Page 11 - Industry News

Asgard Alcobev appoints Ronak Jain as Managing Director

Asgard Alcobev Ltd on Monday said it has appointed Ronak Jain as new Managing Director. With over 15 years of experience in the liquor and beer industry, Jain is set to drive the company's strategic realignment and long-term growth, a company statement said, adding that the appointment is for a period of five years. Rohit Jain is a seasoned entrepreneur with diversified experience across breweries, distilleries, cement, steel, and allied industries, the company said. The emerging alcoholic beverages manufacturer, previously known as Banganga Paper Industries Ltd, also announced two additional appointments -- Priyanka Jain as Additional Director (Non-Executive) and Binit Singhania as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) & Finance Director. These appointments underscore Asgard Alcobev's ongoing strategic realignment. Having transitioned from its legacy paper manufacturing business to the alcoholic beverages sector, the company recently acquired a majority stake in CMJ Breweries in ...

IndiGo appoints ex-Air India Express MD Aloke Singh as strategy chief

Singh previously served as managing director and chief executive officer of Air India Express, where he led operational improvements and expansion

IBA suggests blending of 20% biogas in CNG to boost clean mobility in Delhi

The Indian Biogas Association (IBA) has suggested to the Delhi government that it pursue up to 20 per cent blending of compressed biogas into compressed natural gas, as it can bring gaseous (vehicular) mobility close to carbon neutrality. In a statement, the IBA pointed out that although EV adoption is increasing, EV penetration in the overall vehicle fleet remains limited. Thus, it makes CNG the best choice as a clean fuel because of its negligible particulate emission and significantly lower levels of NOx compared to diesel, it added. The IBA has submitted its recommendations on the Draft Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy to the Delhi government, urging policymakers to adopt an integrated clean mobility approach that combines electric vehicles (EVs), CNG, and CBG to deliver immediate and scalable emissions reductions. The IBA pointed out that the existing infrastructure for the supply of CNG, including pipelines, dispensing stations, and millions of vehicles that run on this fuel, ...

Govt to deploy 10,000 AC E-buses in 116 cities by 2027; 35,000 more planned

The government on Monday informed the Rajya Sabha that 10,000 air-conditioned e-buses would be provided to 116 cities across 26 states/UTs by the end of 2027 under the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme, and a new scheme would be launched thereafter to provide another 35,000 e-buses. Replying to supplementary queries during Question Hour, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on August 16, 2023, announced that the PM e-Bus Sewa scheme to provide mobility in smaller cities and tackle rising pollution. Since states were unable to provide adequate finance for e-buses, a target of a total of 10,000 buses was put under the PM e-Bus Sewa scheme for towns with a population between 3 lakh and 40 lakh, he said. The minister said states were told to give their demands, and a selection criterion was laid down, and buses were sanctioned on the recommendations of coordination committees. "Out of 178 cities eligible, 116 cities participated, and they were allot

FAI seeks govt relief for urea producers amid gas curbs, supply fears

Fertiliser Association of India (FAI) has urged the government to provide financial relief to urea producers hit by gas supply disruptions, warning that production shortfalls and a separate packaging materials crunch could disrupt fertiliser supplies ahead of the crucial kharif season. In a letter to the government, FAI called for energy cost reimbursements and penalty waivers for plants operating under constrained gas supplies, citing extraordinary circumstances stemming from the ongoing geopolitical crisis. Fertiliser plants are classified under Priority Sector-2 in the Natural Gas Supply Regulation Order notified on March 9, 2026, which allocates them 70 per cent of their six-month average consumption. FAI said the restriction was squeezing production at plants operating under the New Urea Policy 2025, modified NPS III and NIP 2012 frameworks. The industry body sought the government to recognise actual energy consumption or applicable energy norms - whichever is higher - during

Govt to lift airfare cap from March 23 imposed after IndiGo disruptions

The Civil Aviation Ministry said it would remove the temporary cap on domestic airfares from March 23, a restriction imposed after massive flight disruptions hit IndiGo in December 2025

