Business

India to Take Development-Oriented Stance at WTO MC14 in Cameroon New Delhi, March 25, 2026 – India announced that it will adopt a constructive, balanced, and development-oriented approach at the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) of the World Trade Organization (WTO), scheduled from March 26–29 in Yaounde, Cameroon.The Indian delegation will be led by Piyush Goyal, along with senior officials, technical experts, and representatives from various ministries.Key discussion areas include:WTO reform and strengthening the multilateral trading system E-commerce work program and moratorium Investment facilitation for development (IFD) Fisheries subsidies Agriculture and development-related issuesThe government emphasized that India’s...

India Approves Ambitious NDC for 2031–35, Raising Climate Targets New Delhi, March 25, 2026 – The Union Cabinet, chaired by Narendra Modi, approved India’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for 2031–2035, marking a major step toward achieving a low-carbon, climate-resilient future.Under the new NDC, India commits to:Reduce emissions intensity of GDP by 47% by 2035 compared to 2005 levels, up from earlier commitments of 33–35%. Increase the share of non-fossil fuel-based installed electric power capacity to 60% by 2035, up from the current 52.57% achieved ahead of the previous target. Enhance carbon sinks through forest and tree cover to 3.5–4.0 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent by 2035, supporting both climate goals and rural...

India’s Engineering Goods Exports Hit $10.36 Billion in February 2026, Achieving Double-Digit Growth New Delhi, March 25, 2026 – Despite ongoing geopolitical tensions and a global economic slowdown, India’s engineering goods exports recorded 12.9% year-on-year growth in February 2026, reaching $10.36 billion, according to EEPC India.Among the 25 key export markets, shipments to 17 countries grew, even as exports to the US and UAE declined. Notably, exports to China, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Singapore, and South Korea showed significant increases. Engineering exports to China more than doubled, reaching $436.18 million compared to $207.45 million in February 2025.India’s top export market, the US, saw shipments fall 4.9% YoY to $1.57...

New Delhi, March 25 – Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Jitin Prasada, said on Wednesday that the government's IndiaAI Mission has onboarded over 38,000 GPUs and approved 190 projects to strengthen the country's artificial intelligence ecosystem, while the Semicon India Programme has cleared 10 semiconductor units to boost domestic chip manufacturing.In a statement in the Lok Sabha, Prasada said that as part of the initiative, 38,231 GPUs have been procured through a common compute facility and are being provided to startups and academia at subsidized rates of around Rs 65 per GPU per hour.According to him, of the 190 projects approved under the mission, 78 are with government entities, 46 with startups and MSMEs, 30...

India Targets 5,000 Tonnes Rare Earth Magnet Production by 2030, Boosts Lithium Exploration New Delhi, March 25, 2026 – India is accelerating efforts to expand domestic production of rare earth permanent magnets and explore critical minerals like lithium, targeting a production capacity of 5,000 tonnes by 2030, the government said on Wednesday.Addressing the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh highlighted that India’s current demand for rare earth magnets, estimated at 4,000 tonnes, is expected to nearly double to 8,000 tonnes by 2030, underscoring the urgency to scale up domestic capabilities.A pilot project on neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets has already been launched, while a...

CCPA Flags ‘LPG Charges’ and Fuel Surcharges by Hotels, Calls It Unfair Trade Practice New Delhi, March 25, 2026 – The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has raised concerns over hotels and restaurants levying additional charges such as “LPG charges,” “gas surcharge,” and “fuel cost recovery” on customer bills, terming the practice unfair and misleading.The advisory, issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, stated that such charges are often automatically added to bills to bypass existing rules on service charges. The authority has directed establishments to stop levying these fees by default.The CCPA warned that violations could invite strict action under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019...

Indian Markets May Rebound After Iran Reprieve; RBI Likely to Hold Rates: Report New Delhi, March 25, 2026 – India’s financial markets are expected to recover some lost ground after the US announced a five-day reprieve for Iran’s energy infrastructure, easing immediate geopolitical concerns, according to a report by DBS Bank.Radhika Rao, Senior Economist and Executive Director at DBS Bank, said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is likely to keep interest rates on hold in 2026, while addressing specific areas of economic stress.The report noted that the threshold for rate hikes remains high, given the stagflationary nature of the current global shock and external risks.India’s foreign exchange reserves remain strong, providing...

