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OYO’s Ritesh Agarwal and Future Group’s Kishore Biyani did not make the cut this year to be among India’s richest billionaires

New Delhi, The eight round of talks between the protesting farmers and the government on Friday failed to break the stalemate, and the next meeting will be held on January 15. Ahead of the talks, the government had expressed hope of positive results from the meeting while the farmers threatened to intensify the stir if their demand to repeal three contentious farm laws is not fulfilled. Farmer leader Gurbaksa Singh Barnala said that the farmers will intensify the stir and enter Delhi on Republic Day if their demands are not met. "There is no way forward but to repeal the three laws," he said. <keyword id="6355165" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="agriculture">Agriculture</keyword> Minister Narendra Sigh Tomar, <keyword id="53080" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Consumer-Affairs">Consumer Affairs</keyword> Minister <keyword id="6355222" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="piyush-goyal">Piyush Goyal</keyword> and Minister of State for Commerce and Industries Som Parkash represented the government at the talks at the <keyword id="476046" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vigyan-Bhavan">Vigyan Bhavan</keyword>, while Agriculture Secretary <keyword id="6409049" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="sanjay-agarwal">Sanjay Agarwal</keyword> and other Ministry officials were also present. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/tcs-ongc-tata-power-punjab-national-bank-nhpc-and-other-top-stocks-to-watch/articleshow/80164057.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">TCS’ market share, ONGC’s borrowing, Tata Power gets new territories⁠— these and other top stocks to watch</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/whatsapp-is-forcing-users-to-share-personal-data-with-facebook-and-elon-musk-is-urging-people-to-switch-to-signal-a-smaller-encrypted-messaging-app/articleshow/80156317.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">WhatsApp is forcing users to share personal data with Facebook, and Elon Musk is urging people to switch to Signal, a smaller encrypted messaging app</a>

No breakthrough in govt-farmers talks, next round of talks on January 15

With the promoters of two <keyword id="100080" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="housing-finance" source="Orion">housing finance</keyword> companies exiting the business, is there a shake out happening in the sector? The two exits -- small and the big ones -- were announced in quick succession. The Pune-based <keyword id="25607" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="poonawalla" source="Orion">Poonawalla</keyword> Fincorp Ltd announced the proposed sale of its stakes in the housing finance subsidiary Poonawalla Housing Finance Limited (formerly Magma Housing Finance Limited) to Perseus SG Pte. Ltd affiliated to TPG Global LLC for Rs 3,900 crore. A couple of days earlier, <keyword id="59288" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="centrum" source="Orion">Centrum</keyword> Housing Finance Ltd announced the binding agreement to acquire the housing finance business of <keyword id="15799445" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="national-trust-housing" source="Orion">National Trust Housing</keyword> Finance Limited for an undisclosed price. An affordable housing finance company National Trust Housing has a loan book size of over Rs.300 crore and is present in 17 locations in four southern states. As per the agreement, Centrum Housing will acquire the housing finance business including the loan portfolio, branches and employees. However, industry players and experts told IANS that the two exists doesn't mean a shake out or consolidation happening in the housing finance sector but shows the potential and interests of players. If a private equity major like TPG is investing in the housing finance sector, it shows the growth potential, industry experts told IANS. In February 2020, a fund managed by Morgan Stanley PE Asia, invested approximately Rs 190 crore to acquire a minority stake in Centrum Housing Finance. On the exit of Poonawalla Fincorp, Sanjay Agarwal, Senior Director, CARE Ratings told IANS: "They probably want to focus on consumer finance. Housing finance is a long term business and different from consumer finance." According to Agarwal, the sale and purchase of two housing finance companies shows a lot of interest in the market and is positive for the sellers and buyers. He said the credit loss for housing finance companies is very low but needs lots of capital. "The timing of the sale by Poonawalla is good as the market is picking up. I will not say consolidation is happening in the sector," a top official of a housing finance company told IANS on the condition of anonymity. As regards to the Centrum group's acquisition of National Trust Housing, an industry official told IANS: "The buy gives Centrum a jump start in the Southern market. It would have taken them about two years to establish a similar presence." The acquisition of National Trust Housing consolidates Centrum Housing presence in South India, and will help to further increase the penetration across the chosen geographies, Jaspal Bindra, Executive Chairman, Centrum Group said. "The market is growing and the pie is large enough for all to grow. There are opportunities for all the players -- big and small. This is driven by the need for housing and the Government's thrust on Housing for All. There is a fair degree of growth potential in the next few years," Lakshminarayanan Duraiswamy, Managing Director, <keyword id="680422" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="sundaram-home-finance" source="Orion">Sundaram Home Finance</keyword> Ltd told IANS. Big banks and housing finance companies are coming into small towns and this in turn makes smaller players like us to explore opportunities in Tier 3 and 4 towns, Duraiswamy added. "We registered disbursements of Rs 2,350 crore last year. In the first half of this year the disbursement figure is close to Rs 1,800 crore. Our target is to grow this year by 40 per cent-50 per cent and are on track to achieve this target driven by growth from Tier 2 and 3 markets. The smaller towns are growing faster for us and the self-employed segment is growing faster than the salaried class," he said. The housing finance companies like Sundaram Home Finance, Aptus Value Housing Finance India Ltd have also diversified their business by getting into financing small businesses which gives them higher spread. Typically, housing finance companies follow a monoline business model with focus on home loans and loan against property (LAP), Duraiswamy said. Sundaram Home Finance's entry into small business loans against mortgage of residential property is a diversification to a new segment of borrowers and an entry into Tier 3 and 4 towns, Duraiswamy said. According to him, by the end of this year, the small business loan book will be about Rs 15 crore and by the end next fiscal it will be about Rs 150 crore. "In the long term, we hope to take the contribution from this segment to about 10 per cent of our overall disbursements," Duraiswamy said. Sundaram Home Finance is also planning to expand its distribution network for home loans by opening around 15 new branches in Tier 2 and 3 towns in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh by March 2023. Be that as it may, although the banks continued to dominate and accounted for 63 per cent of the overall housing finance portfolio, housing finance companies outshone in FY22, said CARE Ratings in a research report. After reporting modest growth for two consecutive years, housing finance companies reported a double-digit growth rate in FY22 at 11 per cent y-o-y, surpassing the 7 per cent growth rate reported by the banks, CARE Ratings said. "Consequently, the share of HFCs, which has been contracting for th e past two consecutive years, improved in FY22 from 36 per cent to 37 per cent. Improvement in the macroeconomic environment, low-interest rate regime, and initial signs of recovery witnessed in the real estate sector were the key catalysts for the high growth," CARE Ratings report notes. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/economy/news/indian-economy-to-outpace-world-average-growth-in-2023-can-it-duck-global-headwinds/articleshow/96256621.cms">Indian economy to outpace world average growth in 2023 – Can it duck global headwinds?</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/how-many-startups-turned-unicorns-in-2022-in-india-check-out-the-list/articleshow/96248261.cms">New Indian unicorns get rarer in 2022 as funding winter sets in</a>

