In a bid to promote digital transactions, Reserve Bank has said that round-the-clock transactions will be allowed under the National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) system from December 16. RBI said that the 24x7 NEFT system will be available on all days of the year, including holidays.

NEFT transactions are settled in hourly batches. For weekdays, the batches are from 8 am to 7 pm. On first and third Saturdays, the settlement happens from 8 am to 1 pm. 

Retired IPS officer K Vijay Kumar has been appointed as senior security advisor in the Ministry of Home Affairs.

In his new role, the former police officer will be primarily responsible for advising the home ministry on all security-related matters pertaining to the newly-constituted Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. He will also be advising the ministry on security issues of states affected by Left-wing extremism.

Vijay Kumar had earlier served as advisor to the Governor of the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir, before its reconstitution into a Union Territory comprising of the Jammu and Kashmir regions, separate from Ladakh.

The ties between India and Bangladesh transcend the strategic partnership. Speaking at a function in Dhaka on Friday to commemorate the 48th anniversary of India granting recognition to Bangladesh, India's High Commissioner to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das said that bilateral relationship between the two countries is at an all time high. She said that India accords top priority to its relationship with Bangladesh.

The multi dimensional relationship between the two countries cover not only traditional areas like trade, commerce, security and border management but also new areas such as IT, space and nuclear science among others. 

Riva Ganguly Das said that India is a committed development partner of Bangladesh with a credit line worth 8 billion US dollars of which 80 percent is earmarked for infrastructure and connectivity sector.

Saudi Arabia, state oil company Aramco has set a share price for its much-anticipated initial public offering.

According to reports, Aramco has set a share price that will value the company's initial public offering (IPO) at 25.6 billion Dollar, making it the largest ever seen. In a statement, Aramco said that the IPO will consist of 3 billion shares, or 1.5% of the company, offered for 8.00 to 8.53 Dollar per share. The Saudi's state-owned crude oil company had announced in November that it would be putting shares up for sale.

The move is part of the country's plan to diversify its economy away from its dependence on oil and increase the country's sovereign wealth fund for investment in other projects.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on December 5 released final guidelines and opened the window for applicants to approach the regulator at any point of time for 'on-tap' licensing of Small Finance Banks (SFBs).

The minimum paid-up voting equity capital or net worth requirement has been set at Rs 200 crore,  up from Rs 100 crore as set earlier.

For primary urban cooperative banks that intend to convert into SFB, RBI said that the initial requirement of net worth shall be at Rs 100 crore, which will have to be increased to Rs 200 crore within five years from the date of commencement of business.

Canada’s largest pension fund manager Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has committed to invest up to $600 million in National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF).

The investment would be made through a $150 million commitment in the master fund of NIIF and co-investment rights of up to $450 million in future opportunities to invest alongside the master fund.

Post the funding, CPPIB will become a shareholder in NIIF’s investment management company.

“With this fourth close of the NIIF Master Fund, we are pleased that the fund has achieved its initial target size of $2.1 billion with domestic and international investors of the highest reputation and quality. We thank all our investors, and the Government of India, particularly the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of External Affairs, for their strong support," said Sujoy Bose, managing director and chief executive officer of NIIF.

Union Home Ministry has sanctioned a sum 100 crore rupees from Nirbhaya Fund for setting up and strengthening of Women Help Desks in Police Stations.

This scheme would be implemented by the States and Union Territories.

The Help Desks would focus on making the Police Stations more women-friendly and approachable, as they would be the first and single point of contact for any woman walking into a police station.

Essentially, lady police officers would be deployed at these help desks.

The officials of Women Help Desk would be trained to be sensitive towards women.

Indian athletes continue their winning streak at 13th South Asian Games in Nepal, grabbing 54 medals comprising 28 gold, 19 silver and 7 bronze yesterday.

India dominated in Wushu, Weightlifting, Swimming, Shooting and Taekwondo.

On the fifth day of games, India further consolidated its top position in the medal tally with a total of 124 medals comprising 62 gold, 41 silver and 21 bronze.

President Ram Nath Kovind led the nation in paying tributes to Bharat Ratna Dr BR Ambedkar on his 64th Mahaparinirvan Diwas today.

He paid floral tributes at his Statue in Parliament House this morning.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu in a series of tweets, said, humble tributes and respects to the architect of the Constitution.

He said Ambedkar was a champion of democracy, he was a staunch patriot, a nationalist and a humanist to whom upliftment of poor and downtrodden was an essential precondition to development.

Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat today inaugurated a Sewage Treatment Plant in Haridwar district of Uttarakhand in the presence of Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.

Speaking on this occasion, the Swedish King said that Ganga is an important river in India. He said that the Central Government is doing good work in the direction of clean rivers.

Union Jal Shakti Minister Shekhawat said that 34 STP stations is to be set up in the state out of which the 23  plants are almost complete. He said that STPs of the capacity 127 MLD is the target under Namami Gange Yojna in the state. Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said that works under Namai Gange Yojna are in progress and will be completed soon.