A look at the headlines in this sector right now:

  1. No service tax on debit or credit card transactions of up to Rs 2,000: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will table a notification in Parliament to amend the June 2012 circular to include the exemption.
  2. Demonetisation has derailed the economy in the short term, says HDFC chairperson Deepak Parekh: He had earlier praised the move against black money and corruption as the ‘biggest of all big-bang reforms’.
  3. Sensex rises by 457 points, Nifty crosses 8,200 mark as markets respond positively to global cues: The much-anticipated Europe Central Bank’s interest rate decision and the extension of a stimulus package helped Dalal street remain buzzing.
  4. UP government to give Rs 2-lakh compensation to kin of ‘victims’ of demonetisation: The financial assistance will be provided from the Chief Minister’s Discretionary Fund.
  5. Google says it will run entirely on renewable energy from 2017: The tech giant will purchase solar and wind energy equal to the electricity that its operations will consume on an annual basis.
  6. British MPs vote in support of Theresa May’s plan to initiate Brexit: If article 50 is initiated, then United Kingdom will no longer be part of the EU by March 2019.
  7. World Bank cancels $100 million loan to Pakistan for a natural gas project: Since there was no progress in achieving the development objectives, the institution scrapped the loan.