Two promoter exits - shakeout in housing finance sector?

Banda (Uttar Pradesh), More than 1.89 <keyword id="10481084" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="lakh-trees">lakh trees</keyword> have been felled for the construction of the <keyword id="4648165" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bundelkhand-Expressway">Bundelkhand expressway</keyword>, according to an RTI response. The trees were cut in Banda, Chitrakoot, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Aurraiya and Etawah, it said. The 296-km long four-lane road will connect Etawah to Chitrakoot and Uttar Pradesh districts to <keyword id="9319704" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-national-capital-region">the National Capital Region</keyword> via the Yamuna expressway. In a reply to a query by Banda-based activist Kuldeep Shukla, senior manager of the state <keyword id="6356408" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="forest-department">Forest Department</keyword>, Atul Asthana, said that <keyword id="10057938" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-up-expressway-industrial-development-authority">the UP Expressway Industrial Development Authority</keyword> (UPEIDA) has cut 1,89,036 trees for the project. The UPEIDA has planned to plant over 2.70 lakh saplings along the expressway, the RTI added. <keyword id="10481083" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="banda-divisional-forest">Banda Divisional Forest</keyword> Officer Sanjay Agarwal said the trees were cut after permission from the Centre. The expressway will ensure better connectivity of the Bundelkhand area with the national capital region (NCR). SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-stocks-to-watch-infosys-wipro-jubilant-foodworks-bajaj-auto-majesco-and-others/articleshow/79909712.cms">Top stocks to watch – Infosys, Wipro, Jubilant FoodWorks, Bajaj Auto, Majesco, and others</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/there-are-one-of-only-17-indian-companies-out-of-500-that-aced-the-du-pont-test/articleshow/79911627.cms">There are one of only 17 Indian companies out of 500 that aced the Du Pont test</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/wipro-buyback-offer-details-and-700-million-metro-ag-deal-drives-share-price/articleshow/79911875.cms">Wipro offers 10% more to buy back shares and signs a $700 million deal with Metro AG – everything that’s driving the IT services stock higher today</a>

Over 1.89 lakh trees have been cut for the construction of Bundelkhand expressway

