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Washington, August 2 : US fixed mortgage rates edged up for the first time in three weeks, but were still low by historical standards, according to the primary mortgage market survey released by Freddie Mac.

The US mortgage giant Thursday said that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage edged up to 4.39 percent in the week ending Aug 1, from 4.31 percent in the previous week.

The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 3.43 percent this week from 3.39 percent last week, Xinhua reported.

Indian banks have seen an impressive increase in flows in non-resident Indian fixed deposits over the past few weeks as the sharp decline in the rupee's value against the dollar encouraged NRIs to send more money back home.

A senior official from the State Bank of India (SBI), the country's largest public-sector lender, said that almost all banks saw a notable increase in the accretion to non-resident external (NRE) deposits in wake of the steep fall in the domestic currency's value against the greenback.

Industry body CII welcomed the government's decision to relax foreign direct investment (FDI) norms in multi-brand retail and raising investment caps in several other sectors.

The government on Thursday erased the mandatory 30 per cent local sourcing norm for the multi-brand retail sector and allowed states to allow multi-brand retailing in cities with population less than one million.

In addition, the government raised FDI caps for several sectors. For example, the FDI limit for the telecom sector was raised from 74 per cent to 100 per cent.

The Congress-led UPA government's $22 billion food subsidy plan can't tackle malnutrition because it doesn't provide the needy with proper, balanced and nutritious food, according to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh.

The union government last month announced the launch of its ambitious food subsidy plan by passing an ordinance. The National Food Security Ordinance, which brought it into law without any delay, aims to ensure the availability of cheap grain to 67 per cent of the country's total population.

Mustard yesterday settled up 0.53% at 3199 due to fresh buying support tracking firmnes

Wheat yesterday settled down -0.06% at 1567 amid sluggish trading activities at the spot market.