Provident Financial News

By Marcela Ayres and Pilar Olivares

As of October this year, a total of 411 infrastructure projects, each of which required an investment of Rs 150 crore or more, have encountered significant cost overruns, amounting to over Rs 4.31 lakh crore! Out of a total of 1,788 monitored projects valued at Rs 150 crore and above, 411 projects reported cost overruns, while 837 projects experienced delays. The original implementation cost was Rs 24,78,446.60 crore, with an anticipated completion cost of Rs 29,09,526.63 crore, indicating an overall cost overrun of Rs 4,31,080.03 crore.

Weekends are all about downtime. After a week full of work to meet deadlines, everybody needs some breather to relax and recuperate. From watching a favourite web series to planning a vacation, weekends are designated as family and me time. Rajat Khurana, managing director, ASICS India, talks to BrandWagon Online about his weekends, favourite vacation destination and more.

Efforts were underway on Sunday to build an access road at the top of the hill above Silkyara tunnel for initiating vertical drilling to reach 41 workers trapped for seven days, with authorities hopeful that a platform to drill the hole might be ready by this afternoon.

During festive seasons, lots of banks and housing finance companies come out with special offers to lure customers. This time also, many banks – including SBI, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank — have introduced festive offers on home loans which may be beneficial for those who intend to buy their dream home by taking a home loan.

PTI. Rijiju called on Muizzu at his office a day after attending the Maldvian leader's inauguration ceremony. Muizzu is widely seen as a pro-China leader had promised to ensure the removal of Indian troops and maintain geopolitical neutrality if he is elected to power. The Maldivian defence force had said in 2021 that about 75 Indian military personnel were located in the country to maintain and operate an aircraft that was provided as an aid in 2020.

Indian Air Force (IAF) C17 aircraft, carrying 32 tonnes of aid for civilians in Gaza caught up in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, on Sunday departed for the El-Arish Airport in Egypt. Taking to his official handle on X, External Affairs Minister S Jaishanker reaffirmed New Delhi's commitment to extend humanitarian assistance to Gazans, posting, «We continue to deliver humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine. Second @IAF_MCC C17 aircraft carrying 32 tonnes of aid departs for the El-Arish Airport in Egypt.» Earlier, India sent 38 tonnes of humanitarian relief for civilians caught up in the ongoing ground offensive by the Israeli forces in the Strip. The aid package comprised fluids and painkillers.

India should become a middle-income country and then push to make INR (rupee) a hard currency, and till then, it must promote the settlement of global trade in the local currency, think tank GTRI said on Sunday. Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said that transforming a currency into a hard currency is a complex process that hinges on several pivotal factors. Firstly, economic stability is paramount; a country must exhibit low and stable inflation, consistent growth, and a balanced trade environment.

Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday passed orders banning the production and sale of certain halal certified food products while calling for action against organisations associated with production and sale of halal certified drugs and cosmetics in what officials said was a bid to discourage unauthorised private bodies granting halal certificates to certain non-meat products driven by a «malicious attempt to exploit a specific religious sentiment and potentially incite discord among communities». The government in its orders passed by the food safety and drug administration department said that while information regarding halal certification on labels of drugs and cosmetics amounts to «misrepresentation» and is thus punishable under The Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940 as the act has no provision for halal certification; for food items, halal certification on non-meat products like dairy items, sugar, bakery products etc is akin to a system «parallel» to the standardisation provided by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), creating a situation of «confusion» and is thus also liable to be punished for misrepresentation under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The union commerce ministry had earlier this year notified guidelines for certification of halal meat products saying that only bodies accredited by the NABCB (national accreditation board for certification bodies) can issue valid halal certificates.

FPIs bought Indian equities worth Rs 1,433 crore thus far in November, mainly due to the decline in US treasury bond yields and crude oil prices. Foreign Portfolios Investors (FPIs) were net sellers till November 15. However, they reversed the selling trend by infusing money during November 16-17, data with the depositories showed.

Discount Chinese marketplace Temu has shot to the number three spot in the Australian e-commerce rankings, unseating better-known homegrown competition Kogan, Catch and MyDeal, just six months after making its debut in this country.