<keyword id="6358777" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="New-Delhi">New Delhi</keyword>, The Union Ministry of Agriculture and <keyword id="45092" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="farmers">Farmers</keyword> Welfare on Monday said that the meeting between a group of ministers and farmer unions scheduled for January 19 has been postponed to January 20. The meeting is scheduled to take place at 2 p.m. here at Vigyan Bhawan. It would be the 10th round of talks between Centre and the representatives of the agitating farmers who are on streets along the borders of Delhi since almost two months, demanding withdrawal of the newly passed <keyword id="9970645" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="farm-laws">farm laws</keyword> passed by the <keyword id="6357307" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Central-Government">Central government</keyword>. In a letter to the representatives of the protesting farmers, Sanjay Agarwal, Secretary, Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said the scheduled meeting of a Group of Ministers with agitating farmer organisations for January 19 has been postponed to January 20 due to some unavoidable reasons. Stating in the letter that the meeting would be held on January 20, the farmers' leaders have been requested to attend the meet. With a view to improve the agriculture and allied sectors, the Central government implemented the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020. Though the <keyword id="6354977" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword> has stayed the implementation of these laws and set up an expert committee to resolve the issue, the Central government has kept open the channel of dialogue with the farmers' unions. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, who is leading the negotiations on behalf of the government, has repeatedly reiterated that whatever provisions would be appropriate in the interests of the farmers of the country, the Narendra Modi-led government would consider including them in the new farm laws. The protesting farmers are adamant on repealing the three Union farm laws and demanding a legal guarantee for procurement of crops at the <keyword id="76332" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Minimum-Support-Price">Minimum Support Price</keyword>. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/how-rakesh-jhunjhunwala-backed-nazara-technologies-is-preparing-for-its-big-ipo-debut/articleshow/80321946.cms">The startup behind Chhota Bheem, Motu Patlu and Shikari Shambhu is back with an IPO plan ⁠⁠— after a series of acquisitions and fundraisings</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/heres-what-analysts-have-to-say-about-the-4634-crore-indian-railway-finance-corporation-irfc-ipo/articleshow/80323479.cms?upcache=2">The ₹4,600 crore IPO from IRFC is ‘attractive,’ and the best thing about the borrowing arm for Indian Railways is the assured margin</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/how-to-apply-for-indian-railway-finance-corporation-irfc-ipo/articleshow/80327303.cms">How to apply for IRFC IPO? Check the details and online application process here</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/cure-fit-strengthens-its-us-offering-by-acquiring-digital-trainer-and-workout-app-onyx/articleshow/80326857.cms">Cure.fit strengthens its US offering by acquiring digital trainer and workout app Onyx</a>

Farmers' protest: Tenth round of talks between government and farmer leaders postponed to January 20

New Delhi, Apr 15 () Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Wednesday launched an all-India level call centre to resolve transportation problems being faced during inter-state movement of agricultural commodities during the lockdown to contain spread of COVID-19. The 24x7 service All India Agri Transport Call Centre is an initiative of the Union Agriculture Ministry, but will be operated by IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Limited (IKSL) from its offices in Faridabad, Haryana, an official statement said. The call centre numbers are 18001804200 and 14488. These numbers can be called from any mobile or landline phones any time of the day or night, it said. Truck drivers and helpers, traders, retailers, transporters, farmers, manufacturers or any other stakeholder who is facing problems in inter-state movement of agricultural, horticultural or any other perishable commodities, besides seeds and fertilizers may seek help by calling the call centre. According to the ministry, the call centre lines will initially be manned by 10 customer executives round the clock in three shifts of 8 hour each. Call centre executives will forward the vehicle and consignment details along with the help needed to state government officials for resolution of issues, it said. The call centre service may be escalated to full capacity of 20 seats based on requirements. The executives will also maintain records and verify disposal of problems. Ministers of State for Agriculture Parshottam Rupala and Kailash Choudhary, as well as Secretary Sanjay Agarwal, were among the other senior officers present during the launch of the call centre. The 24x7 call centre service is part of the several measures undertaken by the ministry to facilitate farmers and farming activities at field level during the lockdown period. LUX RVK

Govt launches call centre to facilitate inter-state movement of agri-commodities during lockdown

New Delhi, May 2 () AU Small Finance Bank (AU Bank) on Saturday reported a 3 per cent increase in net profit to Rs 122 crore for the last quarter of 2019-20. The bank had registered a net profit of Rs 118 crore in the January-March period of 2018-19. Total income during the quarter jumped by 43 per cent to Rs 738 crore as against Rs 517 crore in the same quarter of the previous fiscal, AU Bank said in a release. For the full year, net profit jumped by 77 per cent to Rs 675 in FY2019-20 as against Rs 382 crore in FY2018-19. Total income rose by 45 per cent to Rs 2,615 crore in 2019-20 from Rs 1,805 crore in the previous fiscal. Profit after tax in 2019-20, excluding gains on partial divestment of shares of Aavas Financiers Ltd, grew by 56 per cent to Rs 596 crore from Rs 382 crore in FY2019, driven by robust growth, cost improvement and stable asset quality, it said. Bank's asset quality improved with the gross non performing assets (NPAs) falling to 1.7 per cent of gross loans at end of March 2020 from 2 per cent in the year-ago period. Net NPAs fell to 0.8 per cent from 1.3 per cent. Sanjay Agarwal, MD &amp; CEO, AU Small Finance Bank said despite the economic headwinds in FY2020, AU Bank witnessed a healthy growth of 56 per cent in operating profits. "We continue to maintain extremely comfortable capital adequacy and enough liquidity... Today I personally opted to forgo my salary for the financial year 2020-21 and pledged to donate 25 lakh company shares from my personal ownership with an intent to support employees, customers and the community at large for fighting the Coronavirus pandemic," he said. KPM MRMR

