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.
NEW DELHI, April 2 (Reuters) - India is using a cooking gas crisis triggered by the Iran war to plug leaks in its local distribution chain and strengthen infrastructure to expedite a shift towards piped gas as it looks to reduce liquefied petroleum gas imports and spending on subsidies. The government has invoked emergency powers to ensure that limited LPG supplies are directed toward actual household use and will halt supplies after three months for customers linked to piped gas connections. Last month, India issued an order setting timelines for new pipeline approvals, with permissions deemed granted if authorities fail to respond in time, while requiring landowners and local authorities to allow pipeline access. "Witness rapid expansion of CGD (city gas distribution) network across the country ... a crisis turned into an opportunity, opens new tab", said Neeraj Mittal, the secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, on social media. In March, India added 580,000 new households to its piped gas supply network, the government said on Tuesday, compared with 342,300 a year earlier. India is the world's No. 2 importer of LPG, meeting about 60% of its needs with overseas purchases. It shipped in about 22 million metric tons of LPG in 2025, mostly from the Middle East, spending nearly $12 billion. LPG DISRUPTION EXPOSES IMPORT DEPENDENCE The world's most populous country has been hit hard by LPG supply disruptions, exposing vulnerabilities in its import-dependent energy system and prompting officials to take steps to manage supply and demand. India's LPG imports could decline by about 10% to 15% by 2030 due to the measures, including the expansion of piped gas, said Prashant Vashist of credit-rating agency ICRA. India satisfies half of its natural gas consumption with imports of liquefied natural gas. "This (shift to natural gas) would cut the companies' revenue losses on the sale of domestic LPG and would also reduce the subsidy burden," he said. Shifting consumers to piped gas, which is sold closer to market rates, would help contain fiscal pressures while improving supply efficiency. Retailers sell LPG to commercial users at market prices, while selling cooking fuel to households at subsidised rates that are about 56% cheaper. Last year, a limited compensation to retailers cost the government $3.4 billion. Since the start of the war, suppliers including Indraprastha Gas (IGAS.NS), opens new tab, Mahanagar Gas (MGAS.NS), opens new tab, GAIL Gas and Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL.NS), opens new tab have offered incentives such as reductions in installation charges for piped gas connections. India has 333.7 million household LPG customers including 106 million low-income families receiving subsidised gas. Local gas suppliers have been connecting about 2 million to 2.5 million consumers annually, bringing the total to 16.3 million at the end of December. The recent policy changes should raise that pace to about 7.5 million connections annually, said Gajendra Singh, former member of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board, bringing the national total to 35 million to 40 million by 2030. "This expansion would cut LPG imports and offer a safer, more convenient alternative for households," he said. Reporting by Nidhi Verma; Editing by Tony Munroe and Thomas Derpinghaus Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab * Suggested Topics: * Boards, Policy & Regulation * Regulatory Oversight * Governance * Refining * Gas Nidhi Verma Thomson Reuters Nidhi Verma is an award-winning journalist working with Reuters. Presently, she is working as Team Leader-Energy in India. She has more than two decades of experience in covering India and global energy sector. Her stories show a new dimension of the energy sector, the nuances of the oil trade, the role of geopolitics and the diplomatic efforts that a country makes to mitigate the impact of external shocks.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Monday that on his first day in office he would impose a 25% tariff on all products from Mexico and Canada, and an additional 10% tariff on goods from China, citing concerns over illegal immigration and the trade of illicit drugs. "On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Trump said the tariffs would remain in place until the two countries ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 4 (VOICE) Aadit Palicha, Co-founder and CEO of Zepto, on Wednesday said he is not against work-life balance and even recommends it to his competitors. Palicha's statement comes even as a viral post, on the American social media platform Reddit, accused the quick e-commerce platform of toxic work culture. "I have nothing against work-life balance. In fact, I recommend it to all our competitors :)," said the 22-year-old CEO, in a post on social media platform X. The Reddit post, by an anonymous user, alleged that Zepto's working environment was "toxic", with employees working ex ...Read More >
