Will Covid-19 vaccination roll-out help Indian economy heal?

• Health economists believe that India’s vaccination program may help in economic recovery with the situation of women and children expected to improve
• According to operational guidelines for vaccination issued by the Union health ministry, the Covid-19 vaccine is being offered first to healthcare workers

How India has become an unequal republic

• Inequality based on class, rural-urban metrics and religion has risen. The pandemic will only make things worse
• The elites who benefited thanks to the public sector, IITs, IIMs in the era of economic planning are the same class of people who benefited the most post the 1990s pro-business reforms

IMF expects Indian economy to post 11.5% GDP growth in FY22

• IMF also revised upward its projections for FY22 to 11.5% from 8.8% estimated earlier
• IMF has projected world economy to recover a little faster and grow at 5.5% in 2021 after contracting 3.5% in 2020

A level playing field for our steel players will boost infrastructure

The budget should ease their access to finance and rejig levies to help sharpen their competitiveness

ETF investors from US bet big on India

• Enquiries from NRIs living in the US looking to invest in India are growing by almost 15-20% month-on-month
• According to ETF Database, there are 12 India-focused ETFs listed in the US with an AUM of $7.26 billion as of 26 January

Tata Motors reveals new Safari: All details about the new 'flagship SUV'

• The bookings of the Safari will begin early next month
• Deliveries of the new SUV is expected to commence later in next month

Buoyant markets lift ICICI Securities’ profitability, not its stock

The active client base, which includes all customers who used the brokerage to transact in the past one year, increased 17% to 1.63 million. The firm expanded its market share to 10.5%

US Senate confirms Antony Blinken as secretary of state

• Blinken, a longtime adviser to President Joe Biden who has vowed to repair US alliances, was approved by a vote of 78-22
• Republican senators who supported Blinken included two close Trump allies on foreign policy

Income tax: Standard deduction limit may be increased in Budget 2021

• To boost consumption in a pandemic-battered economy, the hike in standard deduction will be a good idea, according to experts
• The standard deduction for salaried employees should be increased to ₹1 lakh in India in Budget 2021, FICCI said

ESG metrics should not be treated as a box-ticking exercise: Anand Mahindra

Mahindra said the biggest growth opportunities for businesses come from serving the bottom of the pyramid

Covid vaccination in India: 2 mn healthcare workers inoculated so far, says govt

• A cumulative 20.29 lakh vaccinations have been completed so far through 36,572 sessions, said govt
• Over 5,615 beneficiaries were vaccinated today in five states

Indian startups attract $10.14 bn in funding in 2020: Report

Weathering negative sentiment, seed stage investment deals grew by 50% from $353 million over 420 deals in 2019 to $372 million over 672 deals in 2020, the report said

IMF calls for expansion of debt relief beyond world's poorest countries

The debt treatment framework endorsed by G20 leaders on Sunday applies to 73 countries that are eligible for a temporary freeze in official bilateral debt payments

Adani Ports to raise $500 mn via bonds

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) on Tuesday announced a $500 million bond sale, its second such offering in the last few months, as the Adani group flagship seeks to capitalize on benign interest rates overseas

Covid vaccine: Pfizer working on booster shot to protect against corona variant

Pfizer and BioNTech last week said their vaccine—which uses a gene-based technology like that of Moderna’s shot—appeared to be protective against the UK virus strain, based on lab studies

I feel ashamed and take responsibility: Yogendra Yadav on tractor violence

'Being a part of the protest,' Yogendra Yadav said, 'I feel ashamed of the way things proceeded and I take responsibility of it'

Democrats unveil $15 minimum wage bill ahead of stimulus action

• It would phase in the hike from the current $7.25 to $9.50 this year and the full $15 by 2025
• The proposed bill would also raise the tipped minimum wage and youth minimum wage, by phasing both out by 2027

'Deeply sorry,' says PM Johnson as COVID-19 death toll cross 1 lakh in UK

• UK was the first country in Europe to surpass the 1-lakh COVID-19 death toll mark
• Johnson said his government had done everything it could to minimise loss of life in the coronavirus pandemic

Polycab’s Q3 was decent, but rising input costs are a worry

Investors should watch the focus on infrastructure in the Union budget in terms of triggers for the Polycab stock

Sanofi to produce 100 million Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine doses, CEO says

As Sanofi and its British partner GlaxoSmithKline have delayed the launch of their shot to late 2021, the French company decided to approach Pfizer 'in order to be helpful as of now'

Samyukta Kisan Morcha calls off farmers's tractor rally

Pushed back by the police form the ITO in Central Delhi a section of the protesting farmers drove their tractors to Red Fort complex.

