India's economic engine is revving up, but navigating the global headwinds requires sharp strategy. The rupee's recent volatility against the dollar underscores the complexities facing Indian businesses, impacting everything from import-export trade to domestic inflation. This week alone, we've seen significant shifts in the IT sector, with major players announcing restructuring and a renewed focus on AI-driven solutions. Meanwhile, the burgeoning startup ecosystem continues to attract substantial funding, despite a cautious global investor sentiment. The government's recent policy announcements on infrastructure development and digitalization are poised to further shape the business landscape, creating both opportunities and challenges for entrepreneurs and established corporations alike. Understanding these market dynamics is crucial for success in today's rapidly evolving Indian economy. Stay informed with Abtak.com for the latest insights and analysis on key sectors including finance, manufacturing, and technology – empowering your business decisions in a dynamic market. Explore the complete business news section now to stay ahead of the curve.
MUMBAI: Rising gold prices seems to have led to a shift in long-standing academic traditions. A prominent charitable organisation, which has been instituting gold medals at 14 leading institutions in the country for two decades, recently decided to discontinue the practice and replace the medal with a cash prize of Rs 25,000, which, it is felt, will also go a long way in helping in the students' education.The organisation, Nani A Palkhivala Memorial Trust, has been awarding gold medals to top LLM students at some of the National Law Universities (NLUs), and also traditional ones such as Mumbai University and Savitribai Phule Pune University.'Gold rates beyond common man's reach'Gold prices have been rising at an unprecedented rate and the income from investments has gone down considerably due to lower interest rates. We are a charitable organisation. We have also spoken to some students for feedback and have realised that they prefer cash prizes which can help fund their higher education to some extent. No one likes to sell gold medals for money as it holds sentimental value," said Homi P Ranina, one of the trustees. The medal has now been replaced with a cash prize of Rs 25,000 for LLM toppers at each of the varsities.The Nani A Palkhivala Memorial Gold Medal, made of pure gold, was instituted in 2004 in the memory of the renowned lawyer and eminent constitutional expert who passed away in 2002 at 82. Later on, another component was added to the medal, but pure gold continued to remain a major constituent.A representative said that the income of the trust comes purely from interest on investments, which has been falling at a rapid rate. "It has become difficult to combat rising gold prices. They have gone beyond [the] common man's reach and means, but we would like to continue the gesture that was instituted in the memory of Palkhivala," the representative said, adding they would not wish to disclose the weight of the metal or the cost involved in its making, but added that it was a "substantial" amount.There are 16 other gold medals instituted under eminent names, and for different subjects at Mumbai University. Of these, three medals are made of 18 karat gold and are instituted under the names of MC Chagla for LLM, Vrunda Prabhu for the MSc Mathematics topper and Raghunath Jahagirdar for the fiveyear LLB topper. The remaining are gold-plated medals, said a university source. The gold medals are awarded during the annual convocation ceremony at the university.
New Delhi [India], December 3 (ANI): Indian hockey player Jarmanpreet Singh said that the return of the Hockey India League (HIL) will help up-and-coming players learn more about the overseas players and would help India in ultimately securing the gold medal in Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Jarmanpreet spoke to ANI about the return of the Hockey India League, team India winning the Paris Olympics 2024 bronze and the Asian Champions Trophy, the retirement of legendary goalkeeper PR Sreejesh etc. Speaking about the return of HIL, Jarmanpreet said to ANI, "Yes (if it will help Team India get LA 20 ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 4 (PTI) "On the face of it you are a corrupt person. Crores of rupees were recovered from your premises," the Supreme Court on Wednesday told former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee, held in an alleged cash-for-job scam in the state. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, which reserved its verdict on the bail plea of Chatterjee, questioned the enforcement directorate (ED) over his continued incarceration saying he cannot be kept inside for an indefinite period. "On the face of it you are a corrupt person. Crores of Rupees were recovered from your premises. Wha ...Read More >
The Reserve Bank of India raised the interest rate caps on Foreign Currency Non-Resident Bank (FCNR-B) deposits to attract more capital inflows, amid pressures on the rupee. Starting December 6, banks can offer higher rates -- up to 400 basis points for 1-3 year deposits and 500 basis points for 3-5 year deposits -- until March 31, 2025. This move comes as the rupee faces volatility.The Reserve Bank of India on Friday announced a raise in the interest rate caps on the Indian diaspora's foreign cu ...Read More >