AU Bank PAT rises 3 pc to Rs 122 cr in Jan-Mar

New Delhi, Apr 14 () The centre will consider addressing issues such as access to ports, freight and courier services to resurrect export of farm commodities amid the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown, Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal said on Tuesday. Agarwal, after holding a detailed discussion with the agri-exporters through video conference, said the government will look into the suggestion on allowing the food processing industry as well as spices and cashew nuts sectors to operate with 25-30 per cent staff strength during the lockdown period. The exporters said they were facing problems in availability and movement of labour, inter-state transport bottlenecks, shortage of raw materials due to closure of some mandis, phyto-sanitary certification, closure of courier services hampering movement of shipping documents, availability of freight services, access to ports/yards and clearance of goods for imports/exports. After hearing the first-hand account of the problems faced by exporters, Agarwal said, "The issues pertaining to port, ocean freight services, courier services will be considered for necessary resolution." The industry's request to open the functioning of food processing, spices, cashew nuts and machine and equipment sectors with 25-30 per cent staff strength will be taken up with Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, he added. According to an official statement, the issue of internal transport is being addressed by the Ministry of Home Affairs and necessary directives are being issued. "Instructions have also been issued for continuous/regular issuance of phyto-sanitary certificates and acceptance of online certificates," it added. Export is very important as besides earning precious foreign exchange for the country, the agricultural exports help farmers/producers/exporters to take advantage of a wider international market and increase their income. Exports have also resulted in increased production in the agriculture sector by increasing area coverage and productivity. The ministry initiated the dialogue with exporters to take steps for making meaningful interventions for early redressal of their problems to help them sustain through the current Covid-19 crisis. LUX BAL ANSANS

Govt considers clearing lockdown hurdles for agri-exports revival: Agri Secy

A crucial fourth round of talks between the Centre and over 34 farmer union representatives has started here, even as the farmers protest entered the eighth straight day with thousands sitting on different Delhi borders blocking essential supply chains to the city. Like the previous similar talks held on December 1, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister <keyword id="6355222" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="piyush-goyal">Piyush Goyal</keyword> are leading the meeting, which is expected to play a major role in farmers' future course of action on whether they would continue the protest or withdraw it. Bharatiya Kisan Union, Bharatiya Kisan Sanyukta Morcha and Krantikari Kisan Union are among over the 34 farm union representatives taking part in the meeting, which started around 12.30 p.m.. They will put the demands of thousands of farmers owing allegiance to these organisations and huddled under the open sky in the winter days, refusing to budge until their demands are met. The meeting is also being attended by Union Minister of State for Commerce Som Prakash and Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal. The Singhu and Tikri borders, and also the Chilla and Ghazipur ones have now been hosting these multitudes for over a week. Hundreds of farmers have almost blocked entry and exit out of the capital. The fourth round of meetings with the farmer leaders started at Vigyan Bhawan after the earlier talks remained inconclusive on December 1. In the last meeting, the farmers' representatives had unanimously turned down the Centre's proposal of a special committee to thrash out the differences and resolve concerns over the farm laws. A breakthrough was not expected in a single meeting, sources had said, in view of the government firmly standing by the laws it has called "historic reforms" in the farm sector. The farmers though have hardened their stance, warning that if on Thursday "the last chance" for the government to take a decision on the laws was not taken the stir could intensify further. In place of a committee, they have demanded a special session of Parliament to repeal what they have called "black laws" made to favour corporates -- which not entertained might lead to a chokehold across the nation, not just Delhi. The meeting between the government and the farmer representative began after a detailed discussion among the Home Minister, Agriculture Minister and the Consumer Affairs Minister earlier in the day. The meeting had taken place at the Home Minister's residence. Meanwhile, amid the escalating protests around Delhi, spearheaded by farmers from Punjab and Haryana, Home Minister Amit Shah and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh also met for around half-an-hour. The government is still holding on to its stance of not rolling back the three farm laws which farmers allege are "anti-farm" and "black laws". The three laws are: Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/banks/news/rbi-directs-hdfc-bank-to-suspend-its-digital-business-and-new-credit-cards-amid-rising-incidents-of-outages/articleshow/79542055.cms">RBI tells HDFC Bank to stop new digital launches and selling new credit cards after recent outages of online banking</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/india-may-reportedly-block-wikipedia-if-the-site-doesnt-delete-the-map-showing-aksai-chin-as-a-part-of-china/articleshow/79541391.cms">India may reportedly block Wikipedia if the site doesn't delete the map showing Aksai Chin as a part of China</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/geo-tagged-bottles-in-the-ganges-river-show-how-plastic-pollution-can-travel-thousands-of-kilometres-in-just-a-few-months/articleshow/79540173.cms">Geo-tagged bottles in the Ganges river show how plastic pollution can travel thousands of kilometres in just a few months</a>