SOLAPUR, India (Reuters) - India is likely to produce a record amount of sugar in the next marketing year from October after millions of farmers expanded cane cultivation, encouraged by ample water supplies and declining prices of competing crops, farmers and industry officials told Reuters. The rebound in production would allow the world's second-largest sugar producer to resume exports in 2025/26, they said, after a lack of rain cut cane yields and led to two years of restrictions. Indian exports could cap global sugar prices, traders said, by increasing supplies in the world market at a t ...Read More >
NEW DELHI, Dec 11 (Reuters) - London copper prices climbed to a nearly one-month high on Wednesday, as markets drew support from top consumer China's recent announcement that it will ease monetary policy and adopt a proactive fiscal policy to propel growth next year. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME) was up 0.8% at $9,290 per metric ton, as of 0353 GMT. The contract briefly touched $9,314 per metric ton, its highest level since Nov. 12. The most-traded January copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) rose 0.4% to 75,690 yuan ($10,443.31) a ton. China will ...Read More >
The chip makers around the world felt the relief of a rumor suggesting that the sales curb to China could be less severe than previously expected. But the news didn't necessarily translate in a strong rally. ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) - Europe's biggest chip equipment maker that predicted a 30% fall to its Chinese revenue next year - closed 0.22% lower yesterday, while Tokyo Electron - which was up by more than 6% yesterday - couldn't extend gains at today's session. With US markets paused for the Thanksgiving break, France was at the heart of the attention yesterday. The political drama, there, only ...Read More >
The Indian government has awarded fiscal incentives totaling Rs 4,150 crore to four companies, including the BCGCL joint venture, for developing coal gasification projects aimed at producing ammonium nitrate, synthetic natural gas, and ethanol. This initiative is part of India's Rs 8,500 crore Coal Gasification Incentive Scheme. In a strategic move, the Indian government on Thursday granted fiscal incentives amounting to Rs 4,150 crore to four companies to bolster coal gasification projects. Amo ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jan 31 (VOICE) The output of India's eight core sector industries rose 4 per cent year-on-year in December, driven by an increase in the production of coal, steel, and electricity during the month, according to government data released on Friday.The eight core industries include coal, natural gas, crude oil, refinery products, fertilisers, cement, steel and electricity which comprise 40.27 per cent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP). The growth rate of the core industries, therefore, is an indicator of the overall industrial growth rate. Apa ...Read More >
Hyderabad: In a significant boost for 'Make in India' and 'Atmanirbharta' in the aerospace and defence sector, and Hyderabad's growing stature as a global aerospace hub, the complete fuselage of the Rafale fighter jet will now be made in India at Hyderabad. This move marks the first time that these Rafale components will be manufactured outside France for the Indian as well as global markets.French aerospace major Dassault Aviation has signed four production transfer agreements with Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) for manufacturing key sections of the Rafale fighter jet, including the lateral ...Read More >
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Import tariffs expected to be implemented by the administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump could lower economic growth and inflation in the 20 nations sharing the euro, European Central Bank board member Piero Cipollone said on Tuesday. Most economists agree that the possible tariffs would impact growth, though views diverge on the effect on consumer prices. Some argue the U.S. trade barriers will push up the value of the dollar, making imports of key commodities more expensive, while likely retaliation from Europe will also raise costs. Cipollone, speaking i ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], January 10 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that people misunderstand the meaning of, "minimum government, maximum governance". He said that the efforts must be to increase the speed of work done by government departments and thus, he had made different ministries for skill, cooperatives, and fisheries. Speaking in a podcast with Zerodha Co-founder Nikhil Kamath, PM Modi said that the government took away 40,000 compliances to increase the speed of work in different departments. "We often misunderstand the concept of minimum government, maximum governance. Some bel ...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 >
The escalating conflict could upset a hard-fought consensus that G20 negotiators reached around 5 a.m. on Sunday, after an overnight push to ready the joint statement for final review by leaders arriving in Rio. That preliminary consensus after six days of negotiations included streamlined language about global conflicts including the war in Ukraine, focusing on the need to negotiate peace rather than criticism of any participants. However, sources said even that "simpler" consensus may now be up for reconsideration following the Russian air strike and the prospect of further escalation. Un ...Read More >
