Page 3 - Industry News

India plans 500 delegations, outreach to industry to boost FTA utilisation

The commerce ministry is preparing granular plans to boost the utilisation of free trade agreements (FTAs) by Indian industry, including sending 500 delegations abroad, training 1,000 people, and engaging with 1,600 industry chambers, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday. The commerce and industry minister asked the Indian industry to increase utilisation of these pacts as it will help boost exports and attract investments at a time when the global economy is facing challenges. "We are making very granular plans on how we can leverage all these FTAs and convert the global crisis into a golden opportunity," he said at the CII annual business summit here. Since 2021, India has finalised trade deals with Mauritius, the UAE, Australia, Oman, New Zealand, EFTA bloc, UK and the EU. Goyal said that countries such as Switzerland, the United States and nations in the European Union have much higher per capita incomes and cannot manufacture products at a cost lower than India. The ..

Can India's cotton mission deliver without adopting new technology?

Experts argue that India's Mission for Cotton Productivity may struggle to revive yields and exports unless next-generation genetic technologies and science-led reforms are adopted

Wheat production to surpass last year's level, says Shivraj Chouhan

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said the country's wheat production in the ongoing 2025-26 crop year (July-June) is likely to surpass last year's 117.94 million tonne despite localised damage caused due to unseasonal rainfall and hailstorms. "We believe wheat production to be better than last year," Chouhan told reporters on the sidelines of an event here. The crop is good and there would be a record procurement, he added. Harvesting of wheat -- the main rabi (winter) crop - is almost completed in major growing states. Its procurement is in full swing. The agriculture ministry had projected a wheat production of 120.21 million tonnes in 2025-26 prior to unseasonal rains, higher than last year's actual output. However, the Roller Flour Millers' Federation of India (RFFI) projected on April 14 that output would decline marginally, factoring in recent weather damage. Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra sought to bridge the gap between the two estimates. "While the ...

Identifying 100 products to boost domestic manufacturing: DPIIT Secy

The government is working with industry to identify about 100 products -- including those from the auto sector -- that are either not produced or manufactured inadequately in India, as part of efforts to boost domestic production, according to a top official. Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Amardeep Singh Bhatia, said a set of "unique and interesting" products has already been identified, including items from the auto sector such as axles and motorcycle components. Talking about a series of steps taken by government to make manufacturing competitive in India, he said the "another area where we have been working is to bring in another 100 products which are either not getting manufactured in India as of now or which are not sufficiently being manufactured at the moment". The objective is to expand manufacturing for both domestic and global markets. "We are working closely with the industry (on that)," he said adding "lot of things no

Industry must better leverage FTAs for trade growth: Commerce Secy

The Indian industry needs to leverage and utilise the free trade agreements (FTAs) that India is finalising, as they provide huge opportunities for both trade and investments, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Monday. The secretary said that the track record of the country fully utilising and leveraging FTAs is "not great". He also said that the country's industrial policy should complement its trade policy, as trade is also a function of how India invests and produces. "...FTA utilization is something we are questioned again and again. What is the benefit that FTAs are actually leading to?," he said here while addressing a session on free trade agreements. India has implemented trade pacts with a number of countries and groupings including Singapore, Japan, Korea and Asean. Agrawal said these pacts have led to increase in bilateral trade, but India's exports have grown at a slower pace than imports. Talking about the trade pacts with Mauritius, the UAE, Australia, the EU

Indian Coast Guard commissions FPV Achal to boost maritime security

Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) 'Achal' on Saturday was commissioned into the Indian Coast Guard, bolstering the maritime force's operational capabilities, officials said. 'Achal' is the fifth one in a series of eight FPVs being constructed by Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) for the coast guard. The new-generation Adamya-class fast patrol vessel was commissioned into the ICG at Goa Shipyard Limited, marking a "significant capability enhancement", a spokesperson of the force said. The ship was formally commissioned into service by A Anbarasu, additional secretary and director general (acquisition), in the defence ministry, in the presence of Inspector General Tekur Sashi Kumar, Commander Coast Guard Region (North West), senior officials of the central and state governments, and representatives from the GSL. The ship will be stationed at Vadinar, Gujarat, operating under the administrative and operational control of the Commander, Coast Guard Region (North West), the spokesperson said. The vessel w

OpenAI, Anthropic move into services: What this means for Indian IT

As AI companies move closer to enterprise clients, the shift could disrupt the existing IT models and force firms like TCS and Infosys to adapt faster

Cabinet approves ₹5,659 crore cotton mission to double yields in 5 years

Cabinet raises sugarcane FRP by ₹10/quintal for 2026-27 season

EisnerAmper looks to expand headcount of GCC operation by 10% in 3 years

US-based business consulting firm EisnerAmper is aiming to increase its headcount at its Global Capacity Centre (GCC) by 10 per cent over the next three years to serve its worldwide clientele. The firm recently opened its second Mumbai office and has committed over USD 5 million over the next three to five years toward office space in the city, in addition to its existing investments. "Our annual spend in India continues to grow and will scale alongside headcount expansion. Ultimately, our primary investments are in people, office infrastructure, and technology," EisnerAmper Managing Partner Hiren Modi told PTI. With the expansion, Modi said EisnerAmper aims to double its global revenue to USD 2.4 billion in the next 4-5 years from USD 1.2 billion at present. On the GCC side alone, he said, "India currently represents about 20 per cent of our global workforce. We expect that to grow to approximately 30 per cent over the next three-plus years. In absolute numbers, that could transla

