News digest: India, France ink 14 pacts, E-way bill from April 1, and more

Modi, Macron ink 14 pacts to boost India-France ties; cos sign $16-bn deals

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday signed 14 agreements covering a number of areas from security, nuclear energy and protection of classified information to education, environment, urban development and railways. Read more

 E-way bill roll-out from April 1; no decision on GST return simplification
 

The goods and services tax (GST) e-way bill, to track the interstate movement of consignments worth over Rs 50,000, will be rolled out on April 1, two months after the first attempt to introduce it. When it was initially rolled out on February 1, the GST portal had crashed, leading to the e-way bill being withdrawn. Read more

 
The better debtor? Decline in default on credit given to women-led groups
 
At a time when the overall banking sector is grappling with the problem of bad loans, official data holds out hope in at least one segment — largely unorganised self-help groups (SHGs) led by women and engaged in small-scale economic activity.
 
Non-performing assets (NPAs) as a percentage of total loans given to these SHGs in January were 2.55 per cent, down from a high of almost 26 per cent before bank linkages were introduced under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) in 2013. Read more
 

India braces for Donald Trump's reciprocal tax, may fight it in WTO
 
India is gearing up for a tough fight following America’s repeated threat of imposing a “reciprocal tax” on countries with which it has a trade deficit. “We will oppose such a move on the basis of the principles involved,” a senior Commerce Department official told Business Standard. The issue could possibly be taken up at the World Trade Organization’s disputes settlement body as well, experts said. Read more   
 
 Mahindra's North American arm to lead M&M drive into world's hardest market
 
Almost a decade after Mahindra and Mahindra rode into the US market with its tractors and created the so-called hobby farming segment, the Anand Mahindra-led firm is betting on yet another niche offering to make deeper inroads into the US. Read more