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.
SHILLONG, Sep 14: Warning of possible repercussions, the Meghalaya Tourism Development Forum (MTDF) has urged the All Khasi Meghalaya Tourist Taxi Association (AKMTTA) to withdraw its recent decision to restrict or ban tourist vehicles from outside the state from entering rural tourism destinations in the state. It may be mentioned that the association will stage a protest on September 16. In a letter addressed to the association, the MTDF Chairman Larsing LD Sawyan expressed concern that such unilateral measures could set an "undesirable precedent" and discourage visitors, ultimately hampering the growth of tourism in the state. "Tourists visit Meghalaya not just for its scenic beauty, but also for the warmth and seamless experience they receive. Any restrictions that create obstacles to their movement could discourage many tourists from visiting the state, thereby severely affecting the future growth of tourism," he said. The MTDF highlighted the crucial role of transport operators in the tourism sector while also pointing out that tourism is a multi-stakeholder industry involving hoteliers, homestays, restaurants, cafés, guides, and artisans. Decisions on tourism policies, it said, must therefore be inclusive and not unilateral. The Forum further argued that long-term solutions lie in expanding infrastructure, such as establishing a fully functional all-season airport and a high-speed railway line, which would increase inflow of visitors and provide more opportunities for local taxi operators. Calling for constructive dialogue, the MTDF appealed to the association to avoid protests or restrictive measures and instead work together with stakeholders to make Meghalaya a year-round destination.
Mumbai: The birth of three penguin chicks at Mumbai's Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo has sparked an unexpected row not over their care, but their names. BJP functionary Nitin Bankar from the Byculla Assembly constituency has objected to the chicks being given English names, insisting they be named in Marathi instead. The BMC is expected to respond by June 10, after which Bankar will decide his next move. Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Bankar said, "When penguins were brought from abroad, we accepted that their names would be in English. But these chicks were born on the soil of M ...Read More >
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Tuesday released its manifesto for the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections, outlining a detailed roadmap for the state's development, sector-specific economic growth, and welfare initiatives for women and poor families if voted to power. The manifesto was released by BJP national president Nitin Nabin at a function held in Thiruvananthapuram. It promises financial support for women and senior citizens, along with a high-speed rail project and the establishment of an AIIMS in Kerala. Advertisement On the welfare front, the NDA has promised a Bhaks ...Read More >
At 4: 30 pm ET, modi is set to speak with party workers and citizens through the "Mera Booth Sabse Mazboot Samvad - Keralam" programme, pairing campaign-style mobilisation with a sweeping manifesto that maps Kerala into sector-specific economic hubs. The messaging is blunt: the BJP-NDA argues that voters have "seen through" the promises of both the LDF and UDF, while a senior party MP intensifies the line that the two fronts are effectively interchangeable. The convergence of outreach, policy packaging, and political framing is the story. Modi and the 'Mera Booth' moment: a mobilisation signa ...Read More >
Katra, June 06: The Chamber of Tourism, Trade and Industry Katra (CTTIK) Friday extended heartfelt gratitude to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for inaugurating and flagging off the much-anticipated Vande Bharat Express on the Katra-Srinagar railway line. This significant milestone is hailed as a transformative development for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, promising enhanced connectivity, economic growth, and spiritual resurgence. In addition to launching the Vande Bharat service, the Prime Minister also inaugurated two of India's most remarkable engineering feats: the Chenab Rai ...Read More >
KOLKATA: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday described Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF) Kolkata as a vital platform to explore avenues for collaboration between Jammu & Kashmir and West Bengal and promote mutual growth in the tourism sector. Inaugurating the Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF) Kolkata-2025, India's oldest and most trusted B2B travel trade show, at Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan, Kolkata, the Chief Minister emphasized that the fair would encourage all stakeholders to contribute meaningfully towards strengthening the cultural and economic ties between the two regions The inaugural ceremony ...Read More >
Dispur: Tea production is a cornerstone of Assam's economy. The tea from this northeastern state has procured its place in the world market. Traditional methods as well as modern technology are used for tea production. In the old days, people used to prepare tea by hand. Although the invention of machinery and advancements in research over time have changed the methods of producing tea leaves, many people in Assam continue to prepare and use tea leaves by hand even today. Meet Moina Kramchapi, a young, budding entrepreneur who not only produces tea in the traditional methods but also is expl ...Read More >
Shillong, Sep 29 (UNI) Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Monday unveiled the Chief Minister's Homestay Mission to empower local entrepreneurs in developing quality homestays that meet the growing demands of our vibrant tourism sector. Speaking at the closing of the World Tourism Day celebrations in Shillong, Sangma said the initiative is a step towards enhancing hospitality infrastructure across the state while supporting local livelihoods. "For the upcoming National Games in 2027, we h ...Read More >
