Page 16 - Industry News

Telecom firms' gross revenue crosses ₹1 trillion in December quarter: Trai

The cumulative gross revenue of telecom service providers crossed the Rs 1 lakh crore mark in the December 2025 quarter to Rs 1.02 lakh crore, according to a report by sector regulator Trai, published on Tuesday. The gross revenue of telecom service providers (TSPs) was Rs 96,390 crore a year ago and Rs 99,828 crore in the September 2025 quarter. The adjusted gross revenue (AGR) grew by 8.13 per cent on a year-over-year basis to Rs 84,270 crore in the December 2025 quarter, from Rs 77,934 crore in the same period a year ago. The adjusted gross revenue (AGR) is derived from the sale of telecom services and government levies, including licence fees and spectrum usage charges. Access service providers, which are players like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, etc., accounted for 84.54 per cent of total AGR in the December 2025 quarter. The AGR data published till the September 2025 quarter by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) in the performance indicator repor

Brigade Group leased out 156K sqft to 2 global firms at Brigade Twin Towers

Brigade Group has leased 156,000 sq ft at Brigade Twin Towers to MANN+HUMMEL and Labcorp, signalling sustained demand for Grade A offices and strengthening the project's commercial appeal

10th IIMCAA awards: Soumya Pillai bags Journalist of the Year award

The Indian Institute of Mass Communication Alumni Association (IIMCAA) announced the winners of the 10th IIMCAA Awards on Monday, with Soumya Pillai selected as the 'Journalist of the Year'. The announcement came at the Association's 14th annual Connections Meet in Delhi, with the awards honouring achievements across journalism, advertising, public relations and public service. Among the prominent winners was Laxmi Devi Aere, a PTI senior correspondent, winning the 'Agriculture Reporter of the Year' title, while Medha Yadav received the 'Reporter of the Year (Broadcasting)' award. Other jury awardees included Safeena Wani (reporter of the year - publishing), Mohammad Asad (producer of the year - broadcasting), Saurav Kumar Borah, Alpesh Arvind Karkare, Tanzil Asif, Hasleen Kaur and Panchanan Mishra, with special mentions for Gargy Satapathy, Nantha Kishore G K and Garima Singh. Awardees received cash prizes ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh along with trophies and certificates.

War risk insurance costs likely to climb amid West Asia crisis: Experts

Freight carriers will have to pay an additional premium to restore war cover for shipments passing through high-risk areas amid the escalating crisis in West Asia, experts said. Vessels of the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) are also involved in the movement of crude oil and LNG, especially through areas around the Red Sea, and would have to pay an additional premium for war cover to ensure risk cover. "It is reasonable to expect that Indian oil companies will have cargo exposures and SCI will have hull exposure in this region. Oil prices are also likely to face upward pressure in the near term," Policybazaar Head (marine insurance) Balasundaram R said. According to Prudent Insurance Brokers Head (marine specialities), Gaurav Agarwal, notice of cancellation of war cover has been issued on hull on March 1, and a similar cancellation on cargo is expected soon. After this cancellation, Agarwal said, the insurers may increase premiums on hull and cargo. "If the conflict becomes a

Power ministry to set up selection committee to look for new NTPC chief

The power ministry has decided to set up a search-cum-selection committee to look for the head of state-owned electricity generator NTPC, as government headhunter PESB failed to identify a suitable candidate. The Public Enterprise Selection Board (PESB), under the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), which is responsible for hiring candidates for top management posts of central public sector enterprises (CPSES), interviewed a dozen of candidates for the post of CMD of NTPC. The incumbent, Gurdeep Singh, was to superannuate on July 31, 2025, but his service as NTPC's CMD was extended till August 1, 2026, in the absence of a successor. The power ministry, in a notice issued on February 28, said the appointment to the post of Chairman and Managing Director, NTPC Limited, will be done through a "Search-cum-selection Committee". Candidates can apply for the post on or before March 28, 2026, it said. The search-cum-selection committee route is taken when PESB fails to find a ...

Power Ministry extends deadline for Draft NEP 2026 feedback till Mar 19

The Ministry of Power has extended the timeline seeking stakeholders' comments on the Draft National Electricity Policy 2026 by one month till March 19. The timeline has been extended on the request of several stakeholders who have sought additional time to examine the provisions of the draft electricity policy, the Ministry said in a notification dated February 25. Earlier, the last date to submit comments and suggestions was February 19. The National Electricity Policy (NEP) 2026 aims to address high losses and debt of discoms, non-cost-reflective tariffs, and high cross-subsidisation. A non-cost-reflective tariff is a pricing structure in which the rate charged to a particular consumer category is below the utility's average cost of generating, transmitting, and distributing electricity to that category. While cross-subsidisation is a pricing mechanism in which certain consumer groups (industrial, commercial, and higher-income domestic users) are charged tariffs above the cost

German firm Nemetschek appoints Alok Sharma as MD, VP of India biz

Germany-based Nemetschek Group, which provides software solutions for the construction sector, has appointed Alok Sharma as Managing Director and Vice President, India. The company provides software solutions for architecture, engineering, construction and operations (AEC/O) and media industries. In a statement, Nemetschek Group said Alok will anchor the company's India growth roadmap. Pete Nicholson, Senior Vice President, Nemetschek Group, said, "India represents one of the most dynamic construction markets globally. As infrastructure investments scale and digital mandates gather pace, strengthening local leadership is central to our long-term growth strategy." Founded in 1963, the Nemetschek Group, which has been listed in key German stock indices MDAX and TecDAX since 1999, achieved a revenue of EUR 1,191.2 million and an EBITDA of EUR 371.1 million in 2025, according to preliminary, unaudited figures.

