Illustration:  Ajay Mohanty

The large informal sector is a consequence - not a cause - of the low level of development

Forced formalisation is not healthy

Business Standard

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 19: Firstsource Solutions Limited (NSE: FSL) (BSE: 532809), a leading global provider of specialist domain-led Business Process Services (BPS) and an RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group company, has been recognized as a 'Leader' in Avasant'sMortgage Business Process Transformation 2024 RadarView™. Companies classified as 'Leaders' demonstrate consistent excellence across all key dimensions of the RadarView assessment--practice maturity, domain ecosystem, and investments in innovation--while driving superior marketplace impact, setting industry standards through creativity, thought leadership, and best practices, and showcasing exceptional execution with depth and breadth across verticals.

Firstsource recognized as a \'Leader\' in Avasant\'s Mortgage Business Process Transformation 2024 RadarView™

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 19: Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IFCCI) in collaboration with Pluxee India released a report on "Redefining Total Rewards: Fueling Business Ambitions  &amp;  Employee Aspirations" at an event in Mumbai that brought together HR leaders, industry experts, and thought leaders to explore innovative Total Rewards strategies that bridge employee expectations and organizational goals.

IFCCI and Pluxee India Release Comprehensive Total Rewards Study Report

A grand jury in New York has indicted Mangione on 11 counts, including first-degree murder and murder as an act of terrorism

Luigi Mangione, UnitedHealth CEO murder convict

Penang [Malaysia], December 19: SignOff Semiconductors Pvt. Ltd., headquartered in Bengaluru, India, and a leading provider of VLSI and Embedded Design services, is thrilled to announce the opening of its new office in Penang, Malaysia. This expansion enables the company to meet the growing demand for semiconductor chip design services from Fortune 500 companies operating in and expanding within Penang. It also aligns perfectly with the Malaysian government's vision of establishing the country as a global hub for semiconductor innovation.

SignOff Semiconductors Unveils Expansion Plans Opening a New Office in Penang, Malaysia

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 19: In a significant win, Lowe Lintas has been awarded the creative mandate for Complan, one of India's most iconic and trusted nutritional brands. Following an intense and competitive multi-agency pitch, this collaboration marks the meeting of two industry legacies, with Lowe Lintas set to steer Complan's next chapter of growth and innovation.

Complan Chooses Lowe Lintas to Stir Up a Winning Formula in Landmark Creative Pitch

Markets Today LIVE: Markets in India are likely to come under heavy pressure on Thursday, following the significant decline on Wall Street after the US Fed's hawkish commentary about future rate cuts

market

The key benchmarks - Sensex, Nifty faced another bear attack on Thursday, with the BSE Sensex crashing 1,162 points or 1.44 per cent to its intraday low of 79020

Bear market, markets, bse, nse, sensex, nifty

Analysts believe the largely expected adjustment is a bid by the Fed to nudge cash out of a facility that's widely viewed as a proxy for excessive liquidity in the financial system

US Federal Reserve, Fed

Dhaka has been behind on payments to Adani Power since supply started in July 2023

Adani group

Looks to ensure enough financial headroom amid global headwinds

Concerned that aggressive fiscal consolidation could hinder growth momentum while private capital expenditure remains sluggish, the government is expected to set the fiscal deficit target at 4.4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) for FY26 in th

A constitutional amendment bill for holding Lok Sabha and assembly elections simultaneously has been listed for introduction in the Lower House of Parliament on Tuesday and could be referred to a joint committee of the two Houses.
The Lok Sabha agenda said the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, popularly being referred to as the Bill on "one nation, one election", will be introduced by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.
After its introduction, Meghwal will request Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to refer the Bill to a Joint Committee of Parliament for wider consultations.
The minister will also introduce the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which seeks to align the elections of the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Puducherry and the NCT of Delhi.
The joint panel will be constituted on a pro-rata basis, based on the strength of MPs of various parties.
As the largest party, the BJP will get the chairmanship of the committee, besides

