The government’s plan of listing Air India is an alternative which has come about after repeated failures in securing a strategic buyer for the airline. On Wednesday, Mint reported that the government is looking at a three-step plan to corporatise the beleaguered state-owned airline.

The first step is to get the banks to recast the airline’s working capital loan into equity by a consortium of lenders. Followed by appointing professionals to run the airline. The last step being its listing in the bourses.

To add value to its existing clinics, health care giant Apollo Hospitals is planning to ramp up facilities in a year. It will draw up a list of retail health care outlets primarily in the Tier-II and -III cities.

Speaking to Business Standard, Sangita Reddy, joint managing director, said, “We plan to add MRI facility in Karimnagar retail outlet, among other centres.” Other centres in Karaikudi, Nellore and Bhubaneswar are also up for value addition. “The company plans to add radiotherapy in its Vizag and Bhubaneswar units,” Chief Financial Officer Krishnan Akhileshwaran told Business Standard.

Founders of Infosys have flagged concerns over transparency and corporate governance at second-largest software exporter in the country. They have questioned the compensation package of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Vishal Sikka and the severance package to its former chief compliance officer David Kennedy.

The founders, led by N R Narayana Murthy, have asked how the company would achieve the $20-billion target by 2020, as set by Sikka, in an uncertain global environment, said sources. Last month, Murthy, Nandan Nilekani and Kris Gopalakrishnan raised their concerns with the board.

Having reported an operating profit of Rs 105 crore for 2015-16 fiscal, Air India is expected to post an improved operating profit margin this year as well, even as liquidity constraints continue to impact the smooth performance of the national carrier, the government said on Tuesday.

Air India, over the years and especially since the implementation of the turnaround plan, has been constantly improving its operational as well as financial performance, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

State-run engineering major BHEL today posted a net profit of Rs 93.54 crore for the quarter ended on December 31, 2016, on the back of higher income from power segment. The company had reported a net loss of Rs 1,084.96 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015. Total income increased to Rs 6,461.22 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2016, from Rs 5,498.07 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, BHEL said in a BSE filing.

The Icc Women's World Cup Qualifiers 2017 begins on Tuesday, February 7. Eight teams, India, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Thailand, South Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Scotland, and Papua New Guinea will compete to lift the trophy on February 21. But four of these teams will gain a seat to be part of eight-team ICC Women's World Cup 2017 and the ICC Women's Championship.

Telecom major Vodafone has appointed professional services firms Deloitte and EY to carry out due diligence for the proposed merger of its India business with Idea Cellular, ET Now reported citing unidentified sources. Both the companies have set up the teams for due diligence and expect to complete it in next three-four weeks, ET Now said.

Earlier last week, India’s second-largest telecommunication services provider Vodafone confirmed it is in talks for an all-share merger with the third-largest operator Idea Cellular, in the first consolidation move in the Indian telecom industry reeling under the pressure of intense competition from Reliance Jio’s free service offers.

State-owned BSNL has reduced duration of its landline to landline local call by one minute on same network and also hiked the charge by 20 per cent.

The duration (pulse) of each local call from BSNL landline to BSNL landline has been reduced from three minutes to two minutes, a BSNL spokesman said here today.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will address the boards of the Reserve Bank and markets regulator Sebi on February 11 and discuss various financial sector reforms announced in the Union Budget 2017-18. The customary post-Budget address of the Finance Minister before the boards of the two regulators comes against the backdrop of the government pegging fiscal deficit at 3.2 per cent of GDP for the financial year ending March 2018. The minister would address the board of Sebi and RBI in Delhi on February 11, sources said.

Automobile company shares tumbled on Tuesday, dragging the broader markets down, and giving up part of the post-budget gains.

India’s largest commercial vehicles maker Tata Motors led the losses, falling as much as 2.3% to the day’s lows of Rs 513.25. The S&P BSE Auto index fell 0.93% to 22,079.74 points, with all but one of its constituents in red.

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