Page 25 - Industry News

No mishap at Kudankulam, safety central to nuclear policy: Jitendra Singh

'Safety first, production next' is the formula followed by India's atomic energy sector, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh on Thursday said, as he allayed concerns around safety at the Kudankulam nuclear power plant. During the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, AIADMK MP M Thambidurai said the Kudankulam project got delayed due to safety concerns around it, and questioned the way its power is being distributed. Singh said the share is determined through a formula, under which 50 per cent of the power is retained by the state, 35 per cent is given to the neighbouring states, and 15 per cent is sent to the national grid. The minister also said that many apprehensions regarding the safety are because of "extraneous" and "political" reasons. "Such apprehensions also arise sometimes because of extraneous reasons, political reasons... There has never been any such mishap. The formula we follow is 'Safety First, Production Next," he said. "There was some iss

China moves to curb auto price war after January PV sales drop 20%

China moved Thursday to curb a fierce price war among automakers that has caused massive losses for the industry, after passenger car sales dropped nearly 20 per cent in January from the year before, the fastest pace in almost two years. The State Administration for Market Regulation released guidelines for manufacturers, dealers and parts suppliers aimed at preventing a race-to-the-bottom price war. They forbid automakers from setting prices below the cost of production to "squeeze out competitors or monopolise the market." Violators may face "significant legal risks," the regulator warned. The rules also target deceptive pricing strategies and price fixing between parts suppliers and auto manufacturers. Passenger car sales in China fell 19.5 per cent in January from a year earlier, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. That was the biggest percentage drop since February 2024. The 1.4 million passenger cars sold in January compared with 2.2 million units

India's first cross-sector investment trust in works to monetise assets

The move comes as the NITI Aayog, the government's policy think tank, looks to bring state governments on board for NMP 2.0

Rolls-Royce CEO calls on PM Modi, shares plans to be part of Viksit Bharat

Rolls-Royce CEO Tufan Erginbilgic on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and shared plans to scale up its activities in India to become a part of Viksit Bharat. "It was wonderful meeting Mr. Tufan Erginbilgic, CEO of Rolls-Royce, earlier today," Modi said in a post on X. "We welcome Rolls-Royce's enthusiasm towards scaling up its activities in India and partnering with our innovative and dynamic youth," the prime minister said. Modi was responding to a post by Rolls-Royce on Erginbilgic's meeting with Modi. "Our CEO Tufan Erginbilgic met Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi today to discuss how Rolls-Royce is scaling up to be a part of Viksit Bharat, including expanding its GCC to be the largest globally, co-creating complex manufacturing and building high-value engineering capabilities," the British manufacturing firm said in the post.

AI summit: Hotel bodies meet tourism minister over high room tariffs

Representatives from the hospitality sector, including members of hotel associations met Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat during the last two days amid reports of skyrocketing hotel room tariffs ahead of the upcoming India AI Impact Summit, scheduled at Bharat Mandapam here from February 16-20. Confirming the development, Hotel Association of India (HAI) said in light of recent articles reporting on hotel pricing in Delhi during the AI Impact Summit, a meeting was held by the Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Shekhawat. Industry sources said almost all standard rooms, which account for about 70 per cent of the inventory in top hotels in the national capital have been sold out. With demand surging, not just because of the AI summit but also due to wedding season and the ongoing T20 cricket world cup, room tariffs are already priced high. There has been an escalation in prices for last-minute bookings. An industry executive, requesting anonymity, said high prices of Rs

Banks issue over ₹1 trillion worth of CDs in February as rates soften

Banks raise over Rs 1 trillion via certificates of deposit in early February as short-term rates ease amid surplus liquidity and rising credit demand

PNGRB approves guidelines for CBG injection in gas pipeline, CGD networks

New guidelines for CBG injection into pipelines and CGD networks aim to improve project viability, ensure safe integration and accelerate green fuel scale-up

Quick-commerce white-collar hiring jumps 21% in January: Report

White-collar hiring in the Quick-Commerce sector witnessed 21 per cent year-on-year growth in January as it is transitioning from rapid expansion to a sharper focus on profitability, predictability, and operational intelligence, a report said on Wednesday. There is a strong demand for specialised talent in the Quick-Commerce sector, with white-collar job postings rising 21 per cent year-on-year in January, according to the foundit Insights Tracker report. "India's quick-commerce ecosystem is moving from scale-first growth to efficiency and intelligence-led expansion. We are seeing strong demand for professionals across data analytics, product technology, and supply chain strategy, as companies focus on improving forecasting accuracy, optimising inventory movement, and strengthening customer experience. This signals a clear shift towards sustainable, tech-enabled growth for the sector," foundit VP, Marketing, Anupama Bhimrajka said. While overall white-collar hiring across industries

