Page 11 - Industry News

Power consumption rises marginally 1.8% to 149.56 bn units in March

Power consumption in the country grew marginally by 1.8 per cent to 149.56 billion units in March from 146.92 BU a year ago amid lesser use of appliances like air-conditioners and coolers due to unseasonal rains. Intermittent rains have kept the temperature at a lower level, delaying the onset of summer across the country. According to the government data, the peak power demand met or the highest supply during March this year rose slightly to 238.37 GW from 235.22 GW recorded in February 2025. The peak power demand touched an all-time high of about 250 GW in May 2024. The previous all-time peak power demand of 243.27 GW was recorded in September 2023. During the last summer (April 2025 onwards), the peak power demand reached 242.77 GW in June, but stayed lower than the government's estimate of 277 GW. The power ministry has estimated about 270 GW of peak power demand during the summer season this year. According to the Indian Meteorological Department, March this year saw higher

Centre assures adequate Kharif inputs, urges states to curb hoarding

The Centre on Wednesday asserted that the country has an adequate supply of seeds and agro-chemicals for the upcoming Kharif season, and asked states to check hoarding, black marketing, smuggling and diversion of fertilisers for non-farm usage. Addressing an inter-ministerial briefing on recent developments in West Asia, Maninder Kaur Dwivedi, Additional Secretary in the Agriculture Ministry, said, "The most important input is seeds. There is an adequate availability of seeds for the upcoming Kharif (summer-sown) sowing season". She said the total estimated requirement of seeds for the Kharif 2026 is 166.46 lakh quintals, while the availability is 185.74 lakh tonnes. So, there is a surplus of 19.29 lakh tonnes. Dwivedi noted that there is enough supply of seeds for all major crops. She said the total availability of seeds for paddy crop is 80.9 lakh quintals, soyabean 35.7 lakh quintals, groundnut 21.1 lakh quintals, and maize 11.9 lakh quintals. The availability of seeds is ...

Coal demand rises in India as West Asia crisis disrupts gas supply

Coal demand in India is rising as the West Asia crisis disrupts gas supplies, prompting higher auctions by Coal India and pushing industries to reconsider fuel choices amid tightening energy markets

India bulks up Russia oil imports; Gulf flows ebb as tensions rise

Furthermore, Angola has emerged as one of the biggest crude oil suppliers to India amid attempts to source from West Asian alternatives

MGNREGA work dips to 53.2 million households in FY26, lowest in six years

In FY25, around 57.8 million households got work under the scheme

Oil shock concludes FY26 amid record gold, silver gains as volatility rises

The oil crisis is unfolding amid record global debt, fragile supply chains, and emerging market volatility

Vikram Yadav new DGCA chief; Faiz Ahmed Kidwai's turbulent tenure ends

Faiz Ahmed Kidwai moved after tenure marked by aviation crises, safety lapses and regulatory challenges, as Centre appoints Vir Vikram Yadav as new DGCA chief

M&As surge in India's RE sector as investors eye de-risked route to scale

India's renewable energy sector is witnessing a surge in M&A activity as investors opt for faster, de-risked growth amid strong capacity targets, policy push, and rising demand visibility

Powered by tax relief, auto sales race to record 29.5 million in FY26

Strong rural demand, policy support, and festive season boost drive auto sales to record highs in FY26, while electric vehicles see rapid adoption across segments

Q4 results preview: IT cos set for soft finish to FY26 as war clouds gather

West Asia conflict, GenAI fears, and cautious clients weigh on demand

IIP growth rose to 5.2% in February as manufacturing output climbs

Industrial output growth edges up to 5.2% in February, led by manufacturing recovery, while electricity and mining output show mixed trends amid global pressures

India's fuel exports drop amid European Union sanctions, West Asia war

Latest sanctions by EU banning imports of fuels made from Russian crude oil from January has hurt India's sales, say industry sources

Cert-In warns of multiple vulnerabilities in Apple's products and services

Advisory flags high-severity flaws that could enable remote code execution, system access, and denial-of-service attacks across Apple devices and other platforms

Unified pipeline tariff unchanged at ₹54/mmBtu for CNG, PNG users

PNGRB retains Zone 1 tariff for CNG and domestic PNG users while revising Zone 2 rates; earlier reduced unified tariff zones from three to two

Govt extends Indian Potash STE status for urea imports till March 2027

The government has extended the state trade enterprise (STE) status of Indian Potash Ltd till March 31, 2027 for import of urea, according to a notification. India produced 306.67 lakh tonnes of urea in 2024-25 and imported 56.47 lakh tonnes of the nutrient to meet the domestic demand. The country has imported 98 lakh tonnes of urea in the first eleven months of this fiscal year. "Import of Urea (Agricultural grade) on Government account is allowed through Indian Potash Ltd... till 31.03.2027," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has said in a notification dated March 27. The move is important as the West Asia crisis has disrupted global fertiliser trade.

Golden Growth Fund aims to liquidate two projects, buy land in FY27

Real estate AIF plans to exit two independent floor projects and acquire land parcels in South and Lutyens' Delhi, amid rising luxury housing demand and price appreciation

Housing sales value growth to moderate slightly to 4-6% in FY27: Crisil

Growth in housing sales value is set to moderate in FY27 amid flat demand and slower price increases, though strong collections and premium segment demand will support developers

Uttar Pradesh govt approves coal mining project of ₹2,200 crore

"The utilisation of coal from the Jharkhand block will reduce the cost of power generation, thereby ensuring affordable and uninterrupted power supply to Uttar Pradesh," a senior official said

Rapeseed-mustard output to rise 3.5% to 11.94 mn tonne in 2025-26: SEA

India's rapeseed-mustard production is estimated to rise 3.5 per cent to 119.4 lakh tonne in the 2025-26 rabi season, driven by higher acreage, industry body Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA) said on Monday. Total production stood at 115.2 lakh tonne in the 2024-25 rabi season. Area under the crop rose to 93.91 lakh hectares from 92.15 lakh hectares a year earlier, while average yield improved to 1,271 kg per hectare from 1,250 kg per hectare, supported by favourable weather conditions and improved agronomic practices, SEA said in a statement. Rajasthan remained the top producing state with output estimated at 53.9 lakh tonne. Uttar Pradesh recorded a notable rise to 18.1 lakh tonne, while Haryana showed steady growth at 12.7 lakh tonne. West Bengal and Gujarat also registered gains, with production estimated at 7.4 lakh tonne and 5.9 lakh tonne, respectively. Assam reported lower yields, with output declining to 2.1 lakh tonne, while Bihar remained largely stable at

India's industrial output grows 5.2% in Feb led by manufacturing growth

India's industrial production grew 5.2 per cent in February, mainly due to improvement in manufacturing sector, according to official data released on Monday. The factory output, measured in terms of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), expanded by 2.7 per cent in February 2025, an official statement said. The National Statistics Office (NSO) revised the industrial production growth for January 2026 to 5.1 per cent from the provisional estimate of 4.8 per cent released earlier this month. The NSO data further showed that the manufacturing sector's output growth accelerated to 6 per cent in February 2026, compared to 2.8 per cent in the year-ago month. Mining production growth slightly improved to 3.1 per cent compared to a growth of 1.6 per cent recorded a year ago. Power generation grew by 2.3 per cent in February, compared to 3.6 per cent expansion in the year-ago period. During the April-February period of FY26, the country's industrial production growth remained flat at