Page 21 - Industry News

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 ...

MFI sector continues signs of stabilisation in Q3 FY26: Arohan Financial

Arohan posts 87% jump in Q3 profit as asset quality improves

Payments Council of India writes to FM raising concern on Fino CEO arrest

The outreach comes at a time when FM Sitharaman on social media platform X took note of the issue and said she will check on it

Domestic air passenger traffic rises 4.36% to 15.25 million in Jan: DGCA

India's domestic air passenger traffic grew 4.36 per cent year-on-year to 152.49 lakh in January 2026 over the corresponding month of last year, according to DGCA data. The domestic carriers, including four major ones, IndiGo, Air India Group, SpiceJet and Akasa Air, together had flown a total of 146.11 lakh passengers in January 2025 on local routes, data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) late Friday evening showed. Gurugram-headquartered IndiGo, which faced massive operational disruptions on account of stricter norms for pilots' rest and duty period in December and lost about 4 per cent market share in the previous month, wrested it back with 63.6 per cent market share, having flown 97.04 lakh passengers during the reporting month. On the contrary, Air India Group lost nearly three per cent market share at 26.5 per cent ( 40.34-lakh passengers) sequentially in the previous month, according to data. In terms of passenger load factor, Akasa Air recorded t

NTPC pays power ministry ₹2,666.58 crore as second dividend for FY26

State-owned electricity generator NTPC on Friday said it has paid the power ministry Rs 2,666.58 crore in second interim dividend for FY26. A ceremonial cheque was handed over to Minister of Power Manohar Lal by company officials on February 25, NTPC said in a statement. "NTPC Ltd paid the second interim dividend of Rs 2,666.58 crore on 25th February 2026 for the financial year 2025-26, being 27.50 per cent of the paid-up equity share capital of the company," it said. This is the 33rd consecutive year that NTPC Ltd has paid a dividend. NTPC is India's largest power generation company, catering to the country's one-fourth of electricity demand. The company operates more than 87 GW of installed capacity, with another 32 GW under construction.

Mahindra group to bring new products for all cropping cycles

Mahindra Group on Friday said that it is committed to bringing new products for all cropping cycles to enable farm mechanisation in the country. It also said that the rotavator remains a big area of focus for the company and the ultimate goal was to increase the market share in this segment. Earlier, Mahindra & Mahindra announced the launch of its new rotavator series. Featuring a new look and a wider mast design, the new Mahindra Rotavator series will be available under the heavy-duty rotavator category - Mahavator & Mahavator HD, spanning 4 to 9 feet. A rotavator or a rotary tiller is usually attached to tractor and designed to prepare soil for planting by breaking up and aerating the earth for preparing soil for planting by breaking up and aerating the earth. "Farm mechanization is crucial to farm productivity and rotavators play a crucial role in efficiently preparing farmlands. We are very committed to bringing new products all along the cropping cycle to enable ...