FREE DAILY SECTORS ALERT - 10.01.2014

* AGRICULTURE: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the hike in refined edible oil import duty to 10% from 7.5% earlier. 

* AVIATION: Tata SIA Airlines has finalised a deal to lease 20 Airbus A320 planes. 

* BANKING: Reserve Bank India has allowed close relatives of Non-Resident Indians to be joint bank account holders. 

* BROADCAST: The Cabinet approved the guidelines for television rating agencies in the country as proposed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. 

* CORPORATE: The government needs to focus on boosting the manufacturing sector and smoothening conditions for doing business in India , Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said. 

* ENERGY: The Directorate General of Hydrocarbons has proposed stringent norms for extending oilfield contracts of private firms. The oil ministry plans to go to the Cabinet seeking a minimum $65 per barrel price for state oil and gas explorers like OIL & NATURAL GAS CORP. 

* EXCHANGE: MCX Stock Exchange has received approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India to launch interest rate futures. 

* FDI: The Reserve Bank of India has relaxed foreign direct investment norms by allowing an exit option clause in shares and debentures issued to foreign investors subject to a minimum lock-in period. 

* FINANCE: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs accepted the proposals of the finance ministry on the Specified Undertaking of UTI. The Union Cabinet has deferred its earlier decision to create an asset management company for Specified Undertaking of UTI, paving way for sale of its holdings in ITC, LARSEN & TOUBRO and AXIS BANK. 

* FREIGHT: Indian railways carried 92.16 mln tn of revenue-earning freight traffic in December, up 4.5% on year. 

* GOVERNMENT: An Empowered Group of Ministers may decide on the composition of basket for the proposed public sector enterprises exchange traded fund Friday. The finance ministry is looking at Feb 14 as a possible date for presenting the vote on account for the next financial year starting April. 

* INSURANCE: The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority has said it will allow insurance companies to invest in exchange traded funds and has come out with draft guidelines for such investments. 

* LAW: The Supreme Court pulled up the Sahara group for its conduct in the debentures case, and said it may call for an enquiry into the source of over 230 bln rupees that the company claims to have refunded to investors. 

* POWER: Distribution companies in Delhi have told the Delhi government that they are running out of money to pay generation and transmission companies, because electricity rates in the city state are too low. Maharashtra State Cabinet is expected to discuss the proposal to cut electricity tariff in the state by about 15% today. The union power ministry is planning to make it mandatory for power distribution companies to buy electricity for hydro projects. 

* PRIVATE EQUITY: Motilal Oswal Private Equity Advisors is looking to sell its remaining stake in Parag Milk to a private equity investor. 

* PUBLIC SECTOR: Some public sector companies may be unwilling to pay special dividend. 

* REGULATORY: The Securities and Exchange Board of India has notified new regulations streamlining the process for settlement of administrative and civil proceedings. The regulator may not allow a person to serve more than five listed companies as independent directors. 

* STEEL: Finance Minister Chidambaram to meet state-run steel companies Friday to discuss their capital expenditure plans and dividends expected in 2013-14. 

* TAX: The finance ministry has withdrawn tax exemptions given to four state cricket boards.

* TELECOM: The government is likely to levy a spectrum usage charge of more than 3% of telecom companies' annual adjusted gross revenue, for spectrum acquired though auction. The Department of Telecom plans to continue with 500 mln rupees as upper penalty limit for operators for any violation of licence conditions. 

* TRADE: The government has changed the rules for import of cars and motorcycles used in racing events.

FREE DAILY SECTORS ALERT - 02.01.2014

* AUTOMOBILE: Toyota Kirloskar Motor sold 12,622 vehicles in December, down 12.2% on year. 

* AVIATION: Directorate General of Civil Aviation may hire flight operations inspectors on a contractual basis to stave off a threat of downgrade by Federal Aviation Administration. 

* BANKS: Have proposed a reduction in the number of free ATM transaction a month to five - irrespective of whether you are transacting at your own bank or not. 

* COAL: Ministry of Coal has issued notice to Sakhigopal Integrated Power Co for slow progress in developing the Bankhead block. Ministry will approach the Cabinet Committee on Investment to speed up development of blocks where no cases are pending. 

* DEFENCE: The Ministry of Defence has scrapped the 36-bln-rupee helicopter deal with Anglo-Italian firm AgustaWestland. 

* ENERGY: The government has hiked the price of non-subsidised cooking gas by 220 rupees per cylinder. Comptroller and Auditor General of India will audit the three power distribution companies in Delhi starting Jan 1, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said. Dubai-based Coal & Oil Group, building a 1,200-MW thermal plant in Tamil Nadu, will invest about 100 bln rupees to increase the capacity to 2,800 MW. 

- A consortium of Gujarat State Petroleum Corp, HINDUSTAN PETROLEUM CORP and OIL INDIA has decided to relinquish two of its exploration blocks in Egypt , citing viability issues.  Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corp will hike employee salary, which will cost the company 2.52 bln rupees every year. 

- Power ministry will float a Cabinet note on the proposal to disintegrate power supply from distribution network by the end of the month. Asian Development Bank's private sector operations department plans to extend a loan of $80 mln to BSES Rajdhani Power. 

* EXPORT: The government will allow shipments of dimethylamine hydrochloride, sodium cyanide and sodium fluoride chemicals provided exporters give proper
details of the deal. 

* FINANCE: Employees Provident Fund Organisation plans to implement a unique number for provident fund holders in the next 4-5 months. 

* GOVERNMENT: The government has urged Odisha government to make it mandatory for the state-level public sector undertakings to procure at least 20% of their product and service needs from small and medium enterprises. 

