Business
Government Targets Fresh Record For Grains Output In 2025-26
NEW DELHI: Given the forecast of ‘above normal’ monsoon rainfall, the government has set a record target of 354.64 million tonne (MT) for food grains production in the 2025-26 crop year (July-June). This is an increase of 4% from the target for the current (2024-25) crop year, which itself...
Indo-Pak Hostilities Heighten Credit Risks For Both Nations: S&P
MUMBAI: International rating agency S&P Global has the rising hostilities between New Delhi and Islamabad heighten the credit metrics risk of both countries, and any escalation in clashes will put downward pressure on their sovereign credit support. S&P rates India at BBB- with a positive outlook and for Pakistan ...
FTA With UK Has Enough Safeguards, Says Govt
NEW DELHI: India’s Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the UK has sufficient safeguards for sensitive sectors, a senior official said Thursday. Even in the case of automobiles, the tariff cuts will be spread over a period of 10-15 years and subject to quotas like an annual 22,000 for electric...
New Rules Make It Tougher For E-Tailers To Resort To Predatory Pricing
NEW DELHI: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has come out with “stringent” rules to determine the production costs, helping it tackle unfair pricing and deep discounts, especially in e-commerce and quick commerce markets. The new rules, which have replaced the Cost Regulations 2009, have been introduced to keep...
Merger State-Run General Insurers Back On The Table
NEW DELHI: The government is likely to revisit a plan to merge the four state-run general insurance companies to create a a behemoth that can compete with the Indian private-sector firms as well as foreign insurers. The move may coincide with or closely follow the proposed hike in foreign...
India’s Climate Finance Needs Pegged At $2.5-Trillion By 2030
NEW DELHI: India may require financing to the tune of $2.5 trillion by 2030 for climate transition, given its pledge to achieve net-zero emission by 2070, the government said on Wednesday. “India’s climate finance taxonomy will facilitate greater resource flow to climate-friendly technologies and activities, enabling India to achieve...
Cabinet Approves Rs 60,000 Crore ITI Upgradation Scheme
NEW DELHI: The government on Wednesday approved National Scheme for Industrial Training Institute Upgradation and setting up of five National Centres of Excellence for Skilling with a total outlay of Rs 60,000 crore, in a major step towards transforming India’s vocational education. The decision was taken at a meeting...
India PE-VC Market Rebounds In 2024 By 9% To $43 Billion, Says Report
NEW DELHI: After two years of shrinking, India’s private equity and venture capital (PE-VC) investments sprung back in 2024, growing about 9 per cent to reach $43 billion across nearly 1,600 deals, and outlook for 2025 remains cautiously optimistic, a latest report said on Wednesday. The 2024 rebound, primarily...
India Inc Does Risk Assessment, Extends Full Support To Armed Forces
MUMBAI: India’s top corporate leaders scrambled to assess operational risks and business continuity after the Indian armed forces launched strikes on terror camps across the border in Pakistan, fuelling fears of further escalation. Senior executives at several top companies convened emergency meetings to evaluate exposure and prepare for possible...
Bank Spread Narrows To 10-Year Low Of 2.71% In March: CareEdge
NEW DELHI: The spread between the outstanding weighted average lending rate and the weighted average domestic term deposit rate for banks continued to tighten, narrowing by 5 basis points (bps) month-on-month (M-o-M) in March to a 10-year low of 2.71 per cent, CareEdge Ratings said in its research report....
Services Sector Growth Improves In April, Helped By New Orders: PMI
NEW DELHI: India’s services sector “regained momentum” in April after slowing down in March as demand expanded and companies reported a faster expansion in employment, said a private survey on Tuesday. The HSBC India services purchasing managers’ index (PMI), compiled by S&P Global, rose to 58.7 in April from...
India, UK Seal Free Trade Deal; Pm Modi Calls It ‘Historic Milestone’
NEW DELHI: After nearly three and a half years of intense negotiations, India and the United Kingdom (UK) on Tuesday announced the conclusion of talks for a free trade agreement (FTA) that will boost strategic and economic ties between the fifth- and sixth-largest economies in an era of geopolitical...
SEBI Proposes Easier Delisting Rules For Low-Float PSUs With 90% Govt Stake
MUMBAI: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on Tuesday proposed a separate carve-out for voluntary delisting of public sector undertakings (PSUs) where the government holding is over 90 per cent. Such PSUs may be allowed to be delisted without the requirement of complying with the minimum public...
India Leads In AI Trust, But Concerns Remain: KPMG Study
As many as 76% of Indians express confidence in AI technologies, according to KPMG’s latest study, The Trust, Attitudes and Use of Artificial Intelligence: A Global Study 2025. Conducted in collaboration with the Melbourne Business School, the study is the most comprehensive global analysis of public trust and attitudes...
Private Sector Capex Yet To Do The Heavy-Lifting: NSO Survey
NEW DELHI: Capital expenditure is fundamental to increasing production and is a catalyst for accelerated economic growth. The government’s first-ever survey on the private sector’s investment intentions underscores the cautious approach taken by the non-government enterprises in investing. Private corporate sector enterprises are likely to see a 25.5% drop...
S&P Cuts India’s FY26 GDP Growth Estimate To 6.3% Amid Uncertainty Over US Tariff
NEW DELHI: S&P Global Ratings on Friday cut India’s growth projections by 0.2 percentage points to 6.3 per cent for the current fiscal year citing uncertainty over the US tariff policy and downside risks from its spillover to the economy. In its report titled “Global Macro Update: Seismic Shift...
Manufacturing PMI Hits 10-Month High In April
NEW DELHI: The growth momentum in the Indian manufacturing sector improved in April, with output increasing at the fastest pace since June 2024, on the back of another strong expansion in order books, a monthly survey said on Friday. The seasonally adjusted HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI)...
India’s Creator Economy To Influence Over $1 Trillion In Spend By 2030: BCG
MUMBAI: With the WAVES 2025 setting a new trend in the economic and entertainment Capital of the country, two reputed international agency – BCG and E&Y – have reported that India’s creator economy is rapidly transforming the digital landscape with a massive growth up to USD one trillion. The...
