Business Standard's opinion pages this week focused on interest rate hike, failing judiciary, India's missing CDS, and much more.

Business Standard's opinion pages this week focused on interest rate hike, failing judiciary, India's missing CDS, and much more

BS Views of the week: RBI rate hike, Indian judiciary, telecom market, and more

JK Cement Ltd on Saturday reported a 75.4 per cent increase in its consolidated net profit to Rs 324.25 crore for the June quarter of 2025-26 compared to Rs 184.82 crore in the April-June period a year ago.
Its revenue from operations rose by 19.4 per cent to Rs 3,352.53 crore in the June quarter compared to Rs 2,807.57 crore in the corresponding period a year ago, according to a regulatory filing from JK Cement Ltd (JKCL).
Total expenses were at Rs 2,919.83 crore, up 13.2 per cent in the June quarter.
The total income of JKCL, which includes other income, was at Rs 3,408.97 crore, up 19.5 per cent in the June quarter.
Meanwhile, in a separate filing, JKCL said its board in a meeting held on Saturday approved the company's expansion by setting up of 0.6 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) white cement-based wall putty plant near Nathdwara, District Rajasmand of Rajasthan.
"The total proposed investment for the expansion is estimated at Rs 195 crore," it said.
The board also took note

Its revenue from operations rose by 19.4 per cent to Rs 3,352.53 crore in the June quarter compared to Rs 2,807.57 crore in the corresponding period a year ago

State-owned Punjab & Sind Bank on Saturday reported a 48 per cent jump in net profit to Rs 269 crore during the first quarter of this financial year, aided by improvement in core income and decline in bad debts.
The lender had earned a net profit of Rs 182 crore in the same quarter of the previous fiscal year.
The total income rose to Rs 3,379 crore during the June 2025 quarter from Rs 2,846 crore in the same quarter of FY25, Punjab & Sind Bank said in a regulatory filing.
Interest earned by the bank improved to Rs 2,911 crore compared to Rs 2,652 crore in the June quarter of FY25.
During the period, the operating profit of the bank increased to Rs 540 crore compared to Rs 317 crore a year ago.
The bank's asset quality showed improvement as gross non-performing assets (NPAs) declined to 3.34 per cent of gross advances at the end of the June quarter from 4.72 per cent a year ago.
Its gross advance increased by 14 per cent to Rs 99,950 crore from Rs 87,738 crore at the end of ...

The total income rose to Rs 3,379 crore during the June 2025 quarter from Rs 2,846 crore in the same quarter of FY25, Punjab & Sind Bank said in a regulatory filing

Consumer electronics maker Samsung on Saturday said it has received 2.1 lakh pre-orders for the latest seventh generation of its foldable smartphone series within 48 hours of its launch in India.
Samsung's seventh generation of foldable smartphone series was launched in India on Jul 9, 2025.
Samsung, which last week launched Galaxy Z Fold7, Galaxy Z Flip7 and Galaxy Z Flip7 FE smartphones, said this huge number of pre-orders signals "huge consumer demand and excitement for the brand's seventh generation of foldable".
It is "nearly equalling the pre-orders received for the Galaxy S25 series earlier this year", Samsung Electronics said in a statement.
Samsung had received a record 4.3 lakh pre-orders for its smartphone Galaxy S25, in a nearly three-week period after the launch.
For the first 48 hours, the number of pre-orders for S25 and Fold7/Flip7 is almost identical.
The company priced these Made-in-India foldable smartphones between Rs 89,000 and Rs 2.11 lakh.
Galaxy Z Fold7 .

Galaxy Z Fold7 starting from Rs 1.75 lakh and going up to Rs 2.11 lakh. Galaxy Z Flip7 is priced between Rs 1.10 lakh and Rs 1.22 lakh

Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said the country's first domestically produced semiconductor chip is expected to be released this year.
Speaking at the 85th foundation day celebrations of Keshav Memorial Educational Society here on Friday, he said India is poised to become a significant global player in the semiconductor industry.
Today, some of the most complex chips are designed in cities, including Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune, Gurugram and Chennai, he said.
"Now, we are starting the manufacturing of semiconductor chips. We have already approved six semiconductor plants. Their construction is going on. We will have the first Made in India chip in 2025," he said.
The union minister said, as part of the India AI Mission, free datasets and others are being uploaded. As many as one million people are being trained in the use of AI.
Vaishnaw also said India would be among the top two economies in the world by 2047.
Noting that the world is g

