General Awareness

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY - June 2020

Jun 2020

Aug 29, 2020

Banks Board Bureau Recommends Dinesh Khara as SBI Chairman

The Banks Board Bureau recommended Dinesh Kumar Khara for the post of chairman of State Bank of India (SBI), the country's largest lender. However, the government will take the final call on the appointment.
Khara, the senior-most managing director at SBI, who looks after global banking, associates, and subsidiaries, will replace Rajnish Kumar, whose term as chairman comes to an end on October 7, 2020.
The Bureau, the headhunter for state-owned banks and financial institutions, interviewed the four managing directors of SBI. Keeping in view their performance in the interface and their overall experience, the Bureau recommended Dinesh Kumar Khara for the vacancy of chairman.
The Bureau also recommended Challa Sreenivasulu Setty as the candidate on the reserve list for the post.
The two other MDs were Arijit Basu, who is slated to retire next month, and Ashwani Bhatia, who was appointed MD early this month.

Ravi Shankar Prasad Launches "Chunauti" - Next Generation Start-up Challenge Contest

The Union Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched "Chunauti"- Next Generation Start-up Challenge Contest to boost startups and software products with special focus on Tier-II towns of India.
The programme aims to identify around 300 start-ups working in identified areas and provide them seed fund of upto Rs. 25 Lakh and other facilities. The government has earmarked an amount worth Rs. 95.03 crore over a period of 3 years for the programme.
Under the contest, the Electronics and IT Ministry will invite startups in the following areas of work:
1. Edu-Tech, Agri-Tech & Fin-Tech Solutions for masses
2. Supply Chain, Logistics & Transportation Management
3. Infrastructure & Remote monitoring
4. Medical Healthcare, Diagnostic, Preventive & Psychological Care
5. Jobs & Skilling, Linguistic tools & technologies
The start-ups selected through the Chunauti contest will then be provided various support from the Government through Software Technology Parks of India centers across India.
he start-ups will be provided with incubation facilities, mentorship, access to venture capitalist funding, security testing facilities, industry connect and advisories in legal, HR, IPR and Patent matters.
The government will also provide them with a seed fund of upto Rs. 25 Lakh. The startups will also be provided with cloud credits from leading cloud service providers.

Next Tranche of Gold Bond to Open for Subscription

According to a statement by RBI, the issue price for the sixth tranche of the Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme has been fixed at Rs. 5,117 per gram,.
The Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme 2020-21 series VI will open for subscription on August 31, 2020 and close on September 4, 2020.
The government, in consultation with the RBI, has decided to offer a discount of Rs. 50 per gram less than the nominal value to those investors applying online and the payment against the application is made through digital mode.
Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB) 2020-21 is issued by the Reserve Bank India on behalf of the Government of India.
The bonds are denominated in multiples of gram(s) of gold with a basic unit of 1 gram and the tenor of the SGB will be eight years with exit option after fifth year to be exercised on the interest payment dates.
The bonds are restricted for sale to resident individuals, Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs), Trusts, Universities and Charitable Institutions.

Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) Completes Six Years

The 6th anniversary of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna (PMJDY) was observed which was launched on August 28, 2014. On this occasion, Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman reiterated the importance of this biggest financial inclusion initiative in the world. It has been the foundation stone for the Indian government's people-centric economic initiatives.
The objective of PMJDY is to ensure access to financial services, namely, Banking/ Savings & Deposit Accounts, Remittance, Credit, Insurance, Pension in an affordable manner.
The Slogan of PMJDY is "Mera Khata – Bhagya Vidhaata."
It is operated by the Department of Financial Services under the Union Finance Ministry.
The scheme was launched based upon the following 6 pillars:
1. Universal access to banking services
2. Basic savings bank accounts with overdraft facility of Rs. 10,000/- to every household
3. Financial Literacy Program– Promoting savings, use of ATMs, getting ready for credit, availing insurance and pensions, using basic mobile phones for banking
4. Creation of Credit Guarantee Fund – To provide banks some guarantee against defaults
5. Insurance – Accident cover up to Rs. 1,00,000 and life cover of Rs. 30,000 on account opened between 15 Aug 2014 to 31 January 2015
6. Pension scheme for unorganised sector