Odisha NEET PG Round 2 Counselling 2024: The Odisha PG medical counselling committee has announced the second phase of the Odisha NEET PG counselling 2024 timetable for admission to MD, MS, and PG Diploma programs. Eligible and NEET-PG qualified applicants will be able to fill out choices for the Odisha NEET PG round 2 counselling 2024 beginning December 16 on the official website, dmetodisha.in. The NEET PG admission fee for government medical institutions is Rs 58,800, while Hi-Tech-MC-Bhubaneshwar and Hi-Tech-MCRourkela-Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry are Rs 4,50,000. Applicants purs ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], January 8 (ANI): The upcoming union budget 2025-26 should focus on giving personal tax relief to common taxpayers by raising the basic exemption limit in the new tax regime from Rs 3 lakhs to Rs5 lakhs and reducing tax rates, suggests global consulting and professional services firm Ernst & Young India (EY India). EY India also asks for deferring tax deduction at source (TDS) on PF interest rate (above 2.5 lakhs) until the withdrawal stage to reduce compliance burden. In the previous budget TDS rate rationalization was undertaken to a certain extent. To further simplify th ...Read More >
Bengaluru -- Gold prices rose for a second session on Tuesday as the dollar weakened, with markets evaluating the possible consequences of US President Donald Trump's policies in his second term after his inauguration. Spot gold gained 0.6% to $2,724.74/oz by 2.40am GMT. US gold futures was 0.2% lower at $2,742.50. The dollar was down about 1% after reports suggested any new taxes would be imposed in a "measured" way. A weaker dollar makes gold more attractive to foreign buyers. "There is a sense of relief in risk sentiment to know that tariffs have not been an immediate focus. The unwindin ...Read More >
Dehradun: Junior world champion Parth Rakesh Mane was shooting in a world of his own during the 10m air rifle final at the National Games, oblivious of the fact that the competition included two Paris Olympians and the 2022 world champion. After 10 shots, Mane jumped into the lead with 106.3 points. The 17-year-old had logged 10.6 or more in eight of his 10 shots to firmly put himself on course to clinch the gold medal. With a perfect 10.9 squeezed in between, he was more than two points ahead of second-placed Rudrankksh Patil (104.1). The steady domination continued till the end. Only once ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar, Jan 31 (PTI) The Odisha Vigilance Department on Friday arrested an official of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) of Mayurbhanj district after detecting disproportionate assets in his possession. The arrested official was a project administrator at the ITDA in the district's Bonai area. Also Read | 'Touched Private Parts Pricked With Pen': Tuition Teacher in Nagaur, Rajasthan Sexually Abused Class 2 Girl for 6 Months, Arrested. A case has been registered at the Rourkela vigilance police station against the official and his wife under various sections of Prevention ...Read More >
In this edition of Frontline Conversations, former Maharashtra Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare discusses how the Ladki Bahin scheme, which provided direct cash transfers to 2.35 crore women, transformed both the economic landscape and political dynamics of the State. The programme, which distributed Rs.7,500 across five instalments to women earning less than Rs. 2.5 lakh annually, not only empowered women with financial independence but also proved to be a decisive factor in Mahayuti's electoral victory, marking a shift in Maharashtra's traditionally male-dominated political ...Read More >
Bengaluru, Dec 11 (PTI) The National Law School of India University, which has pioneered and developed an integrated five-year BA LLB (honours) degree that transformed Indian legal education, has now come up with a three-year (honours) BA course with an option of an additional fourth year. The first cohort of the programme will be admitted in July 2025, the NLSIU said. "We are looking to develop something that is responsive to 2025, but is completely different," the NLSIU Vice Chancellor Sudhir Krishnaswamy said at the launch of the programme. He said the university will teach the social sc ...Read More >
Jharkhand supplementary budget: The Jharkhand Assembly on Thursday (December 12) passed the second supplementary budget of Rs 11,697.45 crore for the 2024-25 fiscal year. Following the budget's passage, Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato adjourned the four-day session of the assembly sine die. Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore tabled the second supplementary budget, with the largest allocation of Rs 6,390.55 crore directed to the Women, Child Development, and Social Security Department. This significant funding aims to enhance the government's flagship initiative, the Maiyan Samman Yojana. Und ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar, Jan 31 (PTI) The Odisha Vigilance Department on Friday arrested an official of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) of Mayurbhanj district after detecting disproportionate assets in his possession. The arrested official was a project administrator at the ITDA in the district's Bonai area. A case has been registered at the Rourkela vigilance police station against the official and his wife under various sections of Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, a statement issued by the vigilance department said. Sleuths of the vigil ...Read More >
