Page 22 - India

India’s population grows, but fertility rate dips | UN report explained

A new UN report says India’s population is now 1.46 billion. But the bigger headline? India’s fertility rate has dipped below the replacement level. What does that mean for India’s future?

India's natural gas consumption to more than double by 2040: PNGRB study

India's natural gas consumption is likely to rise by close to 60 per cent by 2030 and more than double by 2040, on the back of rise in usage of the fuel as CNG in automobiles and for cooking and industrial purposes, according to a study by oil regulator PNGRB. Consumption of natural gas, which is used to produce electricity, make fertilizer or turned into CNG for running automobiles and piped to household kitchens for cooking, is expected to rise from 187 million standard cubic metres per day in 2023-24 to 297 mmscmd by 2030 under 'Good-to-Go' scenario, the study by Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) said. 'Good-to-Go' scenario assumes moderate growth and developments based on current trends and commitments. Consumption of natural gas is projected to rise to 496 mmscmd by 2040 under the same scenario. Under the 'Good to Best' scenario that considers accelerated progress, favourable policy implementation, and enhanced investments leading to higher-than expected growt

India's rice stocks hit record high, wheat reserves strongest in 4 years

Record rice stocks will help the world's biggest exporter increase shipments, while an improvement in wheat inventories will help the federal government tame any price spikes later this year

India's social security coverage rises to 64.3% from 19% in 10 years

India's social security coverage has increased to 64.3 per cent in 2025 from 19 per cent in 2015, according to the ILO data. As per the International Labour Organization (ILO), India now ranks second in the world in terms of beneficiary count, providing social protection to around 94 crore citizens. "The increase marks the fastest expansion in social protection coverage worldwide, reflecting the government's unwavering commitment to 'Antyodaya' i.e., empowering the last mile and fulfilling the promise of leaving no one behind," said Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya who was in Geneva to attend the 113th session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) of the ILO. According to an official statement, ILO has acknowledged India's achievement and officially published on its dashboard that 64.3 per cent of India's population, i.e. over 94 crore people, are now covered under at least one social protection benefit. It is an unprecedented 45 percentage point surge over the past decade,

India will certainly cross $825 bn exports in FY26: Commerce minister

India's exports of goods and services hit a record $825 billion in FY25, up from $778 billion in FY24. Meanwhile, the World Bank projects global growth at 2.3% in 2025, the weakest in 17 years

India plans to standardise air-conditioning temperature to save power

The plan, although at an initial stage, reflects the government's focus to boost energy efficiency as electricity consumption soars

Corporate India's hiring outlook steady for Jul-Sep quarter: Report

Corporate India has a steady hiring outlook for the next three months, driven by strong growth in the private services sector and hopes of economic benefits stemming from shifts in global trade dynamics, a report said on Tuesday. According to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, employers reported a Net Employment Outlook (NEO) of 42 per cent -- the second highest outlook globally and emerging as a key player in the global employment landscape. The NEO is calculated by subtracting the percentage of employers who anticipate reductions in staffing levels from those who plan to hire. "As we enter the third quarter of 2025, India's employment Outlook remains robust, with a NEO of 42 per cent -- among the highest globally. Despite a slight dip from the previous quarter, the 12-point year-on-year gain highlights sustained employer confidence and growth momentum in the labour market," said Sandeep Gulati, Managing Director, ManpowerGroup India and Middle East. As per the ..

Good potential to increase export of leather shoes from India: Bata

Footwear maker Bata sees good potential to boost its exports from India, a top company official said on Monday. "We mainly export leather shoes from India...it's in millions...scope and potential is there (to increase that)," Bata Brands SA CEO Sandeep Kataria said, adding that India will be "our second largest" hub for sourcing. Bata has its main design centre in Italy and over 15 factories across the globe. The company has a design centre in Gurugram (Haryana) in India also and it, along with the Italian team, can design products for emerging markets, he said. On the quality control order for the footwear sector in India, he said it is a good move as it will help set up a quality benchmark. "It can help keep out poor quality (goods)," he added.

Tata Motors to invest up to $4 billion over 5 years for EVs, new cars

India, the world's third-largest car market, is planning stricter emission norms starting 2027 and wants EVs to form 30% of all car sales by 2030

Tension between India, China has eased significantly: Russian FM Lavrov

The tension between India and China has eased significantly and the stalled work of the RIC troika could be restarted, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday. Speaking at the Forum of the Future-2050 here, he said the resumption of joint work in RIC format could be the first step towards pan-Eurasian processes, including the formation of a multi-polar architecture. "I really hope that we will be able to restore the work of the Russia-India-China trio. We have not met at the level of foreign ministers for the last couple of years, but we are discussing this issue with my Chinese colleague and with the Indian head of the External Affairs department. I really hope that now that the tension has eased, in my opinion, has eased significantly on the border between India and China, and the situation is stabilising, there is a dialogue between New Delhi and Beijing, we will be able to resume the work of this Russia-India-China trio," Lavrov was reported as saying by Russia's .

