BUSINESS
Foodgrain sowing shines, but commercial crops lag in Kharif season
Strong rice and coarse cereal sowing contrasts with weaker performance in oilseeds, cotton, and jute
BUSINESS
India’s dependence on China extends beyond nail clippers, into drugs and railways
China dominates categories such as hot water bottles, torches, table fans and toasters, all of which have market shares above 95%, while reliance on smaller-ticket items such as combs, nail cutters, bread boards, and vacuum flasks exceeds 97%
BUSINESS
GST 2.0 could cushion Trump tariff blow, say economists
Of the 15 economists surveyed last week, nearly 67 percent said GST cuts would help offset at least part of the impact of higher duties imposed by Washington
BUSINESS
India’s growth likely moderated to 6.6% in Q1FY26: Moneycontrol Poll
Despite the industrial drag, economists say public spending, services, and rural demand supported growth
BUSINESS
Tamil actor Vijay eyes 2026 Tamil Nadu polls, but star-run outfits have rarely had an easy debut
Focused alliances and limited contests have worked better for actor-founded political parties
BUSINESS
Look North: India looks towards Eurasian Bloc amid US tariff squeeze
A Moneycontrol analysis shows that India’s engagement with the bloc, excluding Russia, has been a mixed bag since the pandemic. Overall trade with the region halved to $1.2 billion in 2024, compared with $2.1 billion in 2019
BUSINESS
Business activity zooms to an all time high of 65.2 in August: HSBC
Manufacturing retained strong momentum, with the sector’s PMI estimated to climb to a near 18-year high of 59.8. The services activity rose to a record 65.6
BUSINESS
India’s core sector growth eases to 2 percent in July weighed down by energy sector
On the brighter side, infrastructure-linked sectors provided some support, as steel posted its fastest growth in 21 months, rising by 12.8 percent, while cement output expanded 11.7 percent to its highest in four months.
BUSINESS
India heavily dependent on China in over $30 billion worth of products
In 59 categories worth $1.3 billion, China accounts for virtually all of India’s imports. A further $5 billion worth of imports, including drug ingredients and display products such as LCDs, come almost exclusively from China, with a 90 percent-plus share
BUSINESS
Southern states lead UPI adoption on per capita basis, cash still the king in the east
The southern states, with 3.56 billion transactions in July against a population of 276 million, posted the highest per person volume at 12.9. Eastern India, including populous states like Bihar and West Bengal, recorded only 3.9 transactions per person in July, while the northeast managed 5.5
BUSINESS
GST reform may unsettle lottery states, Kerala and Punjab could be hit
For Kerala, which accounts for nearly 97% of the total lottery revenues in the country, the shift would be significant
BUSINESS
Coarse cereals sowing crosses normal area; rainfall pickup boosts progress
According to Ministry of Agriculture data, kharif crops have been sown on 90.5 percent of the target area, translating into 94.8 percent of the normal coverage
BUSINESS
Unemployment drops to a three-month low in July, female participation rises
India's female unemployment rate fell to 5.1 percent in July from 5.6 percent in June, outpacing the drop in male unemployment which stood at 5.3 percent compared with 5.6 percent a month earlier.
BUSINESS
Eastern states face sharper fiscal adjustments as GST rationalisation looms
States not only rely heavily on SGST but also on their share of central GST collections that the Centre passes down to them through devolution
BUSINESS
Nearly a tenth of India’s retail inflation basket may get direct relief from proposed October GST cut
Inflation in these categories had touched an eight-month high of 2.9 percent in July, even as overall inflation slipped to an eight-year low of 1.6 percent
BUSINESS
Marginal impact in Q2, GST Cut to boost consumption and growth for FY26, say economists
Festive season, tax cuts, monetary easing to keep demand steady despite GST rationalisation from October
INDIA
Pakistan, infiltrators, Mahabharat return to Independence Day lexicon after nearly a decade; RSS, critical minerals among new mentions
PM, in one of his longest I-Day speeches, mentioned Pakistan three times, the highest count in 14 years
INDIA
Atmanirbharta, kisan and yuva dominate one of PM Modi’s longest Independence Day speeches
The push for self-reliance extended to energy security. Modi announced a National Deep Water Exploration Mission and set a goal to increase nuclear energy output tenfold by 2047, and reiterated the need to cut dependence on imported fuels
BUSINESS
Pakistan mentioned just twice in Modi’s I-Day speeches over the past decade
The last explicit reference to Pakistan came in 2016, when Modi mentioned the Peshawar terror attack during his longest Independence Day speech to date
BUSINESS
Wholesale inflation falls to 25-month low of -0.58% in July
The decline in WPI aligns with the easing of retail inflation, which slipped to an eight-year low of 1.6 percent in July as food inflation slipped further
INDIA
India can set global benchmarks in data, says CEA Nageswaran
We need to shed the fear that data may reveal something we don’t want revealed, says MeITY secretary Krishnan
INDIA
PM Modi nears 1 lakh words in Independence Day speeches, more than double his predecessor’s pace
Independence Days speeches have frequently served as a platform to launch flagship programmes—the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana in 2014 and the Jal Jeevan Mission in 2019
BUSINESS
No major impact of US tariffs on India’s growth, says S&P Global Ratings
Exemptions for electronics, especially smartphones, and pharmaceuticals will help cushion the blow, while India’s export exposure to the US is limited to about 2 percent of GDP
INDIA
Dogs on the loose, budgets on a leash
In 2021–22, MCD spent Rs 5.9 crore on stray dogs, of which Rs 5 crore went towards sterilisation and just Rs 70 lakh towards building sterilisation centres
