Page 2 - Industry News

Mobis India fire: Hyundai Motor, Kia production may be hit briefly

A fire at Mobis India's Chennai-area facility may disrupt Hyundai and Kia production for at least a week, prompting efforts to source components from South Korea

A beginner's guide to the IIP ahead of the release of the new series

India adopts a new IIP series with 2022-23 as the base year, expanding sectoral coverage and updating the basket to better reflect the economy

Centre unveils AI-enabled chatbot to help citizens launch grievances online

The Centre on Saturday unveiled an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled chatbot to help citizens raise grievances against government departments online. Launching the chatbot named 'Samadhan Didi' here, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh termed it as "democratisation of the public grievance mechanism" in the nation showcasing the government's unwavering commitment to enhance ease of using public services for citizens. The chatbot marks a significant step towards making public grievance redressal simpler, more accessible and truly multilingual, he said. A citizen can now lodge a grievance simply by speaking, in their own language, describing the concern in plain words ' without needing to know which ministry/department, category or sub-category it belongs to, Singh said. The chatbot understands the concern, asks a few relevant clarifying questions, automatically identifies the appropriate ministry, department, category and sub-category, and files the grievance wit

CBSE portal was hit by malicious attack; 50 children were affected: Report

The CBSE revaluation portal's payment system was hit by a "malicious attack", with around 50 students getting affected, government sources have said. "There were some unauthorised attacks on the portal. The payment gateway was with respect to HDFC about 50-odd children had got in after the hack," a source said. According to the sources, the issue led to abnormal fee displays on the portal, where the payable amount in some cases fluctuated from around Re 1 to nearly Rs 67,000-68,000. "I think out of fun or out of mala fide intention, one rupee was shown and then Rs 67-68,000. So, there were about 50 children in whose cases the amount had changed," the source said. The glitch was linked to the HDFC payment gateway integrated with the system and occurred when the portal went live. "I think the portal was not functional for quite some time. There were issues with respect to the amount where 50 children came in, and they (hackers) manipulated the system," the source said. Four PSU ban

Irrigation water demand likely 807 BCM by 2050, govt pushes water budgeting

India which accounts for 17.5 per cent of the global population and 11.6 per cent of the world's livestock, could see its irrigation water demand rise to 807 billion cubic metres (BCM) by 2050, according to estimates cited by the Ministry of Jal Shakti. The ministry noted that agriculture accounts for 80-90 per cent of water use in rural areas, adding to pressure on the country's water resources. According to the Central Water Commission's study, "Reassessment of Water Availability in India using Space Inputs, 2019", India receives average annual precipitation of around 3,880 BCM. After accounting for natural losses such as evaporation and other factors, average annual water availability is estimated at 1,999.20 BCM. Against this backdrop, the Ministry of Jal Shakti has stressed the need for water budgeting and said India must move away from a supply-driven approach towards demand-based and planned water management systems. Water budgeting enables communities to assess water ...

Rourkela steel plant signs deal with GAIL for uninterrupted PNG supply

The SAIL-owned plant has partnered with GAIL to secure alternative fuel supplies amid propane shortages linked to the West Asia crisis

Cabinet extends SARTHAK-PDS scheme for 5 yrs with ₹25,530-crore outlay

The Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of the SARTHAK-PDS scheme till March 2031 to strengthen foodgrain distribution and modernise the public distribution system

Crude oil price spike pushes helmet manufacturing cost by nearly 20%

Polycarbonate -- a strong plastic used in premium helmet shells -- increased from around ₹140 per kg before the conflict to ₹230 per kg now after touching ₹252 per kg

Organised plywood industry flags diversion of agriculture-grade urea

The organised plywood sector has urged the Centre to curb diversion of subsidised agricultural urea into industrial use amid rising fertiliser subsidy costs and supply pressures

Private bus services may increase rates by 30% due to diesel price hike

Private bus operators here on Tuesday said they may have to increase their prices by around 30 per cent due to the diesel price hike. The diesel price is hovering around Rs 100 per litre and the difficulties in getting diesel have forced bus owners to ply fewer buses, said Pushkar Luley, joint secretary of the Bus Owners and Travel Agents Welfare Association. Around 125 buses ply between Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and various other cities in Maharashtra and neighboring states, he said. Diesel prices have surged by nearly Rs 7.50 per litre in May amid the West Asia conflict. "We require average 300 litres of diesel per day per bus. Though our dealers are fixed, we now need to check availability of stock. The buses have not stopped plying completely, but we sometimes have to accommodate passengers in other buses if there are empty seats," said Luley. "Ticket prices have not increased yet, but looking at the situation, we will have to raise the prices by at least 30 percent," he ...

