Vaccine to be available in market after 'prime targets' covered: Guleria

South African variant could significantly reduce vaccine protection, says Pfizer

A laboratory study suggests that the South African variant of the coronavirus may reduce antibody protection from the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by two-thirds, and it is not clear if the shot will be effective against the mutation, the companies said on Wednesday. Companies are making investments and talking to regulators about developing an updated version of their mRNA vaccine or a booster shot, if needed.

COVID-19 vaccine likely to be available in open market after 'prime targets' covered: Guleria

The COVID-19 vaccine is likely to be available in open market only after the 'prime targets' are vaccinated and there is an equivalence of supply and demand, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director Randeep Guleria said on Wednesday. India began its vaccination programme against COVID-19 on January 16. Healthcare workers and frontline workers are to be vaccinated first, followed by people aged above 50 years in third phase, which is likely to begin in March.

Indian workforce among most resilient in world, says ADP study

The Indian workforce is among the most resilient and engaged in the world, a study commissioned by global HR and payroll company ADP has said. About 32 per cent of employees are highly resilient as against the global average of 17 per cent. Similarly, India is second in terms of fully engaged employees. The study defined engagement as a positive state of mind characterised by "vigour, dedication, and absorption",

SEBI board eases public offer norms, paves way for LIC IPO

In its meeting on Wednesday, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has relaxed public issue norms for large companies, among other measures. The step is crucial for initial public offering (IPO) of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), which otherwise would have faced problems with its debut on the equity market.

PM Modi calls for lower import dependence as petrol prices touch Rs 100

As petrol prices touched the Rs 100 mark on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the middle class would not have been under financial stress had the previous governments focussed on reducing India's import dependence. He said India imported over 85 percent of its oil needs in the 2019-20 financial year and nearly 53 per cent of its gas requirement. The focus now is also towards using renewable sources of energy, which will by 2030 form 40 per cent of energy generated in the country, he said.

India Inc's profits touch another high in Q3; finserv leads, manufacturing bleeds

Despite a sluggish business environment, listed Indian companies posted record net profits in December quarter, exceeding the previous high of September quarter by "a whisker",  the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) said. The private think tank pointed out that the increase in profits of larger companies is in contrast to the continued weakness in business and employment levels seen by them in 2020-21 on account of the pandemic.