Aware Financial News

PFRDA) has requested for increased tax exemption on employer contributions to employees' pensions in order to align it with provident fund. The employer's contribution to provident fund is deductible up to 12 percent of the salary (basic + dearness allowance) up to the maximum limit of ₹7.5 lakh. Interest on this contribution is tax-exempt.

Delhi is currently dealing with persistent haze, and to worsen the situation, the smog tower in Connaught Place is not working. This tower, inaugurated by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in 2021, has been shut down by the personnel responsible for its operations.

Bangladesh Prime Minister on Sunday emphasised the importance of democracy for the development of the country as the Asian nation goes to the polls for the 2024 general elections today. «Our country is sovereign and independent...We have a big population. We have established people's democratic rights...I want to make sure that democracy should continue in this country and without democracy, you can't make any development. As we are a long-term democratic system from 2009 to 2023, that is why Bangladesh made this much of an achievement,» she said.

Officials in New York say most of the 23 people on board a bus that crashed on U.S. Highway 87 Friday, leaving at least one person dead, were Canadian citizens.

Delhi Police has concluded its arguments on the framing of charges against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in an alleged sexual harassment case lodged against him by women wrestlers. This matter is at the stage of framing charges before the Rouse Avenue Court. The Delhi Police argued that the incidents of alleged sexual harassment that took place overseas and within the country, including New Delhi, were part of the same transaction. Therefore, the court has jurisdiction to try this case. After hearing arguments of the Delhi Police, the court listed the matter on January 20 and 23.

Aadhaar without submitting their biometric information. However, you need a valid reason such as a fingerprint is blurry or IRIS is unreadable, etc. to do it. According to data shared in Lok Sabha on December 20, 2023, 29 lakh Indians have got their Aadhaar without the biometrics. «To date, UIDAI has issued Aadhaar numbers to nearly 29 lakh persons who had missing fingers or were otherwise unable to provide finger or IRIS or both biometric,» said Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology.

“It is not a bad idea to stagger one's investment till March 2024 in three equal instalments each month, and then we are looking at a full-blown bull market for the rest of the year,” saysRakesh Pujara, Founder and Managing Partner at Compounding Wealth Advisors LLP. In an interview with ETMarkets, Pujara said, “We have identified eight sectors based on our proprietary models that look very promising and strong enough to deliver good returns this year such as infra, realty, IT, PSU Banks etc.,” Edited excerpts:

VinFast Auto is setting up an electric vehicle (EV) and battery manufacturing facility at Thoothukudi, near Chennai, which will have the capacity to produce 150,000 EVs in the first phase, a person aware of the developments told ET. The total investment in the 400-acre facility could eventually touch as much as $1 billion or even more, the person said, adding that VinFast is likely to make an official announcement on Saturday.

A top federal transportation safety official is harshly criticizing Washington's regional transit agency, saying a “poor safety culture” led to an October 2021 derailment that caused hundreds of new Metro railcars to be pulled from service

Mizoram chief minister Lalduhoma said that Mizoram is keen to offer eco-friendly and sustainable tourism that respects the fragile ecology of the State and its meagre population but not interested in mass tourism. Merchants' Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MCCI) organised a Felicitation & Interactive Session of the new Mizoram chief minister in Kolkata. He said, “Mizoram is keen to offer eco-friendly and sustainable tourism that respects the fragile ecology of the State and its meagre population but is not interested in mass tourism”. He said that Mizoram is the second largest producer of bamboo in Northeastern India and second largest producer of strawberries in India. It is a gold mine for researchers seeking out medicinal and aromatic plants.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has granted approval to the Africa Stablecoin Consortium (ASC) to launch the cNGN stablecoin in its regulatory sandbox. 

₹132 crore from its Hindi version, at last count. According to media consulting firm Ormax, Tamil films have maintained their share of overall box office, from 16% in 2022 to 17% in 2023.

Ram Mandir consecration: Ahead of the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, locals and members of the All Assam Divyanga Versatile Association of the state's Kamrup district have sent 7000 pieces of bamboo to Ayodhya. A container truck filled with bamboo pieces collected from the Lampi area near Boko to Ayodhya was dispatched on Thursday night. Arjun Chetry, a Member of Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council, said that this is a proud moment for them as they were able to send bamboo that will be used in the inauguration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. «We were instructed to collect some bamboo and we have collected the bamboo pieces from the Lampi area. We will send these bamboo pieces to Ayodhya and the bamboo-loaded truck will travel 1250 km to reach Ayodhya. It is a matter of pride for us,» Chetry said. The 7,000 bamboo branches were collected from the Lampi area along the Assam-Meghalaya border and stacked at Gohalkona Kacharipara.

total of 16 holidays including, Saturdays and Sundays off. Moreover, the holidays will be as per the local customs of different regions in India and will vary in different states.

PM Modi's 3rd straight term at Centre ‘almost an inevitability’: Report "Currently, people travel to Ayodhya through Kamta to Chinhat Matiyari via Barabanki. However, the usage of the alternative Sultanpur route is declining. Therefore, instructions have been issued to promote awareness of these alternative routes," Upendra Kumar Agarwal, Lucknow Joint Commissioner of Police said.

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N. Chandrababu Naidu has said that he is committed to taking steps needed for the financial and political empowerment of the Backward Classes (BCs) after his party comes to power in the upcoming general elections, while predicting a humiliating defeat for the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP). The campaign aims to raise awareness among the Backward Classes (BCs) about the injustices they have faced during the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) regime. During the launch, Naidu stated that the TDP has initiated a historic programme for the Backward Classes, who have been deceived by the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government.

Quadria Capital, the Asia healthcare-focused private equity fund, is in advanced talks to acquire a significant minority stake in India's largest dialysis chain NephroPlus, valuing the latter at ₹2,000 crore ($250 million), said two sources aware of the development. Existing investors — the US-based Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP) and International Finance Corporation (IFC) — will exit fully by selling about 30% stake together, while the largest shareholder Investcorp is likely to sell a small stake in this round, said sources. Investcorp owns about 35-40% stake in NephroPlus.

A customer who claims he was injured by an exploding toilet at a Dunkin' store in central Florida has filed a negligence lawsuit against the coffee chain

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has announced significant changes to its official signage and advertising rules. This update, the first since 2006, aims to extend the confidence and assurance traditionally provided by the FDIC's physical signage to the rapidly evolving digital banking landscape.

Sebi on Thursday said Govindayapalli Ram Mohan Rao has taken charge as an executive director and will handle the departments of investigation and internal inspection. Earlier, Rao was the regional director of the eastern regional office of Sebi (Securities and Exchange Board of India).

Such discriminatory demands may be illegal in many countries, but in India, the above-mentioned bank-backed fund house is one among many employers subjecting female jobseekers to increased scrutiny based on perceived biases against women in a tightening job market, company officials and recruiters told ET.