OPINION, P6 ECONOMY, P2 MARKETS, P10 T NANDA KUMAR EDITORIAL AMID FARMER PROTESTS REVIVAL MODE Mandatory MSP will TheAnilVij episode shows PM's pitch on reforms: SBI to accelerate awareness drives on vaccines hit the agri economy needed; ensure proper Cannot build new retail loans; sees at multiple fronts mask use and distancing century with old laws better earnings PUNE, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2020 FOLLOW US ON TWITTER & FACEBOOK. APP AVAILABLE ON APP STORE & PLAYSTORE WWW.FINANCIALEXPRESS.COM VOL. XI NO. 266, 14 PAGES,`6.00PUBLISHEDFROM:AHMEDABAD,BENGALURU,CHANDIGARH, CHENNAI,HYDERABAD,KOCHI,KOLKATA,LUCKNOW,MUMBAI, NEWDELHI,PUNE READ TO LEAD SENSEX: 45,426.97 ▲ 347.42 NIFTY: 13,355.75 ▲ 97.20 NIKKEI 225: 26,547.44 ▼ 203.80 HANG SENG: 26,506.85 ▼ 329.07 `/$: 73.90 ▼ 0.11 `/€: 89.36 ▲ 0.43 BRENT: $48.76 ▼ $0.49 GOLD: `49,089 ▼ `64 IN THE NEWS COVID COMBAT ● CENTRAL VISTA FLIGHT PLAN From Jan, quarterly SC allows GSTreturns to ease stone-laying Jet to take off in summer of 2021 Astra,Pfizervaccines: ■ RAGINI SAXENA Consortium led by Dubai- compliance burden Jet Airways (NSE) but no work December 7 80 based entrepreneur Murari Lal Jalan and Kalrock Capital has THE GOODS and services tax 71.45 (GST) payers with a turnover FE BUREAU BANKRUPT CARRIER Jet Air- set a revival plan for JetAirways of up to `5 crore will have Govt speeds up review New Delhi, December 7 ways India, once the nation’s 60 the option to ease their biggestairlinebymarketvalue, ■ ■ compliance burden from NEHAARORA & The Serum Serum THE SUPREME COURT on is planning to restart opera- 40 January 1, as the facility to NIVEDITABHATTACHARJEE vaccine is logis- Institute has Molnupiravir: Monday allowed the govern- tionsasafull-servicecarrierby tically feasible collaborated file GSTR-3B only on a New Delhi/Bengaluru, ment to go ahead with the the summer of 2021, its new 30.5 for distribution with quarterly basis kicks in, December 7 Human trials in both urban & AstraZeneca ground-breaking ceremony ownersannounced. 20 ■ Plan includes dedicated reports fe Bureau in New rural parts as it and Oxford may start soon foritsprestigiousCentralVista Aconsortium led byDubai- freighter service and hubs in Delhi. Currently, GSTR-3B is INDIA IS ACCELERATING its can be stored at University project onThursday. based entrepreneur Murari small cities beyond Delhi, 0 filed on a monthly basis. reviewofcoronavirusvaccines to make the ANURADHA The apex court, however, LalJalanandKalrockCapitalhas Jan 1, 2020 Dec 7, 2020 Mumbai, and Bengaluru developed by Pfizer and 2-8 vaccine MASCARENHAS restrained the government set a revival plan for Jet,which RIL, others now AstraZeneca for emergency degree Pune, December 7 from undertaking any includes a dedicated freighter ' use,a senior government offi- Celsius SII has construction or demolition service and hubs in small cities from regulators and the bank- tiumtoputJetbackintheskies don t need govt cial said on Monday, as the already ADECISIONONconduct- work on the site, till it decides beyond Delhi, Mumbai, and ruptcy tribunal,according to a at earliest opportunity,”Manoj nod for gas pricing world’s second-most affected manufactured ing human clinical trials on a batch of petitions on Bengaluru.Jetwilloperateallits statement on Monday.“JetAir- N Madnani,board member of country struggles to contain 40 million with a new promising the matter. historic domestic slots in India ways has been a brand with a JalanKalrockconsortium,said. RELIANCE INDUSTRIES and the outbreak. doses, according antiviral drug, Molnupi- andrestartinternationalopera- glorioushistoryofover25years, other producers of natural Thegovernmentispinning to ICMR ravir,will be taken at the Continued on Page 2 tions after it receives approval anditisthevisionoftheconsor- Continued on Page 2 gas will no longer need the itshopesformasssupplyofthe strategicgroupmeetingof ■ government approval for vaccine on Serum Institute Pfizer had the Council of Scientific the gas price if it is arrived of India, the world’s largest applied for emer- and Industrial Research gency use app- at using the new guidelines vaccine producer by volume, (CSIR) soon. roval for its vac- for the discovery of market which on Monday lodged cine in India over A study published in price, an official order said, the first formal application the weekend Nature Microbiology reports PTI. for emergency use approval shows how this repur- for AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 posed drug suppresses HDFC Bank's digi vaccine. weekend, the official said, SARS-CoV2 transmission Pfizer had already applied declining to be identified. within 24 hours. outages credit foremergencyuseapprovalfor ■ Report on Page 4 negative: Moody’s its vaccine in India over the Continued on Page 2 THE RBI’S action against HDFC Bank in response to Founder’s wife appointed new Coffee Day CEO