Page 23 - Industry News

Airbus to ramp up H125 helicopter production in India to 10 by 2029

Bullish on the growth potential of the Indian market, aerospace major Airbus plans to produce 10 H125 helicopters annually from the final assembly line, established in collaboration with Tata Advanced Systems in Karnataka, by 2029. Asserting that helicopters can be a tool for "nation building", as well as public services, Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even said efforts would continue to contribute to the development of the ecosystem in India. "We strongly believe in the potential of the helicopter market in India... we strongly believe that H125 helicopters can be a key enabler to boost this civil helicopter market in India," Even told PTI in an interview in the national capital. Airbus, along with Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL), has set up the country's first private sector helicopter Final Assembly Line (FAL) for the H125 at Vemagal in Karnataka. On February 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron virtually inaugurated the facility. According to Ev

Embraer, Mahindra Group plan to set up MRO base for C-390 aircraft in India

Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer on Thursday announced its plans to establish a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in India, in collaboration with Mahindra Group, for C-390 Millennium aircraft after its selection in the Indian Air Force's Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) programme. The proposed MRO facility, as part of its localisation strategy in the domestic market, will provide comprehensive maintenance and sustainment for the C-390 fleet, supporting high levels of operational readiness and availability, Embrarer said in a statement. The proposed facility is expected to deliver a full spectrum of services, including base and heavy maintenance, structural inspections and testing, component repair and overhaul, avionics support, and training, it added. The initiative reinforces the companies' joint commitment to positioning the C-390 Millennium as a strong solution for India's future medium transport aircraft requirements. Embaer and Mahindra Group had last October ink

EPAM repositions India as co-innovation hub for life sciences, healthcare

EPAM bets on India as global co-innovation hub for AI-driven life sciences and healthcare expansion

Customer-centric innovation to fuel India's $750 bn IT dream: Gurnani

India is ready to scale up to a USD 750 billion IT industry, driven by artificial intelligence (AI), innovation and companies that deeply understand customer needs, CP Gurnani, former CEO of Tech Mahindra, said on Wednesday. According to the NITI Aayog, the Indian technology services industry is estimated to grow from USD 265 billion this year to USD 750-850 billion by 2035. After stepping down in December 2023, Gurnani founded AIONOS with the vision of building a next-generation services company powered by AI and platform-based models. He believes India's IT industry can grow from USD 275-300 billion at present to USD 750 billion by 2035 but only through innovation, deep customer understanding, and outcome-driven business models. "India is ready for scale up. India is ready for USD 750 billion IT industry. Clearly, the answer lies in innovation. The answer lies in understanding what the customer wants," he said at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. He emphasised that the future of

DDA removes separate parking charges from flat prices in housing schemes

In move that will provide relief to home buyers, the Delhi Development Authority has decided to remove separate parking charges from the total flat price in its housing schemes, officials said on Wednesday. According to a recent order, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has directed that the total cost of parking construction shall be included in the overall project expenditure. "No separate or additional cost on account of car garage, scooter garage and covered or uncovered parking shall be included in the total cost of the flat," the order states. The total cost of constructing parking spaces will now be included in the total expenditure incurred for the housing pockets to calculate the Plinth Area Rate (PAR) of flats, the order added. The order applies for all ongoing projects, including the DDA Karmayogi Awas Yojana 2025 (FCFS), DDA Towering Heights Karkardooma Housing Scheme 2025 (E-Auction), DDA Nagrik Awas Yojana 2026 (FCFS) and the DDA Towering Heights Karkardooma Housin

After Agentic AI, machine voice to be next shift in AI evolution: Report

The artificial intelligence landscape is rapidly evolving with Agentic AI as the latest frontier and machine voice will be the next, according to a report released here. Since 2024, Agentic AI has been a leading force in artificial intelligence. Agentic AI leverages GenAI through which systems respond to environments, including prompts, to then plan and auto-execute tasks. However, the next stop in the ever-evolving landscape will be machine voice. According to the report brought out by Prosus and BCG, in the current year and the next, audio input/output models -- using audio input and output speech to text and back -- "reduces latency and enhances emotional maturity". The report was released at the ongoing AI Impact Summit. Over the past three decades, the tech world has seen a transformation from machine learning in the 1990s to deep learning in 2015, followed by Generative AI in 2022. The year 2024 saw the advent of Agentic AI, the report, released on Tuesday, pointed out. Taki

ICAI notifies 2025 global networking rules, mandates registration

ICAI has notified its 2025 global networking guidelines, requiring all international networks involving Indian CA firms to register and appoint a Nodal Officer for compliance

How Meesho's co-founder built e-commerce for price-conscious India

Sanjeev Kumar engineered AI-led systems tailored to low-end smartphones, regional languages and first-time shoppers, helping Meesho scale to 250 million annual transacting users

India invested $13 bn in distributed solar, adding 35 GW in 15 months

Over half of India's 35 GW distributed renewable energy capacity was built in just 15 months, driven by $13 bn in investments under PM Surya Ghar and PM-KUSUM, officials said

People may not need jobs by 2050 as AI advances, says Vinod Khosla

Vinod Khosla told the AI Impact Summit that AI could remove the need for most jobs by 2050, transform white-collar work and unlock near-free healthcare and personalised education for every Indian

