Industry News

Govt issues SOP for hub-spoke model for int'l flights; A-I trials in June

The civil aviation ministry has issued the standard operating procedure for operationalising the hub and spoke aviation model to ensure smooth domestic to international connectivity for passengers, and Air India is expected to start trials based on the model in June, according to sources. The Hub and Spoke (H&S) model will provide smooth connectivity for passengers travelling from spoke airports to international destinations through a hub or larger airport. One of the sources said Air India is expected to start trial H&S flights from Varanasi airport from June 1. Passengers will take a flight from Varanasi to Delhi and then another flight to London. The move is part of efforts to make India, one of the world's fastest domestic civil aviation markets, as a global aviation hub. Under the model, Domestic to International (D-I) and International to Domestic (I-D) operations will be facilitated in a smoother manner for passengers, including in terms of immigration processes and ...

Ramky Estates acquires 4.3 msf Skylark projects, eyes ₹2,000 crore

Ramky Estates has acquired stalled Skylark residential projects in Bengaluru, aiming to revive construction, ensure delivery, and unlock revenue potential of around Rs 2,000 crore

Transmission bottlenecks threaten India's ambitious renewable energy goals

India's rapid renewable energy expansion is exposing grid and transmission constraints, with experts warning that system resilience and infrastructure upgrades are critical to sustain growth

Deep tech to drive India's next Unicorn wave: Kris Gopalakrishnan

Moving beyond consumer internet and fintech, the next wave of billion-dollar Indian startups must be built on deep technology and advanced manufacturing to secure the country's strategic autonomy, Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan said on Tuesday. Speaking at the CII Unicorn Summit 2026, Gopalakrishnan, Chairman, CII Centre of Excellence for Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Startups and Chairman, Axilor Ventures, defined this next phase as "Unicorn 2.0", urging founders to focus on proprietary technology and longevity rather than just chasing high valuations. "For me, Unicorn 2.0 is about deep tech," Gopalakrishnan said. While acknowledging that the first wave of consumer internet, edtech, and D2C unicorns made India proud, he noted that the next wave will determine if India becomes a truly developed economy. "Deep tech is harder, it takes longer, the capital cycles are different... and the failure rates are higher. But the rewards-economic, strategic, and civilisational-are ...

Peak power demand reaches record 256 GW for second time in 3 days

The country's peak power demand soared to 255.85 GW on Monday, reaching the record level for the second time within three days, driven by intense heatwave conditions that pushed usage of cooling appliances like air-conditioners and desert coolers. The surge in power demand, amid severe heatwave conditions across the north, central and western India, resulted in a significant rise in energy consumption, as users relied on air-conditioners and cooling devices to beat the heat. According to the power ministry data, peak power demand was recorded at 255.85 GW (nearly 256GW) on Monday, which was a tad below the highest-ever peak demand recorded at 256.11 GW on Saturday. Peak power demand started surging in the second half of this month and touched 252.07 GW on April 24. The power ministry on Tuesday said, "India has successfully met its all-time highest peak electricity demand of 256.1 GW on 25th April 2026 at 15:38 hrs without any shortage, while simultaneously maintaining electricity

Infosys tops LinkedIn India 2026 career growth list; Accenture second

IT major Infosys has emerged as the top company for career growth in India, followed by Accenture and Amazon, according to LinkedIn's '2026 Top Companies' list released on Tuesday. The 10th edition of the annual list, which features 25 large companies, is dominated by technology powerhouses, global consulting firms, and financial giants. JPMorgan Chase and SAP secured the fourth and fifth positions, respectively. The 2026 list witnessed ten new entrants. Notable new additions include tech firms such as SAP, NVIDIA, HP, Microsoft, Sandisk, Marvell Technology, and Thomson Reuters. Geographically, Bengaluru continues to lead as the prominent talent hub for these top companies. Hyderabad follows closely, while Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai remain key hiring centres for large corporations. The report highlighted a shifting focus in hiring trends, noting that companies are increasingly looking for professionals who can blend technical fluency with human skills-such as communication and ...

RBI eases risk-weight trigger for unrated big-ticket loans, tweaks norms

Threshold for 150% risk weight raised to ₹500 crore; draft norms' tougher proposals pared back

Why India must ramp up coal gasification as part of its energy strategy

India's abundant coal reserves and rising energy demand make coal gasification a key strategy to reduce import dependence, boost industrial fuel supply, and strengthen long-term energy security

Has India's farm output finally become less dependent on the monsoon?