Budget 2021: Expecting big income tax relief this year? 'Very unlikely'

• 'The salaried class could be disappointed if it’s expecting for reduction in tax rates,' said Divakar Vijayasarathy, founder & managing partner, DVS Advisors LLP
• To push growth and the economy ahead, the centre is likely to bring some revenue-raising policies this year

Full refund for passengers unable to board trains from Delhi today: Railways

The refund is applicable for all those passengers who are unable to reach station and catch trains from the national capital in the wake of farmers' agitation and deviation of routes due to tractor rally

Blast shakes Saudi capital Riyadh: Report

At least one loud explosion shook Riyadh today, three days after the kingdom intercepted a projectile over the Saudi capital. Some residents reported hearing two blasts on social media

How to make a financial plan and stick to it

• A financial plan can help you be on track and lays down the roadmap for you to achieve your goals. It considers your current financial situation and offers strategies that will help you to accomplish your objectives

Explained: What farmers want and why they are protesting

• Thousands of farmers have been camping at several Delhi border points since 26 November
• On 11 January, the SC stayed the implementation of new farm laws till further orders and decided to set up a 4-member committee to resolve the impasse between the Centre and farmers' unions protesting

V-Mart swings to profit in Dec quarter but demand  outlook  remains  cautious

V-Mart’s revenues for the Dec quarter more than doubled from the Sep quarter (up 168%) to ₹470 crore

Budget 2021: Govt mulls easing rules to attract FDI in construction sector

A plan to allow 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in animation, visual effects, gaming and comics sector may also find mention in the government’s budget to be presented Feb. 1

Relative of coronavirus victim asks to meet WHO experts in Wuhan

'We’ve been searching for the truth relentlessly. This was a criminal act, and I don’t want the WHO to be coming to China to cover up these crimes, said Zhang Hai, whose father died of Covid-19 on Feb. 1, 2020, after travelling to Wuhan and getting infected

Trump back in action, opens office to ‘carry on’ his administration’s agenda

According to a statement released Monday night, the 'office will be responsible for managing President Trump’s correspondence, public statements, appearances, and official activities to advance the interests of the US and to carry on the agenda of the Trump administration through advocacy, organizing, and public activism

Tractor rally: MHA orders temporary suspension of internet service in some areas

• The internet services are snapped in areas of Singhu, Ghazipur, Tikri, among others, till midnight
• Protesting farmers clashed with police at several places in the national capital and entered the iconic Red Fort and ITO

Income tax impact of switching in mutual funds explained in 5 points

The mutual fund industry has sought uniformity in the tax treatment for switch transaction in respect ULIPs and mutual fund products

The Indian-Americans driving Biden’s agenda

• Swift end to covid, a US-led global economic recovery and tackling China will all rely on 20 ‘desis’. Who are they?
• People like Vivek Murthy and Vidur Sharma will be key to the covid plan that is expected to be rolled out within days. There are also several Indian-origin names in the national security team

Dating apps may continue to see virtual connections despite vaccine rollout

• A recent survey by Bumble said 40% of single Indians will opt for virtual dating in 2021, as people now look for a large degree of trust to be formed and meaningful chats to be exchanged before they meet in person.

L&T’s record-high order book is good; near-term concerns loom

• Analysts warn of short-term concerns including high cash burn related to the Hyderabad Metro
• L&T Finance’s plan to raise funds means the parent company will be investing in its finance subsidiary

Twitter bans CEO who insisted Trump won the election

Twitter decided to ban My Pillow Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mike Lindell permanently after he repeatedly violated its civic integrity policy