Page 31 - Industry News

NPPA fixes retail price of 28 drugs, ceiling price of six formulations

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority has revised retail prices of 28 formulations and capped ceiling prices for six drugs under the National List of Essential Medicines

IFAT urges govt to implement social security framework for gig workers

Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers (IFAT) has urged Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya for immediate implementation of social security framework for gig and platform workers under the Code on Social Security (CoSS), 2020. IFAT stated in a letter to Mandaviya earlier this week, that more than 2 crore app-based workers, including drivers, delivery personnel, and home-service providers, continue to work without formal rights, minimum safety nets, or institutional support, even though they form the backbone of India's growing digital economy. According to the IFAT letter, the CoSS, 2020 was the first legislation in India to formally recognise gig and platform workers and provide a statutory framework for their welfare, including life and disability cover, accident insurance, health and maternity benefits, and old-age protection. However, even after five years of this major reform, no concrete welfare scheme has been operationalised, leaving gig and platform workers without

Seafood sector eyes value addition, new markets amid rising US tariffs

Exports to the US, India's largest seafood market, fell nearly six per cent in April-September 2025, while shipments to China, Vietnam, and Thailand surged, indicating a shift towards Asian markets, Dr Ram Mohan, director of Marine Products Export Development Authority, said. He said this at an industry meet held on the sidelines of the fourth International Symposium on Marine Ecosystems (MECOS 4) at the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), according to a press release issued on Wednesday. The meeting, coordinated by Dr Joe K Kizhakudan, said that India's seafood export sector is facing a major setback following the recent US tariff. Industry leaders and policymakers called for urgent market diversification, enhanced value addition, and technology-driven innovation to sustain the country's seafood trade. "Combined with anti-dumping and countervailing duties, the effective tariff now stands at 58.26 per cent, severely denting India's competitiveness in its top .

A91 Partners backs Spacewood with Rs 300-crore investment from third fund

The investment from A91 Partners' $665-million third AIF gives the PE firm a significant minority stake in Spacewood, which plans to expand its retail network and strengthen its brand presence

India's solar capacity to exceed 125 GW, raising oversupply concerns

India's solar module manufacturing capacity is set to surpass 125 GW by 2025, more than triple the domestic demand of around 40 GW, creating an inventory surplus of 29 GW, according to Wood Mackenzie. The surge has been fueled by the government's Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, which has spurred rapid factory expansion. However, the industry now faces overcapacity risks, compounded by a sharp decline in exports to the United States, where new 50 per cent reciprocal tariffs caused module shipments to fall 52 per cent in the first half of 2025. Several manufacturers have paused their US expansion plans and refocused on the domestic market. Wood Mackenzie warned that cost competitiveness remains a challenge. Indian-assembled modules using imported cells are at least USD 0.03 per watt more expensive than fully imported Chinese modules, while fully 'Made in India' modules could cost more than double their Chinese counterparts without government support. Protective measures,

Govt to focus on innovation in AI space, regulate when required: IT Secy

The government's priority currently is to focus on innovation in AI space and it will introduce regulation or legislation when required, IT Secretary S Krishnan said on Wednesday. The secretary said the government wants to leverage AI to make sure that it delivers the maximum benefit for the people of the country. "If we believe that the priority needs to be for innovation, regulation is not the priority today. There is a lot of play for innovation in the AI space. Having said that, let me again assert that if the need arises for legislation or regulation, the government will not be found wanting," Krishnan said. He was speaking on the occasion of releasing IndiaAI governance guidelines report submitted to the government by a sub-committee under the IndiaAI Mission. The report recommends principles and strategy that the government should adopt for governing artificial intelligence related matters. Krishnan said the report supports the position taken by the government and there is

Viability gaps threaten to trip India's race to secure critical minerals

While the auction of mines has attracted aggressive bidding - with many willing to pay high premiums - how many of those will actually be commercially viable remains to be seen

Wheels of industry slow down, await workhorses from Bihar Assembly polls

With 30-60% of Bihar's migrant workforce on leave for Chhath and polls, industries from Tamil Nadu to Punjab face production slowdowns and labour shortages across key sectors

Delhivery moves over ₹19,000 crore in goods amid record festive surge

India's largest logistics firm handles over 107 million shipments in October as e-commerce orders soar during the 2025 festive season

'Bumper' October as two-wheeler retail sales top 2.8 million units

Hero MotoCorp nears 1 million retail sales, Bajaj tops EV chart as strong rural demand and GST boost lift festive momentum

Dhan launches stock lending feature to let investors earn passive income

Fintech platform Dhan introduces the stock lending and borrowing mechanism (SLBM), allowing investors to earn up to 24% annually on idle shares and ETFs through exchange-backed lending