* GOVERNMENT: President Pranab Mukherjee has given his assent to the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill. 

* HOSPITALITY: US-based Westin hotels will enter the Kolkata market by mid-2015. 

* INVESTMENT: US-based private equity major Advent International is in talks with Hyderabad-based Laurus Labs to buy a stake in it. Essel Finance plans to float a Shariah fund for foreign investors in real estate with a $100 mln corpus. 

- Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma has indicated further liberalisation of the FDI policy in the coming weeks. The government may push state run-firms to buy stakes in each other, in order to revive its floundering disinvestment programme. 

* INSURANCE: Bajaj Allianz hopes to close the current financial year with around 6 bln rupee profit and a premium income of over 47 bln rupees. 

* MINING: Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee is readying to put on auction an additional 4-5 mln tn of iron ore dumps. The MB Shah Inquiry Commission has estimated the size of illegal iron ore mining in Odisha at 600 bln rupees. 

* PHARMA: Ahmedabad-based online pharmacy store drugneed.com is aiming to raise close to $3 mln-$4 mln from private equity funds for future expansion plans. Government is considering a proposal to amend Drugs and Cosmetics Act's rule 122 (E) to include products with new drug delivery systems under the "new drug" category. 

* POWER: After Delhi , Maharashtra government also plans to reduce electricity charges, and has set up a committee to to look into the issue. Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has formally opened a case against Adani Group's power assets for alleged over-valuation of capital equipment for power projects. 

* REAL ESTATE: Xander Group may be close to clinching a deal with a Bengaluru-based developer for acquiring a significant stake in a commercial retail space being developed on the Bannerghatta Road for close to 4.5 bln rupees.

* REGULATORS: RBI said that NBFC and microfinance institutions may assign zero risk weight for the portion of loan which is guaranteed by the Credit Risk Guarantee Fund Trust for low income housing. RBI has granted status of a qualified central counterparty to Clearing Corp of India in the Indian jurisdiction. 

* STEEL: Domestic producers have raised prices by up to 1,500 rupees a tn to offset rising input costs and higher freight charges. Posco India 's mega steel project in Odisha has received a crucial revalidation of its environmental clearance for the plant. 

* TECHNOLOGY: SriCity, an integrated business park, is planning to raise $30 mln from private equity investors, and plans to invest 2.5-3.0 bln rupees every year on infrastructure development. 

* TELECOM: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India says complaints against pesky messages down to 11,000 per month now. TRAI Secretary Rajeev Agrawal said that telecom department hasn't accepted the sector regulator's recommendations on implementing full mobile number portability. 

- Telecom department may lower spectrum usage fee for telecom operators to 3% of the annual revenues to end the stalemate over introducing a uniform spectrum usage charge regime. 

* TRANSPORT: The ministry of urban development sanctioned 1,080 buses to 7 states under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission.

FREE DAILY SECTORS ALERT - 02.01.2014

 * AUTOMOBILE: Toyota Kirloskar Motor sold 12,622 vehicles in December, down 12.2% on year. 

* AVIATION: Directorate General of Civil Aviation may hire flight operations inspectors on a contractual basis to stave off a threat of downgrade by Federal Aviation Administration. 

* BANKS: Have proposed a reduction in the number of free ATM transaction a month to five - irrespective of whether you are transacting at your own bank or not. 

* COAL: Ministry of Coal has issued notice to Sakhigopal Integrated Power Co for slow progress in developing the Bankhead block. Ministry will approach the Cabinet Committee on Investment to speed up development of blocks where no cases are pending. 

* DEFENCE: The Ministry of Defence has scrapped the 36-bln-rupee helicopter deal with Anglo-Italian firm AgustaWestland. 

* ENERGY: The government has hiked the price of non-subsidised cooking gas by 220 rupees per cylinder. Comptroller and Auditor General of India will audit the three power distribution companies in Delhi starting Jan 1, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said. Dubai-based Coal & Oil Group, building a 1,200-MW thermal plant in Tamil Nadu, will invest about 100 bln rupees to increase the capacity to 2,800 MW. 

- A consortium of Gujarat State Petroleum Corp, HINDUSTAN PETROLEUM CORP and OIL INDIA has decided to relinquish two of its exploration blocks in Egypt , citing viability issues.  Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corp will hike employee salary, which will cost the company 2.52 bln rupees every year. 

- Power ministry will float a Cabinet note on the proposal to disintegrate power supply from distribution network by the end of the month. Asian Development Bank's private sector operations department plans to extend a loan of $80 mln to BSES Rajdhani Power. 

* EXPORT: The government will allow shipments of dimethylamine hydrochloride, sodium cyanide and sodium fluoride chemicals provided exporters give proper
details of the deal. 

* FINANCE: Employees Provident Fund Organisation plans to implement a unique number for provident fund holders in the next 4-5 months. 

* GOVERNMENT: The government has urged Odisha government to make it mandatory for the state-level public sector undertakings to procure at least 20% of their product and service needs from small and medium enterprises. 

* GOVERNMENT: President Pranab Mukherjee has given his assent to the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill. 

* HOSPITALITY: US-based Westin hotels will enter the Kolkata market by mid-2015. 

* INVESTMENT: US-based private equity major Advent International is in talks with Hyderabad-based Laurus Labs to buy a stake in it. Essel Finance plans to float a Shariah fund for foreign investors in real estate with a $100 mln corpus. 

- Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma has indicated further liberalisation of the FDI policy in the coming weeks. The government may push state run-firms to buy stakes in each other, in order to revive its floundering disinvestment programme. 

