The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is learnt to have cleared Bharti Infratel mega merger deal with Indus, sources said, paving the way for creating one of the world's largest telecom tower companies with over 1,63,000 towers, and also offering a much needed avenue for beleaguered Vodafone Idea to raise funds to clear a portion of its massive AGR dues to the government.

Investments by Indian firms in foreign countries in January 2020 rose by nearly 40% to USD 2.10-billion on a yearly basis, according to data by the Reserve Bank. Indian companies had invested USD 1.47-billion in their overseas ventures in the same month a year ago. Compared monthly, January investments were higher than USD 1.99 billion in December 2019, showed the RBI data on 'OFDI'.

The government has given the green light to prosecute four former senior officers of the Finance-Ministry, along with Congress-leader P Chidambaram, sources said, for alleged wrongdoing in clearing foreign investments for a media firm in 2007, now known as the INX Media-case. Mr Chidambaram, who has been in jail since September 5, is accused of allowing a huge infusion of foreign funds into INX-Media.