Industry News

SBI invests in startup-focused funds to boost India's MSME ecosystem: MD

State Bank of India (SBI) is actively investing in startup-focused funds and financial market infrastructure through direct equity participation as part of its MSME strategy, a top official said on Saturday. "We have been actively investing in startup-focused funds and financial market infrastructure through direct equity participation and schemes like Startup India, and banks in startup-intensive branches and business centres," SBI managing director Ravi Ranjan said while addressing the 'India by MSME' event of UGRO Capital in Mumbai. Highlighting the role of startups, he said, "As a code for the entrepreneurial spirit sweeping the new India, the startups are pivotal in accelerating MSME credit by driving innovation, fostering internet adoption, and creating basic employment and population scale with unicorns boosting technology governance, facilitating economic expansion for MSMEs." He further said the bank has started a startup hub in different cities and unmatched skill and ...

Pharma exports rise 9.4% in FY25; industry eyes double-digit growth

The commerce ministry on Saturday said the country's pharma exports grew 9.4 per cent in 2024-25 to USD 30.47 billion and the industry is aiming for a double-digit expansion in 2026-27. Issues pertaining to pharmaceuticals exports were discussed between the government officials and industry during Chintan Shivir in Ahmedabad. The sector, currently valued around USD 60 billion, is projected to reach USD 130 billion by 2030. India ranks third globally by volume, with medicines exported to over 200 markets, and more than 60 per cent of exports destined for stringent regulatory markets. The US accounts for 34 per cent and Europe for 19 per cent of India's pharmaceutical exports. "The interaction underlined the government's focus on enabling conditions for sustained export acceleration, with industry indicating readiness to target double-digit growth in 2026-27," it said. It added that exporters were also apprised of opportunities arising from recent trade engagements with key partner

Andhra Pradesh to host energy 'Investment Bazar' in Vijayawada on Feb 24

Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary K Vijayanand on Saturday said an Investment Bazar will be organised in Vijayawada on February 24 to promote energy efficiency investments in the state. The Chief Secretary conducted a virtual meeting with officials of Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited (APEPDCL), Andhra Pradesh Central Power Distribution Corporation Limited (APCPDCL), Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL), Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation Limited (APGENCO) and Andhra Pradesh Transmission Corporation Limited (APTRANSCO) to review preparedness for the workshop. "An Investment Bazar will be organised in Vijayawada on February 24 to promote energy efficiency investments and strengthen the sector across Andhra Pradesh," said Vijayanand in an official press release. Having secured the "top national rank in energy conservation", Andhra Pradesh is strengthening policy frameworks and innovative financing models to attract ...

NCLT clears withdrawal of insolvency proceedings against Mahagun

The decision follows the company's settlement with IDBI Trusteeship Services; the NCLT order further records that all pending applications in the matter stand disposed of

India's core sector eases to 4% in Jan; steel, cement remain bright spots

India's core sector growth eased to 4% in January, with most industries slowing except steel and cement, while analysts say the trends reflect strong construction and infrastructure activity

New labour codes raise Nifty 100 firms' wage bills by ₹17.6K crore

IT, banking, aviation take biggest hit in Q3; 73 of 96 firms already counting the cost

CoalMin proposes revised timelines to speed up mine operationalisation

Draft amendments to mining agreements introduce stricter milestone schedules and performance security provisions to fast-track commercial and captive coal mine development

Shivraj Singh Chouhan calls for making tree plantation a mass movement

Chouhan started the initiative on February 19, 2021, on Narmada Jayanti. He had planted saplings of 'Rudraksha' and 'Sal' at Amarkantak to mark the occasion

Rare earth permanent magnet production to begin by year-end: Minister

Four states identified for mineral processing parks as India prepares to begin rare-earth magnet production; Canada seeks joint ventures across critical minerals value chain

Air India's aircraft fleet reliability has improved: CEO Campbell Wilson

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson on Thursday said that the airline's fleet reliability has improved and there is also an increased inventory of spares and components. The Tata Group-owned airline has faced issues with its legacy fleet of wide-body Boeing 777s and 787 planes, resulting in flight cancellations and delays. The upgradation of the legacy Boeing 787s has commenced. During a town hall with employees on Thursday, Wilson said operational resilience is one of the airline's focus areas and that there is enhanced fleet reliability now. Both legacy Boeing fleets continue to show improvements as more reliability upgrades are carried out, he said, adding that the inventory of spares and components has gone up. The airline has been doing replacement and upgrade of components to ensure that the aircraft are more reliable. The CEO and MD of the airline also said that over 50 per cent of its wide-body fleet would be modernised by the end of 2026, while the wide-body modernisation is ..

Aluminium long-term fundamentals constructive: Kotak Institutional Equities

Aluminium prices have dropped 6 per cent to $3,056 a tonne from their recent peak of $3,252 on the London Metal Exchange

GalaxEye's OptoSAR satellite to use AI for Earth data analysis

Bengaluru-based private space technology company GalaxEye's upcoming satellite mission, Mission Drishti, will feature NVIDIA Jetson Orin, a powerful compact computer designed to run complex artificial intelligence models, officials said on Wednesday. It will help the satellite accelerate processing and interpretation of Earth observation data in space, and quickly deliver the data to its customers. In a statement, GalaxEye CEO Suyash Singh said, "Taking NVIDIA Jetson Orin to space aboard Mission Drishti is a defining milestone for GalaxEye. Building on our successful in-space demonstration in 2024, we're advancing to next-generation of Earth observation satellites." Mission Drishti will also carry what GalaxEye calls the world's first SyncFused OptoSAR architecture, which integrates Electro-Optical (EO) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors on a single satellite platform. While EO sensors capture high-resolution images during sunlight and clear skies, SAR sensors provide ...

