* AGRICULTURE: The Reserve Bank of India has said demand for farming credit has sustained this year even if other sectors have shown lesser demand.
* AUTOMOTIVE: Praful Patel, union minister for heavy industries and public enterprises, has sought exemption of the hike in excise duty on sport utility vehicles on some vehicles used in rural and semi-urban areas. Piaggio Vehicles will launch its Porter Mini range of micro trucks, with load carrying capacity of 0.5 tn and 0.75 tn, in April to take on TATA MOTORS' Ace and Ace Zip.
* AVIATION: State-owned oil marketing companies have agreed, in principle, to share their storage facilities at New Delhi with private companies, opening the doors for companies like RELIANCE INDUSTRIES, Shell, and ESSAR OIL.
* CORPORATE: The government is formulating a strategy to ensure that public sector utilities and private companies coordinate their actions, including submitting a single bid for energy assets.
* ECONOMY: Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has said growth in January industrial production shows the economy may have bottomed.
* EXCHANGE: BSE has entered into a long-term technology alliance with Eurex Group under which the Indian bourse will deploy Deutsche Borse Group's trading architecture.
* LAW: The Supreme Court has threatened to cancel all coal block allocations if found to be done without following proper procedures. The apex court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation not to share details of its coal scam findings with politicians or executives.
* OIL & GAS: Bulk sales of diesel dropped 40% in February after the price for non-retail buyers was raised to market levels, prompting the oil ministry to propose a sale limit of 200 ltr for customers taking away fuel in a drum.
* PORTS: Freight traffic handled by major ports in the country contracted 2.5% on year in Apr-Feb to 497.97 mln tn.
* PROVIDENT FUND: Part of the corpus of the Employees Provident Fund Organisation will be available for investment in bonds of seven private companies that meet the new criterion of 'AAA' rating from at least two agencies.
* RETAIL: Walmart Stores Inc has stopped opening new stores in India pending an anti-bribery probe into the company's operations.
