Page 6 - India

Toshiba plans ₹3,232 cr investment to double output in Japan and India

Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation (Toshiba) on Friday announced its plan to invest 55 billion yen (around Rs 3,232 crore) by FY2027, aimed at doubling output capacity at its key facilities in Japan and India. Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation (Toshiba) has announced a significant expansion of its investment in the power transmission and distribution (T&D) equipment business, in response to accelerating global electricity demand, a company statement said. According to the statement, the company will invest a total of 55 billion yen by FY2027. This investment is expected to more than double combined production capacity at Toshiba's key facilities in Japan and India by FY2030, against FY2024 levels. This initiative builds on the 20-billion-yen investment announced in July 2024 for FY2024FY2026. With demand now projected to exceed initial forecasts, Toshiba has decided to invest an additional 35 billion yen in its Hamakawasaki Operations in Kawasaki, .

Rajnath, Adityanath to flag off 1st batch of BrahMos missiles from Lucknow

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will flag off the first batch of BrahMos missiles manufactured at the BrahMos Aerospace unit in Lucknow's Sarojini Nagar on Saturday, an official statement said. The statement said it will not only prove to be a milestone for the Uttar Pradesh Defense Industrial Corridor (UPDIC) but will also provide a new energy to India's resolve to achieve self-reliance in defense products. BrahMos Aerospace, the manufacturer of the "BrahMos" supersonic missile system, has successfully produced the first batch of the missile system from its new Integration and Test Facility in Lucknow. This state-of-the-art unit became fully operational after its inauguration on May 11, 2025. It houses all modern facilities for missile integration, testing, and final quality checks. After successful testing, the missiles are prepared for deployment by the Indian Armed Forces. According to the statement, during the event, the defence .

Equal & uninterrupted: Russian envoy hails mutually beneficial India-Russia ties

Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov on Thursday said that India’s choices regarding oil imports are based on its national interests, and that Russia’s partnership with India

Explained: India's pension system ranked lowest in world: What’s going wrong? | Personal finance

India’s retirement income system has been ranked near the bottom of the Global Pension Index 2025 with a D grade and a score of 43.8.

UN today still reflects realities of 1945, not of 2025: EAM Jaishankar

The United Nations today "still reflects the realities of 1945, not of 2025", External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday, even as he asserted that for the UN to be effective, it must reform, becoming more inclusive, democratic, participative and representative of the current world. In his address at the concluding day of the United Nations Troop Contributing Countries' (UNTCC) Chiefs Conclave here, he also said the nature of conflicts have transformed with the "rise of non-state actors" and with asymmetric warfare. The EAM underscored the need to "recalibrate" global peacekeeping efforts in tune with evolving realities. He also called for decisions on peacekeeping mandates to be taken in close consultation with all stakeholders, including troop-contributing and host nations. In his address, he recalled about his recent visit to New York to attend the 80th UN General Assembly. "Let me share with you some key insights of that experience. One, the United Nations today st

Pre-test exercise for 1st phase of Census 2027 to be held from Nov 10-30

The pre-test exercise for the first phase of Population Census 2027, which will include Houselisting and Housing census, shall be conducted in select sample areas in all the states and Union territories from November 10-30, 2025, a top official said on Friday. In a gazette notification, Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan, said an option for self-enumeration will also be available from November 1-7. The pre-test exercise tests the efficacy of the Census to be conducted between April 1, 2026, and February 28, 2027, in two phases -- Houselisting and Housing Schedule (HLO), and Population Enumeration. It will be the first digital census, which will also enumerate the caste of the citizens. During the test phase, all aspects of the mammoth exercise, ranging from questions, data collection, training, logistics, mobile application and software, will be evaluated to plug any issues in the process, officials said. In Phase-1, i.e., Houselisting ...