* INSURANCE: Bajaj Allianz hopes to close the current financial year with around 6 bln rupee profit and a premium income of over 47 bln rupees. 

* MINING: Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee is readying to put on auction an additional 4-5 mln tn of iron ore dumps. The MB Shah Inquiry Commission has estimated the size of illegal iron ore mining in Odisha at 600 bln rupees. 

* PHARMA: Ahmedabad-based online pharmacy store drugneed.com is aiming to raise close to $3 mln-$4 mln from private equity funds for future expansion plans. Government is considering a proposal to amend Drugs and Cosmetics Act's rule 122 (E) to include products with new drug delivery systems under the "new drug" category. 

* POWER: After Delhi , Maharashtra government also plans to reduce electricity charges, and has set up a committee to to look into the issue. Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has formally opened a case against Adani Group's power assets for alleged over-valuation of capital equipment for power projects. 

* REAL ESTATE: Xander Group may be close to clinching a deal with a Bengaluru-based developer for acquiring a significant stake in a commercial retail space being developed on the Bannerghatta Road for close to 4.5 bln rupees.

* REGULATORS: RBI said that NBFC and microfinance institutions may assign zero risk weight for the portion of loan which is guaranteed by the Credit Risk Guarantee Fund Trust for low income housing. RBI has granted status of a qualified central counterparty to Clearing Corp of India in the Indian jurisdiction. 

* STEEL: Domestic producers have raised prices by up to 1,500 rupees a tn to offset rising input costs and higher freight charges. Posco India 's mega steel project in Odisha has received a crucial revalidation of its environmental clearance for the plant. 

* TECHNOLOGY: SriCity, an integrated business park, is planning to raise $30 mln from private equity investors, and plans to invest 2.5-3.0 bln rupees every year on infrastructure development. 

* TELECOM: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India says complaints against pesky messages down to 11,000 per month now. TRAI Secretary Rajeev Agrawal said that telecom department hasn't accepted the sector regulator's recommendations on implementing full mobile number portability. 

- Telecom department may lower spectrum usage fee for telecom operators to 3% of the annual revenues to end the stalemate over introducing a uniform spectrum usage charge regime. 

* TRANSPORT: The ministry of urban development sanctioned 1,080 buses to 7 states under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission.

FREE DAILY SECTORS ALERT - 01.01.2014

* BANKING: Gross bank credit grew by 14.2% in November against a growth of 18% year ago. In line with the new code, banks will banks will have to compensate customers for electronic frauds. 

* ECONOMY: India Sep-end external debt at $400.3 bln, down $371 mln on qtr. India Apr-Nov tax mop-up 5.970 trln rupee, up 9.7% on yr. 

* ENERGY: Government has officially dumped the existing oil and gas exploration regime and plans a new model with extended holidays, longer contract tenures, and zero royalty payments. 

* EXCHANGES: SEBI has approved the appointment of United Stock Exchange head Saurabh Sarkar as managing director and chief executive officer of MCX Stock Exchange.

* GOVERNMENT: Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said reports of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh resigning before elections are "baseless and mindless". 

* INFRASTRUCTURE: Japanese government has agreed to liberalise terms of economic partnership loans for various projects in India . 

* INVESTMENT: The Foreign Investment Promotion Board cleared four proposals worth 5.02 bln rupees on Dec 9. 

* POWER: Comptroller and Auditor General of India will audit accounts of three power companies distributing electricity in the capital from Jan 1. These include arms of TATA POWER and RELIANCE POWER. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a 50% cut in electricity tariff for power consumed up to 400 units a month effective from Wednesday till March 31. 

- Environment ministry will not consider clearance for ultra mega power projects' captive coal blocks located in areas demarcated as "inviolate". 

* REGULATORY: RBI has deferred implementation of credit valuation adjustment risk capital charge on over-the-counter derivatives to Apr 1 from Jan 1. 

* TELECOM: Non-executive chairman of Vodafone India Analjit Singh said he holds indirect equity stake in the telecom company through various holding companies. 

FREE DAILY SECTORS ALERT - 31.12.2013

* BANKING: The government has extended the date of issuing Consumer Price Index-linked National Savings Securities-Cumulative for retail investors to Mar 31. National Housing Bank's 21-bln-rupee tax-free bond issue was subscribed 2.08 times on its opening day on Monday. 

* COAL: The coal ministry has issued fresh notices to holders of five blocks, including ACC CEMENT, Adhunik Corp, UTTAM GALVA, SKS Ispat and Power,
Maharashtra State Power Generation Corp, among others. 

* ECONOMY: Government plans to make sweeping changes to district rural development agencies to make them more effective at implementing policy. 

* ENERGY: Government is set to relax limit on subsidised cooking gas as the Congress party looks for ways to retrieve ground ahead of the general election. Ratnagiri Gas and Power, operator of Dabhol power plant, has used its insurance reserves to service 1.39 bln rupees in September dues to its
debtors.

* FINANCE: Ministry of Micro, Small And Medium Enterprises has asked bankers to clear pending proposals under the PM's Employment Generation Programme. The Employee Provident Fund Organisation may offer 8.5% interest for 2013-14 (Apr-Mar) on deposits of its 110-mln subscribers. Finance ministry has asked regulators to impose stricter penalty on violations and conduct time-bound investigations to improve consumer protection. 

* FMCG: Company Law Board has rejected stay application of Vikram Bakshi on Monday allowing McDonald's to pursue arbitration in the London Court of
International Arbitration against its Indian partner. 

