MUMBAI: The new leader of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh is to waive up to $5.3 billion of farm loans, becoming the latest area to offer relief ahead of a national election next year as farmers reel from losses caused by falling crop prices.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party lost the central state to Congress last week dealing Modi his biggest defeat since he took office in 2014 and boosting the opposition ahead of the vote next year.
Congress leader Kamal Nath, who became chief minister of the state on Monday, decided to write off farmers’ loans up to 200,000 rupees, according to a notification.
Farmers’ protests have been rising in past months due to the fall in crop prices and a rise in the cost of diesel and fertilizer.
Nearly 3.4 million farmers will benefit from the loan waiver, which is likely to cost between 350 billion rupees ($4.9 billion) to 380 billion rupees ($5.3 billion), Rajesh Rajora, the state’s principal secretary for agriculture, told Reuters.
The western state of Maharashtra and northern state of Uttar Pradesh, both ruled by the BJP, announced similar loan waivers last year. (Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav; Editing by Alison Williams)
India’s Madhya Pradesh state to waive up to $5.3 billion in farm debts
India’s Madhya Pradesh state to waive up to $5.3 billion in farm debts
- Farmers’ protests have been rising in past months due to the fall in crop prices and a rise in the cost of diesel and fertilizer
New Saudi draft project to regulate direct market entry of listed companies’ subsidiaries
RIYADH: The Saudi Capital Market Authority has launched a draft regulation for the direct listing of subsidiaries of companies already listed on the main market, inviting stakeholders to provide feedback over a 30-day period, according to a statement issued Feb. 26.
The proposed framework aims to allow subsidiaries of main-market companies to list their shares directly on the main market without undergoing an initial public offering, thereby shortening timelines, streamlining procedures, and reducing the costs associated with listing on the Saudi stock market.
It also seeks to create more investment opportunities in the Saudi financial market, contributing to market depth and product diversification, while maintaining high levels of transparency and protecting investors’ rights.
The proposals enable the issuer and its financial advisor to share information about the company and its financial statements with a select group of potential investors before obtaining CMA approval for the share registration request, allowing them to assess their interest in a direct listing on the main market.
They also allow a specific group of licensed financial advisory firms to prepare research and financial reports, provided these are not published before CMA approval.
The proposed framework emphasizes the importance of proper disclosure by setting out requirements for registering shares on the main market, including submitting a registration document to the CMA.
It also specifies the information that must be included in the registration document, such as the method for determining the reference share price and the risks associated with this method.
Under the draft regulation, securities offering rules, ongoing obligations, and the CMA’s glossary of terms and regulations will be updated to allow this type of listing.
This approach is expected to bring multiple benefits, including maximizing the overall value of the main market with lower risk by listing companies that have greater knowledge and experience of market regulations, as well as deepening the market by increasing the number of listed companies across multiple sectors.
