Page 14 - Industry News

Delhi emerges as world's most cost competitive student city: Report

Younger demography, infra potential prime India's push to be most strategic higher education growth market globally

Link power tariff hikes to inflation, suggests expert report to 16th FC

An expert report to the 16th Finance Commission suggests inflation-linked power tariff hikes could ensure timely revenue recovery for discoms and help consumers avoid sharp increases

PM Surya Ghar scheme benefits 2.8 mn households, ₹16,000 cr disbursed: Govt

Over 28 lakh households have benefited under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana as of January 2026, with disbursement of Rs 16,061.12 crore as central financial assistance, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. The government is also strengthening global partnerships to advance renewable energy, storage and grid integration, Union Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy Shripad Yesso Naik said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. Naik informed the House that since the launch of the scheme in February 2024, total 22,65,521 roof top solar (RTS) systems have been installed across the country, benefitting 28,24,518 households with disbursement of Rs 16,061.12 crore as central financial assistance till January 30, 2026. Under the PM Surya Ghar scheme, it has been estimated that RTS installation in 1 crore households may produce renewable electricity of 1,000 billion units, which may result in reduction of 720 million tonne of CO2 equivalent emission during the 25 years of lifeti

Maritime stakeholders join hands to form new national container carrier

State-owned maritime entities have signed an MoU to form Bharat Container Shipping Line, aimed at strengthening India's export-import logistics and reducing freight volatility

India-US trade deal: Refiners await govt nod on cutting Russian oil imports

Only two state-run refiners Indian Oil and BPCL and Russia-backed Nayara Energy Ltd purchased crude oil from Moscow in January

India-US trade deal brings glimmer of hope for beleaguered IT services cos

India-US trade deal eases fears of tariff spillover into IT services, offering relief to Indian tech firms amid weak global demand and delayed client spending

India-US trade deal: Gems and jewellery exports set to shine once again

Easing of US tariffs has revived demand-side confidence in India's gems and jewellery sector, raising hopes of reversing export losses and regaining momentum

No issue found with Air India Dreamliner fuel control switches, says DGCA

DGCA says inspections found no issue with fuel control switches on an Air India Boeing 787-8 after pilots flagged abnormal movement during engine start in London

Indus Towers to decide on dividend payouts by Q4FY26: MD & CEO Prachur Sah

Indus Towers says dividend decision will be taken in Q4 FY26, factoring in Vodafone Idea's financial stability after AGR relief and changes in buyback taxation

SC sends Flipkart competition case back to NCLAT for fresh review

The Supreme Court set aside a 2020 NCLAT order directing a CCI probe into Flipkart and asked the tribunal to reconsider the case afresh

Indian agrochemical companies scale up via product deals with MNCs

As multinational companies grapple with regulatory uncertainty in India, domestic agrochemical firms are acquiring products and technologies, reshaping the crop protection landscape

India-US trade deal adds momentum to growth ambition: Industry leaders

The India-US trade deal adds meaningful momentum to India's growth ambitions and supports the country's ambition to be a globally competitive manufacturing and innovation hub, industry leaders said on Tuesday. Reacting to the trade agreement between the two countries, Mahindra Group CEO & Managing Director Anish Shah welcomed the development, terming it as "a significant step forward in strengthening bilateral trade and investment ties." "With the Indian economy on a strong growth trajectory, this deal adds meaningful momentum to India's growth ambitions," he noted. Shah further said, "The immediate reduction in reciprocal tariffs on Indian exports to 18 per cent, along with the commitment to progressively lower tariff and non-tariff barriers, will boost growth momentum and improve the predictability businesses need to invest with confidence." Expressing similar views, Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla said the reduced tariffs will help strengthen the strategic and .

Slow UPI growth: Industry frets as monetisation remains elusive

A moderation in UPI growth is worrying industry players, who warn that low incentives and lack of monetisation could slow expansion of India's digital payments ecosystem

Supreme Court allows joint insolvency plea against linked realty companies

The Supreme Court has allowed a single insolvency plea against multiple real estate firms where entities are closely linked in a project's execution and operations

Railways get record Budget support for projects across states: Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said record allocations have been made for his ministry in the Budget to complete pending projects and undertake new works in all states for people's benefit. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday announced budgetary support of Rs 2.78 lakh crore and a total capital expenditure of Rs 2.93 lakh crore for the Railways. She also proposed seven high-speed corridors connecting major cities and a new EastWest Dedicated Freight Corridor between Dankuni in West Bengal and Surat in Gujarat. Providing reporters with a state-wise breakup of expenses earmarked for railway projects from the total capital expenditure outlay, Vaishnaw noted that Uttar Pradesh will receive Rs 20,012 crore, Rajasthan Rs 10,228 crore, Madhya Pradesh Rs 15,188 crore, Chhattisgarh Rs 7,470 crore, and Maharashtra Rs 24,000 crore. He also mentioned allocation figures for several other states and ongoing projects to state that these amounts are several times higher than