Aug 28, 2020

PAG to Acquire Stake in Wealth Management, Investment Banking Business of Edelweiss

PAG has agreed to buy a controlling stake in the wealth management and capital markets business of Edelweiss Financial Services that also includes investment banking, its first large deal in the country after setting up local base in 2019.
PAG, among the largest Asia-focussed alternative asset management firm, on Thursday said in an official statement that it is paying Rs. 2,244 crore to buy a 51% stake in these businesses that will be carved out of Edelweiss subsidiary, called Edelweiss Global Investment Advisors.
In Edelweiss, both these businesses come under the omnibus umbrella of Edelweiss Global Wealth Management Limited (EGWML). The company will issue compulsorily convertible debentures (CCDs) to PAG worth Rs. 2,204 crore. There will also be a primary issuance of securities by Edelweiss' securities business of around Rs. 140 crore to EGWML and PAG along with the other existing shareholders.
The sale was approved at the board meeting held on Thursday, the company announced to the exchange. Parent Edelweiss will retain around 37% stake in the entity while existing investors Sanaka Capital and US-based Kora Management will own a total of 12%, company filings to the exchanges showed. Together, Sanaka and Kora had invested Rs. 1,160 crore in EGIA last year.

Mahindra Signs MoU with Israeki Firm - REE Automotive to Develop Electric Commercial Vehicles

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), (a part of Mahindra Group) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with REE Automotive, a Tel-Aviv, Israel based start-up firm to explore development and manufacturing of electric commercial vehicles for the global market.
The corner modular architecture of REE integrated with the design, engineering, sourcing, ecosystem and production capacity of Mahindra will provide zero emission vehicles, including the autonomous vehicles.
This will improve Mahindra's capabilities in the Electric Vehicle (EV) sector.
This partnership aims to provide 2-2.5 lakh electric commercial vehicle units over years to support the needs of REE's global customers and potential volumes of domestic and international markets of Mahindra.
REE will utilise the Mahindra's global presence, volume flexibility capability, engineering and product development.

CCI Approves Carlyle Group's Stake Acquisition in Airtel's Data Centre Business

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved acquisition of compulsorily convertible preference shares and equity shares in Airtel's data centre business, Nxtra Data, by Carlyle Group's Comfort Investments II.
The Carlyle Group in July had said that it would acquire about 25 per cent stake in Nxtra Data Ltd for USD 235 million (about Rs. 1,780 crore).
On completion of the deal, Carlyle will hold about 25 per cent stake in the business, with Airtel continuing to hold the remaining stake of about 75 per cent.
Nxtra Data is a fully-owned subsidiary of Bharti Airtel Ltd and provides data centre colocation services through its 10 data centres located in India, while Comfort Investments II is a special purpose acquisition vehicle, owned and controlled by investment funds advised by the affiliates of The Carlyle Group Inc.

RBI Announces OMO Purchase of Govt. Securities

The Reserve Bank of India is to conduct open market operations or OMO of government securities worth Rs. 20,000 crore in two tranches.
On a review of current and evolving liquidity and market conditions, RBI has decided to conduct simultaneous purchase and sale of govt securities under Open Market Operation (OMO) for an aggregate amount of Rs. 20,000 cr in two tranches of Rs. 10,000 cr each.
The auctions will be conducted in August and September and the results will be announced on the same day.
Eligible participants need to submit their bids and offers in electronic format on the RBI core banking solution (E-Kuber) system.

Walmart Joins Microsoft in Pursuit of Deal to Acquire TikTok

Walmart Inc. has teamed up with Microsoft Corp. in a joint bid to acquire TikTok, a surprise move that signals the retail giant's desire to become a force in technology and media and reach younger shoppers.
Walmart said that the move could help grow its third-party online marketplace unit along with its nascent advertising arm, two areas that Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon would like to expand. The two companies already work together, as Walmart uses Microsoft's Azure cloud platform across the entire company.