As India faces a below-normal monsoon forecast for 2026, improved irrigation, resilient seeds and policy support have strengthened farm output, though regional risks and inflation concerns persist

Zomato drops clause penalising restaurants for lower dine-in prices: Report

The clause was never enforced but has been dropped now, a Zomato source said on Thursday, without explaining the rationale for the decision

Odisha clears ₹124 crore spinning unit in Balangir to boost textiles

Cabinet approves yarn manufacturing unit by Shree Ambica Cotspin to strengthen cotton value chain, create jobs and spur industrial growth in the KBK region

EU unveils plan to curb energy prices, tackle shortages amid Iran conflict

Concerns over the bloc's declining competitiveness with China and the US have helped push energy prices to the top of the EU's political agenda

FDI firms' net sales growth slows to 8.7% in FY25 from 9.4%: RBI data

Net sales growth of the select FDI companies moderated to 8.7 per cent in 2024-25 from 9.4 per cent in the previous year, according to the RBI data on finances of foreign direct investment firms. The central bank on Wednesday released the data relating to the financial performance of non-government non-financial (NGNF) foreign direct investment (FDI) companies in India during 2024-25 based on audited annual accounts of 3,100 companies, which reported in the Indian Accounting Standards (Ind-AS) format. "Industry wise, net sales growth of services sector marginally increased to 12.7 per cent from 12.2 per cent in the previous year, while for manufacturing sector it decelerated to 5.1 per cent from 6.8 per cent in the previous year," the RBI said. Companies with direct investment from Singapore, the US and Mauritius accounted for more than half of the sample companies. Japan, the Netherlands and the UK were other major direct investment sources in India. Majority of the sample compani

India to buy urea at near double pre-war prices amid supply disruption

Urea from the West Asia, a major supplier to the South Asian nation, was quoted at $490 a ton before the war began, according to Green Markets data

Enterprise AI adoption held back by skills gap, says Nutanix AI chief

Nutanix Chief AI Officer Debojyoti Dutta says enterprises are struggling to deploy AI at scale due to a shortage of skilled professionals, even as adoption shifts from pilots to production

Tesla brings in 2nd model to India; to expand service, body shop network

American electric carmaker Tesla on Wednesday announced acceleration of its journey in India, driving in the three-row six-seater SUV Model YL priced at Rs 61.99 lakh, its second offering in the country. The company, which last year made its much-awaited entry into India with the launch of its Model Y, is also revving up expansion of charging network across highways connecting major cities. "What we are going to do in the coming quarter or in this quarter is to expand our service and body shop network and presence in cities of Bengal, Hyderabad, Chennai and Ahmedabad," Tesla India General Manager Sharad Agarwal said at the launch. Stating that the company will be closer to its customers, he said, "Service for us is more of peace of mind to our customers because you don't need to come to the Tesla service centre to fix your car." Charging is a very important part of the ecosystem that we are building here in India, he said and added the company had already enabled five supercharger

Government eyes E85 fuel rollout, but is India ready for the shift?

Reports suggest the government may soon notify E85 fuel rules as India eyes higher ethanol blends, but experts flag gaps in vehicle readiness, infrastructure, pricing, and transition timelines

PNG push gains pace: 500,000 new connections amid LPG supply concerns

India has accelerated its shift to piped natural gas, with more than 5.01 lakh new PNG connections gasified since March and over 5.68 lakh consumers registering for fresh connections, even as authorities manage LPG supplies amid geopolitical disruptions. With the war in West Asia disrupting cooking gas LPG supplies, the government is pushing households as well as industries to move to piped natural gas -- a more convenient alternative whose supplies have not been very badly hit. LPG users within the reach of a PNG connection have been asked to shift, while orders have been issued for expediting approvals for laying of pipelines that supply gas to burner tips. "Since March 2026, more than 5.01 lakh PNG connections have been gasified," said Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, at a news briefing on Tuesday. Gasified means the start of gas supplies. These connections include ones that may have been applied before the crisis as well as after ...

Infra investments to grow 50% through FY28 despite West Asia crisis: Crisil

Crisil sees strong infrastructure investment growth through FY28 backed by policy support and balance sheets, though risks persist across renewables, roads and real estate

Centre allows extra 25 lakh tonnes wheat export amid strong harvest outlook

The Centre on Monday allowed export of an additional 25 lakh tonne of wheat considering comfortable stock position amid likelihood of another strong harvest. With this, a total of 50 lakh tonne of wheat and 10 lakh tonne of wheat products have now been permitted for exports. "In view of the comfortable production outlook and higher stock availability, permitting additional exports was considered appropriate," the food ministry said in a statement. The export of additional quantity of wheat is expected to enhance market liquidity, facilitate efficient stock management, and prevent distress sales during the peak arrival season. It will also help stabilise domestic prices and strengthen farmers' incomes, while ensuring that the country's food security remains fully safeguarded. The country's wheat production is pegged at 120.2 million tonne for 2025-26 crop year (July-June) as per the second advance estimate of the agriculture ministry. The higher production was due to increase in w