MF equity inflows jump 56% as investors pump-in more money

MF equity inflows jump 56% as investors pump-in more money


Inflows into equity mutual fund schemes increased 56 per cent in March to ₹40,450 crore against ₹25,978 crore logged in February as investors used the sharp fall in market valuation to pump in more money.

The overall equity asset under management plunged 10 per cent last month to ₹31.98 lakh crore against ₹35.39 lakh crore largely due to all category of schemes witnessed mark-to-market loss, according to the Association of Mutual Funds in India data released on Friday.

Interestingly, all the equity schemes registered a strong inflows. Flexi-cap inflow increased to ₹10,054 crore (₹6,925 crore), while mid and small cap funds recorded an impressive inflow of ₹6,264 crore (₹4,003 crore) and ₹6,064 crore (₹3,881 crore). Large and mid cap funds logged an inflow of ₹5,307 crore (₹3,138 crore) reflecting retail investors faith in mutual funds to tap the equity markets.

The inflows through systematic investment plan was up at ₹32,087 crore (₹29,845 crore) even as the AUM plunged 9 per cent to ₹15.11 lakh crore (₹16.64 lakh crore) due to mark-to-market loss and spill-over from the previous month.

The contributing SIP accounts increased to 9.72 crore (9.44 crore)

Venkat Chalasani, CEO, Association of Mutual Funds in India, said retail investors have reposed their faith in MF investments even while the markets remain most volatile on the back of geopolitical tensions and inflation worries.

The long-term economic growth story of India led by buoyant consumption still remains intact and this will support SIP inflows, he added.

While the job losses in the IT sector remains a concern, there are new jobs being created across sectors and this should support investments in MFs in the long run, he said.

Despite mark-to-market loss in MF equity schemes, the Specialised Investment Funds asset increased 9 per cent to ₹10,620 crore against Rs 9,711 crore in February as the fund houses used the equity derivatives market to hedge their investments.

Published on April 10, 2026



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Chalet Hotels activates cost saving steps, growth plans remain intact: CEO Shwetank Singh

Chalet Hotels activates cost saving steps, growth plans remain intact: CEO Shwetank Singh


Shwetank Singh, Chalet Hotels MD & CEO

Hotel developer Chalet Hotels has activated cost-saving measures as it looks to minimise the impact on its business from the West Asia conflict.

However, there is no slowdown in capex or the company’s growth plans, said Chalet Hotels managing director and CEO Shwetank Singh.

The conflict has had one unintended consequence too. Refurbishment of rooms at the Marriott hotel in Whitefield, Bengaluru, and the Westin Hotel in Hyderabad has now been accelerated following a big drop in occupancy in those properties.

“We have a brilliant asset management team and our relationship with hotel operators is very good. We activated contingency measures quickly,” Singh said. Chalet Hotels has cut down on discretionary spending and is not filling up posts that fall vacant due to normal attrition. To save power and utility costs, it has decided to switch off lights on vacant floors in hotels in Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

The company owns 11 hotels and resorts which have over 3,300 keys. A majority of them are managed by international chains such as Accor and Marriott.

Singh said the company’s growth plans remain on track. “From an ambition and capital availability perspective, there is no slowdown,” Singh said. The company is also engaged in talks for inorganic growth opportunities.

This year the company expects to open a Taj hotel at Delhi airport. “We expect to launch 100 rooms this year and the balance 250 rooms at that hotel should also come up soon afterwards,” he said.

Weddings, events lift sales

Singh said that, like the overall industry, Chalet Hotels’ business too was impacted due to the conflict. Around 40 per cent of the company’s business comes from foreign tourists and within that, 75-80 per cent depends on travellers coming via West Asia. “In the initial days the impact was higher but now with rerouting of flights, travel has resumed,” he said.

On the positive side, Chalet-owned hotels have been able to host social gatherings and weddings that were originally planned in the Gulf region. Advance bookings for weddings and events too have increased, he added.

Published on April 10, 2026



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Delhi High Court says LIC policy details cannot be shared without basic identification

Delhi High Court says LIC policy details cannot be shared without basic identification


The Delhi High Court has ruled that insurance policy details cannot be disclosed without basic identifying information, backing Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) in an RTI-related case.
| Photo Credit:
THE HINDU

The Delhi High Court has observed that insurance details cannot be disclosed merely on the basis of a general request without providing basic identifying information, noting that it would be practically impossible for Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) to trace policies in such cases. The Court clarified in simple terms that while an insured person has the right to seek details of their policies, they must furnish minimum personal particulars to enable the retrieval of records.

Practical constraints and data scale

The Division Bench led by the Chief Justice held that LIC deals with an enormous database comprising crores of policies, and expecting it to search for specific records without key details such as name, date of birth, address, or other identifiers is not feasible. The Court emphasised that even if the policy number is not available, certain essential information must be provided to locate the relevant data. The Court further noted that LIC already has a mechanism in place to retrieve policy information using multiple personal details, and therefore, it is not correct to assume that information cannot be accessed without a policy number. However, it stressed that a request lacking even basic particulars cannot be entertained. The Bench also highlighted that insurance-related information is sensitive in nature and indiscriminate disclosure without proper identification safeguards could pose risks.

