Newsmakers: Bharti Airtel may raise voice calling rates, Tata Motors Q1 and more

Bharti Airtel may raise voice calling rates
In view of improving actual realisation per minute, Bharti Airtel has hinted at a hike in tariff saying that there was a big opportunity in reducing discounts and freebies on voice calls. "Voice realisation is 30-33 paise per minute whereas our rack rates are almost about 90 paise, so there is a huge headroom to reduce discounts," Bharti Airtel (India & South Asia) MD & CEO Gopal Vittal said.

Rs 4.85 lakh cr invested in big infra projects
The government has invested Rs 4.85 lakh crore in big infrastructure projects, costing over Rs 150 crore, as of June 1 in the current fiscal. In 2014-15, the total investment in such projects was to the tune of Rs 5.44 lakh crore; Rs 5.02 lakh crore in 2013-14 and Rs 4.48 lakh crore in 2012-13, Minister of State for Planning Rao Inderjit Singh said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

M&M Q1 net profit falls 3.35%
Mahindra and Mahindra has reported 3.35 per cent decline in standalone net profit at Rs 852.2 crore for the first quarter ended June 30, hurt by slowdown in automotive and farm equipment segments. Weak monsoon rains, essential for irrigating the majority of farmland, have affected the incomes of farmers in several parts of the country, leading to lower tractor sales.

Nomura retains Sensex target
Maintaining a bullish stance on the Indian economy, Japanese brokerage Nomura projected an 8 per cent GDP growth for the current fiscal year while retaining its Sensex target at 33,500 by December. "We are of the view that India is in the initial stages of business cycle recovery," Nomura India Chief Economist Sonal Varma said.

Tata Motors Q1 net nearly halves on weak sales
Homegrown auto firm Tata Motors on Friday reported a 48.7 per cent fall in consolidated net profit at Rs 2,768.91 crore for the first quarter ended June 30, mainly due to dip in sales of its British-arm Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). The company had reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 5,398.21 crore in the same quarter of previous fiscal.