Enthused by this decision, there is speculation that NTPC may apply for more blocks that are up for grabs.

Unlike his predecessor S. Jaipal Reddy, Petroleum Minister M. Veerappa Moily does not appear to be keen to take India's biggest company head on. The minister has indicated that he is ready to negotiate with Reliance rather than taking on them in arbitration tribunals.

Citing higher input costs, Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL), has again raised the price of compressed natural gas (CNG), this time by Rs 1.55 per kg to Rs 39.90. A year ago, in January 2012, it was selling CNG at Rs 33.75 a kg. 

Business Today's Anilesh S. Mahajan reached out to OPEC's Secretary General Abdalla Salem El-Badri for his views on the growing discoveries of shale gas and oil sands around the world, and the projections that the US could be energy independent in the coming decades.

The implications of the US, the world's largest energy consumer, becoming self-reliant in gas and less dependent on oil imports are enormous - it is being bandied the biggest event in the global energy market after the oil shocks of the 1970s.

New import terminals will substantially increase the country's capacity to import gas for power generation.

A gas pipeline from Gujarat to Jammu & Kashmir is raising the expectations of people in India's northernmost state.

It has taken a long time, but piped natural gas is slowly replacing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) packed in cylinders as fuel across industrial units and kitchens in several pockets of the country.

In its revised field development plan, Reliance Industries estimated gas reserves of 3.4 trillion cubic feet in the KG-D6 gas block and proposed a capital expenditure of $6.2 billion.

Energy giant Shell has expanded cautiously in India so far. But its new India chairman, Yasmine Ghandhi Hilton, wants to make a renewed push into the upstream business.

ONGC Videsh Ltd appears to have no choice but to adopt a wait and watch policy over its investments in the contentious border region between Sudan and South Sudan. The massive Muglad basin straddles both the countries.

The BSE is the oldest stock exchange in Asia with a market capitalisation of over $1 trillion with around 5,000 listed companies, making it the world's 14th largest stock exchange. The KSE has a market capitalisation of $40 billion with 652 listed companies.

The Myanmarese pro-democracy activist has been vocal about the need for environmental conservation and adoption of sustainable models of development.

In India, Tesco has a partnership with the Tata group's retail operations company, Trent, for a cash-and-carry business.

Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan has advocated better trade relations between India and Pakistan and said he hoped this would lead to increased trust between the two countries.

Reliance has argued that the price of imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) is much higher than what the company gets. Imported LNG costs as much as $14.5 per mmBtu, when the price of crude oil is at $125 per barrel.

The November 6-8 World Economic Forum (WEF) on India, being held in Gurgaon in partnership with the Haryana government, may turn out to be a lacklustre event.

The shifting of Reddy from the petroleum ministry continued to create a storm after India Against Corruption activists alleged that the minister was moved out under pressure from RIL.

Even as rumours swirled around his reported displeasure on being moved out of the Petroleum Ministry, S. Jaipal Reddy took charge as the new science and technology minister on the evening of October 29.

Reddy did not show up at the ministry to hand over charge to Veerappa Moily, his successor as petroleum minister. Instead, his deputy, R.P.N. Singh, supervised the transition.