News for 'Business Standard Manthan'

US Commerce Secretary's Surprise Delhi Visit

US Commerce Secretary's Surprise Delhi Visit

Rediff.com27 Feb 2026

'Engaged in very fruitful discussions to expand our trade and economic partnership.'

India must use current geopolitical churn to build manufacturing scale at home: Amitabh Kant

India must use current geopolitical churn to build manufacturing scale at home: Amitabh Kant

Rediff.com26 Feb 2026

India should resist knee-jerk responses to tariff volatility in the US and instead use the current geopolitical churn to build manufacturing scale at home, former G20 Sherpa and former chief executive officer of NITI Aayog Amitabh Kant said on Wednesday.

Agricultural shift from subsidies to sustainability may be the way ahead

Agricultural shift from subsidies to sustainability may be the way ahead

Rediff.com26 Feb 2026

India is already a heavyweight in global farm trade in pockets such as rice exports, but experts are urging a pivot from a subsidy- and procurement-driven mindset to a productivity and nutrition strategy that still shields farmers from volatility.

Shekhar Kapur: 'Movie Stars Will Be AI Created'

Shekhar Kapur: 'Movie Stars Will Be AI Created'

Rediff.com26 Feb 2026

'Storytelling will never change.' 'As long as storytelling can be unpredictable... AI cannot tell you an unpredictable story.'

AI ecosystem opaque, needs accountability: CCI chairperson

AI ecosystem opaque, needs accountability: CCI chairperson

Rediff.com26 Feb 2026

The artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem is opaque and needs to be made transparent and accountable, said Competition Commission of India's (CCI) Chairperson Ravneet Kaur at the Business Standard Manthan Summit on Wednesday.

No toll plaza queues anywhere in India by yearend, says Gadkari

No toll plaza queues anywhere in India by yearend, says Gadkari

Rediff.com25 Feb 2026

'Within six months I expect petrol, diesel, and electric vehicles (EVs) to reach cost parity,' says Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.

Pvt-funded highway construction model highest priority: Gadkari

Pvt-funded highway construction model highest priority: Gadkari

Rediff.com25 Feb 2026

On the back of an aggressive asset monetisation push, the government will press the throttle on the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model - under which private developers fund highway construction - for future highway development, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said.

'India Is A Reverse AI Trade Globally'

'India Is A Reverse AI Trade Globally'

Rediff.com25 Feb 2026

'The day that the market realises that they've overspent (on AI) and there's a sudden collapse in the capex, then India can start outperforming again.'

Norms on investments from China can be eased in calibrated way: Goyal

Norms on investments from China can be eased in calibrated way: Goyal

Rediff.com25 Feb 2026

India may adopt a "calibrated" and a "step-by-step" approach to easing norms on investments originating from China, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday. He was in a conversation with A K Bhattacharya on Day 1 of Business Standard's two-day annual event, Manthan 2026. The minister said foreign direct investment (FDI) from China was certainly not "banned", but it goes through an approval process. "The government's approach at the moment is to accelerate the approval process."

'You End Up Firefighting': Finance Minister

'You End Up Firefighting': Finance Minister

Rediff.com26 Feb 2026

'Uncertainty level A in the morning, uncertainty level B in the afternoon. If I answer about tariff rates now, I'll be outdated by the evening.'

India's EV Transition On Right Track, But Miles To Go

India's EV Transition On Right Track, But Miles To Go

Rediff.com27 Feb 2026

Government schemes such as the PM E-Drive initiative, with allocations of around Rs 2,000 crore for charging points deployment, are helping accelerate rollout

Startups: 'India Is In A Golden Age'

Startups: 'India Is In A Golden Age'

Rediff.com3 Mar 2025

'The conversation is no longer just about securing funds or acquiring customers but about the long-term value of customers.'

'After GST cut, innovation will boost life insurance'

'After GST cut, innovation will boost life insurance'

Rediff.com5 Dec 2025

The reduction in goods & services tax (GST) on individual life and health insurance premiums has been called a "landmark step" for making insurance affordable and inclusive. In a panel discussion at the Business Standard BFSI Insight Summit 2025, Anup Bagchi, managing director (MD) & chief executive officer (CEO) of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance; Mahesh Balasubramanian, MD & CEO of Kotak Life Insurance; Tarun Chugh, MD & CEO of Bajaj Life Insurance; and Ratnakar Patnaik, MD of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), listed what else the industry needs to reach more people.

