The government on Sunday imposed import curbs on parts of pocket lighters with immediate effect, a move which would help encourage domestic manufacturing and cut dependence on their inbound shipments from China.
"Import of parts of pocket lighters, gas fuelled, non-refillable or refillable lighters (cigarette lighters)... is restricted with immediate effect," the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) said in a notification.
Imports of cigarette lighters, priced less than Rs 20, are already prohibited. The import ban is also there on pocket lighters, gas-fuelled, non-refillable or refillable.
Last year, the government also issued mandatory quality standard norms for flame-producing lighters with a view to contain import of sub-standard goods and boost domestic manufacturing.
Items under the quality control orders (QCO), cannot be produced, sold/traded, imported and stocked unless they bear the BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) mark.
During April-July this fiscal, import of lig

In one rare situation, there is a case for some protectionism against imports from China

MTNL and RINL aren't good stories, particularly when both lenders and investors are getting their appetite for the infrastructure sector back

PSUs

Air passengers might have a reason to smile this Diwali season as average airfares on many domestic routes have dropped 20-25 per cent compared to the year-ago period, according to an analysis.
Increased capacity and the recent fall in oil prices are considered to be among the factors for the fall in air ticket prices.
The analysis by travel portal ixigo showed that average airfare on the domestic routes have declined in the range of 20-25 per cent.
The prices are for one-way average fare on a 30 days APD (advanced purchase date) basis.
For 2023, the time period considered is November 10-16 while it is October 28-November 3 for this year. This is the time around Diwali.
The maximum decline of average airfare is 38 per cent for a Bengaluru-Kolkata flight to Rs 6,319 this year from Rs 10,195 last year, as per the analysis.
The ticket price on Chennai-Kolkata route has fallen 36 per cent to Rs 5,604 from Rs 8,725.
The average airfare for Mumbai-Delhi flight has dropped 34 per cent

Flight, plane, Airplane

One person died and several others were injured Thursday when a chemical was released at a Houston industrial plant, a Texas sheriff said.
Authorities warned nearby residents to stay inside and close doors and windows.
One of the people injured was transported to a hospital by a helicopter, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez wrote on the social platform X. City officials in Pasadena, a Houston suburb, told residents on social media that hydrogen sulfide had been released at a Shell Pemex facility.
Television news crews showed multiple ambulances and emergency vehicles at the scene.
Gonzalez said preliminary information indicated it was a chemical release but did not elaborate. The plant is located in the suburb of Deer Park, where city officials issued a shelter-in-place order for nearby residents out of precaution.
Houston is the nation's petrochemical heartland and is home to a cluster of refineries and plants.

Houston oil refinery, Texas

Congress MLAs will meet on Friday in Srinagar under JKPCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra to elect their Legislature Party Leader, whose name will then go to the party's high command for approval

Omar Abdullah,Omar

The state-owned company, on Thursday, reported a 36 per cent rise in profit after tax, reaching Rs 387.7 crore for the September quarter (Q2FY25), compared to Rs 284.7 crore in Q2FY24

IREDA

The picture is much different in the Indo-Pacific region for the US and its allies, which use the Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Patriot, THAAD and sea-based Aegis systems for missile defence

Indo Pacific

China held large-scale military exercises surrounding Taiwan and its outlying islands Monday in what it called a warning against Taiwan independence.
China's Defense Ministry said the drills were a response to Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te's refusal to concede to Beijing's demands that Taiwan acknowledge itself as a part of the People's Republic of China under the rule of the Communist Party.
Taiwan's Defense Ministry called the drills a provocation and said its forces were prepared to respond.
The PLA's Eastern Theater Command spokesperson Navy Senior Captain Li Xi said the navy, army air force, missile corps were all mobilised for the drills.
This is a major warning to those who back Taiwan independence and a signifier of our determination to safeguard our national sovereignty," Li said in a statement on the service's public media channel.
Taiwan was a Japanese colony before being unified with China at the end of World War II. It split away in 1949 when Chiang Kai-shek's ...

China Taiwan

Israeli rescue services said almost 40 people were wounded on Sunday in a drone strike in the central city of Binyamina, three of them critically. The Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group claimed responsibility for one of the most serious strikes to land in Israel in a year of war.
Israel's advanced air-defence systems mean that it's rare for so many people to be hurt by drones or missiles. Israeli media reported that two drones were launched from Lebanon, and the military said one was intercepted.
It was not immediately clear who was hurt, military members or civilians, or what was hit.
Hezbollah said in a statement that it targeted an Israeli military training camp in retaliation for two Israeli strikes in Beirut on Thursday that killed 22 people.
It was the second time in two days that a drone has struck in Israel. On Saturday, during the Israeli holiday of Yom Kippur, a drone struck in a suburb of Tel Aviv, causing damage but no injuries.
The latest strike came on the same d

Israel strike

The rating agency's arm said that India's recent consumer price inflation at around 5 per cent was without clear evidence of a trend towards slowing price pressures

Most GCCs in India support critical business goals by using AI, data analytics, robotic process automation, and cloud services

India ranked third globally in terms of funding raised by fintech companies, behind the US and China, the report said

Displaying categorized search results for Finance Ministry

Latest News

In this section

All

Iran's missile strikes offer lessons for US in countering China's threats

China holds large naval, air force exercises around Taiwan as warning

Drone strike in Israel injures almost 40 as Hezbollah claims responsibility

Most Popular

Read

Shared

Commented

Govt imposes import curbs on parts of pocket lighters with immediate effect

PSU defaults, moral hazards: Can banks keep relying on govt ownership?

Average airfares around Diwali drop 20-25% on many domestic routes

Displaying categorized search results for Finance Ministry Advance Search