RTI case background

The case arose from an RTI application filed by the appellant seeking details of all LIC policies in her name without providing policy numbers. LIC had declined the request, citing the inability to trace records without such details. While the Central Information Commission had earlier directed LIC to develop a system to provide such information even without policy numbers, the Single Judge later treated these directions as advisory and refrained from issuing mandatory directions, taking into account practical limitations.

Division Bench upholds earlier view

Upholding the Single Judge’s view, the Division Bench observed that there is no restriction on an insured person seeking policy details without a policy number, but the applicant must necessarily provide sufficient personal information, such as name, date of birth, address, or other relevant identifiers. Without such details, the retrieval of information would be nearly impossible given the scale of LIC’s operations. The Court also rejected the appellant’s argument that orders of the Central Information Commission are final and cannot be challenged, clarifying that the High Court’s power of judicial review under Article 226 of the Constitution remains unaffected by such statutory provisions. Finding no merit in the appeal, the Court termed it misconceived and dismissed it, holding that no interference was warranted with the earlier judgment.

Published on April 10, 2026



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Crude oil futures rise on Hormuz disruptions, Saudi attack reports

Crude oil futures rise on Hormuz disruptions, Saudi attack reports


Brent crude oil futures marginally traded higher on Friday morning following the disruption in the movement of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz and reports of attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure.

At 10.24 am on Friday, June Brent oil futures were at $96.54, up by 0.64 per cent, and May crude oil futures on WTI (West Texas Intermediate) were at $98.29, up by 0.43 per cent. April crude oil futures were trading at ₹9153 on Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) during the initial hour of trading on Friday against the previous close of ₹8933, up by 2.46 per cent, and May futures were trading at ₹8472 against the previous close of ₹8325, up by 1.77 per cent.

In a post on the social media platform Truth Social, US President Donald Trump said: “There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait — They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!”

In another post, he said: “Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz. That is not the agreement we have!”

One of the posts by Trump said: “Because of me, IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON and, very quickly, you’ll see Oil start flowing, with or without the help of Iran and, to me, it makes no difference, either way.”

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s state news agency SPA, which quoted sources in Saudi’s Energy Ministry, said that important energy facilities in the Kingdom have recently been subjected to multiple attacks, including oil and gas production, transportation, and refining facilities, as well as petrochemical facilities and the electricity sector in Riyadh, the Eastern Province, and Yanbu Industrial City.

These attacks included one of the pumping stations on the East-West Pipeline, leading to a loss of approximately 700,000 barrels per day in throughput. This pipeline is considered the main route for supplying global markets during this period, the report said. The Manifa production facility was also targeted, resulting in a reduction of approximately 300,000 barrels per day from its production capacity. Additionally, the Khurais facility had previously been targeted, leading to a reduction of 300,000 barrels per day from its production capacity, bringing the total reduction in the Kingdom’s production capacity to approximately 600,000 barrels per day, the report added.

April menthaoil futures were trading at ₹1003 on MCX during the initial hour of trading on Friday against the previous close of ₹998.60, up by 0.44 per cent.

On the National Commodities and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX), April cottonseed oilcake contracts were trading at ₹3538 in the initial hour of trading on Friday against the previous close of ₹3512, up by 0.74 per cent.

April dhaniya futures were trading at ₹13022 on NCDEX in the initial hour of trading on Friday against the previous close of ₹12928, up by 0.73 per cent.

Published on April 10, 2026



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Russia's Putin declares ceasefire in Ukraine for Orthodox Easter

Russia's Putin declares ceasefire in Ukraine for Orthodox Easter


Russia’s President Vladimir
| Photo Credit:
ALEXANDER KAZAKOV

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared a 32-hour ceasefire in Ukraine over the Orthodox Easter weekend, following an earlier call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a pause in some of the hostilities to observe the holiday.

Putin’s decree, released by the Kremlin, orders Russian forces to observe a ceasefire starting 4 pm (local time) Saturday and lasting until the end of Sunday.

Zelensky proposed earlier in the week that each side stop targeting each other’s energy infrastructure over the holiday, saying he made the offer through the United States, which has been mediating talks between delegations from Moscow and Kyiv as Russia’s invasion stretches into a fifth year.

There was no immediate reaction from Kyiv to Putin’s announcement.

Previous attempts to secure ceasefires have had little or no impact. Putin unilaterally declared a 30-hour ceasefire last Easter, but each side accused the other of breaking it.

The Kremlin statement announcing the ceasefire said that “orders have been issued for this period to cease hostilities in all directions”, adding that “troops are to be prepared to counter any possible provocations by the enemy, as well as any aggressive actions”.

“We assume that the Ukrainian side will follow the example of the Russian Federation,” it said.

Russia has effectively rejected a 30-day unconditional truce proposed last year by the US and Ukraine as a step toward peace, insisting instead on a comprehensive settlement, but Moscow has announced several short, unilateral ceasefires.

The US-led talks have made no progress on key issues, and Washington’s attention has switched to the Middle East conflict while the Russian and Ukrainian armies remain locked in battle on the roughly 1,250-km front line. (AP) ARI

Published on April 10, 2026



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