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Launches Real-time Assistance Service

Private life insurer Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance launched a new technology service called 'Smart Assist' that provides real-time assistance to customers.
Using a screen sharing feature, the agent will be able to assist customers live to fill up the proposal form and also help them in the policy purchase journey.
Even if there is an error in the form that has to be corrected in the proposal form, this can be done through the screen-sharing process.
Smart Assist is designed to help customers know all about their product, through virtual assistance, since face-to-face meetings have been a challenge amid the coronavirus pandemic.

HDFC Bank, Indusind and Kotak out of FTSE Indices

FTSE Russell won't be including HDFC Bank Ltd., Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. and IndusInd Bank Ltd. to its indices as they fail to meet minimum foreign headroom requirement. Shares of the private banks gained through the week on expectations of inflows from inclusion in the FTSE world indices as part of its semi-annual review. So far this week, HDFC Bank is up 2.6%, while Kotak Mahindra Bank and IndusInd Bank have gained up to 6% and 18%, respectively.
Following the increased foreign investment limits for publicly listed companies in India, FTSE Russell, an index compiler that's a unit of London Stock Exchange Group Plc., had decided to increase the weight of Indian constituents in its global indices.

Innoviti and Visa Partner to Develop Installments Platform for Face-to-Face Transactions

Innoviti Payment Solutions Pvt. Ltd.(Innoviti) and Visa have partnered to develop an installment platform, which will enable the issuers to extend credit to their cardholders at face-to-face Point of Sale (PoS) in India. The installments platform with the suite of platform capabilities leveraging Innoviti's uniPAYNEXT platform and Visa's APIs, provides shoppers the ability to choose how they pay during the purchase.
As part of this partnership, Innovity and Visa plan to collaborate and pilot a variety of installment use cases.
Initially, the platform will be piloted with one bank and enabled for key electronic merchant chains on Innoviti's platform.
It will finally be extended to other banks, merchants, and payment service providers through easy to use APIs, using which they can develop more use cases.

Aug 27, 2020

Gujarat Tops Export Preparedness Index Compiled by NITI Aayog and the Institute of Competitiveness

Gujarat has topped the Niti Aayog's Export Preparedness Index 2020 followed by Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu in the second and third place respectively, according to the government think tank's report released on Wednesday. According to the report, six of eight coastal states feature in the top ten rankings, indicating the presence of strong enabling and facilitating factors to promote exports.
Among the landlocked states, Rajasthan performed the best, followed by Telangana and Haryana.
Among the Himalayan states, Uttarakhand topped the chart, followed by Tripura and Himachal Pradesh, the report said adding that across Union Territories, Delhi has performed the best, followed by Goa and Chandigarh.
The report noted that Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand are two landlocked states that had initiated several measures to promote exports.
Other states facing similar socio-economic challenges can look at the measures taken by Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand and try to implement them to grow their exports.

Reliance Ropes in Ex-IOC Chief as Group President

Former Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) chairman Sanjiv Singh joined Reliance Industries as group president for firm's oil-to-chemicals business.
RIL's O2C business consists of the group's twin oil refineries at Jamnagar in Gujarat, petrochemical plants, 51% of fuel retail and aviation fuel venture, and bulk wholesale marketing businesses.

Axis Bank Introduces 'Liberty Savings Account'

Axis Bank introduced 'Liberty Savings Account' for the Indian Youth, to address the ever-changing lifestyle needs of young and digitally interested Indians. It offers a complimentary hospital cash insurance cover of up to Rs. 20,000 per year, which covers hospital expenses incurred under COVID -19, which makes this a 1st of its kind savings account to cover the pandemic. This account targets to meet the lifestyle requirements of the working class that falls under 35 years of age.
It allows customers to maintain a minimum balance of Rs. 25,000 per month or spend the same amount each month on lifestyle needs through the Liberty debit card or savings account (via NetBanking, Axis Mobile or UPI- Unified Payments Interface).

Seventeenth Meeting of India-Vietnam Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technolo...

