COST Financial News

Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to list for hearing on March 21 a PIL against the practice of political parties promising freebies during elections. «This is important. We will keep this on board tomorrow,» said a bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra after petitioner's lawyer in the case mentioned the matter for early hearing. The plea said there should be a total ban on populist measures to gain undue political favour from voters as they violate the Constitution, and the Election Commission should take suitable deterrent measures.

New Delhi: Fees of big actors, which had taken a jump after streaming platforms started buying films for huge amounts, are now correcting as the platforms turn conservative on the films they purchase. “There is a more cautious and tailored uptake of content by trade (streaming platforms), in light of which everyone in the value chain, be it actors or crew, need to recalibrate and realign with market forces and realities," said movie producer Tanuj Garg, who is managing partner at Ellipsis Entertainment.

₹240 crore to his four-month-old grandson, Ekagrah, who now holds a 0.04% stake in the company. This gesture follows the tradition of grandparents gifting shares, gold, cash, and other assets, but this raises questions about the tax implications for both the giver and the receiver. There is no tax incidence in the hands of recipient, whether minor or an adult, if the gift is from a relative.

Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) has issued draft guidelines with a proposal that every real estate project needs to maintain three bank accounts in the same scheduled bank to ensure compliance, efficiency, transparency, accountability, and appropriate utilisation. Of these accounts, Collection Account will maintain all revenue from the allottees and any other charges excluding all taxes and statutory duties. The second account, Separate Account, will be where 70% of the revenue from the project will be transferred to from the Collection Account. This amount will be solely utilised to cover land and construction cost as stated in the laws, loan interest, refunds as well as compensation of up to 70% to the buyer.

Pradip Kumar Das, Chairman and Managing Director of IREDA, highlighted the significant growth the organization has witnessed in the renewable energy sector over the past three years. He emphasized that while solar energy has been a major focus, with a substantial increase of 28 times, the loan portfolio in this sector has slightly decreased to 30% in the latest audited figures. Das also pointed out that IREDA is actively involved in new and emerging areas such as rooftop solar, excluding residential projects, along with exploring opportunities in alternative sources like CBG and ethanol. Considering India's agricultural economy, there is a promising scope for growth in these sectors. Looking ahead, IREDA is set to delve into areas like pump storage, green hydrogen, offshore wind, aiming to expand its portfolio in sustainable energy solutions. Every time I look at IREDA stock and everyone is like, oh my God, is it real? It went public at less than Rs 40 and then it went to as high as 170, actually Rs 200. So, are you pinching yourself? Pradip Kumar Das: First of all, we are a responsible Government of India organisation which is spearheading the renewable energy development in the country through financing which is the most crucial aspect, not only renewable, new and emerging sector.

Also Read: Insider alert: Top 5 companies in which promoters are increasing their stake In contrast, India's agrochemicals market is expected to witness a higher CAGR of 6.0–6.5% by 2027–28, touching US$ 9.8 billion. According to the brokerage, the country's emergence as the second-largest exporter of agrochemicals globally is notable, driven by a surge in exports to key markets such as the USA and Brazil. It highlights that the regulatory reforms, technological advancements, and sustainability initiatives will be poised to further propel growth in the Indian agrochemicals landscape.

By Leika Kihara, Takahiko Wada and Mariko Katsumura

A personal loan availed is to be repaid in equated monthly instalments (EMIs) and you can mandate the lender to directly debit the same through auto debit mandate or if you have an alternate bank account, then it can done through a NACH mandate. Normally this can include a few months to a few years in EMIs. Some banks allow you to prepay or foreclose your Personal Loan after the payment of at least one EMI. However, charges (and taxes) will be applicable for foreclosing a personal loan.

Rakesh Sharma, ED, Bajaj Auto, says coming to exports recovery, in the last one or two quarters, we have bottomed out and have also sensed a slightly better flow of funds from overseas, but still have to watch a couple of quarters to see whether there is a substantive and sustainable recovery now well underway.” There are so many factors to look forward to, new launches in EVs, a recovery in exports, the growth in the CNG motorcycle launch. Let’s begin with the recovery that we have seen in exports, a 10% year-on-year growth. Can you build on this number and if so, which are the markets according to you that will really lead this growth? Rakesh Sharma: I must say that the exports recovery needs to be still watched for a couple of quarters. It is completely on the back of macroeconomic factors. Happily, in many countries, the informal exchange rate and the formal exchange rate are now finally converging, which allows the banking systems to support international trade though, of course, it is a serious devaluation in many countries which raises the ultimate purchase price and that has to be digested.

A flight between Calgary and Cancun that usually takes around six hours ended up being a three-day affair for one group of Flair Airlines passengers.

Holi 2024: Holi, also known as the festival of colour, is the most vibrant and eagerly anticipated Hindu festival that is celebrated across India in the Phalguna month (February or March). This year, Holi falls on March 25, and Holika Dahan is celebrated a day ahead, i.e., March 24. In India, there are some spectacular destinations for Holi where the festival is celebrated in a deeply traditional manner.

By Rozanna Latiff and Danial Azhar

Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict with Russia, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin warned that if Vladimir Putin is successful here, he will not stop there. Convening the 20th meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, Austin said that Ukraine will not back down in the face of the Russian invasion of the country, and neither will the United States, the statement from the US Department of Defence (DOD) stated. The meeting took place at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, praising the «countries of conscience» that are working together to aid Ukraine in its fight.

Shares of most tyre companies weakened Tuesday as the recent spike in prices of commodities including rubber and crude, which are raw materials for their production, dented investor sentiment. Analysts expect these stocks to be under pressure over the next quarter but advise buying them if they decline. JK Tyre fell 4.35% on Tuesday while MRF Tyres and Goodyear India declined 3.32% and 2.39% respectively. Apollo moved down 0.59% while CEAT and Bridegstone were up by 0.44% and 2.74% respectively. Benchmark Nifty slumped over 1%, while Nifty Auto Index fell 0.45%.

By Jeff Mason

By Mike Stone, David Carnevali and Allison Lampert

Imagine sitting down with a messy pile of T-slips and old receipts to file your tax return one line at a time. It sounds daunting — and a reason why even people with straightforward returns may choose to hire an accountant.

Even as overall inflation has eased in recent months, it is getting more expensive to own a pet in Canada.

₹18.3 trillion, respectively. Such a large-scale shift to digital payments was unthinkable in an emerging economy like India till a few years ago. What is praiseworthy is the trust earned by this payment mode from millions of people, a large fraction of whom are not tech-savvy.

margins, helped by a moderation of raw materials prices, a report said. Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) companies are expected to witness 11-13 per cent revenue expansion supported by a preference towards premium products amid volume growth of 3-5 per cent on a high base of FY2024, the report by rating agency ICRA said. The revenue of the beer companies will witness a 9-11 per cent increase, helped by volume growth of 4-6 cent, the report said. «ICRA expects beer to witness a good season in Q1 FY2025 in anticipation of a hot summer compared to the previous fiscal, which had encountered unseasonal rainfall,» it said.

By Francesco Canepa and John O'Donnell