While the value of the bids by NBCC and Suraksha grouo could not be ascertained, two other shortlisted players - Kotak Investment and Cube Highways - did not submit bids.

The existence of Maduro's gold program is well-known. How it functions is not.

Of 30 Sensex stocks, 27 were trading in the red. Tata Motors (18.10%), Vedanta Ltd (3.67%) and L&T (2.44%) were the top Sensex losers.

Rate-sensitive stocks swung between gains and losses after the rate-cut announcement, with BSE realty index slipping 0.02 per cent, Bankex gaining 0.04 per cent and auto index soaring 1.77 per cent.

The rate cut is a huge relief for homebuyers. Home loan interest rates have risen by as much as 5 to 7 per cent in the last one year because the RBI hiked its repo rates by 50 basis points over the period.

Getting an assured sum for an old device sounds tempting, but one has to be aware of the pitfalls.