The monumental blunder of demonetization, a flawed GST and putting the squeeze on banks were the three major errors committed by the government that sent the economy into a tailspin, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said on Wednesday.

Addressing students at the Shri Ram College of Commerce here, the former finance minister also said that the country was heading towards another "listless" year in terms of economic growth.

Over fifty million farmers were yet to get the third instalment of money under the Centre's ambitious PM-Kisan scheme, aimed at providing direct support of Rs 6,000 annually to them, according to the latest Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare data.

The total amount of the scheme, which came into effect on December 1, 2018, is to be paid in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 every four months.

Tata Motors surged nearly 8 per cent in the intra-day session on Wednesday. The auto major unveiled a series of cars and commercial vehicles at the Auto Expo 2020. The company launched the much-anticipated Harrier 2020 at an introductory price of Rs 13.69 lakh for Manual and Rs 16.25 lakh for Automatic.

At 01:20 pm, the stock was trading 7.5 per cent higher at Rs 178 apiece on the NSE. It hit a high of Rs 178.8, up around 8 per cent.

Shares of Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) were trading higher for the third straight day, up 4 per cent to Rs 500 on the BSE on Wednesday after reports said that Russia's largest oil producer Rosneft was keen to bid for the state-owned oil marketing company.

BPCL has rallied 13 per cent in the past three trading days to hit its highest level since December 17, 2019. It hit an all-time high of Rs 550 in intra-day trade on November 21.

Shares of Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL) were under pressure for the second straight day on Wednesday. The stock fell 7 per cent to Rs 229 on the BSE amid media report that the corporate affairs ministry has ordered an inspection of the financials of the company. The stock of broadcasting & cable TV operator has fallen 11 per cent in the past two trading days.

According to a Moneycontrol report, the ministry has ordered an inspection of financials of ZEEL following allegations of corporate governance lapses and after some independent directors quit recently.

Shares of Bharti Airtel hit an all-time high of Rs 529, up 2 per cent on the BSE on Wednesday after the telecom operator posted an 8.5 per cent year-on-year (YoY) increase in revenue for the quarter ended December 31, 2019 (Q3FY20), lifted by an improvement in average revenue per user (ARPU). The stock surpassed its previous high of Rs 527.39, touched on October 10, 2007.

The company’s revenue increased by 8.5 per cent YoY to Rs 21,947 crore in Q3FY20, compared to Rs 20,231 crore in the year-ago period. On the operational front, the company posted an improvement in ARPU from Rs 128 to Rs 135, sequentially.

Malaysia said on Tuesday that India's move to cut back on palm oil purchases from the Southeast Asian nation is temporary and will be resolved amicably between the two nations.

Last month, India restricted imports of refined palm oil and asked importers to avoid purchases from Malaysia after its criticism of India's actions in Kashmir and a new citizenship law.

Bajaj Auto on Tuesday reported 3.1 cent decline in total sales at 3,94,473 units in January.

The firm had sold a total of 4,07,150 units in January 2019, Bajaj Auto said in a statement.

Total domestic sales were down 16.6 per cent at 1,92,872 units as compared to 2,31,461 units in the year-ago month, it added.

Shares of Thyrocare Technologies surged 14 per cent to Rs 689 on the BSE on Tuesday after the company reported a strong operational performance with consolidated earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) expanding by 300 basis points in the December quarter (Q3FY20).

The stock of the healthcare services company was quoting at its 52-week high level. Besides, it has zoomed 28 per cent in the past two trading days, as compared to a 2 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex.

The Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government on Monday declared the Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) epidemic as a state calamity, hours after India reported its third confirmed case of coronavirus infection on this day, once again from Kerala.

Kerala's Health Minister KK Shailaja told news agencies that the decision to declare the epidemic as a state calamity was taken under the directions of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who has instructed that all necessary steps be taken to ensure that the outbreak is effectively controlled.

Inviting Real Estate Agents, Job Placements Agents, Educational Institutes, Software Service Providers, Real Estate Builders, Marriage Bureaus, Travel Agents, Restaurant Owners, Health & Fitness Centers and other Local Businesses to Post a FREE Classified Advertisement on Cootera.com Classifieds Website.