weaknesses in its digital COFFEE DAY Enterprises,the reports Reuters. In July last infrastructure and opera- owner of the Cafe Coffee Day year, Coffee Day Enterprises tional resilience is credit chain,appointed founderand named independent board negative, Moody’s said on ex-chairmanVG Siddhartha’s member SV Ranganath as Monday,reports fe Bureau in wife as its CEO on Monday, interimchairman,afterauthor- Mumbai.This is because the more than ayearafterthe cof- ities recovered Siddhartha’s bank is increasingly relying fee baronwas found dead in a body floating in a river near on digital channels to source river in an apparent suicide, Mangaluru. ■ Page 4 and service its customers. ● MAN OF ACTION Festive cheer VENKATA SUSMITA BISWAS New CEO Television ad volumes spike in Sept-Nov drives Wipro After going through Festival ad volumes Dussehra a lull for several (in seconds) up 70% months due to 67.88 75.05 economic uncer- Diwali million million Ganesh Chaturthi tainty induced by Covid-19, television 67.68 74.22 201911% 2020 59.15 63.26 advertising has Thierry million million million million shown mild signs of Delaporte, revival during the CEO, 2019 2020 2019 2020 festive season, 7% Wipro between the 10% months of growth Source: September and Barc India SARITHA RAI November. December 7 ■ Page 4 IN THE FIVE months since he tookoverasthechiefexecutive officer (CEO)of Wipro, BHARAT BANDH TODAY Thierry Delaporte has yet to visitthecompany’sBengaluru headquarters once. Instead, BJP, Congress in war of words the 53-year-old has been on avirtualtourfromhishomein EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE Paris,meetingwithmanagers, New Delhi, December 7 They (the Oppn) are opposing workers and customers around the globe. ADAY AFTER a united what they had been working He’s trying to turn around Oppositionextendedsupportto to do when in power. This the struggling business the December 8 Bharat Bandh exposes their shameful double without letting the Covid-19 called by protesting farmer pandemic slowhim. groups,the ruling BJPon Mon- standards. This is opposition Delaporte slashed the top dayhitoutatthepoliticalparties for the sake of opposition. ranks of leadership from 25 for opposing the farm reform —RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD, UNION MINISTER people to four. He stepped up laws and cited theirearliersup- acquisitions, with more on porttomanyoftheprovisionsto theway. accuse them of“shameful dou- Mostly, he focused his blestandards”. andhandingitovertoits“crony the grip of a few people with attentiononcustomers,meet- The Congress hit back, capitalistfriends”. “vested interests”,while assert- ing with 130 overvideo con- saying the BJP,by launching a The BJP fielded senior ing that the government was ference and helping to land “senseless”and“mindless”anti- partyleaderandUnionminister working to address their mis- newmulti-yearcontractswith Congress tirade,was trying to Ravi Shankar Prasad to take on givingsaboutthereforms. clients in the US and Europe. hide the“sin”of attempting to the Opposition.He alleged that snatchthelivelihoodoffarmers asectionoffarmershadfallenin Continued on Page 2 Continued on Page 2 BIG SCREEN BLUES No box-office dhamaka anytime soon ASMITADEY dayreleases.Indeed,theattendanceat pick-up at the box office yet,”Viacom New Delhi, December 7 theatresremainsverythin.“Therelease 18StudiosCOOAjitAndharetoldFE. of films would depend on the kind of Viacom18 Studios has already AFTER RECORD REVENUES of over audiences that the theatres see.Pro- delayedthereleaseofAamirKhanstar- `4,000 crore in 2019,box office col- duction has resumed but there’s no rerLaalSinghChaddhabyayearandit lections for 2020 may barely touch is nowexpected to hit the theatres in `500crore.However,withchancesof December2021.Work on theTaapsee a vaccine by May-June, the pickings Pannu-led Shabaash Mithu isyet to be forBollywoodcouldbebetterin2021. completed,Andhare said,but should As of now, however, see a 2021 launch if the shoots and there are few releases post-production get done on lined up. Production time. Producer Vipul Shah houses have been unable saidthepandemichasnec- tosetuptoomanyshoot- essitatedatotalrejigofthe ing schedules and, firm’scalendarwithapro- thoughahandfuloffilms ject comprising 12 short has gone on the floors,it filmsnowpostponedto2021. could be a long time beforeweseeregularFri- Continued on Page 2 Pune 2 FINANCIAL EXPRESS WWW.FINANCIALEXPRESS.COM FOREIGN TRADE Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal Received insightful suggestions for making the new Foreign Trade Policy more export-oriented, in an interaction with representatives from various Industry Associations& Chambers of Commerce. Govt is committed to making India EconomyTUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2020 a global exports hub for an Aatmanirbhar Bharat. Quick ● PM ON REFORMS Quarterly