Across the United States, rural students are feeling shortchanged and frustrated, as many of the comparatively few universities that serve them are eliminating large numbers of programs and majors, blaming plummeting enrollment and resulting financial crises, local media reported. "Nationwide, college enrollment has declined by 2 million students, or 10 per cent, in the 10 years ending in 2022, hitting rural schools particularly hard," report Xinhua news agency, quoting The Washington Post on Tuesday. "An increasing number of rural private, nonprofit colleges are not only cutting majors but ...Read More >
Ghaziabad: The police arrested a couple on Wednesday for robbing a pedestrian in Crossings Republik on Nov 15. Wave City ACP Lipi Nagayach said unknown individuals on a scooter snatched a woman's gold chain near Ajnara market in the Crossings Republik area on Nov 15. Once the woman filed a complaint, a case was registered under section 304 (snatching) of BNS, and police teams were formed to probe the incident. "With the help of CCTV footage, manual input, surveillance, and a tip-off, Vivek Pandey (29) and his wife Kirti Sharma (28) were nabbed from Chitrawan society in the Crossings Republik ...Read More >
Muzaffarnagar (UP), Dec 6 (PTI) A teacher who asked other students to slap a Muslim boy in a school here surrendered at a POCSO court and was released on bail, an official said on Friday. Tripta Tyagi was caught last year in a video asking children to slap a boy in a school where she taught. Additional District Judge (POCSO) Alka Bharti on Thursday granted her bail and ordered her to furnish two sureties of Rs 25,000 each. She posted the matter for further hearing on Friday. Kapil Ahlawat, Tyagi's lawyer, told PTI that Tyagi had surrendered in the Special POCSO court on Thursday and sought ...Read More >
Smart India Hackathon 2024: The Smart India Hackathon 2024, designed to unite the nation's brightest young talent in solving real-world problems presented by major government ministries, is scheduled to take place from December 11 to 15. This is the seventh edition of the Smart India Hackathon, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside over this on Wednesday. More than 54,000 entries were received, and out of that, 1,300 teams (comprising over 10,800 participants) were selected to compete in figuring out the answers to 254 problem statements. Notably, most of the entries came from Tier 2 a ...Read More >
Mumbai, (UNI) The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Mumbai Zonal Unit (MZU), has successfully busted a major gold extraction and refining facility involved in the illegal melting of smuggled gold, officials said here on Tuesday. Acting on a specific intelligence, DRI officers conducted searches at three related locations, leading to the recovery of substantial quantities of smuggled gold, silver, and cash. The operation resulted in the seizure of 23.92 kilograms of gold bars and melted form, including foreign-marked gold, along with 37 kilograms of silver. Additionally, cash amount ...Read More >
Mumbai: The RBI is likely to reduce the key interest rate by 25 basis points this week after keeping it on hold for two years, complementing the Union Budget initiatives to push consumption-led demand, though the sliding rupee continues to be a concern. As the retail inflation has remained within the Reserve Bank's comfort zone (less than 6 per cent) for most of the year, the central bank can take rate action to boost growth hit by sluggish consumption, opined experts. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has kept the repo rate (short-term lending rate) unchanged at 6.5 per cent since February 20 ...Read More >
In the financial sector, the rise of generalist lenders is gaining traction as market dynamics shift. Once overlooked, lenders offering a broad spectrum of services are now favored over specialists like microfinance or affordable housing lenders. Post-COVID, regulatory pressures and emerging risks in niche sectors have driven many lenders to diversify their portfolios, appealing to investors seeking stability. From gold loans to SME lending, diversification mitigates risk and strengthens customer relationships. As the financial landscape evolves, the demand for generalist lenders is expected t ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) Gold prices fell Rs 200 to Rs 79,100 per 10 grams in the national capital on Wednesday amid a firm trend in international markets, according to the All India Sarafa Association. The precious metal of 99.9 per cent purity settled at Rs 79,300 per 10 grams in the previous session. Snapping a three-day losing run, silver climbed Rs 500 to Rs 92,000 per kg on Wednesday. It closed at Rs 91,500 per kg on Tuesday. In the last three sessions, the white metal plunged Rs 5,500 per kg. The price of gold of 99.5 per cent purity slipped Rs 200 to Rs 78,700 per 10 grams from the ...Read More >
Kuldeep Singh Sengar is also serving a 10-year jail term in connection with the custodial death of the Unnao rape victim's father. Kuldeep Singh Sengar sought interim bail on the grounds that he was suffering from various ailments The Delhi High Court on Thursday granted a two-week interim bail on medical grounds to expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar who is serving life term for raping a minor in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao in 2017. A bench headed by Justice Prathiba M Singh suspended the sent ...Read More >