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season has barely begun, but it has already delivered its first major controversy. Following Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) six-wicket defeat to Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium, a pointed remark from captain Ajinkya Rahane has triggered a wider debate - forcing Cricket Australia (CA) to step in with a clarification. At the centre of the storm is Cameron Green, KKR's high-profile signing worth INR 25.20 crore, who did not bowl a single over despite MI's dominant chase of 220. KKR seemed in control after posting a commanding 220/4, but the script ...Read More >
Srinagar: Imagine gliding effortlessly above the clouds atop the world's highest railway bridge, with panoramic views of snow-capped peaks, lush green valleys, and rivers carving their way through rugged mountains. This is the experience Kashmir's first high-speed train journey offers -- promising to transform travel and tourism in the region forever. On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated two cutting-edge Vande Bharat trains running between Katra and Srinagar, slashing travel time by hours and providing year-round, reliable connectivity to the Kashmir valley. This train ride doe ...Read More >
Srinagar: Before towering cranes and cutting-edge engineering transformed the Himalayan landscape, the monumental dream of connecting "Kashmir to Kanyakumari" by rail began with the plodding footsteps of humble mules. This extraordinary backstory underpins the official realization of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 6, 2025, a project crowned by the awe-inspiring Chenab Bridge. According to Afcons Infrastructure Limited, the company behind the Chenab Bridge, the earliest and most formidable hurdle wasn't just the design of ...Read More >
Meghalaya is a major tourist destination in the northeast ShowQuick Read Summary is AI-generated, newsroom-reviewed Tourists must hire authorised guides for trekking in East Khasi Hills district in MeghalayaA businessman from Indore was killed by his wife during their honeymoon in MeghalayaSocial media reactions questioned Meghalaya's safety and affected its tourism reputation Did our AI summary help? Let us know. Guwahati: Meghalaya has made it mandatory for tourists to hire authorised an ...Read More >
Bhavnagar (Gujarat) [India], August 3 (ANI): Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday flagged off a new train from Gujarat Bhavnagar Terminus Railway station to Ayodhya. On the occasion, the Railway Minister said, A lot of new developmental works are being undertaken in Bhavnagar. Many new trains will also start from Bhavnagar. It is also emerging as a great hub of container manufacturing. PM Modi increased the budget for railway development projects by 29 times for Gujarat. 87 new stations are being constructed in the state. The bullet train project is also progressing rapidly, he added. ...Read More >
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], October 3 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday directed all the administrative secretaries to set clear targets and complete the pending tasks to extend benefits of development projects to the people. In a high level meeting with all the administrative secretaries here today, the chief minister said that the state government from the very first day had been working to ensure good governance and betterment of the people of the state. He said that the Chief Secretary would regularly review the progress of departmental project ...Read More >
The Madhya Pradesh tourism department hosted a Travel Mart from October 11 to 13 in state capital Bhopal. The event saw the participation of more than 100 travel agents from 27 countries, besides film personalities, hoteliers, homestay owners and wedding planners, totalling to around 700 delegates. The state had been hosting travel marts till 2015-16, but stopped the practice. The Madhya Pradesh Travel Meet (MPTM) has now been branded and would become an annual event, to be held every October. ...Read More >
The Noida International Airport (NIA) in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh, is expected to be inaugurated in a couple of days. As one of India's largest greenfield airports, the NIA, also known as Jewar airport, will significantly boost air connectivity for Delhi-NCR and western UP. Moreover, NIA has been designed to ease congestion at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. As the initial phase of the project is underway, let's take a look at how well the airport will be connected and what features will ...Read More >
Hyderabad: The Telangana government has taken a major step toward strengthening regional air connectivity by approving the acquisition of 700 acres of land for the development of a new airport in Adilabad. The move follows a positive feasibility report from the Airports Authority of India (AAI), paving the way for the project to move into its implementation phase. According to official sources, Special Chief Secretary Vikas Raj has issued formal orders authorizing the Adilabad District Collector to begin the land acquisition process. The airport is planned as a Joint User Airfield, with both ...Read More >
New Delhi (CNN) -- One of India's most ambitious aviation projects, touted to be among the largest in South Asia, has been inaugurated more than four years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially kicked off the project. "I am happy that I had the privilege of laying the foundation stone of this airport and also inaugurating it," Modi said in a ceremony held at the airport on March 28. The announcement provides much-needed PR for India's struggling aviation industry, especially as the world copes with the fuel shortage amid the US and Israel's war with Iran, which has blocked many ships ...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 >
Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 2 (PTI) What began last month as an emergency landing by a British Royal Navy F-35B Lightning fighter jet at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport has unexpectedly turned into a marketing gift for Kerala Tourism. The jet, part of the UK's most advanced stealth fleet, is awaiting repairs. Now, that brief military issue is being reimagined -- not in air bases or defence circles, but in the world of travel and tourism. A new poster posted by Kerala Tourism on its 'X' handle is making the rounds online. It features a stylised image of the fighter jet parked against a ...Read More >