Cross-border biz to drive up to 15% of Cashfree's FY26 topline: Co-founder

Fintech firm Cashfree Payments' co-founder Reeju Datta says cross-border segment is the fastest-growing, and operates on a higher margin than domestic transactions

IN-SPACe selects Astrome, Azista and Dhruva Space for satellite bus plan

Astrome, Azista and Dhruva Space to receive ₹5 crore each under IN-SPACe's SBaaS initiative to develop indigenous small satellite bus platforms for hosted payload services

Delhi Metro's Magenta Line set to become longest corridor with 89 km route

Spanning around89 kilometres, the Magenta Line of the Delhi Metro is set to become the longest corridor in the network, with the highest number of interchange and underground stations, strengthening connectivity across the national capital. According to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), following the sanction of Phase V (A), the extension of the Magenta Line from Ramakrishna Ashram Marg to Indraprastha via Central Vista will be taken up. The IndraprasthaInderlok corridor under Phase IV will also be implemented as an extension of the Magenta Line, it said. With these additions, the total length of the Magenta Line, from Botanical Garden to Inderlok, will be around 89 kilometres, making it the longest corridor in the Delhi Metro network. Once fully operational, the entire stretch will function as a driverless corridor, the corporation said. The DMRC said the Magenta Line will have 21 interchange stations after completion. At present, the operational section has four interchang

Delhi-NCR startups raise $2.9 bn in 2025; auto tech jumps: Report

Total funding in the Delhi-NCR tech ecosystem rose 9 per cent to USD 2.9 billion in 2025, driven by a massive surge in late-stage investments and a blockbuster year for the auto tech sector, according to a report by data intelligence platform Tracxn. While the total capital raised saw an uptick from USD 2.7 billion in 2024, the ecosystem witnessed a significant 34 per cent decline in deal volume, with the number of funding rounds dropping to 415 from 630 in the previous year. This indicates a "shift toward higher conviction in fewer assets", the report noted. Total funding growth was driven by a sharp rise in late-stage investments, while seed and early-stage funding fell compared to previous years. Late-stage funding witnessed a 47 per cent surge, reaching USD 1.8 billion in 2025. In sharp contrast, seed-stage funding plummeted by 38 per cent to USD 260 million, while early-stage funding dropped 18 per cent to USD 839 million. The auto tech sector emerged as the frontrunner of ...

US-Bangladesh pact to put India's textile, cotton exports in a spot

India's textile industry sees the US-Bangladesh trade deal as a mixed outcome, with zero reciprocal tariffs for some Bangladeshi goods potentially hurting apparel and cotton yarn exports

Share of flexi workers rose to 70% from 20% in 5 years, says report

The share of flexi workers in India's workforce rose sharply to 70 per cent in 2025 from 20 per cent in 2020, while the proportion of permanent workers declined, an ISF report said

India's joblessness falls to three-quarter low of 4.8% in Q3 FY26

India's unemployment rate eased to a three-quarter low of 4.8% in Q3FY26, helped by higher labour force participation and a decline in youth joblessness, latest PLFS data showed

Limited charging infra biggest challenge to EV growth: Auto firms

Auto industry executives say lack of charging infrastructure, reliability issues and low consumer confidence continue to slow electric vehicle adoption in India despite rising demand

Gig workers find their voice: Push grows for welfare and protections

Back-to-back service sector strikes underline rising worker assertion in the gig economy and test whether new labour reforms can deliver real security

Rethink auctions, retain safeguards: NITI Aayog on critical minerals

NITI Aayog has urged retaining public consultation and revisiting auction-led exploration by allowing conditional first-come-first-served access for early-stage critical mineral projects

SC nudges FSSAI to 'seriously' consider front-of-pack warning labels

The Supreme Court urged FSSAI to evaluate front-of-pack warning labels on packaged foods, citing concerns over excessive sugar, fat and sodium and the need to protect public health

India's January power demand hits 16-year high at 143 billion units

Peak power demand in January touched 245 gigawatt (Gw), surpassing the previous summer peak of 243 Gw recorded in June last year