The 17th meeting of the India-Vietnam Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation was held virtually which was co-chaired by India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh. The focus of the meet was to review the recent developments in India-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and to put forth measures and orientations for cooperation in the new period, towards the 50th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties (January 26, 1972-2022).
India-Vietnam signed the following Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs):
Cooperation between Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service (SSIFS), New Delhi and Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV), Hanoi.
MoU between National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi and Scientific Research Institute of Sea and Islands, Hanoi.
Both sides agreed to boost their economic and defence engagement and also work towards exploring closer cooperation in emerging areas such as civil nuclear energy, space, marine sciences and new technologies in order to bring two-way trade to US$15 billion as soon as possible.

Aug 26, 2020

NABARD Launches Credit Guarantee Programme for NBFC-MFIs

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) introduced a dedicated debt and credit guarantee product to ensure unhindered flow of credit in rural areas hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The product- Structured Finance and Partial Guarantee Programme to NBFC-MFIs -entails providing partial guarantee on pooled loans extended to small and mid-sized micro finance institutions (MFIs).
NABARD signed a pact with Vivriti Capital and Ujjivan Small Finance Bank earlier this month to roll out the initiative, which will enhance access to sustainable finance for microenterprises and low-income households. The partially guaranteed loan facility will catalyse much-needed financing to millions of households, agricultural and business markets to sustain in the post COVID-19 environment. It will help facilitate Rs. 2,500 crore funding in the initial phase and is expected to be scaled up. The programme is expected to cover over 1 million households across 28 states and 650 districts.

Defence Ministry Suspends Business Dealings with Vectra Company

The Defence Ministry suspended all business dealings with Vectra Advanced Engineering Private Ltd for one year in view of a probe by the CBI into the allegations of wrongdoings against it in the Tatra Truck deal.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the suspension of business dealings with M/s VAEPL for one year.
In 2012, the then Army chief Gen V. K. Singh had claimed that he was offered a bribe of Rs. 14 crore to approve the procurement of a batch of 600 "sub-standard" Tatra trucks for the Indian Army.

ReNew Power & UNEP Partner to Increase Access to Clean Energy

ReNew Power and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) have signed a partnership agreement to promote increased access to renewable energy and improved energy efficiency.
The partnership between the two focusses on enhancing access to renewable energy and improving energy efficiency as part of the progressive strategies that India has adopted to realise its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) under the Paris Agreement.
ReNew Power will partner with UNEP's District Energy in Cities Initiative as an implementation partner for renewable energy installations across India with the aim of shifting the heating and cooling sector to an energy efficient one. The partnership will also implement solar off-grid projects, studies, and assessments. Joint efforts will be promoted through annual events to showcase contributions to India's strategic vision on renewable energy.

RBI Projects Country's Growth Rate at (-) 4.5 per cent for 2020-21

The Reserve Bank has projected India's growth rate at (-) 4.5 per cent for 2020-21. In its annual report, RBI projected global growth rate between (-) 6.0 per cent and (-) 7.6 per cent. The report says that expected headline inflation will remain elevated in the current quarter, but likely to ease in the second half of the fiscal.
Stating that it is difficult to accurately assess the economic impact of COVID-19 pandemic as the dynamics are still evolving, RBI said it looks like the decline in economic activity reaches its trough in April-June quarter of 2020-21 and recovers thereafter, albeit at a gradual pace. It adds that the growth is likely to turn positive from January-March quarter 2020-21.

ICICI Bank 1st Bank in India to Use Satellite Data to Assess Credit Worthiness of Farmers

ICICI Bank uses satellite data (imagery from Earth observation satellites) to assess credit worthiness of farmers. ICICI Bank became the 1st bank in India to use such a technique to measure an array of parameters related to the land, irrigation and crop patterns and use it in combination with demographic and financial parameters to make quick lending decisions for farmers.
The satellite data with demographic and financial details, provides strong information on the land asset of the farmers.
Usage of this technology will help farmers with existing credit to expand their eligibility and help new-to-credit farmers to get better access to formal credit.
It is also expected to cut the time of providing credit, as land verification with the help of satellite data is done in a non-contact manner, and credit assessments are made within a few days as against industrial practice of upto 15 days.
ICICI bank has already conducted a pilot study in over 500 villages in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat using satellite data.