Fourth round of farmer negotiations kicks off with union ministers Piyush Goyal and Narendra Singh Tomar at the helm

New Delhi, Feb 17 () The Centre on Monday appealed all stakeholders to create awareness among farmers about central scheme Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). The PMFBY was launched in January 2016 replacing the older schemes to ensure farmers pay less premium and get full and early settlement of the claims. "The current format of the scheme requires active participation of three different sectors -- the state governments, banking sector and insurance sector," Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal said at a conference organised in Udaipur, Rajasthan for reviewing implementation of the PMFBY. Therefore, there is a need to ensure effective consultation amongst all the stakeholders for the smooth implementation of the scheme that benefits farmers, a statement quoted him as saying. The two-day long national conference saw participation of around 140 members representing different states, banks, insurance companies, RBI, NABARD, among others. PMFBY CEO and Joint Secretary in Union Agriculture Ministry Ashish Kumar Bhutani said there's a need to make a joint effort by all the stakeholders to formulate communication strategy to build trust among farmers. "Insurance companies need to address grievances raised by the farmers on social media within a stipulated time frame," he said, and emphasised the need to prioritise specific issues of the North-Eastern States about this scheme. Due to the improved features of PMFBY, the coverage under the scheme has increased to 30 per cent of the gross cropped area from 23 per cent in 2015-16 under erstwhile schemes, according to the official data. Participation of non-loanee farmers, for whom the scheme is voluntary, have also increased from 5 per cent under erstwhile schemes to 42 per cent (kharif 2019) under PMFBY showing the voluntary acceptability of the scheme, it added. LUX MRMR

Create more awareness about PMFBY: Centre to stakeholders

The sixth round of meetings between protesting <keyword id="45092" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="farmers">farmers</keyword> and the government ended after over five hours with the Centre saying that the two sides had reached consensus on two out of four key issues. The next meeting will take place on January 4. Addressing media persons after the meeting with 41 <keyword id="1588424" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Farmer-leaders">farmer leaders</keyword> at Vigyan Bhavan here, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said: "Today's talks were held in a very good environment and concluded on a positive note. We have had consensus on two out of the four issues." "Next meeting of government with farmers will take place on January 4." He said that the government and the farmers had reached agreement over the latter's demands to keep farmers out of the penal provisions of the Commission for the Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance, 2020, and to withdraw the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020. "We discussed stubble burning and the government assured the farmers that their concerns will be taken into account. The electricity bill was also discussed... this has not been enacted. Farmers believe that subsidy will be withdrawn (under this)," Tomar said. The meeting started around 2.30 p.m. at Vigyan Bhavan with Tomar, Consumer Affairs Minister <keyword id="6355222" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="piyush-goyal">Piyush Goyal</keyword> and Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash heading the government side. Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal and other Ministry officials were also present. Krantikari Kisan Union's Punjab President Darshan Pal, Bharatiya Kisan Union's Jagjeet Singh Dalewal and Balbir Singh Rajewal, Jamhuri Kishan Sabha Punjab's General Secretary Kulwant Singh, and Bharatiya Kisan Union Uttar Pradesh President Rakesh Tikait were among the 41 farmers union leaders taking part in the meeting. After five previous rounds of inconclusive talks, the government had hoped that this meeting would be "decisive" to end the agitation against three contentious new agricultural legislations enacted in September during the <keyword id="662516" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="monsoon-session-of-Parliament">Monsoon Session of Parliament</keyword>. The withdrawal of these laws is the first and the major demand of the agitating farmers. Earlier, the <keyword id="166166" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Union-agriculture-ministry">Union Agriculture Ministry</keyword> in an official letter had confirmed the resumption of talks mentioning a four-point agenda of the meeting that includes "modalities to be adopted for the repeal of the three Central farm acts; mechanisms to be adopted to make remunerative MSP (Minimum Support Price) recommended by the National Farmers' Commission into a legally guaranteed entitlement for all farmers and all agricultural commodities; amendments to be made and notified in the 'Commission for the Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance, 2020' to exclude farmers from the penal provisions of the Ordinance; and changes to be made in the draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020 to protect the interests of farmers". After a meeting at Singhu border -- a major protest venue on the Delhi-Haryana border, the farmer leaders, under the banner of All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), arrived at Vigyan Bhavan for the fresh talks reiterating that the "first and foremost demand of the farmers of India is to repeal the three farm laws and the Electricity Bill, 2020, every other demand only follows this". Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh have been protesting at several borders of the national capital demanding the repeal of the three farm laws, among other demands. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/personal-finance/income-tax/news/income-tax-returns-filing-deadline-extended-to-january-10/articleshow/80029154.cms">Relief for taxpayers: Deadline to file income tax returns extended further to January 10</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/uk-approves-oxford-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine-for-emergency-use/articleshow/80023778.cms">UK approves Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/google-is-testing-a-shortcut-feature-for-tiktok-and-instagram-videos/articleshow/80021865.cms">Google is testing a shortcut feature for TikTok and Instagram videos</a>

