New Delhi: Today, defence spending is more about technology than just numbers. Militaries around the globe are developing a range of air defence, electronic warfare, autonomous systems and intelligence platforms to deal with changing security threats. In a similar vein, India has recently made decisions on procurement of modernisation of its armed forces and development of the indigenous defence manufacturing capability, with other procurements following suit. On a positive note, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh-led Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for defence acquisition proposals worth ₹52,000 crore in a big move. An AoN is not a…
Author: Riddhi Jain
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New Delhi: In the fast-growing landscape of Global Capability Centres (GCC) in India, it is clear that Japanese companies are no longer playing a peripheral role. They are now one of the most active foreign contributors to the next phase of ecosystem growth. A Deloitte India report states that there are more than 100 Japanese companies currently running Global Capability Centres in India, which makes Japan the largest contributor to the GCC ecosystem in the Asia Pacific region. These centres make up about 5–6% of India’s overall GCC base and have been steadily increasing as more companies move higher value…
New Delhi: The Indian electric mobility market has expanded significantly in recent years, and electric three-wheelers are the biggest volume segment in the country. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ VAHAN portal has reported that over one million EV three-wheelers have been registered in India, playing a key role in the country’s last-mile mobility and providing livelihoods for lakhs of drivers. With software-controlled battery systems, these vehicles are becoming more connected, and cybersecurity is becoming a key concern, in addition to battery performance and cost. The worry was raised after the Centre issued instructions to remove battery management smartphone…
New Delhi: Increased crude oil prices can impact consumers through petrol pump prices, but the financial impact is first felt by the oil marketing companies (OMCs). In the event that retail fuel prices do not rise as quickly as international crude prices, state-owned retail fuel providers could see their marketing margins decline or even go into the red. This is likely to have been the case during the first quarter of FY27 (April–June). The losses of the three state-owned oil marketing companies—Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL) in the past quarter…
New Delhi: Domestic consumption has always been a key pillar of India’s economy and it seems like this will continue to be the case in the coming decade. Although manufacturing, exports and infrastructure remain very important, household consumption is becoming the largest growth driver in the country. The business is finding new avenues in the expanding Indian middle class with the rise of income levels, and urbanisation has also become a reality for India, even if it is beyond the major metros. In an appeal at the NXT Conclave 2026, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that India’s middle class is…
New Delhi: As India’s packaged beverage market continues to expand, energy drinks have become increasingly visible in neighbourhood stores, school canteens and retail outlets. Originally targeted at adults seeking a quick energy boost, many of these products are now easily accessible to teenagers and school-going children. This growing availability has prompted regulators to examine not only product labelling but also how such beverages are marketed and sold. In this context, the Maharashtra government has announced a restriction on the sale of Sting Energy Drink and similar energy drinks within a 500-metre radius of schools. The move comes amid rising concerns…
New Delhi: One clear indicator of life insurance is the ability of the insurance company to pay claims and policy benefits when they are needed. Although there is significance in premium collections and market share, the key to trust in the insurance business is timely payouts. In this context, the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), the nation’s biggest life insurer, has announced that it has paid out ₹4.96 lakh crore in policyholder benefits during FY26, up 19% year-on-year. These payouts accounted for 93% of LIC’s net premium income of ₹5.35 lakh crore, highlighting the insurer’s continued focus on servicing…
New Delhi: In the last decade, the aviation industry in India has grown very fast and regional connectivity is one of the major contributing factors in this growth. Increasingly, airports are seen as tools to boost local tourism, trade and regional development, not only transport, given the growing importance of passenger traffic and the closer ties of smaller cities with the country’s economic network. In this context, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the new ₹480 crore terminal at Jodhpur Airport and will also be launching the Modified UDAN scheme, which will be the next step in India’s thrust…
New Delhi: AI has come far from its experimental days. For a lot of businesses, it’s not a matter of if they should implement AI, but how they can do so in a way that is both practical and measurable. In the last two years, large enterprises have made significant investments in AI pilots, but many companies are still finding it difficult to scale these technologies into their day-to-day operations. That’s a space of experimentation that is becoming a new business opportunity, one that Microsoft is now making a wager on. Microsoft has announced the creation of a new operating…
New Delhi: Now, India’s power sector is moving towards a time when mere energy generation is not important, but capacity expansion is. As electricity demand continues to grow, the installation of renewable energy sources is increasing and critical infrastructure is being strained to keep up the pace, policy makers are faced with a dilemma when deciding whether or not to consider national security issues. The balancing act has become more apparent recently, as the Centre has relaxed regulations for a few selected Chinese-involved firms. Four power equipment manufacturers from China have been given a two-year license to compete for government…
