Business highlights

Following are the top business stories at 2050 hours: DEL94 CAB-FREE RATION Govt to provide free ration to poor people for one year under food law New Delhi: In a major decision, the government on Friday decided to provide free ration to 81.35 crore poor people under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) for one year.

DEL84 BIZ-LD NDTV-ADANI NDTV founders Roys to sell stake in company to Adani Group New Delhi: NDTV founders Prannoy Roy and his wife Radhika Roy on Friday said they will sell all but 5 per cent of their remaining shareholding in the news broadcaster to Adani Group for up to Rs 647.6 crore.

DEL80 BIZ-2NDLD STOCKS Christmas carnage: Sensex crashes 981 pts, Nifty finishes below 18,000 Mumbai: The Sensex plunged 981 points to end below the 60,000-mark following across-the-board selling on Friday, marking its fourth straight day of losses during which investors have lost over Rs 15 lakh crore.

DEL85 BIZ-LD RUPEE Rupee slips 3 paise to 82.82 against US dollar Mumbai: The rupee dipped 3 paise to close at 82.82 against the US dollar on Friday due to firm crude oil prices and steep losses in domestic stocks amid growing concerns about interest rate hikes.

DEL76 BIZ-STOCKS-WEALTH Investors' wealth erode by Rs 15.77 lakh cr in four days New Delhi: Equity investors have become poorer by Rs 15.77 lakh crore in four consecutive days of market rout where the benchmark Sensex has tumbled over 3 per cent.

DCM54 BIZ-GOOGLE-LD NCLAT Google challenges CCI order on Android devices, says it is setback for phone users New Delhi: Google has challenged a CCI order on the tech giant abusing its dominant position in multiple markets in the Android mobile device ecosystem, saying the verdict is a setback for Indian users and will make such devices more expensive in the country.

DEL87 BIZ-FOREX RESERVES India's forex reserves decline USD 571 mln to USD 563.5 bln Mumbai: After rising for five consecutive weeks, India's forex kitty dropped USD 571 million to USD 563.499 billion for the week ended December 16, according to RBI data released on Friday.

DEL83 BIZ-LD GOLD-PRICE Gold declines Rs 372; silver flat at Rs 69,273 per kg New Delhi: Gold prices declined by Rs 372 to Rs 54,853 per 10 grams in the national capital on Friday amid weak trends in precious metal in global markets, according to HDFC Securities.