Aug 25, 2020

Adani Group to Acquire Stake in Mumbai International Airport

Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL) is likely to soon acquire a 74 per cent stake in Mumbai International Airport (MIAL). With this acquisition, Adani Group flagship will become the largest private operator of airports in the country after GMR Group.
Adani Group is expected to announce acquisition of GVK Group's 50.5 per cent stake before next week. AEL would also acquire 23.5 per cent of minority partners, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) and Bidvest Group. ACSA and Bidvest hold 10 and 13.5 per cent stake, respectively, in MIAL. As per reports, Adani Group may pay nearly Rs. 15,000 crore for the transaction.
The acquisition is also expected to provide the Group ownership of the upcoming Navi Mumbai Airport, in which MIAL holds 74 per cent stake.

UGC Asks Higher Education, Research Institutes to deploy RT-PCR Machines in District Hospitals

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked higher education and research institutions to facilitate deployment of RT-PCR test machines available with them at nearby district hospitals and government labs conducting COVID-19 tests to aid the fight against the pandemic.
The higher education regulator has noted that temporary deployment of such machines can create additional facilities for around 60,000 tests per day.
It has been elucidated that by temporarily deploying such machines in district hospitals and government laboratories, additional testing facilities of about 60,000 tests per day can be created.

GST Reduced Tax Rates, Businesses with Annual Turnover of up to Rs. 40 lakh are Now GST Exempt

The Finance Ministry reduced the rate at which people have to pay tax and helped increase compliance and doubled taxpayer base to 1.24 crore.
GST has reduced the rate at which people have to pay tax. The revenue neutral rate as per the RNR (Revenue Neutral Rate) Committee was 15.3 per cent. Compared to this, the weighted GST rate at present, according to the RBI, is only 11.6 per cent, the ministry said.
Businesses with an annual turnover of up to Rs. 40 lakh are GST exempt. Initially, this limit was Rs. 20 lakh. Additionally, those with a turnover up to Rs. 1.5 crore can opt for the Composition Scheme and pay only 1 per cent tax.

DRDO Identifies 108 Subsystems for Development by Private Sector

A list of 108 military subsystems and components have been identified for development by the Indian industry and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will provide support for the process.
The DRDO would also provide support to industries for design, development and testing of these systems on requirement basis. All the requirements of these systems by research and development establishments, armed forces and other security agencies could be met through development contracts or production orders on suitable Indian industry. This will allow DRDO to focus on design and development of critical and advanced technologies and systems.
The development of the subsystems and components would be done over the next couple of years. The DRDO has been partnering with industry for many years, including the development of full systems like the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) and Pinaka rocket launchers among others. "Collaborating with DRDO in the development of major weapon systems the Indian industry has matured to a stage where they can develop systems on their own. Indian industry has progressed from a 'build to print' partner to 'build to specification' partner.
The present industry base for the DRDO consists of 1,800 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) along with Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), ordnance factories and large-scale industries. The DRDO already offers its technologies to industry for manufacture at a nominal cost and has been providing free access to its patents.

Government of India and AIIB Sign Agreement For $500 Million

The Government of India, the Government of Maharashtra, Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) signed a loan agreement for a $500 million Mumbai Urban Transport Project-III to improve the network capacity, service quality and safety of the suburban railway system in Mumbai. The Project is expected to increase network capacity in the region with the reduction in journey time and fatal accidents of commuters. It is estimated that among primary beneficiaries of the project, 22% are female passengers who will benefit from improved safety and quality of service.
This project will assist in improved mobility, service quality and safety of passengers of the sub urban railway system of Mumbai, by providing faster, more reliable and higher quality transport services compared to road-based transport. There will be direct safety benefits to passengers and the public through introduction of trespass control measures. With a population of 22.8 million (2011), Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) is the most populous metropolitan region in India and is expected to reach 29.3 million by 2031 and 32.1 million by 2041.

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