Business
India and Canada To Reboot Trade Deal Negotiations After Two Years
NEW DELHI: After a gap of more than two years amid a tumultuous bilateral relationship, India and Canada have finalised a broad framework and agreed to restart negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney, met late on Sunday...
Rate-Cut Room Intact, Signals RBI Governor Malhotra; Bond Yields Decline
MUMBAI: The yield on the 10-year benchmark government bond fell on Monday, after Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra said the scope for further rate cuts — as indicated during the October monetary policy meeting — had not diminished, as suggested by the latest data. He added,...
India, EU To Firm Up FTA, Defence Agreement At January 27 Summit
NEW DELHI: With the world order looking wobbly, the European Union is eyeing to forge a broad global agenda in partnership with India and the two sides are set to firm up a free trade pact, a defence framework agreement and a strategic agenda at their annual summit on...
NBFCs Face Funding Pressure Despite Healthy Outlook: Crisil Ratings
MUMBAI: Despite broadly healthy balance sheets and a robust credit demand outlook, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) are facing a tightened funding environment, Crisil Ratings said on Monday. While large NBFCs continue to access bond markets comfortably, mid-sized and emerging players are increasingly struggling to secure stable, low-cost funding, the...
Labour Codes To Bring More Clarity & Broaden Social Security Coverage
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Labour and Employment has announced the implementation of the four Labour Codes with effect from November 21 2025. The rollout of new Labour Codes represents a path-breaking policy reform to modernise the extant labour laws and protect the vulnerable sections of the workforce, which...
Centre Pushes Labour Reforms, Notifies Codes; Draft Rules Out Soon
NEW DELHI: The implementation of the four Labour Codes, notified on Friday, is set to increase operating costs for large companies due to mandated higher wage-related expenses and stricter accountability for safety and working conditions. However, companies will benefit from simplified compliance requirements, including a single registration, a PAN-India...
Flash PMI Falls To 6-Month Low At 59.9 In November; New Hiring Slowest In 18 Months
MUMBAI: After a record run, primarily driven by the front-loading of exports to the US and also the early arrivals of the festive season, which had ramped up the business activity to record highs in the previous months, decelerated a tad to hit a six-month low in November at...
PSU NBFCs Plan To Raise Up To ₹24,000 Crore Through Bonds Next Week
MUMBAI: Ahead of the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) monetary policy review in the first week of December, major financial companies — such as Nabard, Sidbi, PFC, and IRFC — plan to raise up to ₹24,000 crore together through bond issuances next week. Majority of the issuances amounting to...
Govt Cuts Gratuity Eligibility To 1 Year From 5 Years Under New Labour Codes
NEW DELHI: In a major reform that will benefit lakhs of employees who frequently switch jobs, the Government of India has reduced the minimum service requirement for gratuity from five years to just one year under the new Labour Codes that come into force from today, i.e. 21st November...
Big Step Towards Accelerating Formal, High-Productivity Jobs: Experts
NEW DELHI: Hanging fire since 2019-20, the four labour codes will go a long distance towards universalising minimum wages and social security for all workers and accelerate formal job creation, experts said. The codes, they said, will also significantly ease the compliance burden and the retrenchment process, aligning with...
UAE-India Startup Series Draws 10,000 Founders, Boosts Economic Ties
NEW DELHI: The India-UAE Startup Series, launched in June this year, is turning economic diplomacy into a real-world opportunity, with the largest start-up initiative attracting more than 10,000 founders from across the country and sectors, UAE Ambassador to India Abdulnasser Alshaali said on Thursday. Alshaali, in his keynote address...
India Posts Highest-Ever Defence Output Of Rs 1.54 Lakh Crore In FY25
NEW DELHI: The government on Thursday said that India recorded its highest-ever defence production of Rs 1.54 lakh crore in FY 2024–25, setting a new benchmark in the country’s pursuit of self-reliance in the defence sector. This growth is supported by the record indigenous production of Rs 1,27,434 crore...
Growth Of Eight Key Infrastructure Sectors Remains Flat In October
NEW DELHI: Output from India’s eight core sectors flatlined in October from an upgraded 3.3 per cent uptick in September, as growth in construction-linked sectors and refinery products was negated by marked contractions in energy sectors like coal, natural gas and electricity, according to data released by the Ministry...
PSU Banks Power Asset Quality Gains; Private Players Maintain Red-Lines In Q2
MUMBAI: The second quarter of the current fiscal was all for the public sector lenders—the traditional laggards on all key metrics– with their robust recoveries and upgrades, lower fresh slippages coupled with higher write-offs and sales to ARCs, their gross bad loans hitting a decadal low of 2.1 percent...
Reliance Stops Import Of Russian Crude Oil Into Jamnagar’s SEZ Refinery
NEW DELHI: Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has stopped import of Russian crude oil into its Special Economic Zone (SEZ) refinery in Jamnagar, Gujarat, with effect from November 20, the company said in a statement late Thursday evening. This comes hours before the United States’ sanctions on Russian...
CAG To Conduct Pan India Audit On Ease Of Doing Business For MSMEs
NEW DELHI: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has launched an integrated audit across 32 states and Union Territories to assess the ease of doing business for the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector. The move shifts the approach from vertical, deep-dive audits to a horizontal,...
Investment Rate Of 32 Per Cent Needed To Achieve Over 7% Growth: EAC-PM Chief
NEW DELHI: India needs to increase the investment rate to 34-35 per cent from 31-32 per cent currently to achieve a growth rate of 7 per cent and above, said Mahendra Dev, chairman, economic advisory council (EAC) to the Prime Minister, on Wednesday. He added that for this to...
Banks Seek More Leeway In Acquisition Financing
MUMBAI: Banks have flagged off several restrictions in the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) acquisition financing guidelines, as they believe that these will limit their participation in the merger and acquisition (M&A) space. These include capital caps, equity restructuring as well as inability to fund smaller deals, among others....
