The need for a manufacturing policy, reining in food inflation and raising investment in the country were among key suggestions given by economists who met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and senior ministry officials in the first round of pre-Budget consultations on Friday.
Beijing has been wary of Sanae Takaichi's efforts to boost Japan's military profile since taking office six months ago, points out Dr Rajaram Panda.
Ficci has suggested formulation of a 'manufacturing policy'. Such a policy will spell out guidelines for attaining a 12% growth of the sector annually. Guidelines will help in terms of incentives and subsidies; technology development; development of sustainable raw material base; regulatory and procedural reforms to the manufacturing sector. The manufacturing sector's profitability has been badly affected in the last few months & the government needs to intervene immediately.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has emphasised the need for India to develop a robust drone manufacturing ecosystem to enhance its defence capabilities, drawing lessons from recent global conflicts.
India aims at increasing the share of manufacturing sector, which contributes over 80 per cent in the country's overall industrial production, from 16-17 per cent to 25-26 per cent of the gross domestic product by 2020.
India's foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows are projected to surpass $90 billion in 2025-26 (FY26), driven by robust policy reforms, free trade agreements, and strong economic growth, according to DPIIT Secretary Amardeep Singh Bhatia.
The gems and jewellery industry anticipates challenging times following the government's decision to increase gold import duty to 15 per cent, a move that exporters warn could fuel the grey market and heighten smuggling risks.
NIT Rourkela has announced the launch of four new academic programmes for the 2026-27 session, focusing on emerging technologies such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and quantum technologies.
A group of ministers, headed by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, has been formed to resolve inter-ministerial differences stalling the national manufacturing policy which aims at giving a boost to the sector.
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.
'In all these years of rupee depreciation, of rising oil prices, of inflation caused by import dependence, not one leader had the courage to look the people in the eye and say: Please do this for your country.'
'India's security challenges are no longer confined to the Line of Control or the Line of Actual Control.'
'They also span cyber networks, economic systems, information warfare, technology ecosystems, maritime routes, and internal social cohesion.'
Indian foreign direct investment (FDI) in the United States has reached approximately USD 16.4 billion, supporting around 70,800 jobs and contributing significantly to research and development, according to US Deputy Undersecretary Brandon Remington.
India's newly formed Artificial Intelligence Governance and Economic Group (AIGEG) is set to advocate for a unified legal framework for AI companies, including developers of large language models and chatbot systems, alongside broader operational rules.
'Policy consistency combined with timely and calibrated reforms are expected to ensure that India not only maintains macroeconomic stability, but also emerges as a globally competitive and inclusive economy.'
Industry experts and the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) advocate for a unified framework to address the significant supply gap in domestic cell manufacturing, crucial for enhancing India's energy storage capabilities and reducing reliance on imports.
'Workers are the people who create all the wealth in this country. How can you call them anti-national?'
The Budget reframes healthcare as a strategic national capability, backing biopharma innovation, workforce expansion and technology-led governance to power India's next growth phase.
Kerala's voters are sophisticated, educated, and unforgiving. They have once again made it clear that no government is entitled to remain in power. The Congress would do well to remember this, points out Ramesh Menon.
'The West Asia or the Gulf crisis has shown that what we develop as national infrastructure when things are not as bad as they could be, we forget to plan for adversities.'
The JD(U) stated that it supported the BJP for the Bihar chief minister's post to reciprocate past support, as the new government prepares for a vote of confidence.
Capex, infrastructure development, and prudent fiscal management are the key focus areas in the Budget, says Nilesh Shah.
'I cannot imagine that any NSA before Ajit Doval would have given us this kind of time and this kind of engagement. They would have offered slogans, or nothing at all. That, too, tells you something.'
The United States Trade Representative (USTR) office on Wednesday launched a sweeping investigation into manufacturing and industrial practices in 16 economies, including India, citing concerns over what it calls 'structural excess capacity' that could distort global trade. Announcing the move on a White House press call, Jamieson Greer said the probe would be conducted under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, one of Washington, DC's most powerful trade enforcement tools.
Karex, the Malaysian company that makes roughly one in five of the world's condoms -- about five billion a year, supplying Durex and Trojan among others -- announced this week that it is raising prices by up to 30 percent. The reason is the Strait of Hormuz.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh inaugurated a new biotechnology facility and dedicated a national facility for recombinant cells and sensors at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology in Thiruvananthapuram, highlighting India's focus on biotechnology and its potential for economic growth.
In his resignation letter to US President Donald Trump, Kent called the conflict with Iran unjustified, contending that Washington, DC entered the war due primarily to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby rather than clear, direct threats to national security.
India's defence sector is on the cusp of a 'super cycle' of growth, driven by escalating geopolitical conflicts and a strong policy push towards indigenous manufacturing, with major players like BEL, HAL, and BDL poised for significant order inflows and technological advancements.
The cost of the war is being counted not in the corridors of power in Washington or Tehran, but in Firozabad's darkened furnace rooms, Howrah's idle casting sheds, and a barbershop in Kochi where the wait is suddenly, inexplicably, an hour long, notes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the Iran War.
Sustaining 8 per cent-plus growth rates is necessary if we are to reach high-income status by 2047, points out Amitabh Kant.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has criticised the TMC government in West Bengal, alleging that its policies have led to increased infiltration and threaten national security. He framed the upcoming elections as a battle against these issues, promising change if the BJP comes to power.
The alliance between Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) and AIMIM in West Bengal has collapsed following allegations of a multi-crore deal with the BJP, leading to AIMIM's withdrawal and both parties planning to contest the elections independently.
The GraphIN 2026 conference in Kochi brings together global experts to discuss advancements in graphene and two-dimensional materials, highlighting India's growing role in electronics and semiconductor manufacturing.
'The unregulated marketing has to stop. People are getting recommendations for this from gym trainers, from marriage counsellors -- that is simply unacceptable.' ''There are many ways to lose weight -- eat less, fast, exercise, eat healthy. That is how you lose weight.'
The Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) is advocating for the termination of the moratorium on customs duties for electronically transmitted digital products, arguing that it hinders self-reliance, causes revenue losses, and restricts India's ability to tax emerging technologies like AI.
'It's a changing world and the opening up doesn't mean that concerns with regards to security have gone away.'
At present, the NMP states a series of fiscal incentives, including tax sops, will be offered but only to small and medium enterprises.
Sri City in Andhra Pradesh is dubbed the "Cooling City" of India, accounting for nearly 40 per cent of the air conditioners (ACs) manufactured in the country. On Tuesday, this industrial hub added one more feather to its cooling credentials. Carrier Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Ltd, the Indian arm of the oldest AC company in the world, Carrier Global, signed a deal to invest around ~1,000 crore for a new manufacturing unit at Sri City.
Less than half of all graduates were employed, with 48.8 per cent reporting some form of work.
Precious metal prices, particularly gold and silver, experienced a significant surge in the national capital as investors sought safe-haven assets amid escalating hostilities in the Middle East.
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