Given operational risks, increase user development fees: Pvt airports

The government reduced landing and parking charges on April 8 to give relief to airlines that have been hit by rising fuel prices since the West Asia conflict began on February 28

TN overtakes Gujarat as top marine fish producer in 2025: CMFRI data

India overall marine fish catch rose by 3 per cent to 3.57 million tonnes in 2025, shows Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute data

Centre eases CME norms for medtech firms under UCMPMD with conditions

New UCMPMD amendment allows overseas training without prior approval in cases where equipment or expertise is unavailable domestically, shifting compliance responsibility to firms

Mumbai property registrations rise 6% in April 2026, best in 14 years

This was the best-ever April for the city in the past 14 years, signalling continued end-user demand

Tata Power arm to invest ₹6,500 crore in 10 GW solar wafer facility

Tata Power on Thursday said that its arm Tata Power Renewable Energy will invest Rs 6,500 crore in a photovoltaic ingot and wafer manufacturing facility of up to 10 GW capacity. The production of ingot and wafer will support the company's backward integration, the company said in an exchange filing. The Board of Directors of Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL), a subsidiary of the company, approved the proposal to adopt a new line of business, photovoltaic (PV) ingot and wafer manufacturing. The proposed new line of business falls under upstream solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing, specifically PV Ingot and wafer manufacturing. This segment represents a critical part of the solar value chain, supplying key inputs for downstream cell and module manufacturing. The foray into ingot and wafer manufacturing supports backward integration, reduces dependence on imports (currently dominated by China), and positions the company to benefit from India's policy-driven push towards ...

AERB grants licence to NFC-Kota to fuel 700 MWe nuclear reactors

The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has granted an operating licence to the Nuclear Fuel Complex-Kota, which is designed to provide fuel to 700 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors. The facility in Rajasthan's Rawatbhata has a licensed annual capacity of 500 metric tonnes of natural uranium dioxide (UO2) fuel bundles. "The proposed activity of operation can be carried out in compliance with this license without undue risk to workers, the public and the environment," said the AERB in an order issued last week. The operation licence was granted after the AERB conducted a detailed safety assessment under its regulatory framework. "The activities at NFC-Kota are of low hazard category. The systems required for radioactive waste management and prevention of spread of contamination during operation are available. The application, the subsequent submissions and the review carried out have shown that the associated safety aspects have been adequately addressed," said the AERB. The .

Uttar Pradesh govt bets on solar as energy demand may cross 33,000 Mw

Uttar Pradesh boosts rooftop solar and microgrids to meet record summer power demand, targeting energy security and cleaner electricity across the state

Govt issues SOP for hub-spoke model for int'l flights; A-I trials in June

The civil aviation ministry has issued the standard operating procedure for operationalising the hub and spoke aviation model to ensure smooth domestic to international connectivity for passengers, and Air India is expected to start trials based on the model in June, according to sources. The Hub and Spoke (H&S) model will provide smooth connectivity for passengers travelling from spoke airports to international destinations through a hub or larger airport. One of the sources said Air India is expected to start trial H&S flights from Varanasi airport from June 1. Passengers will take a flight from Varanasi to Delhi and then another flight to London. The move is part of efforts to make India, one of the world's fastest domestic civil aviation markets, as a global aviation hub. Under the model, Domestic to International (D-I) and International to Domestic (I-D) operations will be facilitated in a smoother manner for passengers, including in terms of immigration processes and ...

Ramky Estates acquires 4.3 msf Skylark projects, eyes ₹2,000 crore

Ramky Estates has acquired stalled Skylark residential projects in Bengaluru, aiming to revive construction, ensure delivery, and unlock revenue potential of around Rs 2,000 crore

Transmission bottlenecks threaten India's ambitious renewable energy goals

India's rapid renewable energy expansion is exposing grid and transmission constraints, with experts warning that system resilience and infrastructure upgrades are critical to sustain growth

Deep tech to drive India's next Unicorn wave: Kris Gopalakrishnan

Moving beyond consumer internet and fintech, the next wave of billion-dollar Indian startups must be built on deep technology and advanced manufacturing to secure the country's strategic autonomy, Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan said on Tuesday. Speaking at the CII Unicorn Summit 2026, Gopalakrishnan, Chairman, CII Centre of Excellence for Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Startups and Chairman, Axilor Ventures, defined this next phase as "Unicorn 2.0", urging founders to focus on proprietary technology and longevity rather than just chasing high valuations. "For me, Unicorn 2.0 is about deep tech," Gopalakrishnan said. While acknowledging that the first wave of consumer internet, edtech, and D2C unicorns made India proud, he noted that the next wave will determine if India becomes a truly developed economy. "Deep tech is harder, it takes longer, the capital cycles are different... and the failure rates are higher. But the rewards-economic, strategic, and civilisational-are ...