India must shift from tech services to IP-led nation: HCL's Roshni Nadar

India's technology sector must transition from scale-driven growth to an AI-focused, intelligence-led, and Intellectual Property (IP)-driven model, said Roshni Nadar Malhotra, the chairperson of HCL Technologies, on Thursday. "India must move from being a tech services-led nation to an IP-led nation; services scale with effort. IP scales infinitely," she said while speaking at the AI Impact Summit 2026. She said that future belongs not to those who merely deploy technology, but to those who build, own and shape platforms, models and products. "In the AI economy, value accrues to those who build and own platforms, models and products, not just those who deploy them. That shift is not only economic, it is transformative," she added. Malhotra, who consistently features on the Forbes World's 100 Most Powerful Women list, said that AI carries a dual impact-- it reduces costs through automation while expanding new markets and opportunities. For India to lead in the AI economy, three ...

India may attract $200 bn in data centre investment by 2030: Deloitte

Deloitte says India could see transformative data centre growth supported by policy and renewables, but warns that power supply, grid stability and planning gaps may constrain expansion

Airbus to ramp up H125 helicopter production in India to 10 by 2029

Bullish on the growth potential of the Indian market, aerospace major Airbus plans to produce 10 H125 helicopters annually from the final assembly line, established in collaboration with Tata Advanced Systems in Karnataka, by 2029. Asserting that helicopters can be a tool for "nation building", as well as public services, Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even said efforts would continue to contribute to the development of the ecosystem in India. "We strongly believe in the potential of the helicopter market in India... we strongly believe that H125 helicopters can be a key enabler to boost this civil helicopter market in India," Even told PTI in an interview in the national capital. Airbus, along with Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL), has set up the country's first private sector helicopter Final Assembly Line (FAL) for the H125 at Vemagal in Karnataka. On February 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron virtually inaugurated the facility. According to Ev

Embraer, Mahindra Group plan to set up MRO base for C-390 aircraft in India

Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer on Thursday announced its plans to establish a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in India, in collaboration with Mahindra Group, for C-390 Millennium aircraft after its selection in the Indian Air Force's Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) programme. The proposed MRO facility, as part of its localisation strategy in the domestic market, will provide comprehensive maintenance and sustainment for the C-390 fleet, supporting high levels of operational readiness and availability, Embrarer said in a statement. The proposed facility is expected to deliver a full spectrum of services, including base and heavy maintenance, structural inspections and testing, component repair and overhaul, avionics support, and training, it added. The initiative reinforces the companies' joint commitment to positioning the C-390 Millennium as a strong solution for India's future medium transport aircraft requirements. Embaer and Mahindra Group had last October ink

EPAM repositions India as co-innovation hub for life sciences, healthcare

EPAM bets on India as global co-innovation hub for AI-driven life sciences and healthcare expansion

Customer-centric innovation to fuel India's $750 bn IT dream: Gurnani

India is ready to scale up to a USD 750 billion IT industry, driven by artificial intelligence (AI), innovation and companies that deeply understand customer needs, CP Gurnani, former CEO of Tech Mahindra, said on Wednesday. According to the NITI Aayog, the Indian technology services industry is estimated to grow from USD 265 billion this year to USD 750-850 billion by 2035. After stepping down in December 2023, Gurnani founded AIONOS with the vision of building a next-generation services company powered by AI and platform-based models. He believes India's IT industry can grow from USD 275-300 billion at present to USD 750 billion by 2035 but only through innovation, deep customer understanding, and outcome-driven business models. "India is ready for scale up. India is ready for USD 750 billion IT industry. Clearly, the answer lies in innovation. The answer lies in understanding what the customer wants," he said at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. He emphasised that the future of

DDA removes separate parking charges from flat prices in housing schemes

In move that will provide relief to home buyers, the Delhi Development Authority has decided to remove separate parking charges from the total flat price in its housing schemes, officials said on Wednesday. According to a recent order, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has directed that the total cost of parking construction shall be included in the overall project expenditure. "No separate or additional cost on account of car garage, scooter garage and covered or uncovered parking shall be included in the total cost of the flat," the order states. The total cost of constructing parking spaces will now be included in the total expenditure incurred for the housing pockets to calculate the Plinth Area Rate (PAR) of flats, the order added. The order applies for all ongoing projects, including the DDA Karmayogi Awas Yojana 2025 (FCFS), DDA Towering Heights Karkardooma Housing Scheme 2025 (E-Auction), DDA Nagrik Awas Yojana 2026 (FCFS) and the DDA Towering Heights Karkardooma Housin

After Agentic AI, machine voice to be next shift in AI evolution: Report

The artificial intelligence landscape is rapidly evolving with Agentic AI as the latest frontier and machine voice will be the next, according to a report released here. Since 2024, Agentic AI has been a leading force in artificial intelligence. Agentic AI leverages GenAI through which systems respond to environments, including prompts, to then plan and auto-execute tasks. However, the next stop in the ever-evolving landscape will be machine voice. According to the report brought out by Prosus and BCG, in the current year and the next, audio input/output models -- using audio input and output speech to text and back -- "reduces latency and enhances emotional maturity". The report was released at the ongoing AI Impact Summit. Over the past three decades, the tech world has seen a transformation from machine learning in the 1990s to deep learning in 2015, followed by Generative AI in 2022. The year 2024 saw the advent of Agentic AI, the report, released on Tuesday, pointed out. Taki