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", 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, Mahanagar Gas, GAIL Gas and Bharat Petroleum Corp 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)
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 >
NEW DELHI: Axiom-4 crew members, including Shubhanshu Shukla, were welcomed with hugs and drinks as they stepped into the International Space Station on Thursday. The newly launched spacecraft -- the fifth in the Dragon series and named Grace -- successfully completed a soft docking with the International Space Station at 4.01pm while orbiting above the North Atlantic Ocean."At 6:31 am EDT (4:01 IST) on Thursday, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the International Space Station for the fourth private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, Axiom Mission 4," the National Aeronautics ...Read More >
Sivasagar, Jun 26 (PTI) Leakage of gas continued for the 15th day from a crude oil well of ONGC in Assam's Sivasagar district although the energy major on Thursday claimed that it is nearing to control the blowout. In its daily bulletin on the blowout, ONGC said it has achieved a key breakthrough in its ongoing operations in close coordination with international well control specialists from CUDD Pressure Control. "The team successfully cleared all remaining rig materials, including staircases, entangled wires and other structural components. "This critical step culminated in the safe remov ...Read More >
Guwahati, June 27 (UNI) The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has successfully capped a high-risk gas well blowout at its RDS 147A site in Sivasagar district, Assam, bringing an end to a 15-day-long emergency operation that triggered mass evacuation and widespread public anxiety. The gas well blowout, which began on June 12, involved an uncontrolled release of natural gas from one of ONGC's drilling sites -- a situation often considered one of the most hazardous in the oil and gas industry due to the risk of explosion and environmental damage. The blowout was finally brought under contr ...Read More >
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 27 (ANI): A female student was allegedly gang-raped inside a law college in Kolkata's Kasba on Wednesday evening. The police have arrested all three accused within 24 hours. The three accused, named as Monojit Mishra (31), Zaib Ahmed (19), and Pramit Mukhopadhyay (20), were former students or staff members of the same law college. Also Read | Student Gang-Raped at South Kolkata Law College: Police Arrest 3 Youths for Sexually Assaulting Young Woman Inside Law College. According to the police, the accused named in the FIR will be produced before the A.C.J. ...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 >
NEW DELHI: Trade talks between India and the US appear to be back on track, as President Donald Trump hinted that a "very big" agreement with India will be forthcoming soon. In a presser at the White House, Trump said, "Everybody wants to make a deal and have a part of it. Remember a few months ago, the press was saying, 'You really have anybody of any interest? Well, we just signed with China yesterday. We are having some great deals. We have one coming up, maybe with India. Very big one. Where we're going to open up India, in the China deal, we are starting to open up China.""We're not going ...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: 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 >
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 >
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 >
Ahmedabad, June 27: Union Home Minister Amit Shah began his Gujarat visit on a spiritual note early Friday morning by participating in the Mangala Aarti at the historic Shri Jagannathji Temple in Jamalpur, Ahmedabad. The visit coincides with the auspicious occasion of the annual Shri Jagannath Rath Yatra, a major religious event that draws thousands of devotees every year. Arriving at the temple at 3:15 a.m., HM Shah joined in the sacred rituals and offered prayers to Mahaprabhu Jagannath. Sharing his experience on social media platform X, he posted, "On the sacred occasion of Rath Yatra, par ...Read More >
New Delhi/Guwahati, June 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) on Friday successfully capped the blowout in one of its wells in Assam's Sivasagar district, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri has announced. Announcing the plugging of the blowout, Puri said in a post on X on Friday, "ONGC has successfully capped the blow out of well RDS#147A at 1115 hours hrs today. This blow out started on 12th June and has been capped successfully within the shortest possible time following all the best practices." He said the Crisis Manag ...Read More >
Mumbai, Jun 27 (PTI) Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty advanced for the fourth straight session on Friday, supported by buying in blue-chips ICICI Bank and Reliance Industries amid fresh foreign fund inflows. A strengthening rupee against the US dollar and softening crude oil prices in international markets also boosted investor confidence, according to traders. The BSE Sensex climbed 303.03 points or 0.36 per cent to reclaim the 84,000 level and settle at 84,058.90. During the day, it jumped 333.48 points or 0.39 per cent to 84,089.35. On the similar lines, the 50-share NSE Nifty r ...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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
NEW DELHI: In a dramatic turn of events, Canadian PM Mark Carney called PM Modi and invited him for the G7 summit that begins eight days from now at Kananaskis in Alberta. Modi accepted the invitation and said he was looking forward to meeting him at the summit.The announcement by Modi on X followed almost a week of suspense over his participation because of a lack of invitation, drawing barbs from the opposition about his possible exclusion from the summit. India is not a member of G7 but Modi has been invited for all summits since 2019. Modi congratulated Carney on his poll win and thanked h ...Read More >
India opened the scoring through Geeta Yadav (11th minute); however, in the second quarter, Belgium equalised through Marie Goenns (25th) The Indian junior women's hockey team made a positive start to its tour of Europe with a 3-2 win over hosts Belgium here on Sunday. India opened the scoring through Geeta Yadav (11th minute). However, in the second quarter, Belgium equalised through Marie Goenns (25th). Soon Belgium took the lead as Louise van Hecke (34th) found the back of the net. India made a valiant comeback and levelled the scores through Sonam (40th). The visitors continued to att ...Read More >
New Delhi: Delhi govt has geared up to enforce the ban on refuelling end-of-life vehicles, with plans to station enforcement teams from transport, traffic, and MCD to impound such vehicles.A senior official said that teams would be deployed at fuel stations to monitor the implementation and take action against such vehicles. The teams would be from MCD, the transport department enforcement wing, and traffic.The Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) issued to the pump owners says that there will be "immediate legal action by enforcement teams" when end-of-life vehicles are "identified". This woul ...Read More >
(The views expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.) By Clyde Russell LAUNCESTON, Australia, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Asia's imports of crude oil ticked up slightly in November, led by a recovery by top importer China, but arrivals are still on track to be weaker this year than in 2023. The top crude-buying region is forecast to import 26.42 million barrels per day (bpd) in November, up marginally from October's 26.11 million bpd and 26.24 million bpd in September, according to data compiled by LSEG Oil Research. The ongoing run of soft monthly imports in Asia is likely t ...Read More >