Author: GP Editor
Image for representational purposes only. | Photo Credit: The Hindu The story so far: On February 21, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) floated a consultation paper seeking to waive foreclosure charges, and prepayment penalties, on loans taken by micro and small enterprises (MSEs). At present, banks and non-banking financial institutions (NBFCs) cannot levy the same on any term loan at floating rates of an individual borrower. The proposals thus extend these provisions to MSEs for business purposes emphasising the “paramount importance” of “easy and affordable” financing for them. Comments to the proposed measures are solicited until March 21. What all…
The meeting was held between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic. File. | Photo Credit: @PiyushGoyal on X via PTI With India and the European Union (EU) setting the year-end deadline to conclude a free trade agreement, teams from both sides held discussions on Saturday (March 1, 2025) to accelerate efforts towards a balanced and mutually beneficial pact.The meeting was held between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic in Mumbai along with officials from both sides.Also read | This is…
Tata Motors and Hyundai Motor India in February reported a 8% and a 3% year on year (YoY) decline in total vehicle wholesale numbers respectively while market leader Maruti Suzuki reported a marginal growth of less than 1%. Mahindra & Mahindra, Toyota Kirloskar Motor and Kia put up a strong show with a growth of 15%, 13% and 24% respectively, data released by individual companies on Saturday show. Maruti Suzuki reported wholesale of 1,99,400 units as compared with 1,97,471 units a year ago, up 0.97%. This includes domestic passenger vehicles (PV) wholesale of 1,60,791 (1,60,271) units.Hyundai reported PV wholesales of 58,727…
(from left ) V Ramesh, Additional Director (Executive Director); R. Vijay Anandh, Executive Director and G. Mahalingam, Non Executive Chairman, City Union Bank; Rohit Katyal – Head Of Commercial, CSK; Sriram, CFO, CSK and Abhishek, Legal Head, CSK at the launch of CUB- CSK co-branded Credit Card, in Chennai on Saturday . | Photo Credit: BIJOY GHOSH City Union Bank (CUB) on Saturday announced a strategic partnership with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), to introduce a new co-branded credit card. This collaboration offers fans of the franchise a chance to enhance their financial journey while enjoying exclusive perks related to their…
Sarangi exponent Murad Ali, who belongs to the Moradabad gharana The sarangi is North India’s premier accompanying instrument for vocalists, as it most closely resembles the human voice. Its antiquity dates back centuries — in its current shape and size, the instrument is approximately 250 to 300 years old. The original gut strings were replaced by metal wires in the last 100 years. Hugely versatile, the sarangi is irreplaceable for vocal and Kathak performances. Surprisingly, despite its importance, there are very few exclusive gharanas for sarangi players — the two that come to mind are the virtually defunct Jhajjar gharana, near…
The Mission for Cotton Productivity that was announced in the Union Budget last month is expected to take off in another four-five months.At a post-budget webinar on agriculture and rural prosperity held on Saturday, one of the discussions was on the Mission for cotton where stakeholders presented their views.The Mission, which will be implemented at a cost of ₹2,500 crore over five years will have three mini missions.One mini mission (Kapas Kranti) will focus on improving cotton yield and productivity for farmers. It will look at strategic interventions such as research, extension, and human resource development and it will be…
NMDC CMD (additional charge) Amitava Mukherjee said the production reflects a strong operational momentum. | Photo Credit: Arrangement State-owned iron ore miner NMDC reported an almost 18% increase in production to 4.62 million tonne (MT) for February from the 3.92 MT a year earlier. Sales was flat at 3.98 MT (3.99 MT). It was the highest output thus far in February. The 18% boost is reflective of a strong operational momentum. “Consistent growth like this is an outcome of an efficient mining ecosystem driven by an innovative and ingenious spirit… our team is relentless in its pursuit of crossing new…
The United Planters’ Association of Southern India (UPASI) has expressed concern over declining productivity and mounting costs faced by coffee growers in India due to climate change.Erratic weather patterns leading to prolonged dry spells, unseasonal rains, and increased pest infestations continued to pose a serious challenge to coffee production in India, the Association said in a press note.India’s average coffee productivity declined from 947 kg per ha in 2000 to 814 kg per ha in 2023, with Arabica productivity seeing a drop from 815 kg per ha to 464 kg per ha during the same period.Further, the coffee plantations were…
Ajay Seth, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs. File | Photo Credit: ANI Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth was on Saturday (March 1, 2025) given additional charge of the post of Secretary, Department of Revenue, according to a Personnel Ministry order.The vacancy was necessitated following the appointment of Revenue Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey as the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on February 27. Mr. Pandey on Saturday (March 1, 2025) assumed charge as the chief of the Mumbai-based capital markets regulator.The competent authority has approved the assignment of the additional charge of the secretary of the…
A still from ‘Flow’ | Photo Credit: @madmanfilms/YouTube Pardon the wordplay in the headline. I could not help it. Films rarely feel as simple yet complete and…. as perfect as Gints Zilbalodis’ animated fantasy adventure, Flow. In a runtime of less than 90 minutes — in which not a single word is spoken yet a lot gets conveyed — Zilbalodis manages to capture a diversity of emotions in this heart-warming tale of survival and hope. The events of Flow seem to unfold in a world where humans have disappeared. While it’s unclear what caused them to become non-existent, it’s quite…