Mobile Financial News

eVX's design and features, offering enthusiasts a glimpse into what the future holds for electric mobility in India. Notably, the charging port's placement on the front left fender garnered attention for its practicality and safety benefits, mitigating vulnerability to frontal collision impacts.

Vodafone Idea (Vi) has surrendered fractional spectrum in the 900MHz and 1800MHz bands in select circles as the airwaves were incompatible with its latest network technology. "VIL has opted for extension of required spectrum in both Uttar Pradesh (West) and West Bengal circles, releasing only the fractional spectrum that cannot be used with the newer technology and as such not currently required," a Vi spokesperson said. The spectrum was up for renewal this year.

Electric car sales in India fell to their lowest level in five months in February even as companies took steep price cuts, indicating it would take more than just a lower acquisition cost to nudge buyers to shift to EVs in India where automakers are committing billions of dollars for the switch to electric mobility. Cumulative sales in February dropped to 7,277 vehicles, the lowest since October, showed data from the government's Vahan portal. So far, this month, EV registrations have fallen to 204 units per day on average, the lowest in 11 months, signalling that the softening of sales is set to continue. Sales are set to slow further with less than 20 days left before the end of incentives under the government's Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India) scheme. These incentives are applicable to cars used in the commercial fleet, which comprise a significant portion of EV sales, and with the impending general election, automakers are unsure if the scheme would be extended. Anticipating slowing sales, Tata Motors has cut production in April and May, following a similar move in March, said people aware of the company's plans. Sales of Tata's EV registrations fell 13% sequentially in March. This month Tata Motors plans to produce 2,200 to 2,500 EVs against a peak of 4,500 units about 4-5 months ago. The company is likely to maintain similar production levels for the next two months, said the person cited above.

Political parties in Jammu and Kashmir met the visiting delegation of the Election Commission of India in Srinagar on Tuesday and urged it to hold assembly elections concurrently with the Lok Sabha elections. The ECI team, led by chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar, arrived in Srinagar on a three-day visit and held interactions with parties, including National Conference, People's Democratic Party, Congress, BJP and CPI (M). The Panthers Party delegation, led by Harsh Dev Singh, was not allowed to meet the ECI team. The party protested outside the meeting venue in Srinagar, alleging «BJP-ECI nexus» is ruining the democratic institution. Leaders of other parties said the ECI delegation heard their suggestions with passion and its attitude seemed to be «considerate».

By David Shepardson

$6 billion in intercity cab services underscoring the country's robust demand and vast opportunities. Within this dynamic domain, the intercity cab segment emerges as a crucial player, facilitating connectivity and convenience across India's sprawling urban and rural landscapes. It's in this highly competitive and fragmented market in which Savaari Car Rentals has carved out a niche.

Maruti Suzuki is looking at transporting more vehicles it makes via railways to cut down costs and reduce emissions in line with the government’s push towards clean mobile solutions. The company, along with joint-venture partners, has invested over Rs 1081 crore to commission the country’s first in-plant railway siding at its manufacturing facility in Gujarat, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday. Maruti Suzuki plans to set up similar facilities in Manesar and Kharkhoda (Haryana). Overall, the company said it plans to substantially increase the proportion of cars it transports via railways as it doubles production to 4 million units per annum by 2030, from a little over 21% currently.

Mixed Route Juice has secured the complete 360 advertising (ATL & BTL), marketing, and digital mandate for Project Vikalp, which operates in the realm of Women’s Sexual rights by Ipas Development Foundation. The project targets rural regions in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Assam.

Amidst the arid expanse of Rajasthan’s Pokhran, Prime Minister Narendra Modi bore witness to the 50-minute-long integrated tri-service firepower and manoeuvre exercise dubbed “Bharat Shakti.”

Pokhran firing range in Rajasthan to witness the Bharat Shakti exercise, showcasing the prowess of indigenously manufactured defence equipment of the three services. The exercise, held for about 50 minutes, included an integrated tri-service firepower and manoeuvre demonstration. LCA Tejas, ALH Mk-IV, LCH Prachand, mobile anti-drone system, BMP-II and its variants, NAMICA (Nag Missile Carrier), T90 tanks, Dhanush, K9 Vajra, and Pinaka rockets were among the platforms showcased at Pokhran, about 100 km from Jaisalmer city.

The state of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida are raking in millions of dollars from online sports betting, thanks to a compact that gave the tribe exclusive rights to run sports wagers and casino gambling on its reservations

Quiver Quantitative — The recent surge in stock speculation in India, highlighted by an unprecedented volume of equity options contracts traded, is drawing global attention for its sheer scale and potential implications. In 2023, India astonishingly accounted for 78% of the global equity options market, with the National Stock Exchange witnessing a 153% increase in stock index options traded, reaching 84.3 billion contracts.

