From why the phrase “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” has confused and confounded both domestic and foreign investors over the past year to how multinationals were already sourcing items from India for overseas buyers before taking Indian products to the global market turned fashionable, here is what Business Standard columnists wrote this week.

From why the phrase "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" has confused and confounded both domestic and foreign investors over the past year to how multinationals were already sourcing items from India for overseas buyers before taking Indian products to the global market turned fashionable, here is what Business Standard columnists wrote this week.

BS Views of the Week: The meaning of 'partly free', and the direction in which India is headed

State-owned steel maker SAIL on Saturday said it recorded a 14 per cent year-on-year growth in sales at 12.7 million tonnes (MT) in April-November 2025, amid "price pressures and demand volatility".
The Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), a leading integrated player in the steel sector, had posted sales of 11.1 MT in the corresponding period last year.
The company said, "This resilient performance was possible due to a strong sales strategy...despite many challenges including global price pressures and demand volatility arising from various global trade policy uncertainties and geopolitical tensions."
During the eight-month period, the company said retail sales were also strong. It was at 0.97 MT, up 13 per cent from 0.86 MT in April-November 2024, supported by ongoing nationwide brand promotion campaigns.
In November alone, overall sales rose 27 per cent year-on-year, while retail sales surged by 69 per cent y-o-y.
SAIL, under the Ministry of Steel, owns and operates five integr

In November alone, overall sales rose 27 per cent year-on-year, while retail sales surged by 69 per cent y-o-y

Press Trust of India

Under the partnership, Wipro and Microsoft will jointly develop AI solutions for sectors such as financial services, retail, manufacturing, healthcare, life sciences and airports

Business Standard

But for many industry experts, the real story was that the technical gap between OpenAI's so-called foundational AI model and everyone else had become practically nonexistent

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From ornate European-style interiors and spiral staircases to vintage lighting and a trove of luxury items, the Enforcement Directorate's raid on the Lucknow home of a dismissed police constable arrested in the codeine-laced cough syrup case has left officials stunned.
The Special Task Force of Uttar Pradesh Police arrested constable Alok Pratap Singh, who has been dismissed from service twice, on December 2.
His name cropped up during the interrogation of another accused, Amit Kumar Singh alias Amit Tata, in the ongoing probe into an illegal codeine-laced cough syrup racket. He is currently lodged in Lucknow jail.
The two-storey mansion sprawls over nearly 7,000 square feet in Ahmamau near the Lucknow-Sultanpur highway. Towering pillars line the facade, ornate railings adorn the wide balconies, and inside, cream-painted walls with decorative accents set off the high-end fittings.
Luxury items seized during the ED raid on Friday include handbags of Prada and Gucci, premium Rado ...

The Special Task Force of Uttar Pradesh Police arrested constable Alok Pratap Singh, who has been dismissed from service twice, on December 2

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose was on Saturday evening "denied" entry into the Salt Lake Stadium, hours after chaos and crowd trouble at the venue marred an event featuring football legend Lionel Messi.
Bose described the denial of entry as an affront to the constitutional position of the Governor, and sought a reply from the authorities.
I never write a report without seeing the place My report is half ready. I want to see for myself what happens in ground zero, he told reporters outside the stadium, adding that he would give the authorities one more chance to open the gate.
Is this the way Bengal treats its Governor? The Governor is not a rubber stamp, Bose said, terming the episode a ghastly irrelevance of a constitutional authority.
Bose said he would revisit the stadium on Sunday and examine the issue in depth.
It is not a personal affront this is an affront to the constitutional position of the Governor... If any deliberate attempt is made by someone to hide the truth 

Bose described the denial of entry as an affront to the constitutional position of the Governor, and sought a reply from the authorities

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Healthcare industry body NATHEALTH has asked the government to increase public spending on healthcare to over 2.5 per cent of GDP with urgent action to tackle non-communicable diseases, including tax deductions of up to Rs 10,000 on individuals for preventive health check-ups.
In its pre-Budget recommendations to the government, NATHEALTH said it outlined a roadmap to strengthen healthcare delivery, foster innovation, and expand insurance and preventive coverage.
The recommendations call for a balanced mix of fiscal support, structural reforms, and public-private collaboration to build a robust, future-ready health system, it said in a statement.
In its recommendations, NATHEALTH asked the sector to be declared 'core infrastructure' and create a healthcare infrastructure fund of Rs 50,000 crore, saying currently there is limited access to long-term, lower-cost capital for hospitals and diagnostic networks.
New projects have long gestational periods requiring flexible mid-term ...

In its pre-Budget recommendations to the government, NATHEALTH said it outlined a roadmap to strengthen healthcare delivery, foster innovation, and expand insurance and preventive coverage

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BS Views of the Week: The meaning of 'partly free', and the direction in which India is headed

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