* INFRASTRUCTURE: ASHOK LEYLAND , TATA MOTORS, Volvo are in race for a 4.5-bln-rupee order for supply of 1,500 buses to Andhra Pradesh. Facing delay in decision-making, NHAI has asked the government to scrap contracts for about two dozen road projects worth 400 bln rupees. 

* INVESTMENT: Online micro-lender, MicroGraam, is in talks with venture funds to raise a second round of capital to expand its customer base. 

* POWER: Government may separate forest clearance for coal block from the environment nod to the overall project to speed up Odisha ultra mega power
project. 

* RAILWAYS: Comptroller and Auditor General of India has started the audit of every railway wagon that carried iron ore since 2008, indicating that the railways has been fleeced exporters and misusing subsidised rates.

* REGULATORY: SEBI has imposed a penalty of 20 mln rupees and 10 mln rupees on Angel Broking and its holding company Angel Infin, respectively, for irregularities in trading in the stock of Sterling Green Woods. Has identified certain groups as 'financial conglomerates' and they are being monitored closely for any systemic risks they may pose. 

* RETAIL: Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion has started consultation with stakeholders to open retail e-commerce sector to FDI by March. 

* STEEL: The Punjab government has accepted some of the demands of mill operators to reduce taxes and duties. 

* TELECOM: FIPB has approved FDI proposal of Vodafone Group, which plans to hike its stake in the Indian unit to 100% by buying out stake of minority shareholders. Ascend Telecom, a small telecom tower company, is on the block, with PE fund New Silk Route and TVS Interconnect Systems looking to sell their stakes. Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE Corp's local arm will deploy Aircel's 4G networks in Tamil Nadu. Home Secretary Anil Goswami has sought telecom secretary MF Farooqui's intervention to expedite clearance for Intelligence Bureau to test an interception solution to monitor voice over internet protocol calls in India.

FREE DAILY SECTORS ALERT - 20.12.2013

* AGRICULTURE: The government has cut the minimum export price of onion to $350 per tn from $800 per tn. 

* AUTOMOTIVE: Honda plans to launch its second multi-purpose vehicle in India by 2016 to compete with Toyota 's Innova. 

* BANKING: The Reserve Bank of India has said that banks and standalone primary dealers can participate in interest rate futures for hedging and trading, but cannot undertake transactions on behalf of their clients. 

* BROADCASTING: Cable companies have started sending individual subscriber invoices to their franchisees in Delhi and Kolkata for distribution to customers. 

* FDI: With Tesco applying to enter multi-brand retail business in India , the government is hopeful that more global retail chains will come to invest. 

* HEALTHCARE: Private equity fund Carlyle Group has bought a 28% stake in Dr Naresh Trehan-promoted hospital chain Global Health for 9.6 bln rupees. 

* INFRASTRUCTURE: Navi Mumbai airport initial project cost estimated at 99.9 bln rupees. 

* OIL AND GAS: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has turned down a proposal for capping the price of domestic natural gas under the new gas pricing policy. 

* PHARMACEUTICALS: US and European drug regulators have entered into a pact for joint inspection of generic drug application on pilot basis. 

* SUGAR: The Cabinet has approved a 66-bln-rupee package for bailing out sugar mills.

FREE DAILY SECTORS ALERT - 19.12.2013

* AGRICULTURE: Agriculture Minister Pawar has said recommendations on sugar bailout package would be taken up by Cabinet panel in two phases. 

* BANKING: Harsh Kumar Bhanwala has taken charge as chairman of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development. All public sector banks are looking at raising capital in the current financial year, Banking Secretary Takru said. 

* DAIRY: International Finance Corp will lend $15 mln to Parag Milk Foods Pvt Ltd to expand its milk processing facilities. 

* ECONOMY: The government will take all necessary steps to boost economic growth, revive investor sentiment and achieve the potential growth rate of the country, the finance ministry said in its year-end review. The government has approved enhancement of the bilateral currency swap arrangement between the Reserve Bank of India and Bank of Japan to $50 bln from $15 bln. 

* HEALTHCARE:  Carlyle Group has bought a 27% stake in Gurgaon-based Medanta Medicity Hospital for 9.6 bln rupees. 

* INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: iGate Corp has won a five-year contract from Orange Communications to transform the latter's IT infrastructure and rationalise vendor landscape in the country. 

* TRADE: India 's total trade with Pakistan in 2012-13 stood at $2.61 bln, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Natchiappan said. 

FREE DAILY STOCKS ALERT - 11.12.2013

* BAJAJ ELECTRICALS: Expects to achieve a turnover of 42 bln rupees in the current financial year, against 34 bln rupees a year ago. 

* BHARTI AIRTEL: and RELIANCE INDUSTRIES' Reliance Jio have sealed a deal for joint sharing of telecom infrastructure. 

* COAL INDIA: Competition Commission of India has fined the company 17.73 bln rupees for abusing its dominant position and has asked it to modify fuel pacts it signs with power producers. 

* CROMPTON GREAVES: Is considering either selling or shutting down its Canadian power transformer plant to cut losses in its foreign business. 

* FUTURE CONSUMER ENTERPRISE : Has invested 94.4 mln rupees more in Amar Chitra Katha to increase its stake in the latter to 73.99%. 

* MAC CHARLES ( INDIA ): RBI has barred non-resident Indians and persons of Indian origin from buying shares of the company without prior approval, as foreign shareholding in the company has reached the 8% trigger limit. 

* OIL & NATURAL GAS: Has said it would appeal in the Supreme Court against a Gujarat High Court order asking it to pay 100 bln rupees in past royalty dues. 

* POWER FINANCE CORP: Said it is on course to finalise bids for the Odisha ultra mega power project, and will soon issue request for proposal for the project. 

