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.
Kolkata: The city's long-awaited East-West Metro finally began its complete 16.6-km run between Sector V and Howrah Maidan on Friday evening, linking Salt Lake, Esplanade, and Howrah through one uninterrupted corridor. For thousands of commuters, the uninterrupted service is now a direct answer to years of battling traffic bottlenecks, delays, and diversions on road routes across the city.For Sourav Dutta, a Bally resident working in Salt Lake, the Metro means he no longer needs to depend on a chain of transport modes -- rickshaws, shared cars, and traffic-heavy roads like Belgharia Expressway and VIP Road. "I would often start early just to beat the jams yet reach late. Now, I can reach Howrah by train and then cut across the city without worrying about bottlenecks," he said after taking his first ride.Howrah residents, long considered the worst-hit by the daily congestion on and around the bridge, seemed the most enthusiastic. Sandip Chatterjee, a Howrah Maidan resident employed in Sector V, said: "My commute always felt like a punishment. Two choke points on either end of Howrah bridge led to loss of nearly an hour daily. I tried taking the Metro, but it was of no point as much of the time used to go waste, climbing up and down Esplanade station and then taking a bus ride to Sealdah. This uninterrupted run changes everything."For commuters, who bank on suburban train travel to reach offices in Salt Lake, the full Metro run has become a dependable bridge. Soumen Mukherjee, who lives in Rishra and works at a Salt Lake MNC, said the Howrah connection would make his daily journeys more predictable. "Earlier, returning to Howrah station meant worrying about traffic snarls or diversions during rallies. Now, I can just step onto the Metro and reach on time," he said.The impact is not confined to Howrah and Salt Lake alone. Chandrani Bhattacharya, an IT employee from New Alipore, said the complete stretch will open up new commuting choices. "From Monday, I plan to take a Metro from Rabindra Sarobar to Esplanade and then switch to the East-West Line. It looks far more reliable," she said.Till Friday afternoon, the Green Line was functioning in two separate stretches -- the 9.2-km Sector V-Sealdah and the 4.8-km Esplanade-Howrah Maidan via the Hooghly. The 2.6 km Esplanade-Sealdah link, flagged off in the evening, stitched the two into a single route.Since 6 pm on Friday, Metro operated 12 integrated services between Howrah Maidan and Sector V and was an immediate hit. Around 7 pm, such was the commuter rush that Metro doors struggled to close, and RPF personnel and officials had to get down on the platform to either push passengers inside or ask them to take the next Metro. From Saturday, 186 services are being run daily between 6.30 am and 10.19 pm. Officials said trains will run every eight minutes in morning and evening peaks, every 10 minutes in afternoon and at 15-minute interval in non-rush hours. Services will be available seven days a week.

Mumbai: Eleven years after its launch, Mumbai's first metro corridor (Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar) could soon see longer trains, which would bring much-needed relief to hundreds of thousands of commuters who frequently experience excess crowding on the route during peak hours. On a day when overcrowding was reported at the Ghatkopar and Andheri metro stations due to a technical failure in one of the trains, Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL) said it plans to procure additional coaches. The length of its trains could increase from four cars to six cars if the proposal is approved, official ...Read More >
Kolkata: Commute in Kolkata changed forever on Monday, the first weekday since Metro Green Line between Salt Lake Sector V and Howrah Maidan became fully operational on Friday evening. Several thousand people, who used buses and autos to travel to their workplace and back, switched to metro. Such was the rush that trains on both the Green and Blue Lines were thrown out of gear. Closing the train and platform screen doors at Mahakaran Station proved a challenge on Monday evening, holding up trains on Green Line.As more people become familiar with the network, Metro expects a further surge in tr ...Read More >
Heavy rains in Kolkata caused electrocution deaths. Mamata Banerjee visited waterlogged areas and promised jobs for victims' families. Many parts of the city are inundated, disrupting transport. Metro services were suspended. The weather office forecasts more rain. Kolkata Municipal Corporation teams are working to drain water. Train services are also affected. The IMD predicts more rainfall in several districts. At least seven to eight persons died due to electrocution as torrential rains hit K ...Read More >
Kolkata: Cracker violations have turned out to be a concern in various pockets of the city on Dhanteras (Saturday), barely two days ahead of Kali Puja and Diwali. These violations have been reported from Kasba, Dhakuria, Baguiati, New Town, Salt Lake, Phoolbagan and New Alipore. The seizures of illegal firecrackers had become more than double in the past 48 hours, police said on Saturday. The cops will intensify the crackdown on firecracker violators on the day of Diwali (Monday) by forming special teams to raid the city. "In case of use of banned crackers, we may not provide bail from police ...Read More >
Kolkata: A Class 11 student at Bagbazar High School was stabbed to death by a classmate during a fight at a crowded Dakshineswar metro station on Friday afternoon.As Manojit Yadav, 17, lay bleeding in front of the ticket counters, panicked commuters screamed in fear. The boy died while friends were rushing him to Baranagar State General Hospital, police said.Rana Singh, 18, who allegedly stabbed Manojit, was arrested late on Friday at Howrah station while he was trying to flee, officers said.Barrackpore police commissioner Murlidhar Sharma said Manojit, accompanied by the student who allegedly ...Read More >

