Economy

India's current account deficit more than doubles to $7 billion in July

The merchandise trade deficit widened to $31.7 billion in July, while strong capital inflows helped push the balance of payments surplus to $20.8 billion.

IBBI seeks to boost safeguards in personal guarantor resolution process

Regulator IBBI has proposed changes to the norms governing the insolvency resolution process for personal guarantors to corporate debtors, including the exclusion of related parties of the guarantor from voting on the repayment plan. Besides, the watchdog plans to make valuation of a personal guarantor's assets mandatory during the resolution process, as well as put in place the framework for recording creditors' deliberations on the repayment plan. In the proposed amendments in the rules to strengthen safeguards in the insolvency resolution process for personal guarantors to the corporate debtors, IBBI has also called for identification and reporting of avoidance transactions (preferential, undervalued, fraudulent, and extortionate credit transactions) in the insolvency resolution process. The proposals come against the backdrop of the insolvency case involving Essel Group chairman Subhash Chandra, wherein under a settlement plan it was proposed that creditors could recover just ..

India's new-age economy to triple to nearly $300 billion by FY31: Redseer

Consumption-led sectors, including consumer goods, retail and leisure, are expected to remain the cornerstone of growth, reaching about $150 billion by FY31 at an annual growth rate of around 25%

Banks, beaches, and rapid growth

The economic and social development of Coastal Karnataka shows what can be achieved when government creates space for private enterprise

BS Roundtable: Swapan Dasgupta to set the tone at Bengal Beckons on Monday

Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta will be the star attraction at the first edition of a Business Standard Roundtable in the state, Bengal Beckons, on Monday

India's sugar flip-flop highlights fault lines in agri trade policy regime

The decision to import 1 MT of raw sugar after allowing exports earlier in the season has revived questions over crop estimates, policy predictability and the cost of repeated trade interventions

Why Nepal's flood aftermath may be more complex than the disaster itself

From a $4-5 billion rebuilding bill and damaged hydropower to broken trade routes, lost livelihoods and weak local capacity, Nepal's recovery could stretch far beyond the floodwaters

Govt defends GDP estimates, says revisions reflect data, not growth boost

The statistics ministry on Wednesday defended the methodology behind its newly released economic growth estimates, saying revisions to last year's GDP and the divergence between different price measures reflect updated data and estimation techniques rather than an attempt to artificially boost headline growth. The clarification came two days after the government released an updated series of annual and quarterly GDP estimates with 2022-23 as the base year, incorporating a new Producer Price Index (PPI), Banking Services Price Index and additional administrative data. The ministry's detailed questions-and-answers addressed concerns ranging from negative implicit price deflators in manufacturing to the sharp difference between nominal and real growth in mining, as well as the sizeable statistical discrepancy between production- and expenditure-side estimates. India's economy grew 7.8 per cent in real terms in the first quarter of fiscal 2026-27, according to the revised GDP series. T

India's economy can near $20 trn by 2046 if current growth pace holds: CEA

The economy doesn't need "heroic assumptions" to meet that target, Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran said

Economic activity stable, but El Niño clouds food inflation: FinMin

Finance ministry says domestic demand remains resilient, but an intensifying El Nino and weather-related risks warrant caution on food inflation and agricultural output

8 of 19 services sub-sectors post double-digit growth in June: MoSPI

The index of services production released on Monday for the third time on a trial basis showed eight of 19 service categories recorded double-digit growth in June this year. The Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) releases the Index of Services Production (ISP) for the month of June 2026 in respect of 19 sub-sectors, with base year 202425. Except for air transport, all the categories recorded positive growth in June on an annual basis, a statement by the statistics ministry said. Air transport declined by six per cent. Top sub-sectors reporting strong growth in June 2026 were Real Estate (24.7 per cent), Retail Trade (18.0 per cent), Wholesale Trade (15.1 per cent), Administrative and Support Services (14.4 per cent), IT and Computer Related Services (13.5 per cent), according to the index. The maiden sub-sectors trial ISP for April 2026 was released on July 14, 2026. The monthly ISPs are being published on an experimental basis, the ministry said. The ...

Govt to buy back ₹30,000 cr securities on Sep 3 amid surplus liquidity

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday announced the buyback of government securities worth Rs 30,000 crore on September 3. The auction will take place on September 3, between 10:30 AM and 11:30 AM on the Reserve Bank of India Core Banking Solution (E-Kuber), the RBI said in a notification. The government will buy back securities such as 7.33 per cent GS 2026, 5.74 per cent GS 2026, 8.15 per cent GS 2026, and 8.24 per cent GS 2027, the notification said. The central bank has not notified any amount for the individual securities within the aggregate ceiling of Rs 30,000 crore. Auction for securities will be conducted using multiple price methods, the RBI said. This comes at a time when the liquidity in the banking system is in huge surplus and the central bank has been conducting variable rate reverse repo (VRRR) auctions to remove excess surplus liquidity from the system. The central bank, so far in August, has conducted 21 VRRR auctions to remove excess surplus liquidity from

Datanomics: Corporation earnings may have depressed GDP growth

Even at seven per cent, the GDP growth rate in the first quarter would be a four-quarter low, though higher than 6.8 per cent in the year-ago period.

Indians invest record funds in overseas stocks, debt in June

Mutual funds investing overseas through the fund-of-funds route also held assets worth 465.5 billion rupees ($4.9 billion) as of July 31

Digital divide keeps women out of India's gig economy, says report

Women remain under-represented in India's platform economy despite near parity in bank-account ownership, as digital capability and credit-access gaps persist

India's informal sector suffered sharpest contraction in Q1 FY27

Establishments and employment remained above year-ago levels but contracted sequentially, with rural India accounting for much of the decline in the June quarter

Kolkata's tryst with reforms: IT, retail gained but past glory elusive

Even as new-age offices and crisscrossing flyovers reshaped the skyline, Kolkata's image changed only fleetingly

VB-G RAM-G's first month: Poor jobs data, but the story is more complex

July persondays fell sharply from MGNREGA levels, but the Centre cites sowing pauses, monsoon recovery and transition issues, while experts say one month is too early to judge

Equirus' $20trn economy roadmap: List railways, cut TDS, end STT & more

Equirus Securities in its report 'India's Road to a $20 Trillion Economy' has proposed a 20-point reform agenda across five areas.

100 days in office: West Bengal banks on a pro-business turnaround

West Bengal's new government is betting on a pro-business approach to revive investment, but fiscal constraints and the contentious land question remain major hurdles