Air India to introduce crew fitness policy; lapses may lead to pay loss

Air India is planning to introduce a health and fitness compliance policy for its cabin crew, under which those found underweight, overweight or obese could face derostering and loss of pay. The compliance assessment will be based on the cabin crew members' Body Mass Index (BMI) with a reading of 18-24.9 defined as 'normal' and accepted as 'desired range' by the airline. A BMI reading of less than 18 will be considered as 'underweight', though it may be acceptable subject to clearing of medical evaluation and functional assessment, according to the policy accessed by PTI. A BMI reading in the range of 25-29.9 will be defined as 'overweight' and will be considered acceptable, provided the cabin crew member clears the functional assessment. As per the policy, to be effective from May 1, a reading of 30 or above is 'obese' and not an acceptable range. A cabin crew member will be derostered if he or she is either 'underweight' or 'overweight' and will be required to clear the function

India confident of meeting power demand despite West Asia crisis

India has produced 1 billion metric tons of coal for a second successive year, ‌the ​coal ministry said on ​Saturday, which could be enough to meet summer power demand

Feb blip: India's core sectors headed for worst showing in 6 years

Output growth in the core sectors, that constitute about 40 per cent of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), halved to 2.3 per cent in February from 4.7 per cent in January

India's milk production up from 17 MT in 1950 to 247 MT in 2025: Official

Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) M L Jat has said India's milk production rose from 17 million tonnes in 1950 to 247 MT in 2025. Jat, a distinguished agronomist, highlighted dairy's dominance within the Rs 17.25 lakh crore livestock sector -- contributing 65 per cent of output and driving 16 per cent of India's gross value added (GVA), which supports 46.1 per cent of the population. "The Union Budget has allocated Rs 6,153 crore for animal husbandry (up 16 per cent) to recruit 20,000 veterinarians, subsidize colleges/labs and provide cooperative tax relief, powering Viksit Bharat in 2047," he said, while addressing the 22nd convocation of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (ICAR-NDRI) at Karnal in Haryana on Friday. According to an NDRI release, Jat said India's milk production surged from 17 MT (1950) to 247 MT (2025), led by Uttar Pradesh, with Punjab-Haryana topping .

Airlines warn free seat mandate will raise fares, hurt affordability

We were not consulted before this order was passed, said the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA)

Supply-side policies not enough to improve job outcomes: ILO expert

ILO's Radhicka Kapoor says stronger labour demand and structural reforms are needed to translate gains in education and welfare access into better employment outcomes

West Asia war: Politicians, mkts misjudging scale of disruption, says IEA

"The conflict in the Middle East has created the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market, due to the near halt in shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz," the IEA said

Retailers embrace redesign, renovation as premiumisation takes centre stage

Retailers are redesigning stores with minimalist aesthetics and premium formats as rising consumer demand for curated experiences drives a shift in retail presentation

Odisha loses ₹4,162 crore to iron ore undervaluation, steps up checks

State reports Rs 4,162 crore loss due to ore undervaluation, introduces AI-driven monitoring and stricter rules to curb misreporting and improve transparency in mining

Centre proposes price caps, trading curbs in mineral exchange rules

Draft rules mandate strict surveillance, price disclosure and regulatory powers to cap prices and halt trading, aiming to formalise and bring transparency to mineral markets

Core sector growth slows to 2.3% in Feb on fall in oil, gas output

Production growth in eight core infrastructure sectors slowed down to 2.3 per cent in February from 3.4 per cent in the same month last year, according to government data. Production of crude oil, natural gas, and refinery products declined during the month. During April-February, the cumulative production growth in infrastructure sectors was 2.9 per cent, compared with 4.4 per cent in the same period of the last financial year.

Gas-based power plants increasingly becoming impractical: NTPC chief

NTPC Chairman Gurdeep Singh flags viability concerns for gas-based power plants amid fuel supply uncertainties and stresses need for flexible generation solutions

SC reserves verdict on 'industry' definition, re-examines 1978 ruling

Supreme Court reserves verdict on redefining "industry" under labour law, revisiting 1978 ruling that expanded scope of protections across sectors

PM Modi calls for global investment as power sector needs $2.2 trillion

PM Modi invites global investors to India's power sector, which needs $2.2 trillion over two decades to support energy transition and infrastructure expansion