IPA Staff
16480 stories by IPA Staff
Fitness, Therapy And Confidence — The New Identity Of Swimming
By Raju Kumar BHOPAL: Swimming has a very old relationship with human society. For communities living near rivers and ponds, it was once a life-saving skill. Over time, it became a sport, and gradually it started becoming a part of lifestyle. The growing number of swimming pools in cities...
MSME, Retail Demand To Drive Bank Credit Growth By 13% In FY27: Crisil
MUMBAI: Bank credit is set to grow at 13 per cent in FY27, driven by healthy growth in the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) and retail sectors, as well as the continued preference of corporates for bank credit rather than issuance of bonds amid the prevailing interest rate...
Govt Plans INR 2.5 Lakh Crore Credit Guarantee Scheme For Businesses Affected By West Asia Crisis
NEW DELHI: The Government is considering a INR 2.5 lakh crore credit guarantee scheme to support businesses, especially MSMEs impacted by the West Asia crisis, sources said. Under the scheme, a credit guarantee of about 90 per cent on loans of up to INR 100 crore would be provided...
AI Investment Hits $800 Billion, India Emerges As Key Applications Hub
BENGALURU: The global AI investment reached $800 billion in 2025, with venture capital funding nearly doubling to $226 billion. Notably, 79 per cent of this capital was concentrated in mega-rounds ($100 million+), underscoring a market increasingly driven by larger, high-conviction bets, according to SenseAI Ventures’ report, State of AI...
TRAI Draft Regulation Mandates Wider Voice And SMS Only Plans
NEW DELHI: Telecom operators may soon be required to offer voice and SMS-only recharge packs across all validity options, under a draft regulation issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The proposal is aimed at improving access for non-data users and ensuring fair pricing, amid concerns that...
China Goes All Out To Boost The New President Of Myanmar Min Aung Hlaing
By Nitya Chakraborty China and Russia are the two major countries which are going the wholehog in boosting the Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing who has just been elected as the new President following national elections which were rigged, according to the international poll observers. India also exercised...
PM Narendra Modi And CM Mamata Engaged In A Fierce Confrontation In Bengal Poll Campaign
By T N Ashok On the campaign trail in Nadia, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee issued what amounted to one of the most extraordinary statements in recent Indian electoral history. She did not merely criticize Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She accused him, with remarkable specificity, of strategic silence...
South Asia’s Energy Crisis Exposes Its Import Dependent Fault Lines
By R. Suryamurthy The energy crisis gripping South Asia in 2026 is not simply the fallout of a distant geopolitical confrontation; it is the clearest evidence yet of a systemic fragility that policymakers have long acknowledged but persistently under-addressed. The disruption of the Strait of Hormuz—through which roughly 20...
Paravur: No Walkover For LoP VD Satheesan
By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Paravur Assembly constituency, represented by Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satheesan, is witnessing a three-cornered contest. Satheesan’s main rival is CPI’s Tyson Master, who is a sitting MLA from Kaipamangalam. The candidature of Tyson will ensure that there is no walkover for Satheesan, who...
Barak Valley Bengalis Are Not Happy At CM Himanta Biswa Sharma’s Stance On Their Demands
By Rabindra Nath Sinha Has Himanta Biswa Sarma, who became chief minister of Assam on May 10, 2021 and is hoping for a repeat term, been fair with the Bengalis in the Barak Valley? The Barak Valley which is a prominent geographical and administrative region of the southernmost part...
India To Cross 300 Million Tonnes Steel Production Target By 2030
By Kunal Bose China, no doubt, is having success in restraining production and capacity management, an important aspect of which is to progressively increase the share of electric arc furnaces (EAF) in the country’s steel production. The rapid promotion of EAF based steel production will help the country in...
Dubai’s Gilded Gateway Loses Its Luster As The West Asian War Hits Big
By T N Ashok For six decades, Dubai International Airport was the ultimate proof of concept: that a city conjured from desert sand could outshine every rival simply by wanting it more. Sheikhs poured billions into terminals before demand materialized, groomed Emirates into a flying empire, and draped the...
Global Economic Impact Of U.S.-Israel War In Iran Will Be Devastating
By Michael Burke LONDON: The main cost of the Iran War will be in human death toll. There is also the question of the national sovereignty of Iran, as the recent destruction of nations such as Syria, Iraq and Libya testifies. In all cases the costs will be far-reaching...
RBI Proposes New BC Structure And Branch Norms In Draft Guidelines
MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed draft norms on branch authorisation and the use of business correspondents (BCs), introducing a structured framework that classifies BCs into two categories—Business Correspondent-Banking Outlets (BC-BOs) and Business Correspondent-Banking Touchpoints (BC-BTs). Under the draft circular, the RBI proposed doing away with...
India’s Service Sector Growth Rises At Softest Pace In 14 Months In March
NEW DELHI: India’s services sector growth momentum rose at the softest pace in 14 months in March, mirroring the slowdown in new business intakes, a monthly survey said on Monday. The seasonally adjusted HSBC India Services PMI Business Activity Index fell from 58.1 in February to 57.5 in March,...
India Inc Pay Hikes Pegged At 9.1% In FY26, Says Deloitte Report
NEW DELHI: Average salary increments across India Inc. are expected to remain largely stable at 9.1 per cent in 2026, marginally higher than the 9 per cent increase recorded in 2025, according to the “Deloitte India Talent Outlook 2026” report released by Deloitte on Monday. The survey, conducted between...
SME Forum Seeks Government Support As Fuel Costs Hit MSME Clusters Hard
NEW DELHI: The India SME Forum has submitted a policy proposal to the government, seeking emergency support for energy-intensive Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) clusters, such as Morbi’s ceramics hub and Firozabad’s glass industry. Rising fuel costs and shipping disruptions linked to the West Asia crisis are beginning...
SEBI To Focus On Capacity Building Of Independent Directors
MUMBAI: Amid the debate on corporate governance following the resignation of HDFC Bank’s part-time chairman and independent director Atanu Chakraborty in the past month, SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey announced on Monday that the market regulator is working with various stakeholders for capacity building of independent directors at scale....