Deadlock between farmers and the governments ends — agreement on two out of four issues

New <keyword id="66" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Delhi">Delhi</keyword>, Seeking to break the deadlock over protests against <keyword id="10002582" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="new-farm-laws">new farm laws</keyword>, the government on Saturday told representatives of agitating farmers that they are ready to address all their concerns with an open mind, sources said. At the beginning of the fifth round of talks here at Vigyan Bhawan, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar told a group of 40 representatives of various farmer unions that the government is committed to cordial talks and welcomed all positive feedback on the new farm laws, sources said. Later, Minister of State for Commerce Som Parkash, an MP from Punjab, addressed the leaders in Punjabi and said the government understands the sentiments of Punjab. "We are ready to address all your concerns with an open mind," a source quoted Parkash as telling the union leaders. The talks between the government and the protesting unions began around 2.30 pm and was also attended by Railway, Commerce and Food Minister Piyush Goyal. In his opening remarks, Tomar, who is leading the talks for the Centre, said the government is committed to "peaceful talks with farmers' leaders and does not intend to hurt farmers' sentiments". The agriculture minister welcomed feedback on the three farm laws, while agriculture secretary Sanjay Agarwal summarised the proceedings of the previous four rounds of talks with farmer unions during the meeting, sources said. The two sides are believed to have discussed contentious issues like provision of dispute resolution and registration of traders in proposed private mandis under the new laws. Ahead of the meeting, Tomar and Goyal, along with senior union ministers Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deliberate over proposals likely to be made to the agitating groups. Modi's decision to hold deliberations with Union ministers, who have so far been the face of the Centre's efforts to end the farmers' agitation, signifies the importance the prime minister has attached to defuse the crisis, sources said. On Thursday, talks between the Union ministers and a representative group of thousands of agitating farmers had failed to yield any resolution, as the union leaders stuck to their demand for the repeal of new farm laws despite the government offering to "discuss and consider with an open mind" some key points of concern raised by farmers in the three new laws. Farmers on Friday announced a 'Bharat Bandh' on December 8 and threatened to intensify their agitation and block more roads leading to the national capital if the government does not accept their demands. Enacted in September, the three farm laws have been presented by the government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country. However, the protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of <keyword id="76332" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Minimum-Support-Price">Minimum Support Price</keyword> and scrap the mandis, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates. The Centre has maintained the MSP and mandi systems would continue and would be rather further improved and strengthened. Undeterred by the winter chill, thousands of farmers have stayed put at various border points of Delhi for the past nine days as part of their protest against the Centre's farm laws. Before the start of the meeting, an All India Kisan Sabha functionary said only repealing of the new farm laws will end the stalemate. "At this juncture, we have transport unions, retail businesses and other associated groups who have shown solidarity with us. Our movement is not just about farmers," AIKS finance secretary Krishna Prasad said. Outside the meeting venue, employees of the Indian Tourist Transporters Association (ITTA), which has supplied vehicles for the transit movement of the protesting farmers, were seen holding a banner which read 'We support farmers' and shouting slogans backing the peasants' agitation. "I belong to a farmer's family. I can relate to their fears. We had farmland at Mahipalpur and now you see T-3 terminal out there. We are supporting the protesting farmers in their cause," IITA president Satish Sehrawat told . He said the association is providing transportation facility to the farmers since their first meeting. Bharatiya Kisan Union (Rajewal) state general secretary Onkar Singh Agaul said: "Our demand remains the same that the government should withdraw all three farm laws. We want MSP should be guaranteed through law". He also sought scrapping of electricity amendment law and an ordinance on stubble burning. BJP leader from Punjab Surjit Kumar Jayani, while entering Vigyan Bhawan along with his party colleague Harjeet Singh Grewal, hoped the issue will be resolved soon. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/ultratech-cements-5477-crore-expansion-plan-is-a-sign-that-birla-is-betting-on-a-faster-economic-recovery/articleshow/79549626.cms">UltraTech Cement's ₹5,477 crore expansion plan is a sign that Birla is betting on a faster economic recovery</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/sbis-mobile-banking-app-is-down-for-the-third-time-in-last-30-days/articleshow/79548953.cms">SBI’s mobile banking app is down for the third time in 30 days — digital services take a hit for the 25th time this year</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/economy/news/rbi-governor-shaktikanta-das-believes-that-inflation-is-likely-to-remain-elevated-in-the-winter-months/articleshow/79559454.cms">RBI governor believes inflation is likely to remain elevated this winter</a>

