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.
Passengers who previously paid Rs 5 for the minimum 2 km journey will now pay Rs 15, while those travelling the entire route between New Garia and Dum Dum will pay Rs 35 instead of Rs 25 Passengers taking the Kolkata Metro after 10:40 pm will face an additional fare starting December 10, with a surcharge of Rs 10 being added to all tickets. This change applies across the Dum Dum-New Garia section of the North-South Corridor, where the 'night special' service has been operational since May 24, 2024. Due to low ridership, the last train's timing was adjusted by 20 minutes on June 24, 2024. A Kolkata Metro spokesperson announced on Monday that the special night Metro service from New Garia (Kavi Subhash) to Dum Dum continues to see very low ridership. As a result, the revised fare structure will come into effect. Passengers who previously paid Rs 5 for the minimum 2 km journey will now pay Rs 15, while those travelling the entire route between New Garia and Dum Dum will pay Rs 35 instead of Rs 25. Many passengers, despite relying on the late-night Metro services, have expressed mixed feelings about the surcharge. Anuj Sen Sharma, an accountant, remarked, "I don't mind paying an extra Rs 10 if the services are retained. It's better than losing the convenience altogether." However, several passengers criticised the fare increase. Bikash Das, who commutes regularly between Shyambazar and Kalighat, said, "The Metro first withdrew the 11:00 pm service. When we started using the 10:40 pm service thinking it was permanent, this sudden surcharge announcement feels unfair." Barun Pal, another commuter, voiced his frustration: "If ridership is low, it's a failure of the authorities, not the passengers. Penalising us with higher fares is unreasonable. Instead of charging more, they should focus on improving the service." Another passengers, Subhashis Sengupta, said, "No other Metro system imposes such arbitrary fare hikes. Continuous late-night services, rather than sporadic ones, could increase ridership. The authorities need to listen to commuters instead of dismissing their concerns." According to a Metro official, the operational cost of running the two special night trains is around Rs 2.7 lakh per day, with an additional Rs 50,000 in other expenses. However, the revenue generated from these services remains unsatisfactory, prompting the fare revision.
Air India launched a Black Friday Sale with discounts up to 20% on domestic flights and up to 12% on international flights to various destinations. The sale is available through the airline's website and mobile apps. Additional savings are possible with waived convenience fees and specific payment methods. The airline continues offering student and senior citizen discounts.Air India on Friday launched a limited-time Black Friday Sale offering discounts of up to 20 per cent off base fares for domestic flights within India. The Tata-owned airlines will also offer up to 12 per cent off base fares ...Read More >
Kolkata: Trial runs for Kolkata's first airport-metro link may begin on Monday, Dec 16, sources said. Metro Railway, which is implementing the city's Yellow line, including the first 7 km phase between Noapara and Jai Hind (airport) stations, is chasing a March 2025 deadline to commission the stretch. Before the official trials start on Monday, some pre-trial runs may be conducted on Saturday to ensure that the formal launch of the train run on Monday is glitch-free. "We might take the rake from ...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 >
Kolkata, Jun 28 (PTI) Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said the Centre is committed to investing in the railway sector in West Bengal and has significantly increased allocations as part of its broader push to boost connectivity, cargo movement and support micro and small enterprises in the state. Speaking at the inauguration of the Udyami Sammelan Mela 2025 at the National Library in Kolkata, Vaishnaw said the railway budget for Bengal has seen a sharp rise from around Rs 3,000 crore under the previous regime to around Rs 14,000 crore now. The minister outlined upcoming projects, ...Read More >
New Delhi: It is the first day of the new month, in which many big rules have changed, and some are about to change. Do you know that there has been a big change in the rules related to credit cards? This has been done in the rules related to the credit card of HDFC Bank, one of the big banks of the country. Now, people will have to pay a 1 per cent charge for making HDFC credit card payments through a third-party app. This is also considered a big setback for the users. The big change will also be implemented from July 1. Charges will also be levied on utility bill payments. What will be the ...Read More >