Chandigarh: Punjab governor and UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria met Union ministers in Delhi on Friday and took several pending issues of Chandigarh with them for early resolution. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (minister for tourism) and Bhupender Yadav (minister for environment, forest and climate change) were in New Delhi to discuss critical developmental issues concerning Chandigarh and Punjab, particularly in the areas of public transport, tourism infrastructure, and environmental sustainability.In his meeting with Manohar Lal Khattar (minister for housing and urban affairs), the governor ...Read More >
Silchar: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday visited the flood-ravaged districts of Hailakandi and Sribhumi in the Barak Valley. He assured affected residents of providing timely disbursement of rehabilitation grants and swift repair of damaged infrastructure.This marks Sarma's second visit to the flood-hit region within four days, underscoring the gravity of the situation. Speaking to the media in Sribhumi after inspecting multiple relief camps, the CM said, "Flood-related problems may persist till July. I will return before Durga Puja to ensure that roads and infrastructure ar ...Read More >
Gangtok: Sikkim's sole Lok Sabha MP, Indra Hang Subba, on Monday met Sanjay Kumar Jha, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, and submitted a representation urging urgent intervention to restore flight services at Pakyong airport and improve road connectivity in the northern parts of the State. According to a statement from the MP's office, Subba briefed the committee chief on the challenges faced by residents and tourism stakeholders in North Sikkim, following successive natural disasters -- including the Glacier Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) on O ...Read More >
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], July 4 (ANI): Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday came down heavily on the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) over its pitch to reconsider the words 'secular and socialist' from the Preamble of the Indian Constitution while saying that it was 'all talk'. He dared and challenged RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale and top leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the centre to remove the words 'secular and socialist' from the Preamble. 'Days before, I heard that some RSS person said that we should remove Secular and Socialist words from ...Read More >
Kolkata: The Kolkata Traffic Police is facing a new challenge in managing vehicle parking for the upcoming Shahid Diwas rally on Monday, as persistent rainfall threatens to render designated parking fields unusable. The fresh spell of rain on Friday, with more occasional rain predicted even on Saturday, has left cops worried as they believe the Maidan area can be filled with slush.The traffic department, which initially planned to utilise various fields across the city for parking buses and cars of parade attendees, is now frantically searching for alternative solutions on the main roads, stre ...Read More >
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 3 (ANI): In a major crackdown on narcotics smuggling, officers of the Airport Commissionerate, Mumbai Customs Zone-III, have seized 14.738 kgs of suspected NDPS hydroponic weed (marijuana) valued at approximately Rs 14.73 crore during operations on Sunday. The seizures were made across Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMI), resulting in the arrest of one passenger, as stated in the press release. The passenger was arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Based on specific intel, ...Read More >
The bridges are being built under the 'Operation Pravah' project, which aims to protect the areas surrounding the airport from flood threats Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday (September 27, 2025) promised to complete the works on three bridges to be built by Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) in the neighbouring panchayats in 18 months. He was inaugurating the construction of bridges that would come up at Puliyampilly, Madathimoola, and Chovvara at a total cost of ₹40 crore. ...Read More >
The Ministry of Tourism, with the Sikkim government, will host the 13th International Tourism Mart in Gangtok from Nov 13-16, 2025. The event aims to showcase the North East's tourism potential to domestic and international stakeholders. The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in coordination with the Government of Sikkim, is all set to organise the 13th International Tourism Mart (ITM) for the North Eastern Region from November 13 to 16, 2025, at Gangtok, Sikkim. The event will be inaugur ...Read More >
Guwahati, Dec 17: With an eye firmly on the 2026 Assam Assembly elections, the ruling BJP is set to intensify its political and development outreach in the state as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are scheduled for a series of high-profile visits to Assam later this month. Announcing the itinerary, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on a live feed, said the visits will showcase transformative infrastructure projects, and boost economic confidence. The Prime Minister will arrive in Assam on December 20 and inaugurate the new terminal at Lokpriya Gopinath B ...Read More >
On Wednesday, a special investigation team (SIT) was formed after the Meghalaya Police recovered the weapon in the suspected murder of Raja Raghuvanshi. Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Thursday assured that justice would be served in the case of the Indore tourist who was murdered in Sohra, while rescue operations continue to locate his missing wife. He did not comment on calls for a CBI investigation, saying the inquiry is ongoing and thorough. Speaking to media persons, Sangma said, ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 8 (ANI): BJP MP Gulam Ali Khatana, who was part of the all-party parliamentary delegation to Europe, said that during their recently conclued visit they successfully communicated India's development story and its resolute stand against terrorism, particularly emanating from Pakistan. Highlighting the delegation's key discussions during the tour, Khatana told ANI, 'We discussed how we dismantled the terrorism factory in Pakistan by responding... We also talked about tourism infrastructure, G20 Summit, and projects like the six-lane roads, bridges, solar initiatives, our ...Read More >