Cabinet Approves ₹1,800 Crore Extension of IVFRT Scheme to Modernize Immigration System New Delhi, March 25, 2026 – The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the continuation of the Immigration, Visa, Foreigners Registration and Tracking (IVFRT) Scheme for another five years, from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2031, with a budget outlay of ₹1,800 crore.The IVFRT platform is designed to integrate and streamline immigration, visa issuance, and foreigner registration processes in India through a secure and unified digital framework. The objective is to facilitate legitimate travelwhile strengthening national security.Originally approved in 2010 by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, the project has...

E-commerce, Healthcare Lead Hiring in India; Digital Skills in High Demand: Report New Delhi, March 25, 2026 – India’s e-commerce and healthcare sectors are driving hiring activity in the first half of FY 2026–27, while digital skills remain in high demand across industries, according to a report by TeamLease Services.The report noted that e-commerce and tech startups are leading hiring demand with a net employment change (NEC) of 8.9%, followed by healthcare and pharmaceuticals (7%) and manufacturing, engineering, and infrastructure (6.6%).Overall hiring sentiment is improving, with the projected NEC rising to 4.7%, up from 4.4% and 2.8% in the previous two half-year periods. Around 58% of employers plan to expand their workforce...

Cabinet Approves Modified UDAN Scheme with ₹28,840 Crore Outlay to Boost Regional Connectivity New Delhi, March 25, 2026 – The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the Regional Connectivity Scheme – Modified UDAN for a period of 10 years, with a total outlay of ₹28,840 crore.The revamped scheme will be implemented from FY 2026–27 to FY 2035–36, aiming to enhance regional air connectivity, especially in underserved and unserved areas, while boosting economic growth, trade, and tourismin tier 2 and tier 3 cities.The initiative is also expected to provide affordable air travel, improve emergency response and healthcare accessin remote and hilly regions, and support the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision and...

‘One Station, One Product’ Scheme Expands to 2,000+ Railway Stations New Delhi, March 25, 2026 – The Centre’s ‘One Station, One Product’ (OSOP) initiative has expanded to over 2,000 railway stations, with around 2,326 outlets, benefiting more than 1.32 lakh people across India, according to official data released on Wednesday.The scheme showcases regional products and traditional crafts, highlighting India’s cultural diversity. For instance, Patna station features Madhubani paintings, while Tenkasi Junction promotes cane crafts.At Asansol, handloom products and artifacts are attracting buyers, while Moore Market Complex railway stationshowcases cotton textiles and traditional attar perfumes.In Balangir, handcrafted toys made by...

Centre Releases ₹1,142 Crore to Strengthen Rural Local Bodies Across Four States New Delhi, March 25, 2026 – The Centre has released over ₹1,142 crore to strengthen rural local bodies in Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Punjab, and Mizoram for FY 2025–26 under the 15th Finance Commission’s untied grants.For Madhya Pradesh, a total of ₹631.91 crore has been released as the second installment of untied grants for 51 district panchayats, 300 block panchayats, and 22,933 gram panchayats. Additionally, ₹1.26 crore of withheld funds from the first installment has also been disbursed to select panchayats.In Jharkhand, the government released ₹269.03 crore as the first installment for FY 2025–26, benefiting 23 district panchayats, 264 block...

Anthropic Accuses Chinese AI Firms of Illegally Extracting Claude Model Capabilities New Delhi, March 25, 2026 – US-based artificial intelligence firm Anthropic has accused three Chinese AI startups — DeepSeek, MiniMax, and Moonshot AI — of illegally extracting capabilities from its Claude model to enhance their own systems, according to a report by CNN Business.The company alleged that the firms used a technique known as “distillation”, raising national security concerns. This process reportedly involved creating around 24,000 fake accounts and generating more than 16 million interactions with Anthropic’s Claude model to train competing AI systems.Anthropic warned that such models may lack critical safety safeguards, increasing the...

