Nirmala Sitharaman kicks off drill to make GST return filing easier

• The minister’s meeting with representatives of businesses and accountants in the capital on Saturday marks the beginning of second generation changes to the GST return filing system
• Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday kicked off a nation-wide consultation with tax payers

RBI’s Shaktikanta Das calls for tighter governance at state-run banks

• State-run lenders control about 60% of India’s banking industry
• Describing the lack of strict governance as the 'elephant in the room,' Das said this had led to elevated levels of non-performing assets

Opinion | India has people. What it needs is consumers

• Supply shocks are no longer the problem. Getting the economy on track needs ordinary people to spend
• The economy grows by producing what 150 million of the top income earners consume

Govt planning ‘One Nation, One Pay Day' system: Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar

• The plan is in line to safeguard the interest of workers in formal sector, particularly working class, Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar said
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen on this legislation to get passed soon, Gangwar said

NBCC may revise bid for Jaypee Infra, likely to keep unsold flats of ₹1,750 cr

• NBCC Ltd is likely to take the responsibility of selling ₹1,750-crore worth of unsold flats of Jaypee Infratech instead of offering them to lenders
• NBCC and Suraksha Realty are likely to submit their revised offers on Sunday as sought by Interim Resolution Professional (IRP) Anuj Jain

Where do India’s unicorn startups come from?

While India has 30 tech unicorns today, 21 of these were created in 2018 and 2019, with Bangalore and Delhi-NCR housing over 75% of these firms

Anil Ambani resigns as director of Reliance Communications

• Ambani along with Chhaya Virani, Ryna Karani, Manjari Kacker, Suresh Rangachar have resigned as directors of RCom.
• RCom, which is currently going through insolvency process, has posted a consolidated loss of ₹30,142 crore for July-September 2019

Mandatory linking of Aadhaar to property could be a reality soon: Sources

• There have been reports of the government being in final stages of coming out with a law to link Aadhaar with property
• The move, if it happens, will weed out 'benami' (proxy) transactions, increase transparency and make property more affordable

Bill Gates overtakes Jeff Bezos to reclaim his spot of world’s richest person

• Bill Gates had briefly topped Bezos on an intraday basis last month after Amazon posted its first profit drop in two years
• Microsoft has surged 48% this year, boosting the value of Gates’s 1% stake

CJI Ranjan Gogoi: The man and his legacy

• Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi demits office on 17 November
• As the head of administration of the Supreme court, Gogoi also passed orders on making available the top court’s judgments in seven languages including English and Hindi

Can we resist our plastic temptation?

• With no alternatives in sight for single-use plastic in packaging, Lounge takes a look at why plastic remains so pervasive
• From using recycled paper to reverse logistics, the likes of Amazon and Flipkart recently announced sustainable packaging measures

US-China deal could be signed by ministers, says White House

• Trump and Xi Jinping have said from time to time their top ministers could sign the US-China trade deal, said Larry Kudlow
• Kudlow said Friday there was still no precise date set

Government junks survey on consumer spending citing data issues

• Government is separately examining the feasibility of conducting the next survey
• The ministry also denied that the report was withheld due to its ‘adverse’ findings

US to extend license for its companies to continue business with Huawei

• The extension of around two weeks is far shorter than the prior 90-day extension and a longer extension is in the works
• US Commerce Department has allowed it to purchase some American-made goods in a move aimed at minimizing disruption for its customers

IndiGo, GoAir get more time to replace engines

• Aviation regulator has asked the airlines to replace engines on 36 Airbus A320neo planes by 24 November
• IndiGo's deadline to replace all engines with modified LPTs remains 31 January, 2020

WTO rejects most Indian claims against US steel duties

• India had complained that the United States failed to meet an April 2016 deadline to comply with a WTO decision
• India's complaint alleging US non-compliance listed 14 areas where it said the United States was in breach of the international trade rules

Not in a hurry to recover telecom dues, says FM

• Govt working on bills seeking to raise insurance cover on bank deposits, says minister
• The FM dismissed concerns that govt’s spending may get affected due to revenue shortfall