White-collar hiring up 3% in Jan, led by non-IT sectors, freshers: Report

India's white-collar hiring began with a steady foot with a 3 per cent year-on-year increase in January mainly driven by non-IT sectors and fresher hiring, a report said on Monday. White-collar hiring began 2026 on a steady footing, with the Naukri JobSpeak Index witnessing 2,637 points in January -- a 3 per cent YoY rise from 2,550 points in January 2025 -- Naukri said in a report. Non-IT sectors were the primary drivers of this growth, with BPO/ITES surging 21 per cent, hospitality/travel climbing 15 per cent, insurance advancing 7 per cent, and healthcare gaining 5 per cent. However, banking and financial services was one major non-IT sector to see a decline, slipping 15 per cent year-on-year. Meanwhile, the IT sector remained flat for the month, within this landscape, AI/ML roles sustained strong momentum with a 34 per cent rise. Overall, fresher hiring grew 8 per cent, signalling expanding entry-level opportunities across the board, added the report. Non-IT sectors have stea

Coal blocks to be allotted only through auctions, govt tells Rajya Sabha

The government on Monday said 136 coal blocks have been successfully auctioned since 2020 following the Niti Aayog's recommendations, and future allocations will also be done through a participative bidding process. Replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Coal Satish Chandra Dubey said the government is ready to examine the Telangana state government's proposal to allot the Tadicherla coal block on an administrative basis to state-owned Singareni Collieries. "But, the state government of Telangana has to send a formal proposal giving reasons how this block is different from other blocks. "If such a proposal comes, the government will take a decision in the interests of the people of Telangana as per law and after keeping the recommendations of the Niti Aayog in mind," the minister informed the house. He said that after the recommendations of the Niti Aayog in 2020, the government has auctioned a total of 136 coal blocks, and ..

Power consumption rises 3.8% to 142.74 billion units in January: Govt

Power consumption in the country rose 3.8 per cent to 142.74 billion units in January from 132.5 BUs a year ago, amid increased usage of heating appliances during the intense cold in many parts of north India. According to the government data, the peak power demand met or the highest supply during January, also rose to 245.42 GW from 237.31 GW recorded in January 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. Experts said the use of heating appliances like geysers and blowers increased as cold conditions intensified across the northern part of the country in December and continued in January with spells of rain, while some areas also saw snowfall. Extreme cold weather led to an increase in power demand as well as consumption of electricity in various parts of the country, they said. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday said that the country is ..

SEZ sale relaxation in Budget to boost import substitution, jobs: Comm Secy

The Budget's proposed conditional relaxation to allow special economic zone (SEZ) units to sell goods in the domestic market will help promote import substitution and create new jobs, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said. He said the details of the announcements will be rolled out in the next 2-3 months. The government on Sunday announced a one-time measure to allow SEZ units to sell their goods in the domestic market at concessional import duty rates, subject to certain quantitative restrictions. It was a long-pending demand of these zones as they were not able to sell their excess production due to global uncertainties and high import duties in India on labour-intensive sectors. The secretary said the proposal will help buy goods from SEZs rather than importing from third countries. "It will help in import substitution and better job creation. It will also provide a level playing field to DTA (domestic tariff area) firms (vis-a-vis SEZs)," Agrawal told PTI. About 7-8 sectors,

Monazite reserves pegged at 13.15 mn tonnes across 8 states: Reddy

The Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), a unit of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), has estimated significant rare earth minerals resources in beach sands and hard rocks, with 13.15 million tonnes of monazite identified in deposits from eight states. Monazite is a reddish-brown, phosphate mineral rich in rare-earth elements (REEs) and thorium, primarily sourced from heavy mineral beach sands and igneous rocks. "As on January 28, 2026, rare earth minerals resources estimated by AMD include 136 deposits of beach sand minerals containing 13.15 million tonnes of monazite (a mineral of thorium and rare earths) occurring in the coastal beach, teri/red sands and inland alluvium in parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jharkhand and West Bengal," Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy said in the Rajya Sabha. The deposits, containing about 7.23 million tonnes in-situ rare earth oxide (equivalent) resources, are located in