Sensex, Nifty Rise for Second Day on Falling Oil Prices and Global Cues Mumbai, March 25, 2026 – Indian stock markets ended higher for the second consecutive session on Wednesday, supported by falling crude oil prices and improving global sentiment amid hopes of easing geopolitical tensions.The BSE Sensex rose 1,205 points (1.63%) to close at 75,273.45, while the NSE Nifty gained 392.70 points (1.72%) to settle at 23,306.45.Investor sentiment improved after US President Donald Trump reiterated that talks are ongoing to resolve the conflict in the Middle East, raising hopes of de-escalation.On the upside, 23,500–23,600 is seen as a strong resistance zone, followed by 23,800, while 23,000 remains a crucial support level, with 22,900...

Haryana Municipal Corporation Faces Over Rs 150 Crore Discrepancy in Fixed Deposits Panchkula, March 25 – The Panchkula Municipal Corporation has uncovered discrepancies totaling over Rs 150 crore in its fixed deposits held with Kotak Mahindra Bank. This development follows a previous reported fraud at the Chandigarh branch of IDFC First Bank. Investigation Uncovers Fraudulent Accounts According to an NDTV Profit report, the civic body invested funds in fixed deposit receipts (FDRs) at Kotak Mahindra Bank’s Sector 11 branch. The issue arose when the corporation requested the maturity amount of a Rs 58-crore deposit be transferred to its account. Initial bank records indicated successful completion of the transfer, but the funds were...

India Pursues ‘Values-Based’ Economic Corridor to Counter China’s Influence New Delhi, March 25 – India’s recent state visit to Israel has solidified the burgeoning strategic relationship between the two nations as part of a “sophisticated geo-economic strategy,” according to an article in The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune.India’s Strategic Shift and the IMEC Initiative Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the Knesset outlined a broader strategic outlook, positioning Israel as a key component of a regional architecture designed to deepen India’s trade and connectivity with its western neighbors. This shift reflects India’s evolving approach, moving away from its Cold War-era non-alignment doctrine and prioritizing issue-based...

SEBI Appoints Kompella Venkata Ramana Murty as Full-Time Member New Board Member Joins Regulatory Body New Delhi, March 25 – The government has appointed Kompella Venkata Ramana Murty as a full-time member of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for a period of three years.With this addition, the regulatory board now has its full team of four full-time members. The other three full-time members are Amarjeet Singh, Kamlesh Chandra Varshney, and Sandip Pradhan.Murty, a retired 1991 batch officer of the Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS), previously served as Additional Controller General of Defence Accounts at the Ministry of Defence.According to a government notification late on Tuesday, Murty has been appointed...

EU to Demand WTO Reforms Amid China Trade Concerns Brussels, March 25 – The European Union will address the issue of China’s exports impacting European industries at the World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in Cameroon this week, according to EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Maros Sefcovic.WTO Reform and China’s Economic Impact Sefcovic stated he would demand serious reforms of the WTO during the meeting. He emphasized that China’s economic rise has significantly altered the global trade environment in recent decades. He believes a “new balance” is required to adjust the rights and obligations of WTO members, aiming to combat overcapacity and its associated economic challenges within the European economy. Sefcovic...

Crude Oil Prices Decline Over 4% on Geopolitical Developments Crude Oil Futures Drop in Futures Trading New Delhi, March 25 – Crude oil prices experienced a significant decline on Wednesday, falling by more than 4 per cent to Rs 8,340 per barrel in futures trading on the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX).The April contract for crude oil on the MCX decreased by Rs 396, or 4.5 per cent, to Rs 8,340 per barrel. The May contract also saw a decline of Rs 305, or 3.58 per cent, closing at Rs 8,209 per barrel.Analysts attributed the price drop to a shift in global energy markets driven by evolving geopolitical developments in West Asia. Aamir Makda, Commodity & Currency Analyst at Choice Broking, noted a “gap down” opening due to bearish...

Pakistan Economy Remains Vulnerable Despite Petroleum Levy Hike New Delhi, March 25 – Experts have cautioned that Pakistan’s economy remains highly vulnerable to global shocks due to its heavy reliance on imported fuel, weak external finances, and limited fiscal space. The situation could worsen without urgent structural reforms, they warn.Petroleum Levy Targeted at High-End Consumers However, the government’s decision to sharply raise the petroleum levy on high-octane fuel is being viewed as a move with some fiscal logic. According to a Dawn report, the measure targets a product largely used by luxury and high-performance vehicle owners.Fiscal Strategy to Protect Wider Public By collecting approximately Rs 9 billion every month...