IT sector shows signs of recovery as clients warm up to AI-led projects

Infosys, which topped analyst estimates for profit and revenue in the second quarter, sees full-year revenue growth of 2-3%, compared with its prior view of 1-3%

Ahmedabad gets recommendation for host city CWG 2030 in board meeting

Ahmedabad was on Wednesday recommended as the proposed host of the 2030 Commonwealth Games by Commonwealth Sport's Executive Board, paving the way for the big event's return to India after two decades and bolstering its ambition to be an Olympic host in 2036. A final decision, which now seems a mere formality, will be taken on November 26 at the body's General Assembly in Glasgow after the recommendation is sent to the full membership of Commonwealth Sport. India had hosted the Games for the first time back in 2010 in New Delhi. Getting the Games' hosting rights would also be a significant milestone in India's quest to become an Olympic host in 2036, also proposed to be conducted in Ahmedabad. India was facing competition from Nigerian city of Abuja in the 2030 bid but Commonwealth Sport has decided to "develop a strategy for supporting and accelerating" the African nation's hosting ambitions for future Games, including consideration for 2034. "The Executive Board of Commonwealth .

Amazon layoffs, SC allows use of green firecrackers,China moves WTO over India's EV

The Supreme Court on Wednesday eased its ban on green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR, allowing their offline sale under strict conditions. The court noted that smuggled firecrackers cause more pollution

India-EU free trade talks enter final stage, says commerce secretary

The negotiations between India and the European Union on the proposed free trade agreement are progressing "very well" and have reached the last leg, a senior government official said on Wednesday. The two sides concluded their 14th round of negotiations in Brussels last week, but some Indian officials have stayed back to conclude talks on Rules of Origin (ROO), Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal told reporters here. "We are in the last leg of negotiations. The last leg is the most arduous leg of negotiations because these are the toughest things that are decided at the end. Progress in the last round has been very positive," he said. The 'Rules of Origin' (ROO) provision prescribes minimal processing that should happen in the FTA (free trade agreement) country so that the final manufactured product may be called originating goods in that country. "That (ROO) is one area where a lot of work needs to be done. So we have left the team there. It was planned to have the negotiations for

India-backed oil refinery in Mongolia to start operations by 2028

The announcement was made during Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa's visit to India

India Post resumes mail services to US from Oct 15 with 50% duty

India Post will restart sending mail and packages to the US but all shipments will pay extra after the US imposed a flat 50% duty

Festive, wedding seasons likely to generate ₹7 trn in sales: Trade body

India's festive season and upcoming wedding period are projected to generate a turnover exceeding Rs 7 lakh crore, according to trade body Bhartiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal (BUVM). BUVM national president Babu Lal Gupta said that the festive season has brought robust momentum to markets across the country, and a turnover of Rs 7.58 lakh crore across various sectors is expected. On Tuesday, the national trade body released a report based on a market survey conducted across the country. "A combination of high consumer sentiment, growing preference for local products and improvements in the GST regime have significantly boosted retail and wholesale trade," he said. Gupta said the positive sentiment is reflected across sectors, ranging from automobiles, real estate, and grocery essentials to jewellery, electronics, traditional decor, apparel and dry fruits. He said domestic manufacturers, particularly small and medium enterprises, are witnessing rising demand, especially in tier-2 and tier

Indian envoy, Sri Lanka's JVP leader discuss stronger economic ties

Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha met the ruling Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) General Secretary Tilvin Silva to discuss recent developments in bilateral partnership and the potential of closer economic ties. High Commissioner Santosh Jha met JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva and discussed the recent developments in #IndiaSriLanka partnership, the Indian High Commission in Colombo posted on social media on Monday. The duo exchanged views on the limitless potential of closer economic ties for mutual prosperity of the people of India and Sri Lanka, it added. The meeting took place at JVP headquarters in Pelawatte, Battaramulla, and covered the current situation in Sri Lanka, including the success of the Indian housing project for displaced hill country communities, the Sri Lanka Mirror reported on Tuesday. While Silva expressed gratitude to India for its contribution, the Indian envoy pledged further assistance to Sri Lanka, the report said. The two also discussed

Delays, arbitrary charges for RoW nods hindering telecom growth: MoS

Prolonged delays, arbitrary charges, and inconsistent processes of local authorities for right of way permissions required for rolling out telecom infrastructure are holding back the expansion of digital networks, Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said. The minister, during a meeting with state IT ministers at India Mobile Congress 2025, urged the state governments to take action to operationalize single window systems, enforce time bound approvals, collaborate with local bodies to ensure rational cost based charges and align state IT policies with newer developments. He said that the National Broadband Mission 2.0 has set forth ambitious targets that will transform the nation by 2030 with 100 per cent broadband connectivity across all villages, number, achieving 80 per cent household broadband penetration nationwide, fibre connectivity to 90 per cent of telecom towers to enable high speed internet and establishing a robust ecosystem for 5G densification .