The union minister said, as part of the India AI Mission, free datasets and others are being uploaded and as many as one million people are being trained in the use of AI

India's progress across various Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been enabled by a dual strategy that encompasses strong safety nets and reforms that foster growth through a more enabling environment, Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog Suman Bery has said.
Bery pointed out that 240 million Indians escaped from multi-dimensional poverty in the decade between 2013-14 and 2022-23, and social protection coverage has more than doubled since 2015.
India is on track to achieve health targets for maternal, child and infant mortality before 2030, the target year of the SDGs, he said.
Our progress in India has been enabled by a dual strategy - strong safety nets to protect the most vulnerable and reforms that foster growth through a more enabling environment and ease of doing business, making India the fastest growing major economy today, Bery said.
Bery delivered the keynote address at a high-level side event titled SDGs: Keeping up the Momentum for Agenda 2030' hosted on Friday by the ...

India is on track to achieve health targets for maternal, child and infant mortality before 2030, the target year of the SDGs, he said

Delhi witnesses light rain and 'satisfactory' air as IMD forecasts extreme weather for Kerala and Karnataka and places several states under alerts

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on Friday presented a Rs 40,187 crore-budget for the megapolis.
Infrastructure spends across projects have been pegged at Rs 35,151 crore or 87 per cent of the overall expenditure, as per an official statement. The revenues have been estimated at Rs 36,939 crore, and the body chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will be borrowing Rs 22,000 crore.
This will result in a budget deficit of Rs 3,249 crore, which the body plans to bridge through land sales, issuance of bonds, financial assistance from the government, and loans from financial institutions, the statement said.
The ongoing metro line projects have been earmarked Rs 10,969 crore of expenditure in the new fiscal, which is a fourth of the overall expenditure..
Over Rs 5,697 crore have been allotted for multiple tunnel projects which are going across the megapolis, with Rs 2,684 crore earmarked for the four-lane road running under the Sanjay Gandhi National 

Infrastructure spends across projects have been pegged at Rs 35,151 crore or 87 per cent of the overall expenditure, as per an official statement

The Rajya Sabha on Thursday returned the Finance Bill 2025 to the Lok Sabha, along with 35 government amendments, including one that abolishes a 6 per cent digital tax on online advertisements, thus completing the 2025-26 budgetary exercise that started on February 1.
The House also returned the Appropriation Bill (3) with a voice vote.
Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had moved the two bills in the House.
The Lok Sabha had passed the Finance Bill on March 25 and passed the Appropriation Bill on March 21.
Replying to the debate later in the evening, she said the tendency of the finance ministry would be to exercise caution and not let go of revenues.
"But, here we wanted to use this opportunity to show our respect for Indian taxpayer. We have moved towards setting Rs 12 lakh as threshold up to which no one will have to pay any tax," Sitharaman said.
The Union Budget 2025-26 envisages a total expenditure of Rs 50.65 lakh crore, an increase of 7.4 per cent ov

The Union Budget 2025-26 envisages a total expenditure of Rs 50.65 trillion, an increase of 7.4 per cent over the current fiscal

Russia-Ukraine War

The year 2022 is coming to an end and a lot has happened that shaped the world in the year. Let's have a look at some of these significant events

Google Messages

In January, Google rolled out end-to-end encryption in group chats for messages app users enrolled in the beta programme

Blend launches Blend Studio: AI tool for ecommerce photography

New Delhi [India], March 16 (ANI/PNN): Blend, an AI-powered design and photography application for DTC brands and ecommerce sellers, recently launched Blend Studio - the Chat GPT for product photos.

Celebrity and Travel Photographer Rahul Lokare from Flamingo Productions creates waves of change in the world of photography.

Xiaomi 13 Pro

Priced at Rs 79,999 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB on-board storage, the Xiaomi 13 Pro offers a novel imaging experience on top of a premium package

BS Views of the week: RBI rate hike, Indian judiciary, telecom market, and more

Business Standard's opinion pages this week focused on interest rate hike, failing judiciary, India's missing CDS, and much more.

Other Videos

Explore News