* AVIATION: Air India is set to sharply cut staff costs over the next three years. Seeking status quo on airport charges, Delhi International Airport has submitted its tariff proposal for April 2014 to March 2019 with the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India.
* BANKING: Employee unions of public sector banks have threatened to go on a two-day strike beginning Jan 20. The finance ministry has directed public sector banks to act as insurance brokers from Jan 15 by floating subsidiaries to increase their distribution network.
* COAL: Ministry has de-allocated Amarkonda-Murgadangal block in Jharkhand, which was jointly allocated to JINDAL STEEL AND POWER and Gagan Sponge Iron, due to failure in timely developing the block.
* COMMODITIES: India is likely to import 11.13 mln tn vegetable oils in 2013-14 (Nov-Oct), which is a record high for the third year in a row.
* CHEMICALS AND FERTILISERS: Indrajit Pal, currently serving as secretary, chemicals and petrochemicals in the ministry of chemicals and fertilisers,
has been assigned additional charge as secretary, department of fertilisers.
* ECONOMY: A task force set up by commerce and industry ministry has suggested exploring the possibility of using local currency for trade with 23 countries. The Empowered Group of Ministers will soon finalise the composition of the basket for the proposed public sector exchange-traded fund.
* ENERGY: Lower capacity utilisation of oil refineries pulled down the country's crude oil refinery throughput 5% year-on-year in November to 17.80 mln tn. Petroleum ministry and oil retailers will discuss the issue of ethanol pricing internally in the oil ministry in the first week of January.
* FDI: Foreign Investment Promotion Board will take up foreign direct investment proposals of Vodafone Group and Tesco Plc on Dec 30. Commerce Minister Anand Sharma said Karnataka and Maharashtra will be the first states to benefit from FDI in multi-brand retailing. Commerce Minister Anand Sharma said he expects another 'European major' to apply for FDI in the multi-brand retail sector.
* INSURANCE: Insurance policies will get costlier from Jan 1 as the government widens its service tax net to cover policy premiums paid.
* MEDIA: Centre has approved licences to 45 new news and entertainment channels.
* METAL: The steel industry has called for imposition of 30% export duty on iron ore pellets due to rising exports in the face of ore shortage.
* PHARMACEUTICALS: The health ministry may allow companies to resume the sale of two painkillers, Analgin and Dextropropopoxyphene, for limited use and with certain conditions. The government may reset prices of essential drugs.
* POWER: Cabinet Committee on Investment is likely to put its stamp on a power ministry proposal to give blanket environmental approvals to all bid-ticket ultra mega power projects--those underbidding and involving investment of $40 bln.
* RAILWAYS: A majority of the over one million rail workers seem ready to go on an all-India strike to push their long-pending demands.
* REAL ESTATE: Qatar Investment Authority is in talks to invest $200 mln in residential property in India . Rooting out corruption could help lower home prices by as much as 20%, said Deepak Parekh, chairman of Housing Development Finance Corp. The Real Estate Investment Trust regime may soon be realised with the RBI keen on approving changes to attract foreign investment.
* REGULATORY: RBI may miss the January deadline it has set to issue new bank license, Governor Raghuram Rajan said. SEBI is likely to discuss new corporate governance code for listed companies and certain new measures like real estate investment trusts today.
* TELECOM: Loop Mobile has petitioned Telecom Dispute Settlement and Appellate Tribunal for extension of its 900 MHz Mumbai licence at market-determined price on the 1,800 MHz auction outcome.
* BANKING: Employee unions of public sector banks have threatened to go on a two-day strike beginning Jan 20. The finance ministry has directed public sector banks to act as insurance brokers from Jan 15 by floating subsidiaries to increase their distribution network.
* COAL: Ministry has de-allocated Amarkonda-Murgadangal block in Jharkhand, which was jointly allocated to JINDAL STEEL AND POWER and Gagan Sponge Iron, due to failure in timely developing the block.
* COMMODITIES: India is likely to import 11.13 mln tn vegetable oils in 2013-14 (Nov-Oct), which is a record high for the third year in a row.
* CHEMICALS AND FERTILISERS: Indrajit Pal, currently serving as secretary, chemicals and petrochemicals in the ministry of chemicals and fertilisers,
has been assigned additional charge as secretary, department of fertilisers.
* ECONOMY: A task force set up by commerce and industry ministry has suggested exploring the possibility of using local currency for trade with 23 countries. The Empowered Group of Ministers will soon finalise the composition of the basket for the proposed public sector exchange-traded fund.
* ENERGY: Lower capacity utilisation of oil refineries pulled down the country's crude oil refinery throughput 5% year-on-year in November to 17.80 mln tn. Petroleum ministry and oil retailers will discuss the issue of ethanol pricing internally in the oil ministry in the first week of January.
* FDI: Foreign Investment Promotion Board will take up foreign direct investment proposals of Vodafone Group and Tesco Plc on Dec 30. Commerce Minister Anand Sharma said Karnataka and Maharashtra will be the first states to benefit from FDI in multi-brand retailing. Commerce Minister Anand Sharma said he expects another 'European major' to apply for FDI in the multi-brand retail sector.
* INSURANCE: Insurance policies will get costlier from Jan 1 as the government widens its service tax net to cover policy premiums paid.
* MEDIA: Centre has approved licences to 45 new news and entertainment channels.
* METAL: The steel industry has called for imposition of 30% export duty on iron ore pellets due to rising exports in the face of ore shortage.
* PHARMACEUTICALS: The health ministry may allow companies to resume the sale of two painkillers, Analgin and Dextropropopoxyphene, for limited use and with certain conditions. The government may reset prices of essential drugs.
* POWER: Cabinet Committee on Investment is likely to put its stamp on a power ministry proposal to give blanket environmental approvals to all bid-ticket ultra mega power projects--those underbidding and involving investment of $40 bln.
* RAILWAYS: A majority of the over one million rail workers seem ready to go on an all-India strike to push their long-pending demands.
* REAL ESTATE: Qatar Investment Authority is in talks to invest $200 mln in residential property in India . Rooting out corruption could help lower home prices by as much as 20%, said Deepak Parekh, chairman of Housing Development Finance Corp. The Real Estate Investment Trust regime may soon be realised with the RBI keen on approving changes to attract foreign investment.
* REGULATORY: RBI may miss the January deadline it has set to issue new bank license, Governor Raghuram Rajan said. SEBI is likely to discuss new corporate governance code for listed companies and certain new measures like real estate investment trusts today.
* TELECOM: Loop Mobile has petitioned Telecom Dispute Settlement and Appellate Tribunal for extension of its 900 MHz Mumbai licence at market-determined price on the 1,800 MHz auction outcome.
