Page 24 - Industry News

Nine-judge Supreme Court Bench to look at definition of 'industry'

The Supreme Court has referred the scope of the term "industry" under labour law to a nine-judge Bench, which will revisit a 1975 ruling and assess the effect of later legislative developments

Govt weighs making National Pension System mandatory for gig workers

Government weighs mandatory NPS coverage for gig and unorganised workers, explores auto-enrolment and digital onboarding to widen pension net and boost long-term retirement security

India's AI moment gets real as celebrities and robots share space

PM inaugurates 5-day summit; Vaishnaw says India in talks with over 30 countries for a pact to curb AI misuse

Indian Reits distributed over ₹2,450 cr to 380K unit holders in Q3FY26

India's five listed REITs distributed over Rs 2,450 crore to 380,000 unitholders in Q3 FY26, backed by strong leasing momentum, improving occupancies and regulatory moves expanding access to capital

TCS, AMD expand AI partnership with Helios data centre push in India

The collaboration includes a blueprint for AI-ready data centres capable of scaling up to 200 megawatts of capacity

RCPL to form majority-owned JV with TGI Group to explore African markets

Reliance Consumer Products, the FMCG arm of Reliance Industries, on Monday said it has signed a definitive agreement to form a majority-owned joint venture with Nigerian conglomerate Tropical General Investments Group. This partnership will significantly expand RCPL's global footprint by establishing its presence in Nigeria, one of Africa's largest consumer markets, said a joint statement. Through this partnership, which is subject to customary legal and regulatory clearances, Reliance Consumer Products Ltd (RCPL) will introduce its FMCG products to consumers in Nigeria, leveraging TGI's FMCG manufacturing and distribution experience and network, it added. "The partnership between RCPL and Tropical General Investments (TGI) Group aims to strengthen RCPL's market presence on the global stage," it said. RCPL Director T Krishnakumar said: "TGI Group is a diversified and trusted partner, and their deep expertise and decades-long presence in sectors such as FMCG, culinary, and agribusin

Premium housing rises in 2025 as affordable sales fall 17%: Knight Frank

Premium homes above Rs 1 crore captured half of all residential sales in 2025, even as affordable housing saw a 17% YoY drop, signalling a structural shift in India's housing market

Reliance Retail to pilot search-discovery platform in multi-channel push

Reliance's online grocery delivery ‌service JioMart expanded to compete in the 10-minute delivery segment in 2025

Denta Water and Infra Solutions order book crosses ₹841 crore in December

Denta Water and Infra Solutions on Monday said that it has secured orders worth Rs 377.31 crore during the April-December period this fiscal year, taking its total order book to Rs 841.48 crore. The company has also secured two projects in the capacity of a subcontractor and holds an L1 (lowest bidder) position in two projects, subject to final approvals, Denta Water and Infra Solutions said. According to a company statement, Denta Water and Infra Solutions has a healthy order book of around Rs 841.48 crore as on December 31, 2025, providing revenue visibility in the coming quarters across irrigation, urban water supply and wastewater management projects. For the nine months of FY26, the company secured fresh orders worth Rs 377.31 crore, including Rs 161.12 crore in the October-December quarter. Chairman C Mruthyunjaya Swamy said, "We continue to see healthy traction across irrigation, drinking water and wastewater management projects, supported by a robust order book and expandin

magicpin eyes 20M active users in 2026, food delivery to drive growth: CEO

magicpin aims to grow its active user base to 20 million in 2026 with food delivery as a key growth driver, the hyperlocal platform's CEO and Founder Anshoo Sharma said on Sunday. The company crossed 15 million active users last year across various categories including e-commerce, ticketing and food delivery, is focusing on the value conscious segment for further expansion of its food delivery vertical, Sharma told PTI in an interview. "Our focus is on building value-conscious food delivery users who order frequently and engage habitually. We aim to grow our active user base to 20 million in 2026 with food delivery as a key growth driver, particularly among students and first-time job seekers," Sharma said. A majority of the active 15 million users on the platform belong to the value-conscious segment in India's major cities in the age group of 18-35 years. Food delivery continues to be the primary growth driver, supported by higher repeat users and increasing cross-category ...

TN must join hands with Centre to boost startup ecosystem: Jitendra Singh

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday urged the Tamil Nadu government to work closely with the Centre to further strengthen the state's startup ecosystem, noting that despite significant progress, it still has immense untapped potential. Addressing the inaugural session of the two-day Research, Industry, Start-up and Entrepreneurship (RISE) Conclave here, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences highlighted India's exponential growth in the sector, which has increased from 350 startups in 2014 to over 2 lakh today. "Tamil Nadu has contributed 34,000 registered startups, but there is still significant untapped potential. We need to create an enabling ecosystem, particularly in tier-II and tier-III cities, to accelerate innovation-driven entrepreneurship," Singh said. He encouraged youth in growth hubs like Chennai and Coimbatore to leverage central initiatives to scale up their ventures, pointing out that startups have already ...