Farmers' protest: Ready to address all concerns, government tells farmer unions at crucial meeting

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">ReutersInstead of turning to surgery, drugmakers are hoping to treat diseases like uterine fibroids and endometriosis with new medications.</div></div></div><ul><li>The FDA just approved elagolix, a new treatment for women living with endometriosis.</li><li>Endometriosis, a condition that affects millions of women, occurs when tissue from the uterus grows outside of it, leading to cysts, heavy bleeding, and scarring. </li><li>It's the first new treatment in a pill form for the disorder in more than a decade. </li></ul>The FDA just approved a new treatment for endometriosis. The drug, elagolix - now marketed as Orilissa - is made by AbbVie in partnership with Neurocrine Biosciences, and it's taken as a daily pill. It's the first new treatment for the disorder in a pill form in more than a decade. An estimated <a href="https://icer-review.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/ICER_Elagolix_Draft_Evidence_Report_050418.pdf">4 to 10 million women</a> in the US are living with endometriosis, a condition in which tissue from the uterus grows outside the uterus, leading to cysts, heavy bleeding, and scarring. Worldwide, the <a href="https://www.endofound.org/endometriosis">Endometriosis Foundation of America</a> estimates that the condition affects 200 million women. The condition has made headlines in recent years as "Girls" creator Lena Dunham has publicly documented her <a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/lena-dunham-hysterectomy-endometriosis-2018-2">experience living with the condition.</a>Up until now, endometriosis has been treated through hormone-altering medications including birth control as well as surgery to remove the tissue. Endometriosis can be a painful condition, but that pain can often be misconstrued for regular period cramps.That can mean diagnosing the condition can take <a href="https://www.endofound.org/endometriosis">about 10 years</a> after symptoms start showing up. In the case of Piraye Beim, 39, she went undiagnosed until she almost gave birth to her second child in an Uber on the way to the hospital because she hadn't realized just how far along into labor she was. To Beim, the pain from labor was the same as her monthly period."It was a very emotional realization for me that what I thought was a normal part of being a woman wasn't normal at all," said Beim, who is the CEO of women's health company Celmatix. "Going through that and realizing that transitional labor is what my periods feel like is why I started seeking answers at that point." For others, like Kristy Curry, 40, from New York, it took a few visits to the emergency room before she got a diagnosis. She had thought maybe she was just more sensitive to painful cramping. "Something bigger seems to be going on," she eventually realized. She's undergone surgery to remove the tissue and uses birth control to mitigate symptoms and follows a vegan diet in the hopes that it could mitigate some of the symptoms.Michelle Kinney, an executive at a spa management company, didn't realize she had endometriosis until she underwent surgery for what she thought was appendicitis. She's now had surgery three times, but doesn't take medication apart from the occasional pain drugs. Her pain - which she describes as sometimes feeling like little people in side her skating around on razor blades and other times like someone's poured gasoline inside her - often leaves her in a position where she can't get out of bed. "There's no getting up," she said. The pain can manifest itself differently. For Curry, she describes it as a twisting, stabbing pain. For Michelle Gilmore, a 34-year-old software designer, the pain comes in various forms."It's almost like the pain has become an object attached to me," she said. That could mean anything from a slight pulsing sensation in her left ovary, or at its worst like someone's grating her insides. She recently had surgery, and "reluctantly" went on birth control after. Treating endometriosis involves changing hormone levels in the body, and events like pregnancy and menopause <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/endometriosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20354656">can bring relief</a>. From a medication perspective, there have been a few ways to mimic that, including using leuprolide, a hormone suppressant that's injected, and contraceptives. But those treatments can come with major side effects, including bone density loss and hot flashes. <h2>A new wave of treatments</h2>Orilissa, taken as a pill, works by altering hormone levels in women endometriosis to reduce the pain associated with the conditions."It's a drug that suppresses estrogen gently," Dr. Sanjay Agarwal, a professor and Director of Fertility Services in the UC San Diego Department of Reproductive Medicine, who was an investigator on the Orilissa trial. "The goal is to reduce the pain of endometriosis without creating excessive problems from low estrogen levels." Those include bone density loss and hot flashes that are side effects of other treatments. This is the first time there's