The global smoke grenade market is expected to grow from $297.24 million in 2023 to $456.46 million by 2031, driven by a 5.5% CAGR. Military, law enforcement, and emergency services are the primary sectors fueling demand, especially for tactical operations, training, and crowd control. Advances in technology have led to safer, more effective smoke grenades, while commercial uses in activities like paintball and film production are rising. Environmental concerns are promoting the development of eco-friendly products. North America leads the market, with rising military expenditures further boos ...Read More >
Chennai: The capacity utilisation of the domestic steel industry is set to drop to 78 per cent for the first time in four years. In order to check unprecedented imports, the government is considering imposing a 25 per cent duty on steel imports. Cheaper imports from China and countries under Free Trade Agreement along with ongoing capacity addition can lead to capacity utilisation of domestic steel mills dropping from 85 per cent in FY2024 to an estimated 78 per cent in the current fiscal, the lowest we have seen in the last four years. The domestic steel industry witnessed an all-time high ...Read More >
New Delhi: ONGC's production trend is beginning to turn after eight straight years of fall as a key new field in KG Basin ramps up and the old Mumbai High asset arrests decline. ONGC's crude production rose 3% year-on-year in November to 53,804 tonnes per day (tpd) and the output growth so far in December has accelerated to 4.2% to 54,535 tpd, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The output was marginally higher in three of the first seven months this fiscal year but there is a cle ...Read More >
NEW DELHI, June 2 (Reuters) - India's key iron ore producer NMDC (NMDC.NS), opens new tab is testing a new pricing formula for its output to shield its profits from the volatilities reflected in global benchmarks, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. State-run NMDC, which sells its output locally, currently releases monthly iron ore prices linked to inventories, international prices and domestic market dynamics. The company plans to launch the new formula after initial trials, the source said, declining to be identified as the plan is not public yet. "We are taking bab ...Read More >
VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday held a review meeting at his Undavalli camp office to address procurement and pricing concerns for cocoa, mango, and tobacco crops, reaffirming his government's commitment to supporting farmers. Naidu stressed a farmer-centric approach, directing officials to conduct field visits, anticipate challenges, and ensure global standards in agricultural production. He announced a dedicated cocoa policy to promote high-quality output and enhance farmer awareness. Support for Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and MSMEs to strengthen agro-pr ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Former head of Air India and chairman of the Railway Board Ashwani Lohani is the new Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML) director. The official order for his appointment was issued on Wednesday. A 1980-batch officer of the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineering (IRSME), Lohani is known for turning around various organisations during his illustrious career. Following his retirement from IRSME service, he joined the GMR Group as the CEO. According to the order dated June 4, his appointment to the post of director, Prime Ministers Museum and Library in the rank and pa ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], December 3 (ANI): Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Bill, 2024 to expand the definition of mineral oils and include petroleum and natural gas passed in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. The bill was introduced by Union petroleum and natural gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri for consideration and passing. The Bill will regulate the exploration and extraction of natural gas and petroleum. The amended bill expands the definition of mineral oils to include petroleum and natural gas in it. Also Read | Pune: Doctors Perform Rare Laser Surgery on Woman Pregnant With Monoam ...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 >
Alipurduar (West Bengal) [India], May 29 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday laid foundation stone of City Gas Distribution project in Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts in West Bengal on Thursday. The project, worth over Rs 1010 crore, aims to provide Piped Natural Gas (PNG) to more than 2.5 Lakh households, over 100 commercial establishments, and industries, and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to vehicular traffic by establishing around 19 CNG stations in line with the Minimum Work Program (MWP) targets stipulated by the Government. Also Read | Kerala Lottery Result Today 3 PM L ...Read More >
