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COVID-19 lockdown: Govt gives blanket extension of timeline for renewable projects

The move comes after renewable companies made representations to the government to allow a blanket extension for six months to overcome supply-side disruptions in completing the projects.




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Coronavirus effect: FY21 disinvestment plan to be reviewed

Among the possibilities, the government could garner some revenues from sale of the BPCL’s 61% stake sale in Numaligarh Refinery, which will be sold to state-run firms.




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Maharashtra agri body seeks procurement of grade 2 & 3 quality cotton

Ginning units are not keen on buying cotton since most of the workers have left for their villages and they do not have the capital to buy cotton and other processing units are also shut.




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Southern India Spinners’ Association seeks relief from Tamil Nadu

The unprecedented situation created by Covid–19 pandemic and lockdown announced by both the Union and state governments from March 24 has led to severe disruptions affecting the economy and impacting people at large and the MSME spinning mills.




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Attempt to restart industrial activity in Pune derails

The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) will not be granting permission to restart operations till May 3. Their online and offline permission system has been stopped.




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Cane dues pile up to over Rs 13,000 crore as mills face liquidy crunch

Now that the GOI has fixed the base price of sugar and most of the mills have set up distilleries too, to augment their business, the scenario has changed.




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Govt working on to address travails of migrant workers: Labour Secretary Heerala Samariya

The ministry of home affairs (MHA) had on April 19 issued a detailed standard operating procedure while allowing suitable deployment of their skills. As per Census, 2001, the total number of internal migrants in India was 309.385 million.




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No conflict if state cane prices higher than minimum fixed by Centre: Supreme Court

Since 2009-10, the SMP has been replaced with fair and remunerative price (FRP) and some states like Uttar Pradesh continue to announce state-advised prices which are higher than FRPs.




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Ludhiana association moves Supreme Court against direction to pay full wages during lockdown

The association also said hundreds of crores of unclaimed provident fund and employees state insurance corporation contribution lie in banks attracting interest.




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Non-food credit growth rises to 7.04% y-o-y during fortnight ended April 10

After the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cut its policy repo rate by 75 basis points (bps) on March 27, a number of banks and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) followed by cutting their lending rates.




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Rice purchase for central pool to hit record 50 MT

Though rabi rice procurement continues till the end of September, the maximum procurement happens by July 15 before monsoon covers the entire country.




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After Centre, Tamil Nadu freezes DA for govt staff, pensioners

Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ad-hoc grant of Rs 1,000 crore from National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF).




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IIT-M incubated start-up develops ‘Smart Bin System’ to prevent spread of coronavirus

In the case of Covid-19, hazardous waste is being generated in hospitals, quarantine zones or red zone areas within cities. They are potential sources of Covid-19 and can cause further spread within the locality.




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Nature and spirit of international trade would depart from standard rule post COVID-19

India has firmly established itself as a net steel exporter in FY20 with total steel exports at 11.183 MT (31 % growth over last year) exceeding the total steel imports at 7.164 MT by 4.02 MT.




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Govt task force lays out Rs 111-lakh-crore infra investment road map

The task force under economic affairs secretary Atanu Chakraborty submitted its final report on the “national infrastructure pipeline” (NIP) to finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.




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Supreme Court asks RBI to examine if EMI moratorium is being passed on

However, the Bench refused to interfere in the matter after the petitioners informed the judges that they were not personally affected and had filed the PILs in public interest.




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Lasalgaon to revert to auction of onions in loose format from May 4

The APMC officials pointed out workers usually come to the market yard on pick-up trucks, however, the police have been acting against them as social distancing is not maintained onboard the pick-ups.




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Lockdown effect: Sugar output till April 30 dips 20%, mills sign more export contracts

Mills in Uttar Pradesh have produced 11.65 MT as on April 30, 2020, which is 3.72 lakh tonne higher than what was produced a year ago. Of 119 mills operated this year, 44 mills have ended their crushing. As many as 75 mills are operating as against 68 mills last year till April 30.




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PM Modi tells ministries: Ensure farm credit is easy, review Essential Commodities Act

The prime minister is said to have suggested exploring possibility of creating commodity specific Board or Council so that cluster/contract farming takes place as that will help increase agricultural exports from the country.




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Lockdown effect: States’ tax receipts shrink nearly 80% in April, May could be worse

State governments seem to have collected the lowest-ever inflation-adjusted monthly tax revenue in April.




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Market reliance: Govt in a fix over raising H1 borrowing target

The central government will likely ramp up market borrowing in the second half of this fiscal, but may be forced to stick to its target for the first half at the moment.




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Covid lockdown effect: Banks, NBFCs urge RBI to extend moratorium by another three months

With the countrywide lockdown set to continue for two more weeks, banks have urged the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to extend the three-month moratorium on loans by another three months beyond May 31.




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Audit files to be opened for scrutiny for greater accountability

The National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) has floated draft procedures for submission of audit logs to the regulator by audit companies and chartered accountants (CAs).




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MFIs see demand picking up soon due to emergency loan requirement, kharif cultivation

Microfinance institutions (MFIs) believe the industry will bounce back in no time as they see demand for microcredit rising soon because of emergency loan requirements of their customers to restart businesses.




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Covid blues: Manufacturing PMI sees record slide in April

Indian manufacturing saw its worst contraction in April, as a nation-wide lock-down hit fresh orders and businesses cut staff at a record pace.