Kanpur (UP), May 28 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate multiple development projects worth about Rs 20,900 crore here on Friday to boost the region's infrastructure and connectivity, an official statement issued here said. He will launch Chunniganj Metro Station to Kanpur Central Metro Station section of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project worth more than Rs 2,120 crore. It will include 14 planned stations with five new underground stations integrating key city landmarks and commercial hubs into the metro network. Besides, he will also inaugurate road-w ...Read More >
Mumbai: Mahindra Lifespaces Developers Limited (MLDL) has been selected as the preferred developer for a premium residential society redevelopment in Mulund West, Mumbai, with expected revenue of ₹1,250 crore. The project encompasses a 3.08-acre land plot with outstanding connectivity, situated 1.4 km from the forthcoming Mumbai Metro Line 5 and 0.8 km from the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road. This site also provides convenient access to the Eastern Express Highway and Mulund-Airoli Bridge, advantageous for travelling to Navi Mumbai and various business areas. Mr.Vimalendra Singh, Chief Business O ...Read More >
Hyderabad, Jun 28 (PTI) Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday said the state government would make efforts to generate lakhs of jobs by establishing IT companies on the 400-acre land parcel next to the University of Hyderabad here. He also said the government will fight in the courts to reclaim the land. A row had erupted over tree felling on the 400-acre land in April this year. The Supreme Court had then rapped the Telangana government over its rushed action to fell trees on the land parcel and directed it to submit a specific plan to restore the 100 acres of deforested land ...Read More >
Kolkata: A two-member National Commission for Women team on Sunday visited the south Kolkata law college where a student was allegedly gang-raped last week.The team, accompanied by a videographer, was initially denied entry and asked to produce a formal order. After an hour-long discussion at the college entrance, the team, led by Archana Majumdar, was allowed in under two conditions -- no access to the crime scene and no videography permitted.The visit lasted 10 minutes. "We were denied access to the crime scene and other floors. I will include this in my report," said Majumdar, who was the f ...Read More >
Haridwar: A woman politician has been arrested for allegedly letting her boyfriend and others repeatedly rape her 13-year-old daughter in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. The horrifying crime, which occurred between January and March, was exposed when the minor bravely confided in her father, prompting a police investigation that led to the arrest of the accused. The accused was arrested with her boyfriend and one more. According to police reports, the minor was gang-raped multiple times, often in the presence of her mother. The minor, who had been living with her father following her parents' separat ...Read More >
New Delhi: Three Indian citizens vanished mysteriously in Tehran. Darkness closed in as hope seemed lost. A ruthless Pakistani gang with potential links to ISI snatched them away, casting a shadow of fear. But relentless Indian diplomats refused to back down. Against all odds, a daring rescue mission ignited. Now, the captives are free, and a chilling game of espionage comes to light. The Punjab-based trio - Amritpal Singh from Hoshiarpur, Jaspal Singh from SBS Nagar and Hushnapreet Singh from Sangrur - had landed in Iran on May 1. Promised a clandestine route to Australia via Dubai and Tehra ...Read More >
ALSO READ: Lucknow Shocker: 3-Year-Old Girl, Sleeping Under Metro Station, Raped In Alambagh Area; Her Condition Critical Ashish Srivastav, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of Central Lucknow, who visited the crime scene on Wednesday night itself, identified the accused as Deepak Verma. While talking to the news agency ANI, DCP Srivastava said, " On the morning of June 5, at 10 am, a complaint was registered that a 2.5 year old girl had been raped... A case was registered and five teams were formed... As per the CCTV footage of the scooter, the accused was identified as Deepak Verma... ...Read More >
Lucknow: A man accused of raping a three-year-old girl died in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh police in Lucknow on Friday, a day after a complaint was registered against him. The accused was identified as Deepak Verma. After receiving the complaint, the police formed five teams and launched a manhunt operation to nab Kumar. Kumar was initially injured in the gunfight. However, he succumbed to injuries during treatment. "Accused Deepak Verma, who was injured in an encounter with the Police, has died during treatment," DCP Central Lucknow Ashish Srivastava told news agency ANI. The girl was a ...Read More >
Akzo Nobel has revealed that its decision to partner with JSW Paints was based on a strategic vision to combine global expertise with strong local execution. The move positions JSW Paints to challenge India's top paint industry players. "We had options. It was really about finding not only the right home for our people but the right partner for our company, and we chose JSW," ET NOW quoted Akzo Nobel CEO Greg Poux-Guillaume as saying, explaining the rationale behind the decision. "It really is a ...Read More >