Still, the ongoing U.N. climate talks have thrown a spotlight on their efforts to tackle global warming. While the COP29 summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, is tasked with agreeing a goal to mobilize hundreds of billions of dollars for climate, leaders of the Group of 20 major economies half a world away in Rio are holding the purse strings. G20 countries account for 85% of the world's economy and are the largest contributors to multilateral development banks helping to steer climate finance. "The spotlight is naturally on the G20. They account for 80 percent of global emissions," U.N. Secretary Ge ...Read More >
European nations are investigating a Chinese cargo ship for underwater sabotage in the Baltic Sea, according to a report. Earlier this month, two undersea fibre-optic data cables were cut in the Baltic Sea. The first cable was damaged between Sweden and Lithuania and the second cable was damaged between Germany and Finland. Shortly after the damage was discovered, Sweden took the lead in investigations and European nations -- all members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) -- began pursuing a Chinese cargo ship in the region. The Chinese ship, Yi Peng 3, is currently anchored in ...Read More >
While India's growth story remains intact, market returns may moderate in the near term after two years of outperformance. After a sharp correction from the record highs of September, the equity market is widely anticipated to swing within a range as it wavers through moderating earnings growth, consumption slowdown, lofty valuations, and other global macroeconomic headwinds. Even though a persistent sideways movement of the market is likely to drag overall returns, traders are shifting towards pair trading to beat the market. Pair trading is a market-neutral strategy that allows investors t ...Read More >
In the Indo-Pacific region, if one development would prove to be a landmark event in the region's modern history, it would be the signing of the Treaty of Comprehensive Partnership between North Korea and Russia in June 2024. The partnership has paved the way for strengthening bilateral ties between Moscow and Pyongyang and marked the onset of the global order transition, which was already underway. The institutionalization of the U.S., South Korea, and Japan's trilateral security cooperation has also given Russia and North Korea another strategic reason to collaborate. Therefore, with the geo ...Read More >
"India's gateway into Europe" - that's how Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described Athens' relationship with New Delhi during his visit to India in 2024, a phrase frequently used by Greek officials whenever they discuss the ties between the two countries. The same phrase was echoed by Greece's foreign minister during an interview with Indian newspaper The Hindu ahead of his two-day visit to New Delhi on Thursday and Friday. But how does India view its relationship with Greece? To understand India's perspective, Kathimerini English Edition spoke with The Hindu's diplomatic editor Su ...Read More >
Dec 3 (Reuters) - India's top renewable energy agency said on Tuesday it withdrew its ban prohibiting Reliance Power (RPOL.NS), opens new tab from participating in tenders for clean energy projects after a court directive. Last month, the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) had barred Reliance Power from bidding for its tenders for three years and was weighing criminal proceedings against the company after a bank guarantee turned out to be a fake endorsement. The High Court of Delhi had granted a stay last week on the notice of debarment after the Anil Ambani-owned company challenged th ...Read More >
New Delhi: Gold prices slipped below Rs 79,000 per 10 kg in the national capital on Wednesday due to poor offtake by stockists and retailers amid weak global trends, according to the All India Sarafa Association. The precious metal of 99.9 per cent purity fell by Rs 150 to Rs 78,850 per 10 grams. It had closed at Rs 79,000 per 10 grams in the previous session. Price of gold of 99.5 per cent purity extended the losses for the third straight day, declining by Rs 150 to Rs 78,450 per 10 grams from the previous close of Rs 78,600 per 10 grams. However, silver rose Rs 100 to Rs 92,500 per kg. On ...Read More >
Hyderabad: Ali Khan Mahmudabad, a 42-year-old Ashoka University associate professor and head of political science department, was recently arrested for social media commentary on 'Operation Sindoor,' thrusting the academic, writer, and former spokesperson of Samajwadi Party into the national spotlight. The Supreme Court on Monday has agreed to hear a plea challenging his arrest, with senior advocate Kapil Sibal calling his statements "entirely patriotic." Academics, opposition leaders and rights activists have widely condemned the arrest. Mahmudabad's social media remarks on the defence oper ...Read More >
New Delhi: In a story that reads like the plot of a high-stakes geopolitical thriller, Indian intelligence agencies have uncovered the presence of a mysterious Pakistani woman known as 'Madam N' - a suave and powerful business tycoon from Lahore with alleged orders straight from Pakistan's notorious spy agency - the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Her mission was to infiltrate India through culture, faith and charm and to raise a ghost army of 500 spies scattered quietly across Indian soil. What began as a routine interrogation of arrested social media influencers turned into the stunning ...Read More >