* AUTO: Slowing sales and rising stocks may force MARUTI SUZUKI, MAHINDRA & MAHINDRA and Toyota Kirloskar to lower production for the first time this fiscal.
- Hyundai Motor will launch a new small car during the festival season to reverse declining sales.
* AVIATION: Construction work has so far commenced at six of the 15 greenfield airports approved by the government.
- Indigo airline has decided to charge additional 200 rupees for each aisle and window seat on pre-bookings.
- GoAir is in talks with 3-4 overseas airlines from Europe and West Asia to sell up to 49% stake to source capital to scale up operations.
- Top posts of chief operation officer in Air India , and chief executive officer in its subsidiaries are lying vacant since 2011.
* BANKING: The first meeting of the government-appointed inter-ministerial panel for "proper enforcement" of the regulatory framework for multi-level marketing companies, non-banking finance companies, and companies running chit funds will be held on May 16.
* DIVESTMENT: The finance ministry said it is planning to sell stake in NMDC, HINDUSTAN COPPER and OIL INDIA by end-Dec, which will fetch the exchequer 120 bln rupees.
* ENERGY: The West Bengal government aims to complete the proposed sale of its entire stake in the cash-strapped Haldia Petrochemicals by November.
- India 's coal imports rose to a record 135 mln tn in 2012-13 due to the country's slow domestic output.
- The parliamentary panel said a joint venture promoted by public sector companies is needed for hassle-free crude oil imports.
* FDI: Government will review the overall foreign direct investment policy, and not just sectoral caps to make investments by foreign funds easier.
* MINING: Supreme Court will hear the Goa iron-ore mining ban case in July.
* POWER: Government is working on plan to allow gas-powered units to import the fuel and pass on the incremental costs to consumers as higher charges.
* SUGAR: The government has officially rolled back controls on sugar sale, abolishing the levy and non-levy release mechanisms.
* REALTY: The civil aviation ministry is coding zones in cities to make the process of clearance easier for real estate project in areas that may impact air transport.
* REGULATORS: RBI Governor Duvvuri Subbarao has said it is a "challenge" to reduce inflation with a minimal impact on growth.
- Supreme Court has asked SEBI to develop a mechanism to ascertain the genuineness of investors who had purchased Sahara 's debentures, and begin refunding money to them.
* TELECOM: The telecom department has reinitiated efforts to merge state-run MAHANAGAR TELEPHONE NIGAM and Bharat Sanchar Nigam to improve profitability of the companies.
* TRADE: India has threatened to stall negotiations on the free trade agreement with the European Union and is expected to give an ultimatum on recognising it as a data-secure country.
- The government has set an export target of $325 bln for the current financial year versus $360 bln set in 2012-13.
