Business
M&As, IPOs To Continue Momentum In 2025
MUMBAI: Mergers and acquisitions in India saw a 38 per cent increase in 2024 at $109 billion, with large conglomerates accounting for a significant chunk of the transactions, according to Kotak Investment Banking. Deals by domestic corporates doubled last year to $48 billion, the data showed. The M&A activity...
Experts Pick Holes In Govt Claim Of Sharper Employment Growth
NEW DELHI: Amid an acute jobs crisis evident from anecdotal accounts, stagnant corporate headcount, low wage growth and data from independent agencies like the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) , the government has recently sought to paint a rosy picture. On January 2, the Union labour ministry issued...
Low Data Rates: India’s New Ringtone To Attract Foreign Companies
KOLKATA: India is looking to promote its low data tariffs to attract investments from foreign companies that rely on affordable fast broadband connectivity for delivering essential services, said senior government officials. The Centre’s aim is to leverage the country’s much lower data rates compared with markets such as China,...
Large Capex Loans To States Seen In FY26 Too, With A Hike
NEW DELHI: The Centre will continue to turbocharge public capital expenditure by extending liberal capex loans to state governments for the sixth year in a row in FY26. It may either keep the outlay for the 50-year interest-free loans for the next fiscal at Rs 1.5 lakh crore, the...
Defence Ministry To Reform Procurement Policy In 6-12 Months
NEW DELHI: India’s defence procurement policy, criticised for delays and inefficiencies, will be reformed within six months to a year, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said on Tuesday. His remarks follow the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) decision to observe 2025 as the “Year of Reforms” and its December announcement...
India’s Economy Likely To Grow 6.6% In 2025, 6.7% In 2026: UN Report
NEW DELHI: The Indian economy is expected to grow by 6.6 per cent in 2025 and 6.7 per cent in 2026, supported by solid private consumption and investment growth, according to the United Nations (UN) flagship report, World Economic Situation and Prospects 2025, released on Thursday. Keeping its 2025...
Telecom Companies Seek Easing Of ‘Stringent Quality Of Service’ Norms
NEW DELHI: Continuing to push back against the stringent quality of service (QoS) norms brought in by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), telcos have informed the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) that collection and submission of monthly and site-to-cell-level data should be eased, officials and industry sources said....
Industry Calls For Easier FDI Rules To Boost Flows
NEW DELHI: Industry and law firms have suggested an increase in FDI cap for R&D and security agencies, liberalising regulations for agriculture and plantations and streamlining rules for flow of investments from China to make the overall regime more attractive.The issues were flagged during a consultation by the department...
Simplified Income Tax Law In Budget Session To Skip Reforms
NEW DELHI: The much-awaited revamped Income-Tax Act, which will be far simpler and more unambiguous than the current one, may be tabled in the Budget session of Parliament, with finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman piloting it in her Budget speech. The new law, however, is unlikely to be used as...
Expect RBI To Cut Interest Rates Next Month; Budget Must Focus On Job Creation: CII President
NEW DELHI: Industry body CII expects the RBI to cut the benchmark interest rates next month to support sagging growth, its President Sanjiv Puri said on Wednesday and stressed the need to boost job creation through targeted interventions for labour-intensive sectors in the upcoming Budget. In an interview with...
GDP Growth Likely To Be 6.3 Per Cent In FY25, Says SBI Report
NEW DELHI: The GDP growth is expected to be about 6.3 per cent in the current fiscal year, a tad lower than the government’s estimates of 6.4 per cent, owing to several factors such as weak demand, SBI research report said on Wednesday. According to the first advance estimates...
Budget Should Focus On Tax Simplification, Reduction In Personal I-T: EY
NEW DELHI: The Budget is expected to focus on boosting private capex, tax simplification and reduction in personal income tax, particularly for the lower-income groups, to stimulate demand, EY India said. The Union Budget for 2025-26 is scheduled to be presented in Parliament on February 1. EY India, in...
India Must Speed Up Hybrid Technology Adoption In Pulses, Oilseeds To Reduce Imports: P K Mishra
NEW DELHI: India needs to accelerate adoption of hybrid technology in pulses and oilseeds to address production deficits, while acknowledging the challenges faced by farmers in implementing these advanced farm practices, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister PK Mishra said on Wednesday. Mishra highlighted that despite showing promising results, hybrid...
Rupee Plunges 13 Paise To Settle At New Record Low Of 85.87 Against US Dollar
MUMBAI: The rupee extended its slide for the second straight session and declined 13 paise to hit a fresh record low of 85.87 (provisional) against the US dollar on Wednesday amid higher crude oil prices and stronger American currency. Lacklustre sentiment in domestic equity markets and sustained outflow of...
India Inc May See Modest Revenue, Earnings Growth Recovery In Q3FY25
MUMBAI: After a poor showing in the first two quarters of 2024-25, the corporate sector could report a modest recovery in revenue and earnings growth for the October-December quarter (Q3FY25). The growth rate might, however, still be in single digits and at best track the underlying inflation in the...
Indian Employers Plan To Outpace Global Peers In Future Tech Adoption: WEF
NEW DELHI: Employers in India are planning to outpace global adoption in certain future technologies as companies operating in the country are heavily investing in technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), energy technologies, robotics, and autonomous systems, said the World Economic Forum (WEF) in its latest “Future of Jobs” report...
Gold Imports In April-November Overstated By $11.7 Billion: Govt
NEW DELHI: India over-counted its gold imports for every single month of the current financial year up to November with cumulative over-reporting to the tune of $11.73 billion or 31% in the first eight months. This was revealed in a review triggered by a sharp, inexplicable spike in imports...
NBFC Fundraising Through ECB Route Hits 5-Year High
MUMBAI: Fundraising by non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) through the external commercial borrowings (ECB) route has hit a five-year high in 2024. This comes after a slowdown in banks’ lending to the sector following strictures from the Reserve Bank of India in November 2023. NBFCs raised a total of Rs...
