Jawaharlal Nehru called Sivakasi as Kutty Japan looking at its industrial vibrancy. Now, after decades, the city that contributes to 90 per cent of India's fireworks is struggling to sustain, following Covid and NGT ban. A Business Standard report from the ground

India's fireworks hub Sivakasi struggles to sustain amid Covid, NGT norms

Fintech firm One97 Communications on Thursday said its subsidiary Paytm Payments Services Limited (PPSL), has received authorisation from the Reserve Bank of India to operate as a Payment Aggregator for physical (offline) payments and cross-border transactions.
The approval is in addition to the authorisation for Online Payment Aggregation already granted by the central bank to PPSL last month.
"Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on December 17, 2025 has authorised Paytm Payments Services Limited (PPSL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of One 97 Communications Limited, to operate as a Payment Aggregator for Physical (offline) payments and Cross-Border transactions (both inward and outward), in addition to the online Payment Aggregator authorisation already granted by RBI on November 26, 2025, under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, Paytm said in a regulatory filing.
With the new license, PPSL now holds Payment Aggregator authorisations across online, offline, and cross-border segment

The approval is in addition to the authorisation for Online Payment Aggregation already granted by the central bank to PPSL last month

Press Trust of India

Aurobindo Pharma on Thursday said the US health regulator has issued a Form 483 with five observations after inspecting Andhra Pradesh-based Unit-IV of its subsidiary APL Healthcare.
The US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) inspected the unit from December 8 to December 17, 2025, the Hyderabad-based drug firm said in a regulatory filing.
"At the end of the inspection, a 'Form 483' was issued with 5 observations which are procedural in nature, and we will respond to the US FDA within the stipulated timelines," it added.
The company is committed to maintaining the highest quality manufacturing standards at all of its facilities across the globe, the drug firm said.
As per the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), Form 483 is issued to a firm's management at the conclusion of an inspection when the investigator has observed any conditions that may constitute violations of the Food Drug and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act and related Acts.
Shares of Aurobindo Pharma were trading 0.83 per ..

The company is committed to maintaining the highest quality manufacturing standards at all of its facilities across the globe, the drug firm said

Gemini 3 Flash replaces Gemini 2.5 Flash in Google Gemini app, bringing faster responses for everyday tasks with Gemini 3 Pro-level reasoning

Business Standard

Snapchat launches Quick Cut, a new tool that turns Memories into beat-synced videos in seconds, making video creation directly within the app

The central government may consider increasing the number of scholarships given to tribal students wishing to go abroad for higher studies from the present 20 to 50, Lok Sabha was informed on Thursday.
The National Overseas Scholarship for Schedule Tribes (ST) students is implemented through the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and the funds are released to ST students studying abroad through the MEA by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
"We can increase the number of overseas scholarships given to tribal students from present 20 to 50," Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram said during Question Hour.
When an opposition member questioned why the number of overseas scholarships is so low, Oram hit back, saying the opposition, when in power for a long period, hardly did anything for the welfare of the tribals.
He said it was Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who first created the Tribal Affairs Ministry for the welfare of the tribal communities.

The National Overseas Scholarship for Schedule Tribes (ST) students is implemented through the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday introduced the Securities Market Code Bill in the Lok Sabha and proposed referring it to the department-related standing committee for greater discussion.
Arun Nehru (DMK) and Manish Tewari (Congress) opposed the bill at the introduction stage, saying that it gave excessive powers to one body which was against the principle of separation of powers. They described the bill as a case of excessive delegation of power.
Responding to their claims, the finance minister said since the government is referring it to the standing committee, such details can be discussed by the panel.
Krishna Prasad Tenneti, chairing the proceedings, said the Lok Sabha Speaker has the powers to refer bills to parliamentary panels and he will take a call on the issue.
The Securities Markets Code Bill 2025 seeks to merge the provisions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992, the Depositories Act, 1996 and the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act,

Finance minister said since the government is referring it to the standing committee, such details can be discussed by the panel

ICEGATE enables e-filing and customs payments by traders; RMS automates risk-based scrutiny; and ICES handles backend assessment and clearance workflows at Customs locations

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

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

India's fireworks hub Sivakasi struggles to sustain amid Covid, NGT norms

Jawaharlal Nehru called Sivakasi as Kutty Japan looking at its industrial vibrancy. Now, after decades, the city that contributes to 90 per cent of India's fireworks is struggling to sustain, following Covid and NGT ban. A Business Standard report from the ground

Other Videos

Explore News