The benchmark stock indices have opened the day with modest gains after the losses suffered yesterday.
Join us as we follow the top business news through the day.
Passage of agri bills to empower farmers: Niti VC
Voices in support of the Centre's farm reform bills.
PTI reports: "Welcoming the passage of two bills related to the farm sector in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said the legislation will empower farmers and have a “colossal impact” on the future of agriculture in the country.
The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill were passed by voice vote, even as the Congress, DMK and Revolutionary Socialist Party members staged a walkout.
“The Lok Sabha passes Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 & The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 - historic day!,” Kumar said in a series of tweets.
He further said the legislation will not only empower but also create a fair and free ecosystem for farmers and traders alike, thereby fostering a spirit of friendly competition and improving trader transparency.
For the first time, he said, farmers can proudly sell directly from their farms, igniting in them a sense of entrepreneurial freedom without the risk of trader exploitation.
“The Bills passed today will have colossal impact on future of agriculture in our country,” Kumar noted.
Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand said the legislations will transform the destiny of farmers.
“A historical day for Indian agriculture as Lok Sabha passed 2 farming bills. This will lay foundation for changing destiny of farmers towards prosperity and take India on path to become global power in agriculture,” Chand tweeted.
Another bill related to the farm sector, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, was passed on Tuesday.
These three bills will replace ordinances promulgated by the government earlier."
‘MSMEs used tech to survive lockdown’
Information Technology (IT) infrastructure helped businesses tide over the challenges arising from the lockdown, Tally Solutions said in a report.
According to a study it conducted, about 94% of MSMEs in India had adopted technology to stay afloat in the last few months.
About 67% of respondents in western India adopted full-fledged IT infrastructure in their businesses post-lockdown, compared with just 29% during the lockdown. Similarly, 60% respondents from the south had adopted complete IT infrastructure, the study found.
Sensex rises nearly 200 points in early trade; Nifty tops 11,550
A good start to the morning for stocks after yesterday's losses.
PTI reports: "Domestic equity benchmark Sensex jumped nearly 200 points in early trade on Friday tracking gains in index majors TCS, Reliance Industries and Sun Pharma amid positive cues from Asian peers.
The 30-share BSE index was trading 186.37 points or 0.48 per cent higher at 39,166.22; while the NSE Nifty rose 62.70 points or 0.54 per cent to 11,578.80.
Sun Pharma was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising around 3 per cent, followed by Tech Mahindra, Tata Steel, TCS, Titan, PowerGrid, NTPC, Reliance Industries and Asian Paints.
On the other hand, HUL, Bajaj Auto, Maruti and Nestle India were among the laggards.
In the previous session, Sensex ended 323 points or 0.82 per cent lower at 38,979.85, while Nifty fell 88.45 points or 0.76 per cent to 11,516.10.
Meanwhile, exchange data showed that foreign institutional investors sold equities worth Rs 249.82 crore on a net basis on Thursday.
According to traders, positive start in Asian equities nudged domestic stocks higher.
Bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo were trading with gains in mid-day deals.
However, stock exchanges on Wall Street ended on a negative note in overnight trade.
Meanwhile, global oil benchmark Brent crude was trading 0.46 per cent higher at USD 43.50 per barrel."
Vistara offers Wi-Fi on-board
Vistara has become the first Indian airline to introduce Wi-Fi connectivity on its flights to London.
To begin with, the service will be available only on-board the two Boeing 787-9 aircraft in a fleet of 43 planes. Vistara uses the aircraft to provide connections to London.
Vistara said it would soon introduce the service on the aircraft it uses to connect domestic and short-haul international routes — the Airbus A321neo.
The move follows the decision taken by the Department of Telecommunications in 2018 to allow Wi-Fi in the Indian airspace.