As a part of the new agreement between Mazagon Dock and BEML, Mazagon Docks will make facilities available to BEML's research team in exchange for their technical support to design and manufacture strategic equipment, reported PTI. The government-owned BEML Ltd. (formerly known as Bharat Earth Movers Ltd) announced on Wednesday, November 27, that it has signed an agreement with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders to develop technologies for the marine industry, news agency PTI reported. According to the company statement cited by the agency, the company aims to leverage the opportunity to expand its e ...Read More >
India's housing market is booming, with 2024 projected to be the best year yet. Over 300,000 homes worth ₹510,000 crore are expected to be sold across the top seven cities, driven by economic growth and infrastructure improvements. Sales in the first nine months already reached nearly 230,000 homes, indicating continued robust demand and rising capital values.India's housing property market continues to remain on a strong footing, with the year 2024 expected to end as the best year ever in term ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jan 27 (UNI) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has released its manifesto for the next month Assembly election with 15 guarantees, including employment and the women's dignity scheme. While releasing the manifesto on Monday, AAP's national convener and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, "Kejriwal's guarantees are solid," emphasising that free electricity for 24 hours, free water, free education, free pilgrimage for senior citizens, free bus travel for women, and free medical treatment in hospitals and Mohalla Clinics will continue in Delhi. He alleged, "BJP leaders and spokespersons ...Read More >
LUCKNOW: Hours after the abduction and rape of a three-year-old girl sleeping with her mother under a bridge near Alambagh metro station, the accused was killed in an encounter with Lucknow police early Friday.The accused, identified as Deepak Verma, a habitual offender with multiple criminal cases lodged across city police stations, was traced through CCTV footage that captured him fleeing with the child on a white scooter around 3.30 am on Thursday.Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Zone) Ashish Srivastava said multiple police teams were formed immediately after the incident, and a rewar ...Read More >
New Delhi: Alleging "blatant misuse" of agencies to defame its leaders, AAP on Thursday questioned why the first information report filed against former Delhi ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Satyendar Jain was being kept under wraps and "selective" press notes were being leaked to the media.Bharadwaj, who is Delhi AAP convener, alleged that only two former ministers were named in the case without any reasonable cause while all the officers of the health and public works departments, who were actually responsible for executing the hospital projects, were spared. "Is the FIR so baseless that BJP ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 29 (PTI) The Congress on Sunday attacked the Centre and Rajasthan governments over the reported plan to redraw the boundaries of the Sariska Tiger Reserve for the reactivation of over 50 mining operations, saying the move would be "ecologically devastating". The opposition party also said that with the Rajasthan and Union environment ministers both being from Alwar, this "double engine" cannot be supporting such a move. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared on X a media report which claimed that a plan to redraw the boundaries of Rajasthan's ...Read More >
Ahmedabad: Infocity police in Gandhinagar registered a theft case on Wednesday after materials worth Rs 3.81 lakh were stolen from the GNLU metro station at Koba village. This was the third theft reported on the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar metro rail network in the past two weeks.Ravindrasinh Bihola, a 27-year-old security guard, filed the FIR with Infocity police. He stated that he was posted at the GNLU metro station for the past three months. He was on night duty from 8 pm to 8 am. According to his complaint, the theft occurred during the intervening night of May 30 and May 31.Bihola said that th ...Read More >
A two-and-a-half-year-old girl was allegedly raped near the Alambagh Metro station in Lucknow, one of the busiest zones at due to the presence of the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT). The victim, a daughter of pavement dwellers from Unnao, was picked up while she was sleeping next to her father and mother on the roadside early Thursday morning, police said. The accused is still absconding, and police teams have been formed to trace him. The child was found in a severely injured state, abandoned a ...Read More >
