Author: NNI Editor

Representative image | Photo Credit: Reuters Ola Electric Mobility Ltd on Saturday (March 15, 2025) said its vehicle registration service provider Rosmerta Digital Services Ltd has sought the initiation of insolvency proceedings against its wholly owned arm Ola Electric Technologies Pvt Ltd.In a regulatory filing, the company said, “A petition has been filed under Section 9 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC) by M/s. Rosmerta Digital Services Ltd, an operational creditor of Ola Electric Technologies Pvt Ltd.” The petition has been submitted before the National Company Law Tribunal’s Bengaluru Bench, alleging default in payment towards the services rendered…

Tuhin Kanta Pandey, the former Union Finance Secretary, took charge as the Chairman of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on March 1, Saturday. The next day, the news broke that a Mumbai Special Court Judge directed the city’s Anti-Corruption Bureau to file FIRs on former SEBI chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch and three of the regulator’s four Wholetime Members for their alleged complicity in listing of a now delisted company in 1994.Without wasting any time, Mr. Pandey, 59, moved into action. In a statement, SEBI said that even though these officials were not holding their respective positions at the relevant…

Representative image | Photo Credit: Reuters Standard Chartered has raised 1 billion euro (about ₹9,400 crore) through issuance of the first social bond which will support sustainable development projects across the bank’s emerging market footprint, including India. The 8-year bond will primarily facilitate lending to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), ensuring access to finance, helping create jobs and empowering and nurturing women-owned SMEs, StanChart said in a statement on Friday.Of the total, about 50% would be allocated for India for sustainable projects.Proceeds will also finance access to essential services including healthcare and education, and will facilitate investment into affordable…

MF industry recorded a 24% rise in AUM at ₹68-lakh crore (₹55 lakh crore). | Photo Credit: Getty Images Despite volatility in the equity market, mutual fund inflows over the past 11 months have far exceeded bank deposits,In the last 11 months of the current fiscal, growth in banks’ time (fixed) deposits slowed to 9.2% (or up by ₹17.29-lakh crore) against 11.2% (₹18.69-lakh crore) in the year ago period, per RBI data.In the same period, inflows into mutual funds were up 90% at ₹9.79-lakh crore (₹5.14-lakh crore), according to the Association of Mutual Funds in India data.In fact, the growth…

Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare. | Photo Credit: X@inidhikhare The government is putting in place an ecosystem to eventually resolve consumer complaints at the pre-litigation stage itself, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said on Saturday (March 15, 2025).Speaking at a World Consumer Rights Day webinar, Ms. Khare said a hassle-free, speedy, and cost-effective platform through the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) system has been created to resolve consumer grievances.The technological transformation of NCH with artificial intelligence (AI) tools has led to a significant increase in its call-handling capacity. The number of calls received by NCH has grown nearly tenfold from 14,795…

Image used for representative purpose only. | Photo Credit: SIDDHANT THAKUR Real estate developers have acquired 5,885 acres land during 2022-24 for ₹90,000 crore to build projects amid strong demand for housing and commercial assets, according to JLL India.Real estate consultant JLL India data showed that real estate developers bought 1,603 acres of land in 2022 for ₹18,112 crore, 1,947 acres in 2023 for ₹32,203 crore.During 2024, the land acquisition by developers touched 2,335 acres costing ₹39,742 crore.During the 2022-24 period, real estate developers bought 5,885 acres for ₹90,057 crore.The data includes only outright purchases by real estate developers, the…

In the sharpest jump in over two years, the country’s foreign exchange reserves increased by $15.267 billion to $653.966 billion during the week ended March 7, the RBI has said.The overall reserves had dropped by $1.781 billion to $638.698 billion in the previous week.The reserves had been on a declining trend recently due to revaluation along with forex market interventions by RBI to help reduce volatilities in the rupee. The forex reserves had increased to an all-time high of $704.885 billion at end-September 2024.The sharp rise during the week under review is being attributed to the $10 billion forex swap…

The government has reached final stages in free trade agreements with a few countries, indicated the Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal at a recent meeting with representatives of export promotion councils (EPCs) and industry associations in New Delhi. The meeting with the EPCs followed days after Mr. Goyal’s visit to Washington where he met with his U.S. counterpart Howard Lutinck to further bilateral trade talks even as President Donald Trump decided to go ahead with the proposed reciprocal tariffs against India beginning April 2. On the ongoing efforts on bilateral agreements, Mr. Goyal said the Government is…

With digital interventions such as telemedicine platforms, AI-driven diagnostics and mobile health initiatives already ensuring access for patients to specialists and timely interventions, going forward, innovative financing solutions, including flexible payment plans, bundled care packages and digital tools that provide real-time cost estimates and insurance eligibility, would help patients make informed choices and access affordable healthcare, says Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder & Chairman, Aster DM Healthcare in an interview.  Healthcare costs can be a challenge for many in India. What are the key factors driving these high costs, and how can they be addressed? India’s healthcare landscape is undergoing a…

Jairam Ramesh. File | Photo Credit: ANI The Congress on Saturday (March 15, 2025) took a swipe at the government over its implementation of differential GST rates, saying that after popcorn, it is now the turn of donuts to get afflicted by “GSTitis.” Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh cited a media report on X which stated that Singapore-based chain Mad Over Donuts is facing a ₹100 crore tax notice for allegedly misclassifying its business and paying 5% GST, claiming it is a restaurant service, as opposed to paying 18% tax on bakery items.GST collections rise 9.1% to ₹1.84…