The market benchmark BSE Sensex surged over 100 points to 24,907.31 in early trade on Monday on widespread gains as investors widened their bets amid a firming trend in other Asian markets.

However, caution prevailed in view of muted factory output data, which was released on Friday and inflation data, slated for later in the day.

Tata Motors is trading higher by 4% to Rs 369, extending its Friday’s 2% gain on the BSE after the company reported 17% year-on-year increase in group global wholesales, including that of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) vehicles, at 98,842 units in February 2016. The company had sold 83,951 units in February 2016.

Global wholesales for JLR were 52,313 vehicles. Jaguar wholesales for the month were 10,247 vehicles and cumulative wholesales were 88,736 vehicles, while Land Rover wholesales for the month were 42,066 vehicles and cumulative wholesales were 390,770 vehicles.

Coal India is trading higher by 2.4% at Rs 299 (adjusted to dividend) on the National Stock Exchange (NSE). The stock turned ex-dividend for Rs 27.40 per share today.

The board of directors of Coal India at its meeting held on March 5, 2016, had approved payment of interim dividend for the financial year 2015-16 @ Rs 27.40 per share of the face value of Rs 10.

The stock of ICICI Bank was among the biggest gainers among banking sector peers, up over 3% in Monday's trade. But, as analysts point out, the sharper gains may not sustain for long given the pressure on the asset quality front.

For one, last week itself, in a report dated March 9, ratings agency Moody's said ICICI Bank's asset quality woes will spill over to FY17 as well. This view is echoed by most analysts as well given the bank's exposure to some larger, troubled groups in the steel and power sectors (10% of its domestic loans).

Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd (AHEL) said that it has completed the acquisition of the majority stake in Guwahati based Assam Hospitals Ltd.

The company announced the acquisition of 51 per cent stake in the company for Rs 57.25 crore,on June 2, 2015.

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has made a strong bid to attract British investment in Andhra Pradesh, saying he planned to make his state's new capital Amaravati one of the top 10 cities in the world.

Speaking at an interactive session with about 300 investors here last night, Naidu said "India is the country to invest and in India, Andhra Pradesh is the place. We have decided to convert every crisis into an opportunity".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said even as India is now the fastest growing economy and ranks at the top in terms of favoured investment destination, reforms will continue to be pursued in the right earnest.

“My agenda for reform to transform is yet to be finished,” the prime minister told the “Advancing Asia” summit here co-hosted here by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the government of India. “Entrepreneurship is also booming, following a series of steps we have taken.”

Capital market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has provided in-principle not to BSE Ltd for an initial public offering (IPO).

BSE, the country's second-largest exchange in terms of volume, has written to market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) seeking an approval for the IPO and to list its shares on a recognized stock exchange.

Amid a raging row at JNU, it has now emerged that its students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who is facing sedition charge, was fined by the varsity administration last year for allegedly misbehaving with a girl student and threatening her.

The incident had occurred on June 10, 2015, when the girl student asked Kanhaiya, who at the time was not the students union president, to not urinate in the open inside the campus.

After writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention in safeguarding their interest, employees of Vijay Mallya's now defunct Kingfisher Airlines are set to file a case in the Supreme Court in order to get their dues from the company.

The employees are in touch with senior lawyer MV Kini to put their case before the apex court and they have been assured by him that their case will be fought pro bono (for free), given their financial condition.

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