Bharti Airtel's managing director Gopal Vittal has called on the telco's 19,000-odd employees, including senior executives, across India to cancel all business meetings on Tuesday and spend the entire day on the field with customers to get a fix on service challenges they face, even as the Sunil Mittal-led telco readies to launch 5G services nationally by the month-end. The exercise is part of a national brand-building drive to position Airtel as a customer-obsessed telco that is keen on eliciting direct market feedback from its target audience on the state of its 2G, 4G and 5G mobile operations as well as home broadband services. «These interactions will help us understand customer needs on a deeper level. Tomorrow (March 12) is also an opportunity for you to discover first-hand what challenges our frontline staff face and how they serve customers,» Vittal wrote in an internal email communication to all Airtel employees Monday. ET has seen a copy of the Airtel MD's letter.

Tata Motors, which harnessed increasing demand for electric cars to reclaim automotive market-capitalization leadership in India, has urged New Delhi to extend incentives on electric taxis for another three years and also include personal cars in the government's flagship demand support program FAME, citing global EV leader China's example. Tata Motors, which has seen a near-six-fold surge in its stock price through the past five years that helped establish its domestic EV leadership credentials, wants New Delhi to help replicate an enabling environment similar to that in Beijing that has pledged to support adoption of EVs until unit sales touched at least a fifth of all new cars sold. «Globally, major economies (China, Germany) have continued to support EV adoption with demand subsidies until achievement of at least 20% EV adoption,» Shailesh Chandra, managing director, Tata Passenger Electric Mobility and Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, said in the letter dated March 9. «The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Industry had also recommended in 2023 that the Government broaden the scope and extend FAME by at least three more years to make the scheme more inclusive,» Chandra said in the letter, a copy of which has been seen by ET.

₹52.7 trillion worth of assets under management (AUM) as of end January, and 150 million investor folios. On an average, over 1.2 million new folios have been added every month since April 2017. It is expected that the MF industry’s AUM will cross ₹100 trillion in the next nine or 10 years.

Saral Sanchaar) permission will be provided where spectrum would be used by colleges or institutions, by paying ₹1,000 they get permission for testing the equipment. This regulatory sandbox was designed to foster innovation and remove bottlenecks," the minister said.

spectrum regulatory sandbox allowing entities including educational institutions, telcos and network manufacturers to test their equipment by paying a notional amount and doing registration. As per Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, through the sandbox, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will be giving easy permissions to test new equipment that requires use of spectrum. “Let’s say, a college design a new equipment which requires spectrum to be used for testing. Instead of coming to DoT for a license and a number of license conditions and a series of other requirements, can we create a very simple construct in which the college simply logs in through a portal and everything that needs to be done is done by paying a token amount of Rs 1000,” Vaishnaw said.

Galaxy Ring initially, with the possibility of increasing production based on market responses. Production is slated to commence in May, aligning with the anticipated July launch. The Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 shed light on the Galaxy Ring's features, revealing that the smart ring will come in two sizes: 8 to 9 sizes.

—Name withheld on request Rental income from a jointly owned house is taxable in the hands of the co-owners, in proportion of the investments made by each co-owner towards purchase of the property. On the assumption that your holding in the property will be inherited by your wife and daughter after your death, the rental income shall be taxable in their hands in proportion of their respective the property share (including the inherited portion). It is assumed that FDs and the MFs (held by you in India), shall be inherited by your daughter post your demise.

Madras High Court ruling as «atrocious,» the Supreme Court has agreed to examine a plea challenging the judgment related to watch and downloading child pornographic content privately. The Madras High Court had asserted that simply downloading and watching child pornography does not constitute an offense under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Information Technology law. The High Court's decision, which was delivered on January 11, garnered widespread attention as it quashed criminal proceedings against a 28-year-old individual accused of downloading pornographic material involving children on his mobile phone. According to the High Court, the existing laws do not consider mere viewing of child pornography as an offense under the Information Technology Act, 2000. Expressing concern over the prevalence of pornography consumption among today's youth, the High Court suggested a more nuanced approach to address the issue. It emphasized the importance of education and counseling rather than punitive measures. The ruling highlighted the necessity of guiding and advising young individuals who may be grappling with the consequences of exposure to adult content.

Funding the purchase of your dream house is a tough ask, particularly if you are a salaried employee. For one, property prices seem to be on the rise always. Two, savings from mutual fund investments and bank fixed deposits alone may not be sufficient as there will always be expenses that are often unaccounted for.