Siddhartha Singh And Vrishti Beniwal Bloomberg

Tata Sons Pvt. was selected as the winning bidder for Indias flag carrier, ending decades of attempts to privatize a money-losing and debt-laden airline, and potentially ending years of taxpayer-bailouts thats kept the company alive.

India is in talks with Vodafone Group Plc and Cairn Energy Plc to settle long-running tax disputes with them, a top government official said after the nation last week moved to abolish a rule on retrospective taxation scorned by investors.

The government is considering allowing potential suitors for Air India decide how much of the flag carrier's debt they want to take on as part of the deal, Disinvestment Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said.

The loans will benefit up to 45 crore small businesses, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.

The broader spending plan includes measures already unveiled by the government and also by the central bank such as provision for cheap cash to banks and the reduction in its cash reserve ratio.

Mr Modi and his Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman have separately held meetings with dozens of economists, industry leaders and farmers' groups, among others, to hear views on measures needed to solve the growth slowdown puzzle.

"We will take steps to deal with liquidity deficit, if it is noticed. Any infusion of liquidity has to be very carefully considered and has to be need based," Das said.

Tata Sons Pvt. was selected as the winning bidder for Indias flag carrier, ending decades of attempts to privatize a money-losing and debt-laden airline, and potentially ending years of taxpayer-bailouts thats kept the company alive.

India is in talks with Vodafone Group Plc and Cairn Energy Plc to settle long-running tax disputes with them, a top government official said after the nation last week moved to abolish a rule on retrospective taxation scorned by investors.

The government is considering allowing potential suitors for Air India decide how much of the flag carrier's debt they want to take on as part of the deal, Disinvestment Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said.

The loans will benefit up to 45 crore small businesses, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.

The broader spending plan includes measures already unveiled by the government and also by the central bank such as provision for cheap cash to banks and the reduction in its cash reserve ratio.

Mr Modi and his Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman have separately held meetings with dozens of economists, industry leaders and farmers' groups, among others, to hear views on measures needed to solve the growth slowdown puzzle.

"We will take steps to deal with liquidity deficit, if it is noticed. Any infusion of liquidity has to be very carefully considered and has to be need based," Das said.