Markets opened on a cautiously optimistic note on Wednesday, with the Sensex and Nifty showing marginal gains, while investors closely monitored global economic indicators and upcoming domestic policy decisions. The Sensex opened higher at 81,036.22 from its previous close of 80,845.75 and is currently trading at 81,168.92 as of 9.45 am, up by 323.17 points or 0.40 per cent. Similarly, the Nifty opened at 24,488.75 compared to its previous close of 24,457.15 and is now at 24,558.20, rising by 101 ...Read More >
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 11 (ANI): The case of Bengaluru Techie Atul Subhash who died by suicide citing alleged harassment by his estranged wife has opened up a debate on misuse of ant--dowry lawy. Mumbai-based lawyer Abha Singh described the case as a 'gross misuse of law,' stating that false charges and harassment led to the death of the victim, suffering from harassment from his wife and in-laws. Lawyer Abha Singh also emphasized that the misuse of dowry laws could ultimately deny justice to those who genuinely need protection. Also Read | Atul Subhash Suicide Case: 4 People ...Read More >
Ranchi, Dec 12 (PTI)The Jharkhand Assembly on Thursday passed the second supplementary budget of Rs 11,697.45 crore for the 2024-25 fiscal. After this, the four-day session of the assembly was adjourned sine die by Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato. Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore tabled the second supplementary budget, allocating a maximum outlay of Rs 6,390.55 crore to the women, child development and social security department to boost the government's flagship scheme Maiyan Samman Yojana. Under this scheme, the state government initially provided Rs 1,000 per month to women between the ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) Gold prices climbed Rs 500 to Rs 80,900 per 10 grams in the national capital on Thursday due to persistent buying by retailers and jewellers, according to the All India Sarafa Association. The precious metal of 99.9 per cent purity finished at Rs 80,400 per 10 grams in the previous trading session. The yellow metal has jumped nearly Rs 2,000 in the past three sessions. Silver also rallied Rs 700 to Rs 97,000 per kg on Thursday. The white metal settled at Rs 96,300 per kg in the previous session. The price of gold of 99.5 per cent purity also surged Rs 500 to Rs 80,5 ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 13 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Friday granted conditional future bail to former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee in a money laundering case related to the cash-for-job scam. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan said that Chatterjee shall be released on February 1, 2025 subject to the trial court framing charges before the winter vacation and examination of vulnerable witnesses by the second and third week of January 2025. The top court said upon his release Chatterjee shall not hold any public office but can continue as MLA. The bench said that a suspect canno ...Read More >
Dehradun/Haldwani, Jan 31 (PTI) Karnataka's 14-year-old swimming sensation Dhinidhi Desinghu clinched her fourth gold, while weightlifters continued to impress with Manipur's Bindyarani Devi smashing a national record on a day when the tiny northeastern state jumped to the top of medal tally at the National Games on Friday. A sporting powerhouse despite its small size, Manipur moved up two rungs after winning eight medals, including a gold each from weightlifting and wushu, for a total of 19 (9 gold, 7 silver, 3 bronze). Services, though, were close on the heels of Manipur with just one less ...Read More >
MUMBAI: The case of Bengaluru Techie Atul Subhash who died by suicide citing alleged harassment by his estranged wife has opened up a debate on misuse of anti dowry law. Mumbai-based lawyer Abha Singh described the case as a 'gross misuse of law,' stating that false charges and harassment led to the death of the victim, suffering from harassment from his wife and in-laws. Lawyer Abha Singh also emphasized that the misuse of dowry laws could ultimately deny justice to those who genuinely need protection. "Dowry laws, being made to protect women should not be misused because if some women are ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 13 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Friday granted conditional future bail to former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee in a money laundering case related to the cash-for-job scam. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan said that Chatterjee shall be released on February 1, 2025 subject to the trial court framing charges before the winter vacation and examination of vulnerable witnesses by the second and third week of January 2025. Also Read | Atul Subhash Suicide Case: Wife Nikita Singhania Absconds, Karnataka Police Arrest Her Mother, Brother From Uttar Pradesh's Jaunp ...Read More >
Mumbai, Dec 18 (PTI) Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty stayed on the back foot for the third straight session on Wednesday as investors offloaded utility, capital goods and metal stocks amid foreign fund outflows. Besides, investor sentiment remained subdued ahead of the outcome of the US Federal Reserve's policy meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, traders said. The 30-share BSE benchmark tumbled 502.25 points or 0.62 per cent to settle at 80,182.20, taking its downtrend to the third day. During the day, it tanked 634.38 points or 0.78 per cent to 80,050.07. As many as 2,563 stocks de ...Read More >