* AGRICULTURE: Food ministry has opposed any decision to hike import duty on sugar, at least till September.
* AVIATION: Environment Minister Jayanti Natarajan's tough stand of not relaxing any restrictions imposed under Coastal Regulation Zone is likely to make the proposed expansion of Juhu airbase virtually impossible.
- Ministry of Civil Aviation may issue notification next month to cap number of preferred seats at 25% of overall capacity on domestic flights.
* BANKING: Tamilnadu Merchantile Bank is set to launch an initial public offering, and has appointed SBI Caps as advisor. Microfinance companies Bandhan Financial Services and Janalakshmi Financial Services are set to file applications to acquire a banking licence.
* CEMENT: French cement maker Vicat has emerged a surprise frontrunner to acquire Sree Jayajothi Cements, valued at 10 bln rupees.
* CORPORATE: Manu Anand, former region president, India and South Asia , at PepsiCo, may be joining Mondelez in an Asia-Pacific role.
* HEALTHCARE: Private equity player Actis is trying for the second time to sell its 80% stake in Sterling Hospitals.
* INFRASTRUCTURE: Tata group companies--Tata Housing, Tata Realty and Tata Projects--will execute projects worth about 700 bln rupees in five years.
* INVESTMENT: Arvind Mayaram panel has suggested opening up 12 sectors for full foreign ownership and allowing 74% in four other sectors with Indian oversight. FDI inflows globally are likely to remain subdued in 2013 but India may see 15% growth.
* MINING: Mineral-rich states of Odisha and Chhattisgarh have opposed the recommendations of a study group under the mines ministry to hike iron ore royalty rate to 15% from 10% at present.
* PHARMACEUTICALS: An inter-ministerial panel, which is likely to be headed by the pharma department or the Planning Commission, may decide on the contentious issue of how prices of expensive patented drugs should be regulated.
* RETAIL: Bharti Walmart's chief executive Raj Jain has left the company after six years at the helm. Ramnik Narsey was named as Jain's replacement. India Value Fund Advisors is set to acquire a controlling stake in Spykar Lifestyle.
* TELECOM: Empowered Group of Ministers has decided that the issue of spectrum reserve price should be referred to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India for its view. The Comptroller & Auditor General has written to the Department of Telecommunications, blaming a 'hasty' 2008 decision to allow intra-circle roaming arrangements for 2G spectrum for loss of revenue and the lacklustre response to the government's recent attempts to auction second-generation airwaves. DoT will soon amend licence conditions of mobile phone companies under the Indian Telegraph Act to make it "legally binding" on them to buy security-sensitive telecom products from domestic gearmakers.
* TRADE: Amidst declining value of rupee, the RBI has relaxed external commercial borrowing norms and allowed companies to use the overseas debt to pay for import of services, technical know-how and licence fee as part of capital goods imports.
- Government is soon expected to incentivise exports in medium, small and micro enterprise sector.
* REGULATORY: SEBI may raise the minimum capitalisation norms for asset management companies starting business in India .
* AVIATION: Environment Minister Jayanti Natarajan's tough stand of not relaxing any restrictions imposed under Coastal Regulation Zone is likely to make the proposed expansion of Juhu airbase virtually impossible.
- Ministry of Civil Aviation may issue notification next month to cap number of preferred seats at 25% of overall capacity on domestic flights.
* BANKING: Tamilnadu Merchantile Bank is set to launch an initial public offering, and has appointed SBI Caps as advisor. Microfinance companies Bandhan Financial Services and Janalakshmi Financial Services are set to file applications to acquire a banking licence.
* CEMENT: French cement maker Vicat has emerged a surprise frontrunner to acquire Sree Jayajothi Cements, valued at 10 bln rupees.
* CORPORATE: Manu Anand, former region president, India and South Asia , at PepsiCo, may be joining Mondelez in an Asia-Pacific role.
* HEALTHCARE: Private equity player Actis is trying for the second time to sell its 80% stake in Sterling Hospitals.
* INFRASTRUCTURE: Tata group companies--Tata Housing, Tata Realty and Tata Projects--will execute projects worth about 700 bln rupees in five years.
* INVESTMENT: Arvind Mayaram panel has suggested opening up 12 sectors for full foreign ownership and allowing 74% in four other sectors with Indian oversight. FDI inflows globally are likely to remain subdued in 2013 but India may see 15% growth.
* MINING: Mineral-rich states of Odisha and Chhattisgarh have opposed the recommendations of a study group under the mines ministry to hike iron ore royalty rate to 15% from 10% at present.
* PHARMACEUTICALS: An inter-ministerial panel, which is likely to be headed by the pharma department or the Planning Commission, may decide on the contentious issue of how prices of expensive patented drugs should be regulated.
* RETAIL: Bharti Walmart's chief executive Raj Jain has left the company after six years at the helm. Ramnik Narsey was named as Jain's replacement. India Value Fund Advisors is set to acquire a controlling stake in Spykar Lifestyle.
* TELECOM: Empowered Group of Ministers has decided that the issue of spectrum reserve price should be referred to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India for its view. The Comptroller & Auditor General has written to the Department of Telecommunications, blaming a 'hasty' 2008 decision to allow intra-circle roaming arrangements for 2G spectrum for loss of revenue and the lacklustre response to the government's recent attempts to auction second-generation airwaves. DoT will soon amend licence conditions of mobile phone companies under the Indian Telegraph Act to make it "legally binding" on them to buy security-sensitive telecom products from domestic gearmakers.
* TRADE: Amidst declining value of rupee, the RBI has relaxed external commercial borrowing norms and allowed companies to use the overseas debt to pay for import of services, technical know-how and licence fee as part of capital goods imports.
- Government is soon expected to incentivise exports in medium, small and micro enterprise sector.
* REGULATORY: SEBI may raise the minimum capitalisation norms for asset management companies starting business in India .