Mumbai, Oct 8 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched the 'Mumbai One' mobile app which enables commuters to book a single QR-based digital ticket usable across Metro, Monorail, buses and local trains in the city and surrounding regions. Described as India's first integrated common mobility app, it will do away with the need for multiple paper tickets or separate bookings, officials said. The app, developed for the entire Mumbai Metropolitan Region, will be available for downloading from 5 am on Thursday, they added. Commuters, however, will not be able to book 'season' or ...Read More >
Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) has introduced WhatsApp-based ticketing for its Aqua Line (Metro Line 3). Commuters can now generate QR tickets instantly by sending 'Hi' to a designated number or scanning station QR codes. This initiative aims to provide seamless, efficient, and sustainable travel, eliminating paper tickets and supporting multiple payment options. The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) has launched Whatsapp-based ticketing for commuters of Metro Line 3, also known as Aqua ...Read More >

Kolkata, Jul 20 (PTI) With an eye on assembly polls next year, the TMC is gearing up to turn its annual Martyrs' Day rally into a powerful platform to sharpen its Bengali pride narrative and hit out at the BJP over the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrants in saffron-ruled states. Set against the backdrop of rising tensions over the linguistic profiling and treatment of Bengali migrant workers in BJP-governed states such as Assam, Odisha, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Delhi, the July 21 rally in Kolkata's Esplanade is expected to see Trinamool Congress supremo and Chief Minister Mamata B ...Read More >
Bengaluru: After steeply hiking Namma Metro fares by up to 71 per cent in Feb -- making it the most expensive Metro in the country -- Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) may now make fare hikes a yearly affair. In Feb, accepting a report submitted by the fare fixation committee (FFC), BMRCL raised fares with a base price of Rs 10 and a maximum fare of Rs 90. The committee also recommended implementing an annual automatic fare revision formula to maintain financial stability. The committee suggested until the next FFC is formed, BMRCL should increase Metro fares annually by 5 per cent. ...Read More >
ixigo has partnered with DMRC and ONDC to introduce Delhi Metro ticketing on the ixigo Trains app. Passengers can now purchase QR-based metro tickets with in-app payments, streamlining their travel experience. This collaboration aims to enhance convenience and promote digital ticket adoption, integrating metro services into ixigo's comprehensive travel platform. Online travel agency ixigo on Friday announced a partnership with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Open Network for Digital ...Read More >

Mumbai Monorail Train: The incident of the breakdown was reported at 7.15 am, officials said. Mumbai (Maharashtra): Monorail services were resumed after a nearly two-hour-long halt that occured on Monday morning due to technical glitches in Mumbai's Wadala area. Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) said all passengers onboard were safely evacuated from the monorail. "17 passengers were evacuated after a technical glitch happened in the monorail at Wadala. Passengers were e ...Read More >