In Australia, Sportsbet is offering 1.4 times the amount for bets on India winning the game, less than half the payout for an Australia win at 2.9 times, as of Friday. Betfair, based in the UK, presents a similar payout, with an India win earning speculators 1.49 times the money they wager, less than half of the payout for Australia at 3 times.

PTI. 5. Earlier on Saturday, Former Prime Minister Office (PMO) advisor Bhaskar Khulbe said that teams deployed at the Silkyara tunnel require a coordinated action for the rescue operation which is underway at the site adding that multiple options are being explored to save their lives. Speaking to ANI, Bhaskar Khulbe said, “We are exploring as many options as possible to rescue workers.

defines Halal Food as that which is permitted under the Islamic Law. "All lawful land animals should be slaughtered in compliance with the rules laid down in the Codex Recommended Code of Hygienic Practice for Fresh Meat," the FAO guidelines say. ALSO READ: Uttar Pradesh bans manufacturing, storage, distribution and sale of halal-certified products One of the many requirement is that the slaughter act should sever the trachea, oesophagus and main arteries and veins of the neck region" of the animal.

AMP Bank has become the first bank to increase interest rates for existing customers by more than the Reserve Bank of Australia’s latest cash rate rise, as it tries to turn around shrinking profit margins on home loans.

But then, Covid struck. As governments around the world enforced lockdowns, football scholarship plans suffered. But even when lockdowns started easing and athletes resumed hitting the turf, things couldn’t be back to the way they once were.

Mark Twain, sometimes reality is stranger than fantasy because fantasy is limited by one’s imagination; reality isn’t. India’s World Cup campaign is a wonderful example. Not even in anybody’s wildest fantasy would India have won 10 out of 10 matches, like the way Rohit Sharma’s blue brigade has done. Who would have thought that India would go on to beat every team: defending champions England, champions of champions Australia, run-machine South Africa, bigger-than-the sum-of-their-parts and their conquerors in the last edition New Zealand (twice), most-important-team-to-beat Pakistan, favourite opposition Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, while also avoiding any possible upsets against Afghanistan and Netherlands. But, it’s a reality now. India’s batsmen have piled on runs as if they were playing against ‘B’ teams.

United States are gearing up for a feast that's as much about tradition as it is about gratitude. Among the big lineup of dishes gracing tables from coast to coast, one small yet vibrant fruit often steals the spotlight — the cranberry. But why has this tart berry become synonymous with Thanksgiving, and what makes it an essential part of the day's culinary landscape? Cranberries, native to North America, have a rich history intertwined with the Thanksgiving narrative. Indigenous peoples used these ruby-red gems for both food and medicinal purposes long before the Pilgrims arrived. Fast forward to the 17th century when the Pilgrims and Native Americans shared a feast that would later be recognized as the precursor to the modern Thanksgiving celebration. It's likely that cranberries made an appearance at this historic meal, setting the stage for their enduring role in Thanksgiving traditions.

loan accounts designated as fraud. According to officials aware of the deliberations, the Indian Banks Association, or IBA, and National E-governance Services Ltd.

Parshuram Kund Project have been prepared and instructions have been given to prepare a DPR accordingly, for further submission to the Government of India. A review meeting was held at the Parshuram Kund, Lohit district by Mein to discuss about the planning and preparation for the upcoming Parshuram Kund Festival 2024. During the meeting, observations and feedback pertaining from the last Festival that took place earlier this year were reviewed. Keeping these in mind, a strategic route plan addressing all these bottlenecks has been devised to ensure a hassle-free experience for the pilgrims attending the Parshuram Kund Festival in 2024.

schools in the national capital shall resume classes in offline mode from November 20 as GRAP IV has been revoked, an official circular said on Saturday. “All Government, Government aided and private recognised schools in Delhi shall resume all classes (from pre-school to std XII) physically wef 20 November i.e, Monday. However, outdoor sports activities and morning assemblies will not be held for next one week from the issuance of this order," according to an order by the Directorate of Education, Government of Delhi.