Kolkata, June 28: A political slugfest has erupted in West Bengal after a woman accused Padma Shree awardee monk Kartik Maharaj, who is posted with the Murshidabad unit of Bharat Sevashram Sangha, of allegedly raping her 12 times for six months in 2013. As per the police complaint lodged by the woman, Kartik Maharaj raped her multiple times 12 years ago promising her a job at a local school. The ruling Trinamool Congress is highlighting the issue in a major way and accusing the BJP of being silent on it since the accused monk had been reportedly close to the saffron party. The woman accusin ...Read More >
Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy took a resolute stance on the ongoing Kancha Gachibowli land dispute, asserting that the Telangana government would legally reclaim the entire 400-acre land parcel. Without naming the location directly, he stated, "Certain individuals are creating obstacles, but the government will pursue the issue legally and reclaim the land." Speaking at the inauguration of the 1.2 km six-lane PJR Flyover in Kondapur, the CM announced plans to transform the reclaimed land into an IT hub. "We will establish IT companies and generate over 5 lakh jobs with an investm ...Read More >
India Budget: The Union Budget 2025-26 should prioritise giving tax relief to common taxpayers by raising the basic exemption limit in the new tax regime from ₹3 lakh to ₹5 lakh and lowering tax rates, according to Ernst & Young India (EY India), a global consulting firm. EY India also recommended delaying the tax deduction at source (TDS) on provident fund (PF) interest above ₹2.5 lakh until the withdrawal stage to reduce the compliance burden on taxpayers. Also Read: India to simplify decades-old income tax filing rules in Budget In the last budget, some TDS rate rationalisation was intro ...Read More >
CHENNAI: The Chennai Metro Asset Management Limited, a joint venture of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) and Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), has signed the contract for the development of a multimodal facility complex (MMFC) and the redevelopment of the Kuralagam Building at Broadway. The project to redevelop the property at a cost of Rs 566.59 crores was awarded to Bridge and Roof Company (India) Limited. The work is being executed by the Chennai Metro Asset Management Limited (CMAML) along with the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC). As per the contract agreement sig ...Read More >
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Thursday took strong action against the police officers allegedly responsible for the Bengaluru stampede, suspending several high-ranking officials, including the city's police commissioner. Addressing a press conference, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also announced a one-man commission to probe the lapses that triggered the deadly stampede. "Cubbon Park Police Station police inspector, station house master, station house officer, ACP, Central Division DCP, cricket stadium in-charge, additional commissioner of police, commissioner of police have been susp ...Read More >
Lucknow, June 6: A man accused of abduction and rape of a three-year-old girl in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, was killed in an encounter with police on Friday. The accused was identified as Deepak Verma by the police after scanning CCTV footage that showed him with the child. The officials said he was a habitual offender with criminal cases lodged across the city police stations. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Zone) Ashish Srivastava said five police teams were formed immediately after the incident was reported, and a reward of Rs one lakh was announced for his arrest. Police, after identi ...Read More >
Pune: Hospitals in Pune have started reporting an increase in dengue cases among children following recent heavy rainfall and intermittent showers. Conditions are now ripe for mosquito breeding, experts said, as they warned citizens to ensure there's no waterlogging or stagnant pools near homes and offices. "Dengue is typically seen first in children as they often play outside," said Dr Sagar Lad, a senior neonatologist and pediatric intensivist at Jehangir Hospital and Sahyadri Hospital, Shastrinagar. Dr Lad said he's seen at least three children admitted for dengue this week, with all of the ...Read More >
Mumbai: Senior BJP leader Ravindra Chavan is all set to become the next Maharashtra BJP chief as he filed his nomination for the post of party's state president on Monday. Mr. Chavan presented the nomination forms to Union Minister Kiran Rijiju, who has been appointed as a central observer for the elections by the BJP. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and outgoing party chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule were present on this occasion. With no other nomination being filed for the post, Mr. Chavan is certain to become the next state president of Maharashtra BJP, said party leaders. The ...Read More >