been new treatments for endometriosis since the 1990s, Dr. Linda Giudice, a reproductive endocrinologist and <a href="https://profiles.ucsf.edu/linda.giudice">professor the University of California-San Francisco</a> told Business Insider. For endometriosis alone, the market is estimated to be as much as $6.8 billion, according to analysts at Jefferies. To put that into perspective, a condition like rheumatoid arthritis, which <a href="https://www.arthritis.org/Documents/Sections/About-Arthritis/arthritis-facts-stats-figures.pdf">impacts fewer patients</a> in the US, <a href="https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/rheumatoid-arthritis-therapeutics-market">has a roughly $10 billion market</a>. This may be because while endometriosis affects millions of women in the US, many are misdiagnosed for years. And even if doctors believe a woman might have the disorder, diagnosis requires a complicated, full-on surgical procedure. Elagolix is the first in a new wave of treatments in development for both endometriosis and uterine fibroids, a separate condition characterized by benign tumors that grow in and around the uterus that can <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/uterinefibroids.html">cause heavy bleeding</a> and pain. Kevin Gorman, the CEO of Neurocrine Biosciences told Business Insider that the drug first started clinical trials as far back as 2003. Getting the drug through phase 3 trials alone took up the last seven years. Here are some other drugs in the works to treat uterine fibroids and endometriosis, some of which are looking to compete with Orilissa. <ul><li>Myovant's drug, relugolix, works by suppressing estrogen to low levels, and then reintroducing just enough so that it doesn't lead to bone density loss. The US trials for Relugolix should wrap up in 2019, but a <a href="http://investors.myovant.com/news-releases/2017/10-03-2017-031909981">phase 3 trial conducted in Japan</a> found that the drug worked as well as leuprolide, one of the treatments currently available for uterine fibroids.</li><li>AbbVie is also running a trial to see how Orilissa works in treating uterine fibroids. In 2018, <a href="https://news.abbvie.com/news/abbvie-announces-positive-topline-results-from-phase-3-study-evaluating-investigational-elagolix-in-women-with-uterine-fibroids.htm">two</a> of its <a href="https://news.abbvie.com/news/abbvie-announces-positive-topline-results-from-second-phase-3-study-evaluating-investigational-elagolix-in-women-with-uterine-fibroids.htm">phase 3 trials</a> had positive results by reducing heavy menstrual bleeding in 68.5% and 76% of the women on the trial with uterine fibroids, respectively, compared to a 8.7% and 10.1% reductions in the placebo group. </li><li>Allergan is developing Esmya, a drug that's being investigated for use in uterine fibroids. The drug works by modulating progesterone, a key hormone for women relating to the uterus. Allergan is aiming for a <a href="https://www.allergan.com/news/news/thomson-reuters/allergan-announces-fda-has-extended-the-ulipristal">potential approval by August</a>. </li><li>Bayer's drug, vilaprisan, also works by modulating progesterone levels to treat uterine fibroids and endometriosis. In July 2017, Bayer began a <a href="http://www.investor.bayer.de/en/nc/news/investor-news/investor-news/bayer-starts-phase-iii-study-program-with-vilaprisan-in-the-treatment-of-symptomatic-uterine-fibroid/">phase 3 trial</a> studying the use of Vilaprisan to treat uterine fibroids. The trial is expected to take three years. </li></ul><h2>What's still missing</h2>Ideally, the approval of medications like Orilissa could spark more investment in the space so that the move from injections to pills isn't the last step.The <a href="https://report.nih.gov/categorical_spending.aspx">National Institutes of Health</a> plans to spend about $7 million a year on endometriosis research in 2018, down from the $10 million it spent in 2015 and 2016. Diabetes, in comparison, will get about $1.1 billion in funding in 2018. Beim, whose company <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chances-of-getting-pregnant-celmatix-fertility-questions-2018-6">Celmatix</a> makes a genetic test that screens for risk factors associated with female fertility, said she hopes one day we'll start to see more personalized treatments for the condition, the way we do with targeted cancer treatments. Giudice, who advises both AbbVie and Myovant, said she'd like to see more improvements in the way endometriosis is diagnosed. Currently, the only way to diagnose the condition is through a surgical procedure. "It's hard to believe," she said. Overall, the women Business Insider spoke with emphasized a desire for better education about the condition, both for doctors and for the general public, so that diagnoses aren't so delayed. "I just would love for it not to take seven to 10 years to get a diagnosis," Kinney said. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bitcoins-value-solving-the-problem-with-fiat-money-2018-7">An early investor in Airbnb and Uber explains why he started buying bitcoin in 2009</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

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