GRSE commences production of two coastal research vessels for GSI

Defence PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd on Saturday commenced the construction of two coastal research vessels (CRV) for the Geological Survey of India (GSI), an official statement said. The ceremonial steel cutting, marking the commencement of the construction of the ship, was held in the presence of GSI Director General Asit Saha and senior officials from GRSE and the Indian Armed Forces. The research vessels, each having a length of 64 metres and a width of 13 metres, will have capabilities to carry out offshore geological mapping, mineral exploration (including dredging), ocean environment monitoring and research, the statement said. "They will have modern, well-equipped scientific laboratories on board for data processing and sample analysis," it said, adding that these ships will operate within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of India. The defence shipyard, which also builds research and survey platforms, is currently building an ocean research vessel

Uttar Pradesh govt's pharma investment kitty hits ₹38,000 crore

India's pharma market is estimated to touch $120 billion by 2030 while Uttar Pradesh accounts for roughly 17 percent of domestic sales

Happiest Minds to double hiring in AI business amid skill shortages

Mid-tier IT firm Happiest Minds plans to double its AI and GenAI workforce to over 1,000 by next fiscal, investing more to address skill gaps that are leading to lost revenue

Datanomics: Labour strikes down sharply over past decade in India

Data show strikes have declined over a decade, but wage losses and worker rights concerns continue to fuel fresh nationwide protest by 14 trade unions

India second-largest active installed base of smartphones globally

Longer retention cycles build an installed base that places it just behind China

CBIC to roll out Eligible Manufacturer-Importer Scheme by March 1: Chairman

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) is set to introduce the proposed Eligible Manufacturer-Importer scheme by March 1, with a draft framework to be released in five to six days for stakeholder consultation, a top official said on Thursday. Addressing a media interaction in Mumbai, CBIC Chairman Vivek Chaturvedi said the scheme will initially be introduced for two years, offering eligible manufacturer-importers a "preview" of the benefits under the new framework. Manufacturers, who are not currently Authorized Economic Operators (AEOs), will receive benefits under this scheme for a period of two years, during which they must comply with the prescribed norms to obtain AEO certification, officials clarified. The government is currently working on finalising the eligibility criteria through an internal committee, and detailed contours of the scheme will be shared soon for public feedback. Chaturvedi indicated that the EMI scheme is aligned with the broader push towar

Comply with quality norms to gain global edge, Paswan tells dairy industry

Union Food Processing Industries Minister Chirag Paswan on Thursday called upon the dairy industry to adhere to quality regulations, warning that non-compliance undermines market access and allows fraudulent players to thrive at the expense of honest businesses seeking international recognition. Speaking at the 52nd Dairy Industry Conference organised by the Indian Dairy Association (North Zone), Paswan said India has the potential to position itself as the world's dairy basket, capable of addressing global shortages through better organisation and strategic market channelling. "Today, India has the capacity to present itself as a global basket. We just need to be more organised in this direction, channelised and move forward," Paswan said, asserting that the dairy sector has a crucial role in building a globally competitive India. The minister said while the government formulates policies - including resolving GST issues and promoting dairy processing through central schemes - it i

Germany's EW Group plans to invest ₹200 crore in India's poultry push

Germany-based agribusiness firm EW Group plans to invest Rs 200 crore in India's poultry sector over the next three years through its newly incorporated subsidiary Lohmann Layers India, a company executive said on Thursday. EW Group, a global leader in animal genetics, established the Indian arm through its subsidiary International Layer Distribution (ILD) by acquiring JK Breeders Pvt Ltd for an undisclosed sum, the company said. "India is one of the world's most important and fastest-growing poultry markets. The establishment of Lohmann Layers India reinforces our long-term commitment to Indian farmers," Antonio Paraguassu, managing director for Asia and Australia at ILD, said in a statement. The company has been operating in India through a franchise model with JK Breeders for over 15 years and will now work directly in the market, said Surendra K Jangir, managing director of Lohmann Layers India. "We plan to invest Rs 200 crore in the next three years." Lohmann Layers India will

Shorter six-month DR-TB treatment cheaper, more effective: ICMR study

An ICMR study has found that the six-month all-oral treatment regimens for multidrug-resistant and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis are cost-effective and offer improved health outcomes compared to the longer treatment plans currently used in India. The economic evaluation conducted by ICMR's National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (NIRT) was published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR). It assessed the cost-effectiveness of the shorter bedaquiline-based regimens -- BPaL (bedaquiline, pretomanid and linezolid) and BPaLM (with moxifloxacin) -- in comparison with the nine-to-11-month and the 18-to 20-month-long bedaquiline-containing treatment plans used under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP). The analysis revealed that the BPaL regimen is more effective against multidrug-resistant and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis and, at the same time, more economical. For each additional quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained, the health system spends Rs 37