* POWER GRID CORP OF INDIA : Has set issue price at 90 rupees per share to allot 787 mln shares or 17% of the company's equity under the follow-on public offer. 

* NTPC: Said the CERC's draft regulatory guidelines for multi-year tariff 2014-19 (Apr-Mar) will not affect the company's financials as adversely as estimated.

* RELIANCE INDUSTRIES: A parliamentary panel has concluded that the sharp fall in gas output at the company's D6 block should be regarded as a default, to which the oil ministry separately said could only be punished by termination of the contract. 

- The company and France 's Dassault Aviation are planning to set up a 10-bln-rupee facility to make fighter planes to supply to the Indian airforce. 

* SKF INDIA: HDFC Equity Fund has bought 0.97% stake, or 510,000 shares of the company through a bulk deal on the National Stock Exchange. 

* STATE BANK OF INDIA : Inaugurated 27 all-woman branches in the Chandigarh circle. 

* UNITED BREWERIES: Promoter group entity Heineken International increased its stake in the company to 1.5% from 0.16%, through a block deal on NSE. 

* VIDEOCON INDUSTRIES: Arm Videocon Telecom launched a roaming plan at 45 rupees, valid for two weeks whereby users can avail outgoing call rates of 50 paise per minute while roaming. 

* VLS FINANCE: Board has approved share buyback of 9.95 mln shares at 14.50 rupees each.

FREE STOCKS ALERT - 06.12.2013

* ABB INDIA: Company has settled the case related to alleged non-compliance of takeover norms with SEBI after payment of 369,000 rupees as consent settlement charges. 

* ABG SHIPYARD: Group of 22 banks is close to recasting 100 bln rupees of loans advanced to the company under the corporate debt restructuring process.

* APOLLO TYRES: Has launched its European brand Vredestein, under which it will sell tyres for luxury cars, and premium sports utility vehicles in India . The company has decided to put its $650 mln investment plans for capacity expansion in South east Asia and Europe on hold pending the US court decision
on its proposed buyout of Cooper Tyre. 

* BHARTI AIRTEL: Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has revised its outlook on the company to positive from stable. 

* CAIRN INDIA: To invest up to $750 mln on KG-basin block over five years. 

* COAL INDIA: Unions representing the company's workers have reaffirmed their decision to go on a three-day nationwide strike starting Dec 17. 

* DLF: Company expects to cut net debt to 130 bln rupees in three years, from 195 bln rupees, as on September 30. 
.
* EMPEE SUGARS: Has decided to sell its 10 MW biomass-based power plant in Tamil Nadu. 

* FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGIES INDIA : Economic Offences Wing of Mumbai police will investigate brokers' role in arm National Spot Exchange case. Worried brokers have raised concerns about the fate of ODIN - the front end software that the company sells to over 70% of market participants.

* HINDUJA GLOBAL SOLUTIONS: The company aims to increase offshore contribution to 35-37% from 33% currently and sees margins picking up in Oct-Mar on lower training costs.

* JAGRAN PRAKASHAN: Has announced a buyback of up to 5 mln shares at a price of 95 rupees each. 

* JET AIRWAYS INDIA : The Securities and Exchange Board of India is debating whether to re-open the issue of an open offer for shareholders of the company. 
* JK TYRE & INDUSTRIES: Has begun to rely more on the replacement segment to gain market share. 

* JINDAL STEEL AND POWER: Company said its recent price hike of steel products will not affect sales. 

* LANCO INFRATECH: Company's debt recast package is likely to be approved by the corporate debt restructuring committee next week after the company agreed to bring down the additional funds sought from banks as part of the recast. 

* MAHINDRA & MAHINDRA: To voluntarily recall 900 units of its Scorpio Ex variant, manufactured between October and November, to replace a part.

* MPHASIS: Posted 1.25% quarter-on-quarter fall in Aug-Oct consol net profit at 1.90 bln rupees. Net sales up 3.52% q-o-q at 15.94 bln rupees. 

* MUTHOOT CAPITAL SERVICES: The company's Chief Finance Officer, Anil Kumar, resigned Nov 30, 2013.  

* NTPC: The state government has instructed power trading company Gridco to engage an independent agency to find out power purchase rate from the company.

* OIL AND NATURAL GAS CORP: Company said it cannot make new investments needed to arrest falling oil production from ageing fields. 

* PIRAMAL ENTERPRISES: Vodafone Plc has offered a 50.84% premium to the company for its investments in Vodafone India . 

* POWER GRID CORP: Follow-on public offering of company has been subscribed five times and has seen bids worth more than 300 bln rupees.

* PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK: Has increased the price of shares that it will issue to the government to 581.63 rupees from 578.05 earlier. 

* RELIANCE COMMUNICATIONS: Has been assured by Apple Inc of guaranteed iPhone 5s supplies from Dec 10.

* RELIANCE INDUSTRIES: Company expects KG-D6 basin output to remain at 10 mscmd or slightly higher till 2018. 

* SAINT GOBAIN SEKURIT INDIA : Shareholders reject merger with Grindwell Norton. 

* SIEMENS: The company's Infrastructure & Cities business will take a more selective approach to new projects to boost profitability. 

* TATA MOTORS: Arm Jaguar Land Rover to set up a 24,000-units/year manufacturing unit in Brazil with an investment of 240 mln pound sterling. 

* VIDEOCON INDUSTRIES: The Bombay High Court has asked the company to pay Italian Bank Intesa Sanpaolo, its dues of over 2.6 bln rupees by Jan 27, failing which the group will face winding up proceedings. 

