning streak.

The government hiked excise duty on petrol by Rs 10 per litre and that on diesel by Rs 13 a litre to mop up gains arising from international oil prices falling to a two-decade low.

The grim result for the industry, the engine of economic growth and jobs, underlined the pandemic's sweeping impact across India as authorities extended a nationwide lockdown.

ITC was the top loser in the Sensex pack, tanking nearly 6 per cent, followed by Axis Bank, Titan, Bajaj Auto, Maruti, M&M, L&T and IndusInd Bank.

Forex traders said the weakness in the rupee was largely due to the strengthening US dollar. Besides, rising coronavirus cases in the country also weighed on the local unit.

After swinging over 800 points during the day, the 30-share index closed 232.24 points or 0.74 per cent higher at 31,685.75.

Currently, businesses are required to digitally sign GSTR-3B form while filing monthly return and paying taxes.

However, the data only reflect company payrolls through April 12 so the report does not reflect the full impact of COVID-19 on the overall employment situation.

Indian stocks slid on Thursday, with declines led by banks and Hindustan Unilever, as coronavirus cases in the country crossed 50,000 despite a strict weeks-long lockdown.

GSK has agreed to sell its entire stake in Unilever's Indian business for about 254.8 billion rupees ($3.35 billion) on the open market, cashing in late from the sale of the Horlicks brand.

India is prioritizing medical equipment suppliers, food processing units, textiles, leather and auto part makers among more than 550 products covered in the discussions.

Under this new product, an additional 30 basis points premium will be payable for senior citizen's retail term deposits with "5 Years & above" tenor only.

ONGC was the top loser in the Sensex pack, slumping over 4 per cent, followed by NTPC, Kotak Bank, Titan, Bharti Airtel and PowerGrid.

Participating in the same meeting, Union Minister for MSME and Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari also said "a package is going to be declared".

Yes Bank's board had to be superseded by the RBI and the government earlier this year after alleged mismanagement under its founder CEO Rana Kapoor.

The minister also noted that the pendency of dues owed to MSME units by the central government, state governments, public sector undertakings and major industries was "very high".

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has written to Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal seeking his intervention in the matter.

The state government on Thursday increased the VAT on petrol to 38 per cent from 36 per cent earlier while on diesel to 28 per cent from 27 per cent earlier.

Sebi also said 'some mutual fund schemes' continued to invest in high risk and 'opaque' debt securities despite the regulatory framework having been amended for safeguarding investors' interest.

She further said that state-owned banks implemented the moratorium announced by the RBI on repayment of loans.

This is the third high profile-investment in Reliance Jio in as many weeks.

The upbeat sentiment follows gains of over 1% in main U.S. and European stock indexes on Thursday.

Cognizant follows January-December as financial year. Its net profit was at USD 441 million in the March 2019 quarter.

Equity benchmark Sensex rallied over 600 points in opening session on Friday as strong gains in index-heavyweight Reliance Industries, massive foreign fund inflow and positive global cues boosted market sentiment.

Forex traders said a positive start of domestic stocks and significant foreign fund inflows supported the local unit.

The ratings agency said it expected India to see no growth in financial year 2021 and bounce back to a 6.6% GDP growth in FY22.

After rallying 645.13 points during the day, the 30-share index surrendered most gains to settle 199.32 points or 0.63 per cent higher at 31,642.70.

Despite crude prices trading at a two decades low, the government had earlier this week hiked excise duty on petrol by Rs 10 a litre and on diesel by Rs 13 a litre to mop up nearly Rs 1.6 lakh crore in additional revenue this fiscal.

In the year-ago fortnight, bank loans had stood at Rs 96.20 lakh crore and deposits at Rs 124.83 lakh crore.