Air India, Lufthansa Group plan joint biz agreement to deepen collaboration

Air India and the Lufthansa Group plan to enter into a joint business agreement wherein the two sides will collaborate on multiple strategic areas, including coordinated route planning and flight schedules in specific markets. On Tuesday, both sides entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a framework for a joint business agreement, which will cover Air India, Air India Express, as well as Lufthansa Group carriers and subsidiaries. Those include Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, ITA Airways, Lufthansa, Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) and other affiliated airlines. The proposed deeper collaboration with Germany's Lufthansa Group is also aimed at tapping opportunities from the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement that was finalised in January. "Subject to requisite regulatory and anti-trust approvals, the carriers intend to collaborate across multiple strategic areas, including coordinated route planning and flight schedules in specific markets for

Payments industry adopts AI-led interfaces, LLMs to reshape transactions

Fintechs, NPCI are deepening AI integration across India's payments stack, from agentic interfaces and conversational payments to domain-specific LLMs designed to streamline disputes and transactions

States asked to speed up rules, nominate officials for Labour Code rollout

Labour Secretary Vandana Gurnani urged states and UTs to nominate officials, accelerate rule finalisation and support training to ensure smooth rollout of the four Labour Codes from FY27

IBA appoints Gunveena Chadha as Secretary General

Indian Beverage Association (IBA), the apex body for the non-alcoholic beverage industry on Tuesday announced appointment of Gunveena Chadha as its new Secretary General. Chadha, prior to joining IBA, served as Deputy Secretary General at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). She has also held leadership roles at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the World Economic Forum (WEF), said an IBA statement. Commenting on the development President C K Jaipuria said: "We are delighted to welcome Gunveena Chadha as the new Secretary General of IBA. The non-alcoholic beverage industry is navigating a dynamic policy and business environment, and Dr. Chadha brings a rare blend of policy depth and global industry experience. As the beverage sector engages with increasingly complex regulatory and market realities, her leadership will help IBA engage more effectively with policymakers and stakeholders." * * * * Panasonic India launches Co.lab ...

NPCIL reconnects Tarapur Atomic Power Station's Unit-1 to power grid

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has announced the successful reconnection of Tarapur Atomic Power Station's Unit-1 (TAPS-1) to the electricity grid following a landmark life-extension programme. The achievement marks a major milestone for the country's oldest nuclear facility, which has undergone extensive renovation and modernisation to ensure long-term operational reliability, the NPCIL said on Monday. An official release issued by the NPCIL said the life-extension activities were executed under "stringent regulatory oversight" and align with global nuclear safety standards. "The successful completion of such complex activities in this reactor type reflects NPCIL's engineering excellence and strong Renovation and Modernisation capability," it said, noting that TAPS-1 and its twin Unit-2 are currently the oldest reactors in operation globally. The comprehensive upgrade involved high-end engineering interventions to enhance safety margins. The NPCIL also ...

CCPA fines Snapdeal ₹5 lakh for selling toys violating BIS standards

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of Rs 5 lakh on e-commerce platform Snapdeal for selling toys that do not comply with mandatory Bureau of Indian Standards certification, violating the Toys (Quality Control) Order, 2020. A final order against Snapdeal (Ace Vector Limited) has been issued after taking suo-motu cognizance of the matter, CCPA Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare told PTI. The CCPA has also issued notices to other e-commerce entities including Amazon and Flipkart, along with sellers such as Stallion Trading Company and Electronics Bazar Store, she said. Besides the penalty, the CCPA has directed Snapdeal to ensure future compliance by guaranteeing that no non-compliant BIS standard toy is listed, hosted, or advertised on its platform. The platform has also been asked to prominently display contact numbers, e-mail addresses, and Grievance Officer details to facilitate prompt consumer redressal. The Toys (Quality Control) Order, 2020 beca

Markolines Q3FY26 result: Net profit jumps 12% to ₹6.78 crore

Highway solutions provider Markolines has reported a 12 per cent year-on-year rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 6.78 crore for the quarter ended December 2025. The company had posted a net profit (profit after tax) of Rs 6.05 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal. For the nine months ended December 2025, PAT stood at Rs 14.87 crore compared with Rs 10.43 crore in the year-ago period, while revenue rose to Rs 243.34 crore from Rs 185.92 crore. The company's CMD Sanjay Patil said revenue growth was driven by healthy project execution and improved billing traction, while profitability gains were supported by cost discipline and better project mix. Markolines provides highway operations and maintenance (O&M) and specialised road preservation services in India.

Diamond Power Q3FY26 results: Net profit up 693% to ₹49.72 crore

Diamond Power Infrastructure has reported a multifold jump in its net profit to Rs 49.72 crore for the October-December quarter of 2025-26 compared to the year-ago period. The Vadodara-based integrated power transmission and distribution solutions provider had reported a net profit of Rs 6.27 crore in the year-ago period, a company statement said. Its revenue from operations rose by Rs 474.71 crore in the third quarter of 2025-26 compared to Rs 307.51 crore in the year-ago period, it added. Diamond Power Infra said its EBITDA stood at Rs 69.76 crore in Q3 FY26 against Rs 16.03 crore in the year-ago quarter.Gross margins improved to 23.3 per cent in Q3 FY26 against 14.3 per cent ayear ago. Going forward, the company plans to focus on retail and new energy products and invest in newer technologies in the next two financial years, it added.

Black Box signs ₹275 cr Brazil deal in boost to global digital infra push

Essar Group firm advances India and overseas strategy amid rising demand for data centre, network and cybersecurity services

India's unemployment rate hit three-month high of 5% in January

India's unemployment rate climbed to 5% in January, a three-month high, as rural seasonal factors and post-harvest slack pushed joblessness up, even as labour force participation softened