HDFC Bank's MSME book grew 30 per cent year-on-year to cross the Rs 2-lakh-crore-mark as of December-end, mainly boosted by the pandemic-induced ECLG scheme under which it disbursed over Rs 23,000 crore.

The growth is also driven by a renewed push towards customers in semi-urban and rural areas, the bank has said.

The Supreme Court on Thursday accepted the standard operating procedure (SOP) statement prepared by SBI Funds Management for disposal of assets to unit holders in six Franklin Templeton debt schemes frozen on April 23, 2020.

The SOP was prepared by FT Mutual Fund and market regulator SEBI.

Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) employees staged a protest in Ludhiana on Thursday against the government's decision to raise the Foreign direct investment (FDI) limit in the insurance sector to 74 per cent and to bring an IPO of the LIC.

There is a strike across the country. We are protesting against the proposal of bringing an IPO of the LIC. It is an attempt to push LIC towards privatisation. We demand the government to drop this idea. We are also against raising the FDI limit in the insurance sector to 74 per cent, Ritu Aban, one of the protesters told ANI.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to address a rally in Nandigram today and tomorrow (March 19 and 20). This will be her second rally in Nandigram after March 10 rally where she injured her leg in an untoward incident.

According to TMC, the Trinamool supremo will address eight places in Nandigram. Though the blueprint is yet to get finalized but the dates are finalised, TMC said.

Mumbai: Coronavirus has been causing havoc in Maharashtra and a record number of cases were registered on Thursday. According to the data of the Maharashtra Health Department, as many as 25,833 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, which is the highest number of Covid-19 cases reported in a single day so far. With this, Mumbai has also recorded the highest number of cases so far and in 24 hours, 2,877 people tested positive for coronavirus.

Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Ahmed Bajwa has called for India and Pakistan to bury the past.

Bajwa's statement is being seen as an outreach to India as relations between the two neighbours have been hostile for some time now. Bajwa, however, said that the burden is on India to create a conducive environment, adding that Washington also has a role to play in ending regional conflicts.

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday hit out at Centre for "failing miserably" in rolling out the COVID-19 vaccination for Indians.

I share the pride that India exported 5.9 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines. At the same time, I am disappointed that we have administered only 3 crore doses to Indian citizens, Chidambaram tweeted.

As many as 35,871 new COVID-19 cases and 17,741 recoveries were reported in India in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry informed on Thursday.

With the addition of fresh cases, the total number positive cases in the country reached 1,14,74,605, including 2,52,364 active cases and 1,10,63,025 recoveries.

The ruling TRS candidate and former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao's daughter S Vani Devi was ahead of her nearest BJP rival N Ramachander Rao after the completion of first round as the counting of votes in election to Telangana Legislative Council from two Graduates' constituencies was underway on Thursday.

Shares of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) rallied 7 per cent to Rs 53.80 on the BSE in intra-day trade on Thursday after the company said it has emerged as the lowest bidder at Rs 10,800 crore for fleet mode tender floated by Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) for its 6x700 MW Turbine Island Package Projects.

Notably, PHWRs (Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors) are the mainstay of the Indian Nuclear Power Programme and 12 out of 18 operating PHWRs of NPCIL are equipped with BHEL-supplied Steam Turbine Generator sets (10x220 MWe + 2x540 MWe) with the balance from Canada and Ukraine.

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