INDIA
India a key strategic partner like China, keen on FTA soon: Bahrain minister
According to senior government officials in Bahrain, the two sides can conclude an FTA, or a bilateral treaty in next two years
BUSINESS
Epsilon Carbon inks Alba deal, boosts global expansion; aims for IPO in 2027
'Looking at the scale of our expansion, we are hoping to go public by 2027-end,' Vikram Handa, MD, Epsilon Carbon told Moneycontrol
BUSINESS
GST cuts fuel consumer durables output to 10-month high in Sep, but some economists warn it could be temporary
Urban growth had been slowing over the last one year and this (GST cuts) provided a necessary boost, say economists. From the rural side too, there is a positive momentum from high frequency indicators led by positive crop outcomes, they said.
BUSINESS
Bihar has not really progressed as would be desirable by industries, says former chief secy Sharan
Over the years, however, the State has undertaken many systemic, technology-driven governance reforms that are reshaping how businesses start, operate, and expand, industry stakeholders said.
BUSINESS
India Web 3.O Summit: No one has challenged credibility, robustness of monthly jobs data, says statistics secretary Saurabh Garg
'The sample sizes that we do, no one is close to that,' said Garg, adding that the ministry is very careful of the definitions and what they are stating
BUSINESS
India Web 3.0 Summit: New GDP data to capture latest trends of consumption, says statistics secretary Saurabh Garg
'We’re incorporating new data sources (for GDP calculation). For each sector, we’re looking at what new data sources have come up,' said Garg
BUSINESS
India Web 3.0 Summit: MoSPI doesn’t collect data through paper and pens, all data is stored in a cloud, says Statistics Secretary Saurabh Garg
He mentioned that the ministry is further expanding languages for data collection, from Hindi and English, in use currently.
BUSINESS
EPFO may hike wage ceiling to Rs 25,000 per month from Rs 15,000
"As per an internal assessment of the labour ministry, the Rs 10,000 per month increase in the wage ceiling would make social security benefits mandatory for over 10 million more individuals," an official told Moneycontrol.
BUSINESS
No government directive on Russian oil; refiners weigh costs, alternatives independently, sources say
For state-run refiners, the new sanctions are likely to have a limited impact since they do not have long-term supply contracts with the Russian firms targeted by the latest curbs.
BUSINESS
Centre's capex-loan scheme for states sees slow disbursal at Rs 47,000 crore so far
For FY27, the government would continue the scheme, likely with a similar estimate, which will be mentioned in the upcoming Budget, according to sources.
BUSINESS
Budget FY27 may peg MGNREGA outlay at record high, FY26 estimate likely to remain unchanged
A good monsoon has kept the demand for work low since July and the government will need money to build houses and for water conservation
BUSINESS
CBDT signs record 174 Advance Price Agreements in FY25
Experts say this shows the government’s intention to provide tax certainty to foreign businesses having operations in India, to enhance ease of doing business (EoDB).
BUSINESS
Project-wise insolvency in real estate may get statutory backing in new IBC draft bill
There are sections within the government which don’t agree with the move as they feel the RERA Act, 2016, contains sufficient clauses to deal with this issue.
BUSINESS
EPFO sets up task force and IBC cell to recover over Rs 21,000 crore in pending PF dues
It is also leant that the EPFO has categorised pending dues into two buckets - immediately realizable’ (IR) and ‘non-immediately realizable’. Of the total Rs 21,000 worth of dues pending, IR dues amount to Rs 2,980 crore while the non-IR dues are over Rs 18,500 crore.
BUSINESS
EPFO official says full withdrawal timeline revised to 12 months to ensure interest benefit to subscribers
One government official said that full money is often withdrawn after two months of unemployment, and re-employment takes place soon afterwards, thus reducing benefit of interest availed by the subscriber.
BUSINESS
India's ports to attract Rs 80 lakh crore investment, says Sarbananda Sonowal
MoUs worth Rs 10 lakh crore would be signed during the upcoming Maritime Week, the ports minister has said
BUSINESS
"PM Modi’s energy and connection with masses inspiring," says AP IT Minister Nara Lokesh
PM Modi gets quite a few letters as Prime Minister His office, they bring in a hundred letters which are unopened, and every day he picks up 10 of them, opens them, and reads them personally. And that's the way he keeps his ear to the ground, you know.
BUSINESS
TDP and BJP in a 'partnership of equals', says Nara Lokesh on NDA's dynamics
"Our support has always been unconditional. We joined the NDA before 2024 without any conditions. We've continued supporting the alliance unconditionally. Of course, we may have our views on certain regulations or policies, but those discussions happen behind closed doors," Lokesh said.
BUSINESS
Andhra Pradesh to build South Asia's first 'Quantum Valley'; CM Naidu leading quantum revolution: IT Minister Lokesh
“What we are saying is that we are ready to lead from the front (in quantum computing). We want to access these funds (of NQM) and create a vibrant ecosystem that will help us grow,” said Lokesh.
BUSINESS
Andhra vs Karnataka: "Will compete for every rupee of investment," says AP Minister Nara Lokesh
The reason why these companies would prefer AP over Karnataka is because his state government is genuinely willing to listen, said Lokesh, adding that many Bengaluru based start-ups and IT firms are in talks with AP government to shift their bases.
BUSINESS
Focus on balancing welfare and development, ups and down part of political journey: Andhra IT Min Nara Lokesh
“Winning elections is important, every single cycle matter. But what's more important is convincing people about the value of continuity in governance,” said the Minister. Nara Lokesh talks about the lessons from the past, and emphasis of the Naidu's government on inclusive growth.
BUSINESS
'Only concern is creating jobs, jobs, and more jobs': Nara lokesh says '99 paise land model' key to 2 mn job goal
The Minister explained the state government is working on implementing all such policies which would create more jobs. For instance, the “99 paise land model” is mainly aimed at catalysing jobs in the state.
BUSINESS
Aiming for higher returns: EPFO to form panel with RBI, FinMin to overhaul equity, debt investments
The committee will give its suggestions by December to the EPFO, post which a call will be taken by the Fund’s Central Board of Trustees (CBT) on restructuring, said one official.
BUSINESS
H-1B fee hike is an opportunity for 'brain gain': Andhra IT Minister Nara Lokesh
"Time has come for brain gain. India is no longer just about cost arbitrage. It’s about knowledge, talent," said Nara Lokesh.