Parliament, New Parliament

The Bihar government's State Investment Promotion Board has approved investment proposals worth nearly Rs 30,000 crore.
This includes in-principal for proposals worth nearly Rs 29,000 crore in-principle approval (Stage 1) for 52 units and final financial approval to 35 proposals totalling around Rs 600 crore.
The approvals were given during the 58th meeting of the State Investment Promotion Board, according to an official statement.
So far this financial year, the in-principle approvals have been given to 260 proposals, while financial approvals have been granted to 161 proposals.
The meeting was attended by Industry Secretary Bandana Preyashi.
The Bihar government has created the State Investment Promotion Board to approve investment proposals.
Bihar Business Connect - the annual investor meet of the state - drew "tremendous success by signing MoUs of more than Rs 50,000 crore" of investment proposals in its maiden show in 2023, he noted.
The second edition is scheduled to be h

Are non-financial firms’ financial investments here to stay, or at risk?

Are non-financial firms' financial investments here to stay, or at risk?

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Monday approved global investment firm KKR's proposal to acquire a stake in home-grown food-tech company Rebel Foods.
US-based KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co), through its affiliate -- Royce Asia Holdings II Pte, is acquiring a stake in Rebel Foods, which owns Faasos, Behrouz Biryani, Oven Story and other cloud kitchens.
"By way of the proposed transaction, Royce proposes to acquire certain equity shares and compulsorily convertible preference shares of Rebel Foods (on a fully diluted basis) by way of a secondary purchase," CCI said.
Founded in 2011 by Jaydeep Barman and Kallol Banerjee, Mumbai-based Rebel Foods has 450 kitchens across 10 countries, including India, Indonesia, the UK and the United Arab Emirates.
"There are no horizontal overlaps and or vertical/ complementary links between the activities of the parties (Royce Asia Holdings II and Rebel Foods) and their respective groups/ affiliates, in India.
"Accordingly, absent ..

The Fed is expected to say that it will be in no rush to make further cuts as inflation improves but remains above its 2 per cent annual target, while the labor market also remains relatively strong

US Federal Reserve

The country saw an increase of around 72 per cent in e-waste generated from electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) such as smartphones, computers, television sets and refrigerators over the past five years, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday.
According to a written reply to a question by Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu, 10.14 lakh tonnes of e-waste was generated in 2019-20 and the figure climbed to 17.51 lakh tonnes in 2023-24.
Sahu said 13,46,496 tonnes of e-waste was generated in 2020-21, 16,01,155 tonnes in 2021-22 and 16,09,117 tonnes in 2022-23.
Under the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016, 21 EEE items were notified and information about e-waste generated from these items is available for the last four years (2019-20 to 2022-23).
These 21 items include laptops, telephones, cordless telephones, cellular telephones, smartphones, television sets, air-conditioners (excluding centralised air-conditioning plants) and washing machines.
Accordi

Electronic Waste

On Vijay Diwas, PM Modi honoured Indian soldiers whose sacrifices secured victory against Pakistan in the 1971 war, leading to the liberation of Bangladesh

1971 Surrender pic India Pakistan

Allahabad High Court judge Shekhar Kumar Yadav, who purportedly gave controversial statements at a Vishwa Hindu Parishad function, appeared before the Supreme Court collegium on Tuesday, sources said.
According to the sources, Yadav appeared before the collegium headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and was asked to put forth his version on the statements made.
The top court on December 10 took note of news reports over the statements and sought a report from the Allahabad High Court on the issue.
"The Supreme Court has taken note of newspaper reports of a speech given by Mr Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, a sitting judge of the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad. The details and particulars have been called from the high court and the matter is under consideration," an official statement had said.
According to the established norm, a judge, against whom a report is sought by the apex court collegium on any controversial issue from the high court concerned, is given opportunity to 

Supreme Court, SC

TAC InfoSec share price hit a new high of Rs 1,112.45, locked in an upper circuit for the 9th straight day, and surged 46 per cent during the period

cybersecurity laptop working

To counter China's trade dominance and boost US manufacturing and jobs, a strategy beyond high tariffs is essential

trade, containers, trade deal

The Centre has described 'One Nation, One Election' as a transformative shift to improve governance, cut costs, minimise disruptions, and streamline the country's electoral process

'One Nation, One Election' proposal likely to have German blueprint