* VIRINCHI TECHNOLOGIES: Will diversify into healthcare services.

FREE INDIAN STOCKS ALERT - 04.12.2013

* AMTEK AUTO: Has increased stake in JMT Auto Ltd to 71.73% from 62.54%. 

* BANK OF BARODA : Has approved issuance of shares aggregating to 5.50 bln rupees to the government on preferential basis. 

* BHARAT HEAVY ELECTRONICS: The government is currently not looking at selling stake in the company to meet its divestment target for the current financial year. 

* BHARTI AIRTEL: Arm Bharti Airtel International (Netherlands) BV has set the coupon on its 750 mln euro five-year senior notes at 4% or 300 basis points
over the euro mid-swap. 

* CAIRN INDIA: Company aims to double oil output to 400,000 barrels per day. 

* COAL INDIA: Arm Mahanadi Coalfields has estimated losses of 2.61 bln rupees incurred due to stop of work at its Talcher coalfields and subsequent imposition of prohibitory orders in the area. 

* FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGIES INDIA : The economic offences wing of Mumbai Police has attached some prime properties of the founder along with his top men Joseph Massey and Shreekant Javalgekar. High court asked the Economic Offences Wing of the Mumbai Police to file the minutes of all arm National Spot Exchange's board meetings held since the inception of the exchange. 

* GMR INFRASTRUCTURE: Arm GMR Energy will sell Emco Energy, which has a 600 MW power plant in Maharashtra , in its effort to reduce debt. 

* INDIAN OIL CORP: An environment ministry panel has approved the company's proposal of setting up a liquefied natural gas terminal at Ennore in Tamil Nadu. 

* LARSEN & TOUBRO: Company sold 300,000 shares of L&T FINANCE HOLDINGS in the open market for 22.57 mln rupees on Monday. 

* MAHINDRA HOLIDAYS: Company divested stake in two Austrian arms on Nov 29. 

* NTPC: Public issue of tax-free bonds was subscribed 3.3 times on first day of launch as company got bids worth 33.10 bln rupees against target of 10 bln rupees. Company hopes its captive coal output would reach 100 mln tn as soon as its 10 coal blocks start operations.

* ORIENT BELL : Has tied up with Disney Consumer Products India to launch the latter's 'Disney' and 'Marvel' branded tiles in India . 

* PETRONET LNG: An environment ministry panel has approved company's proposal for setting up a greenfield storage and re-gasification facility at Gangavaram Port. 

* POWERGRID CORP OF INDIA : The 787-mln share follow-on public issue of the company was subscribed 0.69 times on the first day of issue. 

* PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK: Will slash interest rates on foreign currency non- resident (bank) deposits of three-five years by 75 basis points. 

* RELIANCE COMMUNICATIONS: Has increased third generation internet mobile rates by 26% and reduced benefit on internet packages by up to 60%. 

* RELIANCE INDUSTRIES: The Securities Appellate Tribunal on Tuesday said that the appeals filed by the company in the insider trading case would be disposed of this month itself. 

* SESA STERLITE: Company has received funding of $900 mln from its two cash-rich subsidiaries, Zinc International and Copper Mines of Tasmania, to help it repay loans taken to buy oil producer CAIRN INDIA . 

* SHIPPING CORP OF INDIA : Has won a long-term shipping contract from PETRONET LNG worth more than $200 mln. 

* SKS MICROFINANCE: Shareholder SKS Trust Advisors on Tuesday questioned the re-appointment of M.R. Rao as managing director of the company. 

* SYNDICATE BANK: Has approved issue of shares aggregating 2 bln rupees to the government on preferential basis. 

* TATA MOTORS: Will invest over 3 bln rupees in the National Automotive Innovation campus as part of its commitment for long term research and development in the UK . Co's UK-based subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover sold 6,047 vehicles in the US in November, up 37% on year. 

* TITAN INDUSTRIES: Company to start selling helmets under the Fastrack brand priced at 1,500-3,500 rupees. 

* UNITED BREWERIES (HOLDINGS): The High Court of Karnataka has admitted a winding-up petition against the company by BNP Paribas, an unsecured creditor of Kingfisher Airlines.

FREE DAILY STOCKS ALERT - 29.11.2013

* ARVIND: Gap Inc looks set to enter the Indian market next year though a joint venture with company's retail arm Arvind Brands. 

* EMAMI: Planning foray into healthcare. 

* HEIDELBERGCEMENT INDIA: Plans to raise 3.7 bln rupees through issuance of unsecured, redeemable, non-convertible debentures through private placement. 

* LANCO INFRATECH: Nine lenders have turned down the company's proposal to restructure its 70-bln-rupees debt. 

* MRF: Jul-Sep net profit rose 12% on year to 1.84 bln rupees, as the company's cost of materials fell over 5% on year to 20.46 bln rupees. 

* MULTI-COMMODITY EXCHANGE: Forward Markets Commission has approved appointment of Satyananda Mishra as chairman of the exchange. Former IAS officer Bhargava has been appointed as head - remuneration committee of the exchange, while SEBI member Anantharaman has been appointed audit panel chairman. 

* SHOPPERS STOP: Plans to open 10 department stores and two hypermarkets, apart from several bookstores and beauty outlets over the next 18 months. 

* SPECIALITY RESTAURANTS: Reliance Capital Trustee bought additional 300,00 shares or 0.64% stake in the company through market transactions on Friday. 

* SYNDICATE BANK: Plans to issue shares worth 2 bln rupees to the government on preferential basis. 

* TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES: UK-based energy firm npower has tied up with the company to outsource back office functions of its call centres. 

