Shares of Nxtdigital (NDL) surged 17 per cent to Rs 486.20 on the BSE in Thursday’s intra-day trade after its board accorded an in-principle approval for merger of Hinduja Leyland Finance (HLFL), into the company.

NDL is the media vertical of the global Hinduja Group. The media and communications company is India’s premier integrated Digital Delivery Platforms Company - delivering services via satellite, digital cable and broadband.

India's Reliance Industries Ltd, operator of the world's biggest refining complex, may avoid buying Russian fuels for its plants following Western sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, a senior company official said.

"Even if we can source some of the feeds (from Russia), probably we will be out of it because of the sanctions," Rajesh Rawat, senior vice president and business head cracker, told an industry event on Wednesday.

Realty firm Godrej Properties Ltd on Thursday said it has sold 855 homes worth Rs 1,650 crore within a year of the launch of its project Godrej Woods in Noida.

This includes sales of Rs 509 crore in March 2021 and Rs 1,141 crore so far in FY22, the company said in a statement.

The project is located in Noida - Sector 43.

Paytm, the Indian digital payments startup whose stock has slumped 71% since its November market debut, had its price target reduced further by an Macquarie Capital Securities (India) Pvt. analyst who was early to predict the company’s market troubles.

Macquarie’s Suresh Ganapathy cut his price estimate to 450 rupees ($5.90) from 700 rupees, citing lower valuations for fintech companies globally. He didn’t change his earnings or revenue estimates for Paytm, which he rates underperform. The stock rose to 634.05 rupees on Wednesday.

The rupee spurted by 41 paise to close at a nearly two-week high against the US dollar on Wednesday, tracking positive domestic equities and Asian currencies ahead of the US Federal Reserve's decision on interest rate hike.

FII inflows into capital markets and crude oil prices retreating to USD 99 per barrel level boosted the rupee sentiment, forex traders said.

Large oil importers like India and Thailand will be the most affected among Asia-Pacific countries by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, S&P Global Ratings has said.

S&P estimates the Indian economy to grow 7.8 per cent in the next fiscal year beginning April 1, 2022. Besides, the economy is expected to grow 6 per cent and 6.5 per cent in 2023-24 and 2024-25, respectively.

It projected inflation at 5.4 per cent in the current fiscal year.

India logged 2,876 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 4,29,98,938, while the active cases dipped to 32,811, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Tuesday.

The death toll climbed to 5,16,072 with 98 fresh fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

India has restored all currently valid five year e-tourist visa given to citizens of 156 countries and regular paper visa to nationals of all countries with immediate effect, two years after their suspension follow the COVID-19 outbreak.

Officials also said all currently valid old long duration (10 years) regular tourist visa given to nationals of the US and Japan have been restored.

Covid vaccination of children in 12-14 years age group started in Delhi on Wednesday amid a steady decline in new coronavirus cases being reported in the city.

Day one of the exercise saw children arriving largely through 'walk-in for vaccination' and the numbers were very few at session sites.

AAP leader Bhagwant Mann was sworn in as the Punjab chief minister on Wednesday.

Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mann in the swearing-in ceremony that took place at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh in Punjab's Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar district.

Mann took oath in Punjabi.

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