RBI to discontinue daily variable rate repo auctions from June 11

The RBI started conducting daily VRR auctions on every working day from January 16, when banks were grappling with tight liquidity conditions

SAIL supplies 16,000 tonnes for Chenab rail bridge: Bhilai Steel official

The Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) has supplied 16,000 tonnes of steel for the construction of the world's tallest railway bridge over the Chenab river in Jammu & Kashmir, of which the Bhilai Steel Plant contributed 12,000 tonnes, according to the steel plant's official on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off the first train service to the Kashmir Valley and inaugurated a number of development projects, including the world's highest railway bridge over Chenab river and India's first cable-stayed arch bridge. The Bhilai Steel Plant official said, "Bhilai Steel Plant and other steel plants of SAIL have supplied 16,000 tonnes of steel for the construction of this bridge. This includes plates, TMT bars, and structural steel. This achievement is a matter of pride for SAIL and BSP." "This 1.3-kilometre-long bridge stands 35 metres higher than the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris. An engineering marvel, the bridge is designed to withstand high wind speeds of up to .

Mediation between two unequals not possible: Tharoor on Trump's claims

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has said that to suggest one can mediate between two unequals is not possible because there is no equivalence between terrorists and their victims, amid repeated claims by US President Donald Trump that he "helped settle" the tensions between India and Pakistan. Tharoor, currently in the US leading a multi-party delegation on Operation Sindoor, made the comments in response to a question during a conversation at the Council on Foreign Relations here Thursday. "Mediation is not a term that we are particularly willing to entertain. I'll tell you why not. The fact is that this implies, even when you say things like broker or whatever, you're implying an equivalence which simply doesn't exist," Tharoor said. He said there is no equivalence between terrorists and their victims. "There is no equivalence between a country that provides safe haven to terrorism, and a country that's a flourishing multi-party democracy that's trying to get on with its business," he

India's renewable energy capacity in total energy mix rises to 49% in Apr

India's renewable energy share in the total installed power capacity has increased to 49 per cent in April 2025 from 32 per cent in 2014, Union Power Minister Manohar Lal said on Friday. Addressing the Regional Conference for the Northern Region States/UTs in Chandigarh, the minister said states should also work on having an adequate power generation mix, including the addition of nuclear generation capacity while meeting their resource adequacy plan. He also pointed out that states should complete the installation of prepaid smart metres in government establishments and colonies by August 2025 and for all commercial, industrial and high-load consumers by November 2025. States should work towards listing power sector utilities to generate additional resources and improve transparency and governance, the minister noted. "We successfully met a peak demand of 250 GW in May 2024 and India has transformed from power-deficit to a power-sufficient nation and as of today, peak demand short

India-Sri Lanka defence dialogue discusses enhancing maritime security

India and Sri Lanka explored ways to further expand their bilateral defence cooperation, especially in areas of maritime security, the island nation's defence ministry said. The deliberations took place at the Sri Lanka-India Defence Dialogue held in Colombo on Thursday. It was the first high-level meeting after India and Sri Lanka signed the first ever defence partnership on April 5. A statement from the Defence Ministry said that the Sri Lankan delegation was led by Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd), while the visiting Indian Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh led the Indian delegation. The high-level dialogue focused on strengthening bilateral defence cooperation, enhancing maritime security, and exploring new avenues for collaboration in training and strategic engagement, the statement said. Senior officials from both sides participated in the discussions, reaffirming the longstanding defence partnership between Sri Lanka and India, it said. The

PM Modi to inaugurate multiple projects in J-K today: Check full schedule

PM Modi will also inaugurate India's first cable-stayed rail bridge at Anji, completing a decades-long effort to connect the Kashmir Valley to the rest of the country by rail

Tougher rules on China tech deals put India's electronics sector on edge

India's electronics ambitions face delays as tighter scrutiny on Chinese tech partnerships stalls critical joint ventures ahead of a key manufacturing deadline

Held 3 meetings in 35 days with EU official to push FTA talks, says Goyal

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has held three meetings within a short span of 35 days with the European Commissioner for Trade Maros Sefcovic with an aim to give an impetus to the reposed negotiations for a free trade agreement. Goyal said on Thursday that India has already signed similar agreements with four-European nation bloc EFTA and the UK. The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. Now, India is in the process of concluding the negotiations with the 27-nation bloc European Union. "We have held three meetings in 35 days. It shows our shared commitment for the FTA... we are trying to do it faster," Goyal told reporters here. The minister is here on a two-day visit. He is meeting leaders and businesses to boost trade and investments between the two countries. The first and the second meetings between Goyal and Sefcovic were held on May 1 and May 23 in Brussels, while the third meeting concluded on June

Indian-origin man on life support after Australian cop 'kneels on neck'

Indian-origin man Gaurav Kundi is on life support after an Australian cop allegedly knelt on his neck. An internal police review is underway

India, EU likely to go for comprehensive FTA; GI pacts to follow later

India and the European Union (EU) are likely to agree upon a comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA) instead of an interim deal, an official said on Tuesday. However, the proposed investment treaty and a pact on geographical indications (GI) may not be concluded simultaneously. The official said that the situation remains dynamic in the free trade agreement negotiations. Negotiations for the "comprehensive agreement" between India and the EU are progressing at a rapid pace, and the deal could be concluded before the year-end, the official added. Earlier, there were discussions that an early harvest trade pact may be finalised before going for a comprehensive deal. In June 2022, India and the 27-nation EU bloc resumed negotiations for a comprehensive free trade agreement, an investment protection agreement and a pact on GIs after a gap of over eight years. A GI is primarily an agricultural, natural or manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods) originating from a defi