Mumbai: Mumbai's long-awaited Metro Line 3, also known as the Aqua Line, is gearing up for its grand completion as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the final Worli-Cuffe Parade stretch on October 8. The milestone will make the entire 33.5-kilometre Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ corridor fully operational, marking a transformative leap for South Mumbai's urban mobility network. Ahead of the inauguration, Mumbai Metro 3 released stunning inside visuals of the Science Centre Metro Station in Worli, offering a first look at its modern interiors and commuter-ready infrastructure. The images ...Read More >

In the now-viral video, the woman is seen entering the metro coach with her bicycle and effortlessly using the in-built hooks designed for cycle storage. She parks her bicycle in a designated spot, lifts the front wheel, and secures it onto a hook inside the coach, all while appearing both surprised and delighted by the ease of the process. (Also Read: Paytm's Vijay Shekhar Sharma spotted on Mumbai Metro, commuter recalls humble encounter: 'Felt cool') The video, shared on X, has captured the i ...Read More >

New Delhi [India], October 28 (ANI): The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has taken a significant step forward in its consultancy activities by foraying into the port sector. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Monday among DMRC, the Deendayal Port Authority (DPA), Umeandus Technology Private Limited, and BEML Limited to develop a Real Time Automated Cargo Evacuation System (e-FTS) for the DPA, based at Kandla, Gujarat. As per the MoU, the e-FTS shall be developed at a pilot project stage. During the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Stage, DMRC proposes to undertake O&M of th ...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 [India], July 13 (ANI): Sneha Debnath, a 19-year-old girl from Sabroom in South Tripura district, reportedly went missing in the national capital. Following this, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha gave necessary instructions to the police to take immediate and appropriate action on the matter. Also Read | Trump Announces 30% Tariffs on EU Goods as Trade Talks Stall. In a statement posted on its official social media account, the Tripura Chief Minister's Office stated, "The report of Miss Sneha Debnath, a resident of Sabroom, who has reportedly gone missing in New Delhi, has come t ...Read More >

BENGALURU: Amid growing debate surrounding the proposed Tunnel Road Project championed by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya on Thursday publicly invited the former for an open discussion on the project's technical feasibility and public impact. Taking to social media, Surya said, "If you truly welcome technical scrutiny and public debate on this Tunnel Road project, I propose an open discussion with DCM DK Shivakumar who is spearheading this project. Let the time and place be of your choosing." Stressing the importance of a transparent discussion, Surya ad ...Read More >
Kolkata News: The Kolkata Metro has announced that trains will not run between Howrah Maidan and Esplanade on August 3, as they will be testing the Automatic Train Operation (ATO) system on that day. However, regular Metro services will continue as usual along the North-South corridor, from Dakshineswar to Shahid Khudiram stations, a Metro spokesperson said. ...Read More >

Kolkata, Sep 15 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived here, is scheduled to inaugurate a key defence conference at Fort William, the headquarters of the Indian Army's Eastern Command in the city. "After programmes in Assam, I landed in Kolkata, where I will take part in the Combined Commanders' Conference tomorrow," Modi said before arriving in the city to unveil a three-day armed forces conference at Fort William. Modi also shared visuals of a grand welcome at Kolkata Airport last evening as he waved to a large crowd of supporters. The combined defence conference, held this morni ...Read More >

Mumbai: The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) announced that the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) has granted authorization for passenger operations on Phase 2B (Final Phase) of Metro Line 3, covering the stretch from Acharya Atre Chowk to Cuffe Parade. This development marks a major milestone from October 9, the entire Metro Line 3 will be operational, connecting Aarey JVLR in the north to Cuffe Parade in south Mumbai. New Timings for Full Metro Line 3 Operations MMRCL has shared the new service schedule for the fully operational corridor: The first service from both Aa ...Read More >
Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), considered the richest civic body in the country, tabled its budget of Rs 74,427 crore for 2025-26 at its headquarters in Mumbai on Tuesday. The additional municipal commissioners presented the budget to BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, the state-appointed administrator. BMC is currently run by an administrator since the term of the corporators ended on March 7, 2022. This is the third year of the budget being presented to the administrator, in deviation from the norm where the municipal commissioner presents the budget to the standing co ...Read More >

