Mumbai: The top-five private companies by market capitalization added 578,804 employees in the year ended 31 March, the fewest in 3 years, as companies focused on improving productivity of its existing employees amid a slowdown in the economy.

Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS), Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), ITC Ltd, HDFC Bank Ltd and Infosys Ltd, saw their combined headcount rise 5% from the previous year, according to data collated from the annual reports of each of the companies.

The Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) on Thursday said it would deliver its order on an insider trading case involving Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) on Monday.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has been probing charges of insider trading against RIL in a matter dating back to 2007. Allegedly, the company took positions in Reliance Petroleum on the back of price-sensitive information about its merger with RIL, making profits by trading on information not available to the public.

Sharp fall in stocks of Reliance Industries (RIL) and Oil & Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) pulled down the benchmark BSE Sensex further by 131 points in morning trade today.

The market will remain volatile today in view of the last day of futures & options (F&O) segment for June contract.

The government plans to impose an additional penalty of $578 million on Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) for producing less-than-targeted natural gas from its eastern offshore KG-D6 block.

The penalty in the form of disallowing costs incurred on the field would be for missing the target in 2013-14, a government source said. With this, the total costs disallowed will increase to $2.375 billion.

Markets extended gains and were trading near their day's highs led by index heavyweights ITC and Reliance Industries.

At 1:55 PM, the 30-share Sensex was up 25,411 up 380 points and the 50-share Nifty was up 96 points at 7,590.

Reliance Industries ltd is expected to invest Rs. 30,000 crore, of the total Rs. 70,000 crore announced, in its telecom arm Reliance Jio Infocomm over the next two years, credit rating firm Moody’s said on Monday.
The investment in the telecom business is a credit negative for RIL because RJio will not generate any EBITDA (an indicator of cash flows) for at least next 12 months, it said.

Reliance Industries’ announcement of its largest-ever investment plan of $30 billion or Rs 180,000 crore over the next three years, even as it was largely known by the Street, is being looked at in a positive light.

This is despite the near-term pressure it could put on the return ratios. The company had been under pressure to utilise the cash on its books and these investment plans show how it has charted a way forward.

Annual general meetings of Reliance Industries are never dull. This year was no exception.

When Mukesh Ambani, dressed in a white shirt with a red and white check tie and a black coat, walked into the Birla Matoshree auditorium at 10:45 am, there was commotion among shareholders to shake hands with the billionaire who leads India Inc's first family.

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), India’s largest private-sector company, will invest Rs 1.8 lakh crore ($30 billion) across businesses — petrochemicals, refining, retail and telecom — over the next three years. The company, aspiring to break into the Fortune 50 club, will also launch its 4G broadband services in 2015 and strengthen its management team.

The benchmark BSE Sensex on Wednesday rose over 54 points in early trade, extending gains for the second straight day, as participants made selective buying in shares of RIL, ONGC, SBI and Infosys.

The 30-share index gained 54.14 points, or 0.21 per cent, to 25,575.33. The gauge had gained 330.71 points in the last session on late heavy fund-based buying.

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