M&A activity in power sector gathers pace as PPAs drive up valuations

Accelerating power demand, revival of long-term PPAs, stronger plant load factors and attractive valuations are triggering a fresh wave of M&A activity across thermal and renewable assets

West Asia crisis: IndiGo to operate 10 relief flights from Jeddah on Tue

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said on X on Monday night that it continued to closely monitor the situation in the West Asia region to facilitate relief for passengers

PM inaugurates ₹3,600 cr Powergrid projects to boost Rajasthan solar flow

Powergrid's new transmission systems will evacuate renewable power from Rajasthan's major solar zones, including Bhadla, strengthening national green energy infrastructure

Strong demand, low credit costs to keep gold-loan NBFC profits healthy

Crisil Ratings expects gold-loan NBFCs to maintain strong profitability as rising demand, better operating leverage and benign credit costs support returns over the next two fiscals

Lemon Tree eyes overseas expansion in next 5 years as outbound travel booms

India is expected to become ‌the world's fourth-largest outbound tourism market by 2035, behind the U.S., China and Germany, rising from 10th place, Capital Economics said last year

Rajasthan govt streamlines ODOP, MSME approvals to ease doing business

Rajasthan streamlines ODOP and MSME approvals, delegates powers to district GMs and shifts fully online to speed up clearances and boost ease of doing business

Air India Express MD Aloke Singh to step down after tenure ends on March 19

Air India Express Managing Director Aloke Singh will step down from his post on March 19 after completion of his tenure, sources said on Monday. Singh, who joined the then government-owned Air India Express as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on November 9, 2020, continued to be at the helm after the Tata Group took over the carrier in January 2022. "After 5 extraordinary years, my tenure at AIX will conclude on March 19th. I could not be prouder of what we built and who we became in building it," Singh said in a message to the staff on Monday. On March 20, 2023, Singh was appointed as the MD for a three-year period. During his stewardship, the merger of Air India Express and AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India) was completed, and also Air India Express' fleet increased from 26 planes to more than 100. Captain Hamish Maxwell, who is the Chief Operations Officer, will be the new Accountable Manager for the airline, as per the message. Currently, Singh is the MD and Accountable

Exporters seek demurrage waiver as West Asia disruptions delay cargo

Apparel exporters on Monday urged the government to waive demurrage charges on export cargo at airports, as flight disruptions arising from ongoing West Asian crisis may impact movement of consignments. In a communication to the civil aviation ministry, Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) said the prevailing situation has significantly disrupted international flight operations, resulting in route restrictions, airspace closures, flight diversions, schedule irregularities, and operational constraints at certain overseas airports. Airport demurrage charges are fees on cargo or baggage at an airport terminal being kept beyond the allowed free period. These charges encourage swift clearance. It varies by airport, cargo type and duration. These unforeseen developments have directly impacted the timely movement of export cargo from Indian airports to various international destinations,AEPC Chairman A Sakthivel said. As a consequence, he said export consignments are currently strande

VIL, Ericsson deepen partnership to boost postpaid and network services

Telecom operator Vodafone Idea has deepened its strategic partnership with Swedish communications gear maker Ericsson to modernise its postpaid services while supporting its ongoing network expansion across the country, according to a release on Monday. Ericsson will continue to strengthen VIL's network footprint through the deployment and integration of new network sites, capacity augmentation, and coverage expansion. These efforts will lead to enhancing indoor coverage, improving data capacity, and supporting VIL's ongoing efforts for expanding 5G and 4G connectivity. Announcing the deepening of the partnership, the release said that since 2024, Ericsson has deployed new 5G and 4G sites, layer additions on existing sites and High-Performance Small Cell towers across 10 circles. "Vodafone Idea... has expanded its strategic partnership with Ericsson to modernise its postpaid services while supporting its ongoing network expansion across the country," it said. Building on the migra

JM Financial picks Adani Power, Tata Power among top summer utility bets

India has added 65 Gw of renewable energy capacity, 4 Gw of hydro, 0.6 Gw of nuclear and 10 Gw of coal-based capacity since May 2024

TCS, Infosys, Wipro and others issue advisories for employees in West Asia

Indian IT majors including Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys and Wipro suspend travel and urge staff in West Asia to stay indoors as the US-Israel-Iran conflict shuts airspace across the region

SUV demand, GST relief power double-digit auto sales growth in February

Passenger vehicle wholesales rose 11.4% in February on strong SUV demand and GST effects, while two-wheeler makers posted sharper growth on a favourable base and broad consumer uptake

Power consumption grows marginally by 1.86% to 132.99 bn units in Feb

Power consumption in the country grew marginally by 1.86 per cent to 132.99 billion units in February from 130.56 BU a year ago, as the use of heating appliances like geysers and blowers slowed down due to higher-than usual temperature. According to the government data, the peak power demand met or the highest supply during February, also rose slightly to 243.15 GW from 238.06 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. However, during last summer (April 2025 onwards), the peak power demand was 242.77 GW in June, 2025. According to government estimates, peak power demand was expected to touch 277 GW in the summer of 2025. According to the Indian Meteorological Department, the rainfall all over India in February was the lowest since 2001. Also, no cold waves or cold days prevailed during February. The absence of any active western ...