Crisil stress test reveals sectors facing risk, and those less affected

Crisil states 22 of the 34 sectors stress-tested could see operating profitability decline by over 10 per cent as companies may not be able to fully pass on higher costs to consumers immediately

Why workers helping train AI robots are worried about losing their jobs

Factory workers are being paid to wear cameras and record their movements to train AI-powered robots. But many fear the technology they are helping build could eventually replace them

Bengal govt bars staff from sharing information with media without sanction

The West Bengal government has issued a circular reiterating existing conduct rules for its employees, which prohibit them from sharing official documents or information with the media without sanction and publicly criticising state and central policies. A circular issued by the office of the chief secretary said the existing conduct rules governing members of the All India Services, West Bengal Civil Service, West Bengal Police Service and other state government employees would be strictly enforced. "The idea is to remind employees of the provisions already laid down in the conduct rules regarding interaction with the media and dissemination of information," an official told PTI. The circular referred to provisions of the AIS Conduct Rules, 1968, and the West Bengal Government Servants' Conduct Rules, 1959. Government employees have been prohibited from directly or indirectly sharing any document or information with the media without approval, the official said. It also bars ...

No relief in memory prices visible over next 12-18 months: IESA president

Consumers are likely to witness high memory prices, as no significant capacity addition is in the pipeline over the next 12-18 months, a top official of industry body IESA said on Wednesday. India Electronics and Semiconductor Association President Ashok Chandak, on the sidelines of Bharat Digital Infrastructure Association event, told reporters that setting up a memory plant will take time to get established. "Memory makers can not set up a plant in a few days. We are not seeing any significant capacity coming up in the next one and a half years. There will be a price rise due to high demand, and consumers will need to bear the burden," Chandak said. The price of devices, especially smartphones, has gone up by 20-30 per cent in the last six months. The entire memory capacity of memory chip maker Micron in India has been booked due to high demand. Chandak said the ongoing crisis in West Asia is impacting the entire economy, and there is some impact on electronics also. "The criti

Delhi govt cuts VAT on ATF from 25% to 7% to benefit airlines, passengers

The reduction comes against the backdrop of uncertainty in global fuel supplies linked to the ongoing conflict in West Asia

ICAR to introduce performance ranking system for all institutions

Agri minister Shivraj Chouhan issues showcause notice to ICAR's Grapes Research Institute for administrative lapses

Air India posts $2.8 billion annual loss, largest since Tata takeover

The loss marks Air India's biggest annual loss since the airline was acquired by the Tata Group in 2022

Central govt employees body seeks 'work from home', online meetings

An association of central government employees on Wednesday asked the Centre to issue guidelines on work from home, online meetings and virtual conferencing. The move came following a call by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on cutting down avoidable expenditure due to the West Asia crisis. "The visionary leadership of hon'ble Prime Minister and the dedicated government workforce will definitely give the fruitful results of this initiative," the Central Secretariat Service (CSS) Forum said. The forum is a representative body of CSS officers, who form the backbone of the central secretariat's functioning. "CSS Forum urges the #DoPT to issue comprehensive guidelines on Work From Home for Government offices, as Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi has encouraged a revival of Work From Home (WFH), online meetings, and virtual conferencing for both government and private sectors," it said in a post on X. A balanced and structured framework can enhance productivity, employee well-being, dig

India targets $1 trillion goods and services exports this year: Goyal

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday asked for taking the country's goods and services exports to USD 1 trillion this fiscal year. In 2025-26, exports reached an all-time high of USD 863.11 billion, registering an increase of 4.6 per cent year-on-year, despite global economic uncertainties, including high US tariffs, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the West Asia crisis, he said. Merchandise exports grew 0.93 per cent to USD 441.78 billion in the last fiscal year from USD 437.70 billion in 2024-25. Services shipments too surged to an all-time high of USD 421.32 billion in 2025-26, compared to USD 387.55 billion in 2024-25, recording a growth of 8.71 per cent. "This year, let's aspire for a USD 1 trillion exports target. It's possible," he said at an event here. The minister said that taking from USD 863 billion to USD 1 trillion needs USD 137 billion, which is a 16-17 per cent growth. The minister added that India is opening doors and is providing preferenti

AEPC urges government to scrap 11% import duty on cotton imports

Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) on Wednesday urged the government to remove the 11 per cent import duty on cotton as rising input costs are impacting the textiles industry. AEPC Chairman A Sakthivel met Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh, along with a delegation from the apparel industry and submitted representations seeking the duty cut. They have sought "reduction of import duty on cotton from the existing 11 per cent to 0 per cent", the council said in a statement. During the discussions, the delegation highlighted challenges being faced by the apparel and textile industry due to high cotton prices and rising input costs, it said. The industry representatives emphasised that India has recently entered into several free trade agreements, creating significant opportunities for growth in textile and apparel exports. "However, competing apparel exporting nations are able to access cott