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India to privatise state-run companies and halt fresh insolvencies amid COVID-19 pandemic

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India said on Sunday it would privatize state-run companies in non-strategic sectors and stop fresh insolvency cases for a year, as the country battles with the economic fallout from the corona virus pandemic.

A list of strategic sectors will also be announced in which only one to four public sector enterprises will remain, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, as part of a slew of measures to kick start the economy.

Indian officials said most of the privatizations would happen in the next fiscal year, starting April 2021.

India has been trying to divest parts of state-run companies in sectors ranging from aviation to power to fill its coffers, but it has confronted weak investor sentiment and limited demand.

“Such measures have to be done at times the government can get the right price,” said Shriram Subramanian, founder of proxy advisory firm In Govern, adding that the intention was good.

He said that in order to attract private investors, the government needed to improve the efficiency of state-run companies by freeing boards from interference by bureaucrats and “shed lot of flab” by cutting their labor force and hiring the right talent.

The government’s revenues have been hit hard as a nationwide lock down imposed in March to prevent the spread of the novel corona virus has ground the economy, Asia’s third largest, to a halt.

The finances of Indian states have also been tipped into disarray, barring a few well-managed ones, because of the losses of tax revenues from fuel to stamp duties.

Indian states would be allowed to borrow 5% of their gross domestic product, up from 3% earlier, Sitharaman said on Sunday, adding that it would allow states to raise an additional 4.28 trillion rupees ($56.45 billion) in the year ending March 2021.

“(The move) will help to absorb the expected plunge in their revenue receipts, and avoid a severe cutback in capital expenditure,” said Jayanta Roy, group head of corporate sector rating at ICRA.

The minister also said no fresh insolvency cases would be initiated for up to a year, in a move to avoid a wave of bankruptcies from companies hit by the corona virus outbreak.

Debt incurred by companies due to the economic fallout of the corona virus outbreak would not be considered a default under the country’s insolvency and bankruptcy code (IBC), she added.

Introduced in 2016 to address India’s burgeoning bad loans, the code helped lenders and operational creditors drag defaulters to court, which in some cases even led to promoters losing control over their companies.

Sitharaman said a special insolvency resolution framework for micro, small and medium enterprises would be brought in soon.

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Apple is giving a huge discount on its gadgets: Details inside

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If you want to buy an iPhone and were waiting for a nice offer, then we have a piece of good news for you! Amazon Summer Sale May 2022 has begun and they are offering major discounts on various smartphones, laptops, and smart TVs, among others.

The sale is live now on the e-commerce platform with no-cost EMI options and exchange discounts on various products. In addition to this, Amazon has also partnered with several banks including ICICI, Kotak Bank, and RBL so that customers get instant discounts of up to 10% using their cards and EMI transactions.

Customers can easily enjoy this summer sale and get massive discounts on iPhones. They can also compare prices on Flipkart Big Saving Days Sale 2022 before making a purchase.

 

Amazon Summer Sale May 2022: Discount offer on iPhone 13 

Apple’s coveted phone model iPhone 13 in the 128 GB storage model will be available during the Amazon Summer Sale May 2022 for Rs 64,900. The MRP of the phone is Rs 79,900. This means that the customers will be able to enjoy a discount of up to Rs 15,000 on the purchase of the iPhone 13.

If you have an old iPhone in working condition then you will also be eligible to receive another additional discount worth up to Rs 17,000 on the iPhone 13.

Buy at Rs. 64,900 (MRP – Rs. 79,900)

Features of Apple iPhone 13 

The iPhone is powered by an A15 Bionic processor with 6 core CPU. Apart from this, it has 16 core neural engines. With the iPhone 13, up to 512 GB of storage will be available. The iPhone 13 has a 6.1-inch Retina XDR display with 1000 nits brightness.

The iPhone 13 has a 12-megapixel dual rear camera setup. This time a new wide-angle camera has been given, whose aperture is f/1.6. With this, there is support for sensor optical stabilisation. Night mode has been made better than before. The second lens is also 12 megapixels ultra-wide and has an aperture of f/2.4.

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