* TATA MOTORS: Is evaluating "possible areas" of cooperation with Jaguar Land Rover, with the engineering teams at the UK plant as well as at the India centre working in synchronisation. 

* UNITED BANK OF INDIA: RBI has begun special inspection apparently prompted by alarming rise in bad loans that led bank to report 4.90-bln-rupee loss in Jul-Sep. 

* UNITED SPIRITS: Morgan Stanley Asia has reduced its stake in the company to 2.57% from 4.94%. 

* WIPRO: Has been threatened with legal action by authorities for allegedly not paying 170 mln rupees property tax as sought by Bangalore municipal corporation.

FREE DAILY STOCKS ALERT - 26.11.2013

* ASIAN PAINTS: Has shut down operations at its powder coatings plant at Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, from Nov 25. 

* AUTOMOTIVE AXLES: Posted 400% rise in Jul-Sep net profit to 4.27 mln rupees. Net sales down 30.7% YoY at 1.19 bln rupees. 

* BAFNA PHARMACEUTICALS: Mylan and two Indian pharma companies are in the race to acquire the company. 

* BHARTI AIRTEL: Is looking to raise up to $1 bln by selling bonds mainly to European investors. Company has shelved plans to sell a large stake in Airtel Digital TV after talks failed with financial and strategic investors. 

* DENA BANK: Has approved issue of shares aggregating 7 bln rupees to the government on a preferential basis. 

* ENGINEERS INDIA : Has received a $139 mln order from Dangote Group for constructing petroleum refinery  and polypropylene plant in Nigeria .

* GAIL INDIA :  Singapore arm to market 1 mln tn per year liquefied natural gas sourced from the US . 

* IDBI BANK: S&P has downgraded bank's foreign currency issuer credit rating to 'BB+/B' and also lowered senior debt rating to 'BB+' from 'BBB-'.

* INDIAN BANK: S&P cuts bank's standalone credit profile to BBB- from BBB.

* JET AIRWAYS: Company's plan to sell or lease five of its wide-body Airbus A330 planes to Kuwait Airways is in trouble, with the Kuwaiti government
suspending the flag carrier's chairman, Sami Al-Nesif. 

* JINDAL SAW: Jindal ITF, a subsidiary of the company, has started India 's first facility to transport bulk cargo through the national waterways.

* KALPATARU POWER TRANSMISSION: Has received orders worth 10 bln rupees in the transmission and pipeline space. 

* NMDC: McKinsey has asked the company to endorse the rights issue of arm Legacy Iron Ore to help it raise Australian $25 mln to meet future capital
requirements. 

* TATA MOTORS: Arm Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Plc is yet to take a decision on setting up an automotive facility in Brazil . 

* STATE BANK OF INDIA : Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested a former assistant general manager of the bank in an alleged bribery case. 

* UNITED SPIRITS: The British Office for Fair Trading said it is considering Diageo's offer to sell majority stake in Whyte & Mackay in order to deal with
competition concerns regarding bottled blended Scotch whisky in the UK .

* WEBSOL ENERGY SYSTEM: A consortium of seven lenders has refused to refer company to corporate debt restructuring cell for recast of 3.50-bln-rupee
loan.

FREE DAILY STOCKS ALERT - 21.11.2013

* APOLLO HOSPITALS ENTERPRISE : Is planning to add 800 beds in the next 5 months, which will take total capacity of the company to 10,000 beds by
March. 

* ASHOK LEYLAND: Joint venture Ashok Leyland John Deere Construction Equipment Co, has unveiled the 435E Backhoe Loader at EXCON exhibition today. 

* ASIAN GRANITO INDIA: Plans to open 56 additional exclusive outlets under the brand 'AGL Tiles World' by December 2014, taking the number of such
stores to 100. 

* BARAK VALLEY CEMENTS: Posted a net loss 30.96 mln rupees in Jul-Sep against a loss of 27.73 mln rupees year ago. Net sales down 16.57% YoY to 229.92 mln rupees. 

* BHARTI AIRTEL: Has floated a request for proposal to upgrade its 3G service networks. 

* BHUSHAN STEEL: The Odisha State Pollution Control Board has directed the company to shut down its power and steel plant in Meramundali. 

* BOSCH: Technology professional Suraj Kamath has filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging the company compelled Indian employees in US to pay their
tax refund back. 

* BPL: Posted a net profit 16.55 mln rupees in Jul-Sep against a loss of 23.90 mln rupees year ago. Net sales down 42.84% YoY to 136.85 mln rupees. 

* COUNTRY CONDOS: Posted a 55.50% YoY rise in net profit to 0.64 mln rupees in Jul-Sep. Net sales were up 25.08% YoY to 19.29 mln rupees. 

* CUBEX TUBINGS: Posted a net profit of 0.50 mln rupees in Jul-Sep against a loss of 0.39 mln rupees year ago. Net sales up 7.83% YoY to 99.92 mln rupees. 

* DHAMPUR SUGAR MILLS: Posted a loss of 335.88 mln rupees in Jul-Sep against a profit of 108.01 mln rupees year ago. Net sales up 58% YoY to 5.30 bln rupees. 

* DHUNSERI PETROCHEM & TEA: Posted a loss 166.3 mln rupees in Jul-Sep against a loss of 42.1 mln rupees year ago. Net sales up 117.47% YoY to 10.12 bln rupees. 

* ESSAR OIL: Will shut a crude unit and a secondary unit at its 405,000-barrel-a day Vadinar refinery for a week from Thursday for maintenance. 

* FUTURE RETAIL: Company will be excluded from the derivatives segment of the National Stock Exchange from Jan 31. 