Bareilly (UP), Jul 17 (PTI) A teacher from Bahedi district, who went viral recently after reciting a poem mentioning Kanwar Yatra, approached the police on Thursday stating a threat to his life from anti-social elements. A case has been registered at Bahedi police station based on a complaint from Dr Rajneesh Kumar Gangwar, a teacher at MGM Inter College in the district. According to Circle Officer Arun Kumar Singh, Gangwar's complaint says that ever since his recitation of the poem 'Tum Kanwad Lene Mat Jana, Gyaan Ka Deepak Jalaana' (You don't go get Kavad, light the lamp of knowledge inste ...Read More >

Jammu- Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday reviewed the ongoing restoration work of the historic Mubarak Mandi complex, which was the power centre of the Dogra kings in Jammu, and stressed on enhancing its heritage appeal. The Mubarak Mandi Complex is one of Jammu's most significant architectural heritage sites and is envisioned as a comprehensive cultural centre, housing museums, conference venues and heritage hospitality services. Accompanied by Advisor Nasir Aslam Wani and MLA Yudhvir Sethi during the visit, the chief minister was briefed in detail on the multi-phas ...Read More >
BJP leader Tejasvi Surya on Sunday announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Yellow Line Metro Rail on August 10. In a post on 'X', the Bengaluru South MP said, "PM Sri @narendramodi Ji will inaugurate the all important Yellow Line metro on August 10. On behalf of all people of Bengaluru, I thank PM for always prioritising infrastructure development of our city." The Yellow Line is expected to benefit nearly eight lakh commuters and ease traffic congestion in key areas, inc ...Read More >
Bengaluru: For millions of people, the sudden, sharp pain of tooth due to sensitivity can turn a sip of cold water into a jolt. Now, researchers at Indian Institute of Science (IISc), in collaboration with Bengaluru-based deep-tech startup Theranautilus, have engineered "CalBots" - magnetic nanobots that can seal the problem at its source.As per IISc, CalBots are 400-nanometre particles loaded with a calcium silicate-based bioceramic formula, designed to travel 500 micrometres deep inside dentinal tubules, the tiny tunnels in the tooth that lead to nerve endings. Guided by an external magnetic ...Read More >
Kolkata: On Monday, Metro Railway added 22 additional services to the Blue Line, anticipating a surge in traffic following its integration with a fully operational Green Line. This meant increased frequency, with the gap between trains during peak hours reduced from 6 minutes to 5. However, this did little to relieve commuters on the alignment, particularly for those boarding or alighting at Esplanade station. It felt like Durga Puja on Monday, nearly a month ahead of the festival, when even getting a toehold is a challenge in metro coaches. The Green Line interfaces with the North-South or Bl ...Read More >

Ixigo, India's leading online travel agency (OTA) for the next billion users, has officially launched Delhi Metro ticketing on its ixigo Trains app in collaboration with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). This integration aims to enhance the commuter experience by allowing users to book QR-based metro tickets directly through the ixigo Trains app, simplifying travel across multiple modes of transport. By expanding its services to include Delhi Metro ticketing, ixigo continues its push to provide more accessible, seamless, and digital-firs ...Read More >

Mumbai: The city woke up to a chaotic morning as heavy showers lashed the city, causing widespread waterlogging and traffic disruptions. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert, warning of intense to very intense rainfall over the next three hours, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds. Heavy Showers Hit Mumbai's Suburbs Mumbai woke up to torrential rains, particularly affecting the suburbs. Byculla, Mahalaxmi, and parts of Kings Circle were submerged in water, causing severe traffic snarls. Pedestrians and motorists were seen wading through knee-deep ...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 >

Durgapur, July 18 (UNI) Hours ahead of his visit to this industrial hub of West Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government, saying the state is suffering due to the alleged misrule of the ruling party. The PM said the people of the state are looking at the BJP with hope and are convinced that the saffron party can deliver on development. "West Bengal is suffering due to TMC's misrule. People believe that only the BJP can deliver on development," Modi said on his X handle before arriving at the industrial city of East Bardhaman. He also ...Read More >