Laptop may be allowed as handbag on domestic flights

Domestic air travellers may soon be able to carry a laptop along with a small bag as part of their handbag. Currently the rules allow a passenger to carry only one piece of handbag that can either be a handbag or a laptop.

However, after a meeting with the airlines here on Friday, the Government is considering diluting the rules so as to allow a laptop to be carried as a handbag even if the passenger is carrying other small bag onto the aircraft.

"The situation has changed dramatically since the one-piece of handbag policy was introduced.

The number of security personnel on duty at the airports has increased and congestion at most airports has eased.

"So there could be a case for a review of the earlier decision," sources said.

Mother Dairy catching up with HLL in ice-cream market

Mother Dairy is inching closer to Hindustan Lever Ltd in the Rs 800-crore ice cream market. While Amul reigns in the ice-cream market with a dominant share of almost 35 per cent, HLL's Kwality Walls brand has been hovering around 16-17 per cent volume share as per industry estimates.

Mr Paul Thachil, CEO, Mother Dairy, said, "We are looking at having a 14-15 per cent volume share this year and intend taking our ice creams to the southern markets."

Besides Delhi, Mother Dairy ice creams are currently available in Mumbai and Kolkata.

"The southern markets are dominated by local players in the ice-cream category but we have the advantage of our cold chain and retailer network due to our frozen foods brand of Safal.

"Both the products would require the same kind of temperature band," said Mr Thachil.

India joins the trillion dollar GDP club

It is a proud moment for every Indian. The country has joined a select band of nations with a gross domestic product of over one trillion dollars.

 

The Indian economy hit the one trillion dollar mark when the rupee rose and closed above the 41 mark for the first time in nine years on Wednesday. 

 

To be exact, at 40.90 to the dollar, the Indian economy is valued at USD 1.0026 trillion.

 

The US, UK, Japan, Germany, China, Canada, Spain, Italy, Brazil, and France are the other nations in this elite club. For the current financial year, RBI is estimating a GDP growth of 8.5%.