Tariffs: India Inc Cautions Against Knee-jerk Reaction

Tariffs: India Inc Cautions Against Knee-jerk Reaction

Rediff.com19 Aug 2025

Industry leaders urge India to pursue diplomatic talks with the US, strengthen manufacturing, and consider China ties to gain leverage against tariff pressures.

Indian markets can rise 15% in a year: Chris Wood

Indian markets can rise 15% in a year: Chris Wood

Rediff.com28 Feb 2025

India's stock markets corrected recently but foreign money is likely to chase China rather than India in the short-to-medium term, said Chris Wood, global head of equity strategy at Jefferies, on Thursday. Wood told the Business Standard Manthan Summit in New Delhi he is bullish about Indian equities from a long-term perspective, but for the short term he is cautious given the quantum of foreign investor (FII) outflows and valuation woes.

Don't Blame Tax Rate For Market Volatility

Don't Blame Tax Rate For Market Volatility

Rediff.com7 Mar 2025

'Tax rate and stock markets are entirely two different things.'

How Modi Has Changed Babus

How Modi Has Changed Babus

Rediff.com4 Mar 2025

At the PMO, policies are framed by factoring in analytical perspectives, implications, sustainability, and other dimensions.

Why is India Inc not speaking about investment?: Sitharaman

Why is India Inc not speaking about investment?: Sitharaman

Rediff.com28 Feb 2025

'The answer is not for me to give. The answer either way has to be heard from the industry itself. Tell us why not if you are not doing it; tell us if you are doing it -- why should this question remain unanswered?'

For Tesla, India is a challenge as well as opportunity

For Tesla, India is a challenge as well as opportunity

Rediff.com19 Mar 2025

With India's EV penetration at just 2.5 per cent, the market presents an opportunity -- provided Tesla gets its pricing right.

'Tata, Mahindra Will Not Allow Tesla to Dominate'

'Tata, Mahindra Will Not Allow Tesla to Dominate'

Rediff.com28 Feb 2025

'Every Indian should move to an EV, and the government should not buy any fossil fuel cars. The government should become the first driver of EV adoption.'

The Shyam Benegal I Knew

The Shyam Benegal I Knew

Rediff.com23 Dec 2024

His cinema of compassion inspired me, gave me tools to develop empathy for others. But it also made me understand that serious, socially committed cinema with deeply engaging narratives and great performances is an art form to admire, appreciate and explore. Aseem Chhabra remembers Shyam Benegal, who passed into the ages on Monday evening.

1.5 cr take holy dip daring intense cold as Maha Kumbh begins

1.5 cr take holy dip daring intense cold as Maha Kumbh begins

Rediff.com13 Jan 2025

The Maha Kumbh, the world's largest religious gathering, began in Prayagraj, India, with millions taking a dip in the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers. Devotees from across India and the world converged for the 45-day event, which is considered to be a particularly auspicious one this year due to celestial alignments. The event is a major logistical challenge for the government, which has implemented several crowd-control measures and security measures to ensure the safety of the millions of pilgrims.

'We are in search of a Shiva to consume the poison from banking system'

'We are in search of a Shiva to consume the poison from banking system'

Rediff.com23 Nov 2020

'Should the government be in the business of running banks?' 'Particularly when it does not have the fiscal strength to continuously infuse capital into such banks?'

'We at the RBI feel the anger, hurt and pain at banking frauds'

'We at the RBI feel the anger, hurt and pain at banking frauds'

Rediff.com19 Mar 2018

'In plain simple English, these practices amount to a looting of our country's future by some in the business community, in cahoots with some lenders,' says RBI Governor Dr Urjit R Patel.

Stocks you must buy, hold or exit in the New Year

Stocks you must buy, hold or exit in the New Year

Rediff.com26 Dec 2019

Ajit Mishra, Vice President, Research, Religare Broking, answers readers's queries on stocks they own or want to buy.