India's exports to US decline 37.5% during May-September 2025: GTRI

India's exports to the US have dipped 37.5 per cent during May-September 2025 from USD 8.8 billion in May to USD 5.5 billion in September, think tank GTRI said on Sunday. It said that exports of pharmaceuticals, smartphones, metals and auto have declined during the period. Pharmaceutical product exports dipped 15.7 per cent from USD 745.6 million in May to USD 628.3 million in September. Industrial metals and auto parts facing uniform tariffs for all countries saw a modest 16.7 per cent drop, from USD 0.6 billion to USD 0.5 billion. Aluminium exports fell 37 per cent , copper 25 per cent, auto parts 12 per cent, and iron-steel 8 per cent, GTRI Founder Ajay Srivastava said, adding that with similar duties on global suppliers, the dip likely reflects softer U.S. industrial activity rather than lost competitiveness. He added that labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, gems and jewellery, chemicals, agri-foods, and machinery endured a 33 per cent decline, from USD 4.8 billion to US

SICSem begins India's first end-to-end chip manufacturing project in Odisha

Power electronics chip company SiCSem performed ground breaking ceremony here on Saturday for setting up the country's first end-to-end silicon carbide semiconductor production plant entailing investment of about Rs 2,000 crore. The integrated facility, expected to be operational by 2027-28, will have a capacity of processing 60,000 SiC wafers annually and packaging about 9.6 crore units. "?Our dream of bringing advanced technology to Odisha is coming true today, and our special focus is on enabling a seamless integration of industry and academia. "In this regard, we are partnering with IIT Bhubaneswar for a semiconductor research lab. I recently had the honour of approving Rs 4.95 crore from the MPLAD for establishing the NaMo Semiconductor Lab," Union IT and Electronics Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on the occasion through a video message. Silicon carbide chips are used for handling high voltage application in products like renewable energy, electric vehicle, power inverters, ..

Godrej Consumer Products signs pact to acquire Muuchstac in all-cash deal

The Muuchstac brand is currently among the top two players in the men's online facewash category and holds the top-three spot overall

Industry credit rises 7.3% in September as retail loan growth moderates

RBI data shows faster growth in credit to industry at 7.3 per cent in September 2025, led by engineering, infrastructure, and textiles, even as retail credit slows to 11.7 per cent

L&T to work with Hitachi Energy on $33 bn North Sea power project

L&T to lead EPC and installation for six HVDC systems under TenneT's $33-billion offshore grid plan, marking a major step in its global clean-energy expansion

DLF Q2 profit down 15%, revenue falls 17% despite sales performance

According to the company's consolidated balance sheet, this drop could be attributed to rising overall tax expenses.

DGCA to introduce competency-based training framework for cabin crew

Aviation watchdog DGCA plans to put in place a competency-based training and assessment framework for cabin crew to help in further improve the training imparted to them, according to a senior official. The Competency Based Training and Assessment (CBTA) framework was introduced for pilots in 2022. Shweta Singh, Chief Flight Operations Inspector at the DGCA, told PTI that the regulator is expected to come out with draft norms for the CBTA for the cabin crew in a month. It will be on a voluntary basis for the airlines. She said the efforts are to improve the competencies of the cabin crew. "For example, if there is a fire in the cabin... how will they deal with it? How will they communicate? All those kind of performance indicators (will be) embedded in it (CBTA framework) which will help them to train better," Singh said. She spoke on the sidelines of a conference in the national capital on Thursday. Participating in a session at the conference, IndiGo's Senior Vice President fo

Coal exchange rules to be finalised by November-end: Coal Secretary

The draft rules for the country's proposed coal exchange will be finalised by the end of November after examining feedback received from the public, Coal Secretary Vikram Dev Dutt said on Thursday. "The draft coal exchange rules are in the public domain. Comments have come, and we are examining those. The rules will be finalised by the end of November," Dutt told reporters on the sidelines of the Asia Mining Congress here. The proposed coal exchange aims to bring transparency, efficiency and a market-driven mechanism to domestic coal trading. According to the draft rules, the coal controller organisation (CCO) will be appointed to register and regulate the coal exchanges to be established in the country. The Ministry of Coal had invited comments from stakeholders by mid-October. On the disinvestment front, Dutt said the process for Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL) and Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Ltd (CMPDIL) has made significant progress. "We have moved ahead in this

Think Gas, Tata Motors partner to expand LNG refuelling for clean freight

Partnership aims to boost LNG adoption in heavy-duty trucking, develop key freight corridors, and promote sustainable long-haul transport across India