* HEXA TRADEX: Posted a loss 0.41 mln rupees in Jul-Sep against a loss of 3.14 mln rupees year ago. Net sales up 7-fold to 222.18 mln rupees. 

* IFB INDUSTRIES: Posted 83.13% YoY dip in Jul-Sep net profit at 15.3 mln rupees. Net sales up 0.94% to 2.32 bln rupees. 

* INDIAN HUME PIPE CO: Posted a 4% YoY dip in Jul-Sep net profit at 66.76 mln rupees. Net sales up 4.57% to 1.81 bln rupees. 

* KINGFISHER AIRLINES:  Kingfisher Finvest India , a promoter of company, sold 16.02 mln shares, or 6.9% stake for 91 mln rupees on Nov 6. 

* MCX: Company and China 's Dalian Commodity Exchange have signed a memorandum of understanding to improve co-operation between the exchanges. The company has granted 29,144 stock options and transferred the same to the eligible employees of the company. 

* NTPC: Has sought SEBI's approval to raise up to 17.50 bln rupees through tax-free bonds in the current financial year. 

* OIL AND NATURAL GAS CORP: Gujarat State Petroleum Corp has decided not to pick up more than 1% equity in the petrochemical project floated by their joint venture ONGC Petro Additions. 

* RELIANCE INDUSTRIES: The government has slapped an additional penalty of $792 mln on the company for producing less than targeted natural gas its KG-D6 block. 

* SAIL: To raise iron ore output capacity by 43 mln tn per annum by 2015-16 (Apr-Mar) from existing 28 MTPA.

* SHRIRAM TRANSPORT FINANCE: Arm Shriram Equipment Finance Co aims to garner 12-14% market share in the construction equipment finance space.

* SKS MICROFINANCE: Said the RBI has classified the company as non-banking financial company-micro finance institution, effective Nov 18. 

* SOUTHERN PETROCHEMICALS IND CORP: Has shut manufacturing plant for maintenance activities. 

* STERLITE TECHNOLOGIES: SEBI has disposed of the case against the company for its failure to redress investor complaints within the stipulated time.

* STRIDES ARCOLAB: US-based Mylan has raised $2 bln for acquisition of the company's unit Agila Specialties. 

* TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES: Microsoft has tied up with the company and WIPRO to launch its CityNext initiative. 

* TATA MOTORS: Showcased six construction vehicles from its ConsTruck range of commercial vehicles at EXCON 2013. 

* TATA POWER CO: Has commissioned an additional 220 kV transmission line in the Kalwa-Salsette line to bring electricity to Mumbai. The Maharashtra government has allowed the state electricity distribution company to scrap its purchase agreement with Tata Power's arm, Coastal Gujarat Power, if the power drawn from Mundra plant becomes unviable. 

* TATA STEEL: Said will cooperate with the police in the investigation into the death of former official, Charudatta Deshpande. 

* UNITED SPIRITS: Majority stake owner Diageo may have to sell Whyte & Mackay if the British Office of Fair Trade finds that it creates a monopoly in UK . 

* VYBRA AUTOMET: Has lifted the factory lock-out with effect Wednesday.

FREE DAILY SECTORS ALERT - 19.11.2013

* AVIATION: Domestic carriers flew a total of 5.0 mln passengers in October, up 9.9% on month, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.

* BANKS: The RBI will provide a 50-bln-rupee refinance facility to the Small Industries Development Bank of India for supporting micro and small enterprises. 

* ECONOMY: Economics Affairs Secretary Mayaram told FIIs that inflation, growth, and trade and fiscal deficits are key concerns for India . 

* ENERGY: Canada 's Niko Resources is set to abandon its gas block in Surat , Gujarat , as the fields have been fully exploited. 

* ENVIRONMENT: The Supreme Court has said it may not alter its 2011 directions to set up a 'green regulator' but the government is free to bring a law on the issue. 

* GOVERNMENT: The broadcasting ministry has announced an interim hike in print media rates for government advertisements by 19%, with retrospective effect from Oct 15. 

* INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Azim Premji's PremjiInvest is likely to co-invest in online retailer Myntra's $50 mln fund raising plan.

* INFRASTRUCTURE: The Cabinet Committee on Investments will on Wednesday review some major infrastructure projects. 

* INSURANCE: Cigna TTK Health Insurance Co has got final approval from the IRDA to start standalone health insurance operations in the country. 

* MINING: SC has granted two more days to government to respond to petition challenging Centre's decision to deny extension to Justice M.B. Shah Commission. Stemcor has extended the deadline for bids to buy its Indian iron ore mines from mid-November to sometime in early December. 

* RAILWAYS: Inter-ministerial group on infra has set up a sub-committee to prepare a report on "innovative" ways of raising financial resources for railway projects. 

* REALTY: US private equity fund Blackstone and Panchshil Realty are all set to buy Express Towers in Mumbai from owners ICICI Ventures and Express Group. Essar Group's realty company Equinox Realty is looking to sell its 7.5-7.8 acre land in Thane for 1.10-1.15 bln rupees. 

* REGULATORY: SEBI has issued guidelines to tighten the disclosure norms for listed companies in order to make it more effective. Corporate Affairs Minister Pilot said his ministry is looking to reduce the time taken by CCI to pass an order or issue directions. 

* TAXATION: State finance ministers have asked Finance Minister Chidambaram to exclude taxes on petroleum, liquor and entry of goods from the purview of proposed Goods and Services Tax.

* TELECOM: The Department of Telecommunications may drop a controversial clause in the preferential market access policy that mandates local sourcing of 24 security-sensitive telecom products for government contracts.