Business
India and The UK Set To Resume Free Trade Agreement Negotiations In 2025
NEW DELHI: India and the United Kingdom are poised to resume talks for their proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in early 2025. This follows an announcement by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 Summit in Brazil. The...
IT Companies Gear Up To Retain Business As New Deals Dry Up
BENGALURU: Following an expansion in large deal pipelines during 2022 and 2023, there is a noticeable decline in new mega IT deals entering the market. However, with a slew of renewals coming up next year, incumbents will defend their business interests and revenue. Although these contracts are up for...
Initial Public Offers Wait For Visibility As Fog Deepens
MUMBAI: With the stock markets going through a phase of steep correction for over a month now, many companies which had planned initial public offers (IPOs) are waiting for clarity before taking the plunge, said investment banking sources. “We are not in favor of launching issues right now as...
LNG Imports Likely To Rise 7 Per Cent In 2025
NEW DELHI: India’s import bill for natural gas surged by 17% to $8.9 billion during the first seven months of the current fiscal compared with $7.6 billion in the same period a year ago due to rise in consumption particularly by the city gas distribution companies and the power...
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu Fulfills Promise: Rs 60,000 Crore BPCL Project To Come Up Near Andhra Port
NEW DELHI: Andhra Pradesh is set to get an oil refinery and a petrochemical hub at Ramayapatnam in Nellore district that entails an investment of Rs 60,000 crore, fulfilling a promise made at the time of the state’s bifurcation in 2014 and giving chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu a...
No Free Power Obligation On Pumped Storage Projects: Centre To States
NEW DELHI: The Power Ministry has asked the State governments not to levy any free power requirement on pumped storage projects (PSPs). This is in contrast to the practice of allocating a percentage of the generated electricity to the home State free of cost, a senior government official said...
Steel Sector To Grow At 8%; Capacity To Rise By 20 MT By FY27: Report
The annual capacity of India’s steel industry will increase by 20 million tonne between the financial year (FY) 2025 to 2027, says Acuite Ratings and Research in its recent report. The report gives a positive outlook for the Indian steel industry in the medium to long term. Driven by...
DRDO Plans To Expand Pinaka Rocket System With Three Extended Range Variants Of 120 Km, 150 Km, And 200 Km
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is advancing its Pinaka Rocket System by developing three new extended-range variants: 120 km, 150 km, and 200 km. This development marks a significant enhancement in India’s artillery capabilities, aiming to provide the Indian Army with more versatile and precise long-range strike...
New Guidelines Mooted To Ease Corporate Liquidation
NEW DELHI: The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has recommended several changes in the liquidation process under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), in order to enhance overall efficiency, increase stakeholder confidence, and improve financial outcome for all parties involved. One key change is to allow the...
TRAI To Release Spectrum Recommendations For Satellite Broadband By December
NEW DELHI: The Telecom regulatory authority of India (Trai) is likely to come out with its recommendation for spectrum assignment to satellite broadband players and the related pricing of those airwaves by December, its chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti said. “After the open house discussion, we analyse all the comments,...
India, UK To Relaunch FTA Talks In 2025, ‘Address Remaining Issues’
NEW DELHI: India and the United Kingdom (UK) will ‘relaunch in the new year’ talks for a free trade agreement (FTA), following months of pause due to general elections in both countries, according to a statement from the UK government. “A new trade deal with India will support jobs...
SEBI Proposes Higher Lot Size, Longer Promoter Lock-In For SME IPOs
MUMBAI: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Tuesday proposed a slew of changes in the guidelines for listing of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), including an increase in the lot size to Rs 2 lakh or Rs 4 lakh, higher promoter lock-in of five years and...
No Commitment To Lowering Fiscal Deficit, Says Montek Singh Ahluwalia
NEW DELHI: Former Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Tuesday said there is no commitment at present in reducing the fiscal deficit which stood at around 7 per cent at combined level of the Centre and states. “Earlier, there was at least a clear focus on reducing...
India’s GDP Growth Likely To Slip At 6.5 Per Cent, Maintains 7 Per Cent Estimate For FY25: Icra
MUMBAI: Domestic rating agency Icra on Wednesday said India’s real GDP growth for the September quarter is likely to decline to 6.5 per cent due to heavy rains and weaker corporate performance. The agency, however, maintained its FY25 growth estimate at 7 per cent on expectations of a pick...
FICCI Reduces GST on EV Batteries, Charging Services To Boost Affordability
NEW DELHI: In order to keep EVs competitive there is a need to reduce GST on batteries and charging services, FICCI Electric Vehicle Committee Chair Sulajja Firodia Motwani said on Tuesday. Speaking at the sidelines of FICCI National Conference on EVs here, she also exhorted the need to enhance...
Government Addresses Steel Import Issues Amid Rising Concerns
NEW DELHI: The government is working to address the issues related to steel imports, Union Steel Minister H D Kumaraswamy said on Tuesday. The industry has apprised the ministry and it is aware of the issue, Kumaraswamy told PTI on the sidelines FICCI’s Conference on ‘Electric Vehicles – Accelerating...
CCPA To Bring Regulatory Framework For Diamond Industry To Protect Consumers Interest
NEW DELHI: The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) will soon release guidelines on diamond sector to ensure explicit labelling and certification of all diamonds and prohibit the use of misleading terms in trade. The CCPA has organised a stakeholder consultation on consumer protection in the diamond sector to deliberate...
China Trying To Improve Ties With India To Ease Off Us Pressure From Trump: Business Leader
WASHINGTON: China is trying to improve ties with India in an attempt to ease pressure from the incoming Trump administration, the head of a top India-centric US business advocacy and strategic group said on Tuesday. During his presidential election campaign, Trump proposed a 60 per cent tariff on goods...