Supreme Court clears the decks for Arcelor’s India entry

• Top court okays Essar resolution plan approved by committee of creditors
• Mittal’s bid has been beset by legal cases but he can now enter India as the steelmaker to reckon with

Synergy Group seeks time till December for Jet Airways bid

• The airline’s assets will likely be liquidated if Synergy fails to draw up a resolution plan
• Synergy Group had time till 15 November to submit its bid for the grounded airline

Not just Delhi. India has two other cities in world's top 10 polluted city list

• The overall air quality index (AQI) in the national capital crossed the 500 mark on Friday morning
• The real-time air quality ranking report by IQ Air Visual also called Delhi the most polluted city in the world

MiG-29K fighter aircraft crashes in Goa, pilots eject safely

• Both the pilots have managed to eject safely
• Goa Airport sources said that the Navy aircraft crashed in South Goa at around 12 noon

Jammu-Srinagar highway closed for 3rd day, heavy rains hamper road clearing ops

• The closure of the highway left thousands of vehicles, including trucks carrying essential commodities to Kashmir, stranded
• The road is likely to be cleared of debris by this evening

Trial runs done, train services in Kashmir likely to resume Sunday: Officials

• The trial runs, through the restive south Kashmir, were done after a thorough safety audit of the section, a railway official told
• He said rail services in the valley should be fully operational from Sunday

Pakistani air traffic controller saves a Jaipur to Muscat flight from disaster

• Sources in the aviation authority said that the aircraft had encountered abnormal weather conditions near the Chor area of the southern province of Sindh
• Islamabad has, for more than a month, restricted access of Pakistani airspace to Indian planes

Govt working on policy to push MSME exports: Nitin Gadkari

• Gadkari mentioned that the MSME sector has 29 per cent contribution in country's growth and 48 per cent of export is done through MSMEs
• About 10-11 crore jobs have been created in MSMEs

Lost your ATM card? How card protection plans can help you

• There is a 24X7 toll free number where customers can call in case their cards get lost or stolen
• Several public and private sector banks have different Card Protection Plans

WhatsApp's new feature: Stop someone from adding you to a group. Here is how

• Users need to install the latest version of WhatsApp to get this new feature
• If you want to activate the new feature, you have to enable the option from your WhatsApp settings

India’s trade deficit narrows to $11 billion in October

• Some large export items, such as gems and jewellery, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals, grew
• Escalating trade tensions and a slowing global economy have led WTO to sharply downgrade its forecast for trade growth in 2019 and 2020

Freelancing jobs most in demand from employers

• Data analytics and virtual assistant skills most sought after by employers
• A variety of language skills are also in hot demand

Senior citizen bank fixed deposit (FD) rates above 9%. Check interest rates here

• Senior citizens can invest in an FD for a tenure ranging from 7 days to 10 years
• Fixed deposits for senior citizens provide higher interest rate and tax benefits

Aadhaar card update: No document required to change these things

• New Aadhaar applicants, as well as existing holders, can book appointments at Aadhaar Seva Kendras (ASKs) for various services
• You can change or update your address online

SBI minimum account balance: Penalty and other rules explained

• SBI customers have to maintain an average monthly balance (AMB) in their account
• Maintenance of average monthly balance charges are different for metro, semi-urban and rural areas

Indian Railways: Biryani, other special dishes to be part of food menu in trains

• It has been decided to offer Biryani as a standard meal variety in trains
• A circular issued by the Ministry of Railways said rail catering services prices have been hiked keeping in consideration the requests received from IRCTC

Income tax department's message to those who didn't file ITR this time

• The income tax department is sending out polite emails to those who chose not to file their ITR this year
• You can still file your ITR, albeit a belated one, by paying a fine

More Amazon customers in India set up Alexa-controlled smart homes

• Amazon said this year it sold five times more Alexa built-in smart speakers and TVs compared to last year
• Alexa and Echo were launched in India in October 2017

‘The fight against air pollution shouldn’t be just Delhi-centric’

