Page 24 - India

INSCO submits Rs 2,752 crore revised plan for HNGIL takeover after SC order

Independent Sugar Corporation (INSCO) has submitted a comprehensive revised resolution plan worth Rs 2,752 crore for the takeover of debt-ridden glass bottle manufacturer Hindusthan National Glass & Industries Limited (HNGIL), in line with the Supreme Court verdict. The Committee of Creditors (CoC) is likely to consider the revised proposal, and voting is likely to commence on Thursday, sources said. INSCO, a company promoted by the Madhvani Group, having operations in many countries, has submitted a revised resolution plan on June 8, making Rs 2,752 crore offer comprising Rs 2,200 crore in upfront cash and equity valued at around Rs 550 crore. The revised offer comes following the Supreme Court's directive to match the offer previously made by AGI Greenpac. As per the apex court's order, only INSCO's plan will be considered for approval, with the entire resolution process, including voting, to be completed by July 2025. INSCO's plan outlines payment of the entire Rs 2,200 crore .

India's renewable energy capacity rises 17% to 227 CW in May: Joshi

India's total renewable energy capacity grew 17.13 per cent year-on-year to 226.74 gigawatts (GW) in May, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Wednesday. "India's #RenewableEnergy sector has witnessed unprecedented growth under the visionary leadership of Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji. From solar to wind energy, our nation is paving the way for a brighter and more sustainable future!," the Minister for New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) said in a post on X. The renewable energy capacity has surged 17.13 per cent year-on-year to 226.74 GW in May from 193.58 GW in the same month last year, as per the data shared by the minister in his post. Of the total, solar power capacity expanded 31.49 per cent to 110.83 GW from 84.28 GW in May 2024. Wind capacity witnessed a rise of 10.49 per cent to 51.29 GW against 46.42 GW last year. In a separate post, Joshi said clean energy is shaping India's journey of progress and pride. "Guided by @narendramodi ji's leadership, it has become a powerfu

CAT issues notice to AIR over plea by casual RJs on announcer hiring

The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has issued notice to All India Radio and others on a plea filed by the association of casual radio jockeys (RJs) against the public sector radio broadcaster's notification on appointment of casual announcers. Judicial Member Manish Garg noted the submissions of senior advocate Salman Khurshid that the All India Radio Broadcasting Professionals Association, comprising around 20 casual announcers or RJs, were working for "a long time", and that the matter on the regularisation of "similarly situated persons" was pending in the Supreme Court. The tribunal noted that the association had also filed an application for impleading themselves in the matter before the apex court. In an order dated June 10, CAT said the April 4 notification would be "subject to the outcome of the present original application". "Issue notice to the respondents. Let the reply be filed within four weeks," the tribunal said. The respondents are All India Radio or Akashva

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