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Highway projects: Infrastructure panel wants HAM curtailed, favours BOT model; here’s why

The Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) for highway projects that insulates private developers from virtually any commercial risks, is putting stress on the highly-leveraged balance sheet of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and should therefore be ‘downplayed’.




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Pre-GST CENVAT credit available till June-end revised

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday allowed taxpayers registered under Goods and Services Tax (GST) to claim accumulated CENVAT credit from pre-GST regime till June 30, 2020, and noted that the benefit of transitional credit will be applicable for three years (since launch of GST on July 1, 2017) which is the period mentioned in the limitation Act.




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COVID-19 crisis: Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee for large fiscal stimulus, cash transfer to poor

Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee has recommended that India offer cash to the poorest 60% of its population and waive off loan repayments for small businesses in the June quarter, as he pitches for a large enough fiscal package to stimulate demand in the economy ravaged by the novel coronavirus crisis.




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Resumption post-Coronavirus lockdown: DMs hold the key to firms opening plant, office lock

Companies need to seek permission from the local administration – the office of the district magistrate – by submitting a host of information. Apart from the process being tedious and time-consuming, the final decision rests at DM's discretion.




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Co-operative banks can invoke SARFAESI Act, seize and sell defaulters’ assets to recover dues, says SC

The SARFAESI Act, which is now rarely being used after the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code has come into existence since 2016, allows banks to seize, take control, manage and sell assets of defaulting borrowers without the intervention of any court/tribunal and also ensures speedy recovery.




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GSTN allows inter-head cash transfer for taxpayers; resolves cash flow issues

GSTN added that a taxpayer can now transfer the amount available in an electronic cash ledger from one major head to another major head, keeping the minor head the same.




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UP hikes taxes on liquor, fuels; hopes to mop up Rs 4,500 crore annually

Grappling with low revenues following the outbreak of Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown, the UP government hiked the value added tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel and increased the excise duty on liquor.




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Procedural relief to GST payers, but experts say no substitute for financial package

The e-way bill generated on or before March 24 and expiring during the March 20-April 15 period would now be valid till May 31.




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Indian spinners stare at $3-billion loss in FY21: Icra

As the lockdown in China was lifted from the beginning of April 2020 onwards, spinners there have been scaling up operations.




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Refunds for garments exporters: Govt clears Rs 3,000-crore pending claims, more to follow

In an office memorandum dated April 30, reviewed by FE, the revenue department has said it has approved the release of the RoSL benefits, which will, however, be in the form of scrips, instead of cash.




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Locked out of galleries, Londoners find Caravaggio street art

The Italian baroque master’s 'Supper at Emmaus' is usually exhibited at London's National Gallery but, with that shut, Stanhope’s giant interpretation is now on show in Ladywell, southeast London




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‘Bailing out the Titanic’ - French arts struggle amid coronavirus

With the entertainment industry shut down by the virus, President Emmanuel Macron pledged to extend aid for out-of-work actors and performers until next year, and to set up a fund to help the paralysed film industry




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Over 100 arrests in global crackdown on artefacts trade

'Organised crime has many faces. The trafficking of cultural goods is one of them. It is not a glamorous business run by flamboyant gentlemen forgers, but by international criminal networks'




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Blind luck, red wine: Famed war photographer beats virus at 97

Celebrated wartime and celebrity photographer Tony Vaccaro, now 97, is getting over a bout with COVID-19. He attributes his longevity to 'blind luck, red wine' and grit




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Greece’s ‘invisible’ artists call for help in virus squeeze

In a country where art is widely seen as a pastime, and performers have long struggled to secure steady pay and royalties, the closure of theatres and cinemas and the cancellation of summer festivals has wrought havoc




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The truly autonomous car is here: Volvo, Uber unveil production ready self-driving vehicle

The Volvo XC90 SUV presented this week is the first production car that in combination with Uber’s self-driving system is capable of fully driving itself.




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Review: Hyundai Kona electric car shows petrol, diesel vehicles their place in history

The Kona Electric is lightning quick from any speed to any speed, because the massive 395Nm of torque is delivered instantly by the electric motor, unlike a petrol/diesel vehicle where the engine needs to reach a particular RPM to deliver similar power




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MG Motor Hector review: This British SUV ‘listens’ to you and talks back

MG Motor is a British carmaker now owned by SAIC Motor of China. The Hector is its first product for the Indian market—and the company calls it India’s first internet car.




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How can the budget help ensure sustainable growth for auto industry

How can the budget help ensure sustainable growth for auto industry




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Honda Cars plans to redesign dealerships to provide better customer experience

Honda Cars implements new corporate identity for its dealer network.




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Mahindra comes up with World of SUVs – premium vehicle showrooms

Over 300 World of SUVs set up in six months.




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Urban mobility: The need and future in India

As a developing nation, India cannot afford such huge investments and needs to shift from car-dependency to public transport.




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Hyundai Kona Electric review: You get exclusivity, feeling of setting a benchmark

The Kona Electric, the world’s first electric compact SUV, was launched in India last week. Priced Rs 25.3 lakh, it’s available for sale in 11 cities.




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Dabur rating: Neutral; First quarter results were ahead of expectations

Guidance for year has been cautious; FY20/21e EPS up 1/0.4%; valuations are fair; ‘Neutral’ maintained




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Two-wheelers: What dealers must do to retain customers

Quick and efficient service plays a crucial part in dealer profitability