• Schemes like odd-even are temporary and don’t work so well in the long run, especially when you don’t have an alternative in place
• We can’t solely pass on the blame of stubble burning onto the farmers. We need to incentivize the process

SC holds Singh brothers guilty of contempt

• Suo motu contempt proceedings were also initiated against Fortis Healthcare for the stake sale
• A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Deepak Gupta held the former Ranbaxy promoters guilty of contempt of court

Classic Legends launch Jawa Perak at ₹1.94 lakh

• The Jawa Perak is powered by a 334cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, 30 bhp engine
• The company has notably revised the existing 293cc, single-cylinder, 27bhp engine that powers the Jawa and the Forty Two models

With hike in meal prices, fares of Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto to go up by 3-9%

• The rate of Janta Meal has been kept unchanged at ₹20
• The revised catering tariff shall be effective from March 29 next year

Delhi AQI at ‘emergency’ level despite reduction in stubble burning

• The air quality is not likely to get better anytime soon
• The Delhi government’s car rationing scheme, as part of its winter action plan, ended on Friday

Film review: 'Charlie’s Angels' isn't exactly heaven-sent

• Elizabeth Banks directs the latest big screen version of the TV show
• Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska play the central trio

How to Lounge this weekend

• From a design fair by Raw Mango featuring homegrown brands in Delhi to Tata Lit Live!, the literature festival featuring authors from across the world
• Treat yourself to some indigenous Indian food at the Isuzu X Food Festival in Mumbai

Russia plans to deliver S-400 missile systems to India on schedule: Putin

• The S-400 can engage targets at a distance of 400 km and at an altitude of up to 30 km
• The contract worth $5.43 billion was signed during the visit of President Putin to India last year

Trai says no reference yet to set floor prices for mobile services

• Mobile tariffs are now under forbearance, which means operators have a free hand in fixing rates
• If a floor price is set, free services could be passé

Government considering telecoms firms' request for relief on overdue payments

• India has formed a panel of bureaucrats to suggest ways to alleviate financial pressures on the telecoms sector
• Bharti and Vodafone Idea are due to pay the bulk of 920 billion rupees ($13 billion) in overdue levies

Deposit insurance limit, on your money in banks, to be increased

• Under the current bank deposit insurance scheme in case of an unlikely bank failure deposits up to ₹1 lakh is insured and paid back to the depositor

Government withdraws draft bill to amend Forest Act

• Published in March, the draft sparked protests from tribal groups over some of the proposed changes
• Prakash Javadekar said that a “wrong impression” was created that the government wants to amend the IFA, 1927

Believe govt is aware of telcos' stress: Vodafone Idea CEO Ravinder Takkar

• Vodafone Idea Ltd (VIL) plans to monetise its 11.15% stake in Indus Towers on completion of the Indus Towers-Bharti Infratel merger
• The Supreme Court, last month, ruled in favour of the government and directed telecom companies, including Vodafone Idea, to pay dues

Supreme Court paves way for ArcelorMittal's takeover of Essar Steel

• The world’s largest steelmaker, ArcelorMittal, and its partner Nippon Steel Corp had offered to pay ₹42,000 crore in cash to creditors and pump another ₹8,000 crore in the mill last year

India needs to curb tendency to excessively legislate, says Bibek Debroy

• 'Apart from the enforcement cost, if the legislation unwarranted, it unnecessarily causes problems,' he said
• Government’s policy think tank NITI Aayog is also identifying statutes and rules that need to be abolished for being a burden on people

Blackstone invests ₹1,750 cr in Ryka, acquires 6% in Future Lifestyle Fashions

• FLFL is an integrated branded fashion company and operates in-house retail chains like Central, Brand Factory and Planet Sports
• As on September 30, 2019, FLFL has 349 stores measuring 7.3 million sq feet retail area

Worried about your debt fund exposure in Vodafone Idea papers? Here’s what to do

• It is likely that rating agencies will downgrade Vodafone Idea's debt papers further
• There are total 29 schemes which are invested in debt papers of Vodafone Idea