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President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said there is an urgent need to actively support the Centre's ambitious Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan by encouraging indigenous production, strengthening local supply chains and promoting domestic industry. Addressing a group of Indian Defence Accounts Service officers, who had called on the president at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here, she urged them to learn the new skills and use tools such as artificial intelligence-driven financial analytics to support evidence-based decisions and analytics for efficient fund utilisation. "As young officers, many of you will be dealing with high-value and strategically significant proposals early in your careers. This is both a privilege and a responsibility. You are expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity," the president said. Fairness, transparency, and accountability must guide every decision you make, she said. "You should remember that trust is the foundation of public service and it should be
The sheer size of the Indian economy, its demographic trends and the country's ambitions around sustainability make it a critical geography for global transition efforts, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) President and CEO Peter Bakker has said. Bakker said "India is a strategic focus for WBCSD," and pointed out the Council's work in areas, particularly transport and food, where the country has both major challenges and significant potential to lead. "We're also encouraged by the direction of policy in India," he told PTI in an email interview, highlighting the government's intent in the 2025 Union Budget to scale up investments in electric vehicles, renewable energy, green infrastructure, and the circular economy. Together, these developments create real momentum for business-led solutions, the Geneva-headquartered WBCSD chief said. "Our members are driving the development of data-driven infrastructure and unlocking innovative finance mechanisms to acceler
Focus on growth segments and capacity expansion boosted CKA Birla Group company BirlaNu's volumes in the March quarter and FY2024-25, according to Managing Director and CEO Akshat Seth. BirlaNu reported an 80 per cent surge in volumes for the March quarter, with pipes and construction chemicals driving the momentum, Seth said. Full fiscal year saw a 57 per cent increase in revenue and a 76 per cent rise in volumes, he added. The construction chemicals and pipes manufacturer doubled its AAC block capacity in Chennai to 4 lakh cubic meters per year and launched Parador in India, marking its entry into the home and interior space, Seth said. The company also introduced organic-based stabilisers (OBS) in uPVC pipes, eliminating heavy metals and setting new benchmarks for health and sustainability in potable water solutions. "The transition to OBS technology in our uPVC pipes reflects our focus on reducing environmental impact while delivering the highest quality to our customers," said
Oman is ramping up efforts to attract international tourists, including Indians, to meet its goal of approximately 11.7 million visitors annually by 2040 as part of its sustainable tourism strategy, a top Omani official said here. Highlighting the deep historical ties between Oman and India, Mohamed bin Mahmoud al Zadjali, adviser to the Minister of Heritage and Tourism for Engineering Affairs, noted that Indian tourists are a key visitor group. The collaboration between Oman and India is historically significant. We rely heavily on Indian tourists, who are among our primary visitor groups consistently exploring various locations in Oman, Zadjali told PTI Videos. Oman is promoting corporate travel and destination weddings, targeting the 'Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions' (MICE) sector to build a loyal client base in India. The sultanate welcomed around 6,00,000 Indian tourists in 2023 about 15 per cent of total tourists that year reinforcing India's role as a vi
The government and industry have to come together and create a "significant incentive and logistic structure" for the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to help reduce carbon emissions, SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh said on Wednesday. Discussions have been held with the Prime Minister's Office for allotment of spaces near airports for SAF refineries to save on transportation costs, and also with oil marketing companies, including IOC, BPCL and HPCL, to build a mini refinery for SAF production in their existing refineries, he added. "I think one of the things that we need to do is to have these SAF refineries, which are relatively simpler, probably closer to airports. If you're really serious about it. We've had this discussion with the PMO as well, that, can you allot spaces, which are close to airports so that the transport cost, which is the largest part of that cost, because you know you have to address these issues," Singh said. The SpiceJet CMD said at that some point the
Climate change is a pressing challenge for the luxury goods industry, and businesses have to adopt environment-friendly practices to address this issue, entrepreneurs and experts say. They added that the luxury industry views sustainability as the future of high-end businesses, and companies that prioritise ecology will gain long-term benefits. "Climate change is staring at each of us and environmental consciousness and responsible actions by people and businesses can help both the ecology and the economy," they said at the 'Sasmrti - The Responsible Luxury Roundtable' here. The deliberations were organised by Shweta Thakur Nanda, and Gautam Gupta, co-owner of luxury fashion brand 'Asha Gautam'. Speaking at the function, Blossom Kochhar, Chairperson, Blossom Kochhar Group of Companies, said that the industry must act and live sustainably not just for "ourselves but for our future generations". Sharing similar views, Lipika Sud, Founder Director of LIpika Sud Interiors, said that t
Capital markets regulator Sebi on Friday decided to include disclosure pertaining to the 'Green Credit Program' by listed companies under the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) framework. The Green Credits can be generated by a listed company and its value chain partners through plantations of trees on waste or degraded lands and river catchment areas. In its circular, Sebi said that 'green credits' generated by the listed company and their top 10 value chain partners can be added as a leadership indicator under Principle 6 of BRSR, which states that businesses should respect and make efforts to protect and restore the environment. This new requirement will be applicable for BRSR disclosures starting from FY 2024-25 and onwards. The disclosure is also in line with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change notification issued in February 2024. In addition, Sebi has redefined 'value chain partners', which now encompass the upstream and downstrea
BluPine Energy on Tuesday said it has secured Rs 1,787 crore in funding from the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID). The collaboration with NaBFID will help in lowering debt servicing costs, improving cash flow, and enabling financial flexibility, BluPine said in a statement. "BluPine Energy has successfully closed a structured financing deal of Rs 1,787 crore with NaBFID to strengthen renewable energy portfolio," it said. The funds will be deployed towards repowering existing solar assets, enhancing their efficiency and operational effectiveness, the company added. The financing will drive long-term portfolio expansion, improving the internal rate of return (IRR) and supporting BluPine Energy's sustainability goals. BluPine Energy CEO Neerav Nanavaty said, "This transaction strengthens our financial foundation, allowing us to scale operations while contributing to India's renewable energy goals". BluPine Energy is a leading renewable energy servi
India's PM Gati Shakti initiative demonstrates that the country with the biggest population can have faster modes of transportation if attention is given to best and sustainable practices, Michael Wilson, former Supreme Court Judge of Hawaii, USA, said on Monday. PM Gati Shakti national master plan initiative was launched in October 2021 for integrated and planned development of critical infrastructure projects to reduce logistics costs. After visiting PM Gati Shakti Experiential Centre at Bharat Mandapam here, Wilson said it "shows that the country with the biggest population can have faster modes of transportation if attention is given to best and sustainable practices". He added that the experiential centre captures the talent, expertise and entrepreneurial spirit of the country to grow its economy that is sustainable. The centre is a modern audio-visual museum for the initiative and the One District One Product (ODOP) scheme. Using cutting-edge technologies like a 270-degree .