Breaking news on March 27

Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd (CDEL) has repaid Rs 1,644 crore to its 13 lenders after concluding a deal with Blackstone Group to sell its technology business park, the company said on Friday.

Two-wheeler major Hero MotoCorp on Friday said it has extended shutdown at its plants across the country till April 14 in order to comply with government directives to contain the spread of coronavirus pandemic.

Private sector IDBI Bank on Friday said it has withdrawn its plans to raise Rs 1,000 crore capital through Basel-III compliant bonds.

A man was shot dead Friday by suspected militants in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

Organised milk producers of West Bengal on Friday said they are facing no disruption in supplies because of the lockdown, but individual cattle owners
find themselves in distress situations because of the suspension of train services.

In a major relief for its customers, the State Bank of India (SBI) on Friday said that it would pass on the entire 75 basis point rate cut to its retail borrowers.

In a shareholding rejig at Reliance Industries, Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani, Nita Mukesh Ambani, Isha M Ambani, Akash M Ambani and Anant Mukesh Ambani along with one of the firm's promoters bought shares worth over Rs 9,145 through open market transactions on Friday.

Former Union Minister and member of Samajwadi Party Beni Prasad Verma has passed away at the age of 79.

Markets regulator Sebi on Friday eased operational procedure for public issuance, including initial share-sale and acquisition of shares under takeover norms, in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.

IAS officer Anupam Mishra suspended for violating instructions to be under home quarantine after his trip abroad: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan

Amid reports of a large number of migrant workers walking towards their homes hundreds of kilometers away, BJP president JP Nadda on Friday asked over 40,000 party workers to help them out.

Exporters have demanded a host of steps such as allowing them to operate their factories with minimum workforce, subsidy on interest rates, and extension of incentive schemes in order to deal with the coronavirus crisis.

Vistara CEO Leslie Thng on Friday announced senior employees will be going on compulsory leave without pay of up to three days as a measure to further reduce the airline's cost amid the coronavirus lockdown.

The government has decided to give more time to renewable energy (RE) projects for completion of work in the wake of the 21-day lockdown to fight COVID-19.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has spoken to some of the chief ministers and asked them to look into the issue of mass exodus of migrant workers from different parts of the country after the announcement of 21-day lockdown.

In view of hardship faced by outbreak of COVID-19, the Reserve Bank of India on Friday extended the deadline for meeting last tranche of capital conservation buffer (CCB) by another six months.

Pakistan on Friday agreed to defer the annual meeting between their Indus Commissioners, a request India had made in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak and lockdown, sources said.

Rupee pares initial gains, settles 27 paise higher at 74.89 (provisional) against US dollar.

Niti Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar on Friday welcomed steps taken by the RBI to counter the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic, saying the central bank's decision to cut key policy rates will lower cost of capital.

The government has raised Rs 11,500 crore through strategic sale of its stake in two state-owned power companies, THDC and NEEPCO, to NTPC.

The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet on Friday gave its nod for promulgating an ordinance on the Vote-on-Account to meet the state's ways and means till the
end of June in the 2020-21 financial year beginning April 1.

 The Rajasthan government on Friday revised higher dearness allowance for its employees to 17 per cent, from the existing 12 per cent.

Despite the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) massive actions to spur the economy, India's gross domestic product (GDP) is likely to contract by 4.5 per cent in the April-June 2020 quarter and will rise by only 2 per cent in 2020-21 on the coronavirus impact, according to domestic rating agency Icra.

Markets regulator Sebi on Friday relaxed compliance norms pertaining to shareholding disclosures in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.

Now, shareholders can disclose information of their consolidated shareholding as on March 31, 2020, to the company and the stock exchanges till June 1, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) said in a circular.

Analysts were unanimous in welcoming RBI's rate cuts, forbearance on loans and liquidity easing measures, saying the economy requires stimuli in the present circumstances.

The functioning of the amalgamated entity of three PSBs -- Punjab National Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank of India that comes into being on April 1-- will be a "big challenge" in the wake of the ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown, an official said on Friday.

SpiceJet ready to operate flights from Delhi/Mumbai to Patna to ease suffering of Bihar's migrant workers, if govt agrees: CMD Ajay Singh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address announcing the 21-day lockdown got more viewership than his previous televised addresses, including the demonetisation speech in 2016, according to BARC India ratings.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday said decisions of the RBI will provide much needed relief to people and businesses.

Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari said: "Today, the world is facing a tough challenge of Coronavirus. It is the time to take all precautionary measures. I appeal to the Muslims to offer all the prayers including Friday prayer from their homes."

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Friday addressed media on COVID-19 measures taken by the government.

Here are the highlights:  from his press conference:

• There are a total of 39 Coronavirus positive cases in Delhi today. 29 of them had come from outside and were kept in quarantine and 10 of these are cases of local transmission.
• Delhi govt prepared to tackle the outbreak.
• We are feeding over 2 lakh people daily.
• Five-member doctors' panel, formed to suggest plan to deal with huge number of COVID-19 patients, submitted its report.
• Delhi govt to serve lunch and dinner to needy people in 325 schools.
• So far we were providing food to 20,000 people daily, the number will now increase to around 2,00,000 from today.
• Even if the number will be doubled from tomorrow, we'll be providing food to 4,00,000 people daily. We're distributing food to the centres across Delhi.

A group of migrant labourers from Rajasthan's Dausa have started walking to return to their hometown in Dausa. One of them, Ramlal says, "We are daily wage earners. There's no arrangement for food. We used to live in a park. It will take us 3 days to reach Dausa."

Despite regulation by Govt masks and sanitisers are out of stock in the market. A pharmacist in Nagpur says,"sanitisers are in the market & are being sold at whatever price govt has decided but distributors are not ready to give masks under Rs 13-14."

Acclaimed painter and sculptor Satish Gujral has passed away. He was 94 years old.

Repo rate reduced by 75 basis points to 4.4.%. Reverse repo-rate reduced by 90 basis points to 4%: RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das

Free dry ration will be distributed among poor in district, starting with municipalities today. All chemist shops to open from today. Supply of milk to be allowed only between 8-11 am&4 Groceries shall open on Mar 27 only,between 10 am-4 pm

The Central govt hereby directs that sale by retail of any preparation containing the drug Hydroxychloroquine shall be in accordance with the conditions for sale of drugs specified in Schedule H1 to the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

NPPA chairman Shubhra Singh writes to all states/UTs' Chief Secys requesting them to instruct Dist Admn to facilitate Pharma companies and ensure unobstructed movement of raw&packaging material and manpower to accomplish work related to production,packing&distribution during lockdown