GS-III

India’s merchandise trade deficit widened in October to $17.13 billion due in large part to a higher oil import bill, official data released on Thursday showed. The trade deficit is wider than the $14.61 billion seen in October of last year and the $13.98 billion in September 2018. Positive growth …

There is no liquidity crisis in the NBFC sector right now, according to SBI chairman Rajnish Kumar. “There is no liquidity crisis in the NBFC sector… Roll-overs have been successful and all of them have been able to meet their commitments as far as their obligations are concerned,” Mr. Kumar …

Fitch Ratings on Thursday retained India’s sovereign rating at ‘BBB-’, the lowest investment grade rating, although maintaining its stable outlook. The company added that the economy would shrug off any lingering effects of demonetisation and GST during 2018-19 and 2019-20. “India’s rating balances a strong medium-term growth outlook and favourable …

Mahindra Electric Mobility has opened a Rs. 100-crore electric technology manufacturing hub in Bengaluru and rolled out its lithium-ion three-wheeler range on Thursday. Branded under the umbrella of +ME technologies, the facility will make battery packs, power electronics and motor assembly which are an integral part of an electric power …

Ahead of the much talked about board meeting of the central bank, RBI board member S. Gurumurthy Thursday said the stand-off between the government and the Reserve Bank was not a happy situation. The comment comes amid the ongoing rift between the Finance Ministry and the RBI over several issues, …

There cannot be a complete ban on use of word “Dalit” in media, the Press Council of India, the body that regulates print media, has ruled. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry had issued an advisory to all media outlets to not use the word “Dalit” to refer to members belonging …

The Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Council, headed by Governor Satya Pal Malik, on Thursday approved the proposal submitted by the State Home department for construction of 20,000 flats “on a self-financing basis” for police personnel. The move comes in the backdrop of frequent abductions and killings of policemen in their …

Any anti-Mizo party would want to capitalise on the Bru issue; vested interests at work in Tripura camps, says Congress CM Mizoram’s Congress Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla asserted that the State did not need an Assam-like National Register of Citizens, rebuffing calls from among a section of Mizos who view …

The two cubs of tigress Avni, who was shot dead in Yavatmal earlier this month, were spotted twice on Thursday morning, triggering a massive search for them. According to the Forest officials, the cubs, who had been missing since Avni’s killing on November 2, were first spotted by residents of …

A (H1N1) influenza has claimed the lives of four persons, who were undergoing treatment for the disease at Coimbatore Medical College. The deceased have been identified as J. Mechammal (67) from Ajantha Nagar near Narasimhanaickenpalayam, Nishar Ahammed (54) from Pallapatti near Karur, Padmavathi (70) from Athipalli in the Nilgiris, and …

District Collector B. Lakshmikantham said on Thursday the stage had been set for the India leg of the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) F1H2O World Championship Grand Prix of Amaravati, the fifth round of powerboat racing from Friday in the Krishna river. Mr. Lakshmikantham told the media here that all arrangements …

The human lifespan is increasing by approximately three years every generation — a trend likely to continue, a Stanford study has found. A team of researchers analysed life expectancy data from the past 50 years and found that people who survive to age 65 are continuing to live longer than …

But the technological and medical hurdles are immense Deadly radiation from the cosmos, potential vision loss, and atrophying bones are just some of the challenges scientists must overcome before any future astronaut can set foot on Mars, experts and top NASA officials said on Tuesday. The U.S. space agency believes …

U.S. FDA is giving companies two years to purge products that use any of the six artificial flavours Six artificial flavours are being ordered out of the food supply in a dispute over their safety, but good luck to anyone who wants to know which cookies, candies or drinks they’re …

Rupee fall, lower fares hit bottom line Low-cost airline SpiceJet Ltd. posted a second quarter net loss of Rs. 389.4 crore for the period ended September 30, 2018 on account of fuel price increase, rupee depreciation and lower fares. The firm had posted a net profit of Rs. 105 crore …

Revenues increase on automotive sales; however, the firm’s margins contract Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) reported a better-than-expected 26% increase in its second quarter net profit to Rs. 1,779 crore even as the maker of utility vehicles and tractors witnessed margin contraction. The financials include numbers of its commercial vehicle unit …

Headline inflation falling, doesn’t warrant conservative policy, says CLSA’s Wood The RBI is being too conservative in its monetary policy and the government is right in criticising the central bank on this count, according to Christopher Wood, managing director and equity strategist at CLSA, a capital markets and investment group. …

Currency rises 0.5% to close at 72.31, oil slips to $65 a barrel The rupee appreciated 0.5%, or 36 paisa, against the dollar as international crude oil prices dropped to $65 a barrel, which is seen as positive for the current account deficit since India imports 80% of its oil …

Punjab govt. fined Rs. 50 crore for pollution The National Green Tribunal on Wednesday ordered the Punjab government to submit a fine of Rs. 50 crore as environmental compensation for polluting rivers Sutlej and Beas due to industrial discharge. The Bench has asked the Punjab government to recover the fine …

Heaviest satellite to be carried on indigenous rocket Amid concerns of Cyclone Gaja spoiling the launch of the country’s heaviest satellite to be carried on board an indigenous rocket from Indian soil, the Indian Space Research Organisation pulled off the feat to perfection on Wednesday, a crucial launch for ISRO …