Gap between telcos network spending and revenue widens beyond ₹10,000 cr

Telecom industry body COAI has defended service providers' call to increase mobile tariff citing continuous widening of gap between their expense on network deployment and revenue earned by them in return. While speaking at India Mobile Congress, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), Director General, SP Kochhar told PTI that the government has supported a lot to telecom operators with policies like right of way (RoW) but still several authorities continue to charge exorbitant fees for laying network elements. "Earlier, the gap until 2024 for infrastructure development and revenue received from tariffs was around Rs 10,000 crore. Now it has started increasing even further. Our cost of rolling out networks should be reduced by a reduction in the price of spectrum, levies etc. "The Centre has come out with a very good ROW policy. It is a different matter that many people have not yet fallen in line and are still charging extremely high," Kochhar said. He defended the cut do

Education must not become privilege for a few, says Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said that India needs an education system that reflects the rich diversity of the country and should not become a "privilege for a few", saying it is the very foundation of freedom. Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, also said India needs to build an alternative manufacturing system and a partnership with the US or Peru could be the way forward. In an interaction with students at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and the University of Chile, the Congress leader held an "insightful dialogue" focused on education, democracy and geopolitics. "India needs to build an alternative manufacturing system that thrives in a democratic setup. Thus, a partnership with Peru or the US could be the way forward," the Congress quoted Gandhi on its official X handle, while sharing a video of his conversation with students in South America. "When it comes to education, it begins with curiosity and the freedom to think openly and ask questions witho

Bengal has become safe haven for criminals, not safe for women: CPI(M)

The CPI(M) on Sunday claimed that West Bengal has become a safe haven for criminals, maintaining that the state is not anymore safe for women. "In West Bengal, criminals are safe and not women," CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said that female boarders, especially those from outside the state, should follow hostel rules and not venture out late at night. Banerjee made the averment after a student of a private medical college in Durgapur, hailing from Odisha, was allegedly gang-raped on Friday night when she went out with a friend for dinner. Chakraborty said Banerjee, by asking female students not to venture out at night, has made it apparent that West Bengal is "not safe for women". "By asking women students not to venture out at night, the chief minister has made it clear that the propaganda that Kolkata is the safest city, or Durgapur is a safe city, is not true," Chakraborty, a former CPI(M) Lok Sabha

9 in 10 Indians ready to pay more for certified quality healthcare: Report

Around 83 per cent of patients in India seek objective, accessible information to guide their healthcare choices, and nearly 90 per cent are willing to pay more for certified quality, as per a report by FICCI and EY-Parthenon. While India's healthcare efficiency outperforms global peers, structural and financial pressures reinforce the need for a national framework that sets clear minimum quality standards, enabling patients to make informed healthcare choices, the report, titled 'True Accountable Care: Maximizing Healthcare Delivery Impact, Efficiently', stated. The report, based on research across 250 hospitals in 40 cities with 75,000 beds, surveys of over 1,000 patients and 100-plus clinicians, consultation with CXOs and investors, stated that bed per capita capacity has doubled since 2000 in India. The country still has one of the lowest hospital bed densities globally and a dual payor-provider fragmentation challenge with just 25-30 beds per hospital compared to over 100 ...

India, Korea to explore joint initiatives in electronics and EV components

India and Korea have agreed to explore joint initiatives in electronics and electric vehicle (EV) components, and digital supply chains, the commerce ministry said on Friday. It was discussed between the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada and his Korean counterpart Yeo Han-Koo. "In discussions...the focus areas included collaboration in manufacturing, digital technologies and clean technologies. The two sides agreed to explore joint initiatives in electronics, EV components, and trusted digital supply chains," it said. He also held bilateral meetings with ministers from Japan, South Africa, the Netherlands and discussed ways to boost trade and investments. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the G20 Trade and Investment Ministers' Meeting (TIMM) in Gqeberha, South Africa. In the discussions on the WTO (World Trade Organisation), Prasada called for the restoration of a fully functional, two-tier dispute settlement system with an operational appellate ...