'If I have to go back, I would rather go back now because I don't want to face that situation when I'm in my 40s.' A young couple's journey through immigration uncertainty reveals not just the human cost of policy announcements, but a surprising rekindling of love for the homeland left behind.
Motorists using expressways will have to shell out more from Monday as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to hike tolls across the country by an average of 5 per cent. The annual revision of highway user fee, which is expected to be in the range of average 5 per cent, was earlier to come into effect on April 1. But the hike was deferred due to the Lok Sabha elections.
State-run oil companies on Monday increased prices of diesel and petrol by Re 1 per litre each.
General Motors India on Wednesday said it would hike the prices of its multi-utility vehicle Chevrolet Tavera ranging from Rs 4,800 to Rs 8,700 across all variants from December 24.
HMIL sells a range of vehicles starting from entry-level small car Eon to premium SUV Santa Fe, which are priced between Rs 325,000 and Rs 31.75 lakh
Sugar is a key input for many of these companies and, since January this year, sugar prices have risen by over 40 per cent. In fact, there is further scope for increase with the weak monsoons. Further, imports too will be costlier this year despite being duty free, as international prices of sugar have reached a 28-year high because of heavy import demands from India and Mexico and lower harvesting in the top sugar-growing country Brazil.
Diesel prices may be hiked by Rs 10 per litre over a 10-month period and kerosene rates increased by same quantum over the next two years if a proposal being mulled in the Oil Ministry is accepted.
Hyundai Motor India Ltd will increase the prices of its flagship model Santro next month due to rising input costs made by an appreciating rupee.
Surging oil prices are unlikely to restrain the strong economic growth in India and China, Haruhiko Kuroda, president, Asian Development Bank said.
Petrol price on Thursday crossed the Rs 100-a-litre mark in Thane district of Maharashtra, while it was hovering a tad below that level in Mumbai, after fuel prices were raised again.
Mixed views were expressed by top economists on the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee's (MPC) decision to hold the repo rate at 5.5% and maintain a neutral stance. While some say the decision was as expected and one more rate reduction is expected this fiscal, there is also a view that rate cut by MPC was warranted given the evolving global situation.
India's biggest carmaker Maruti Udyog Ltd on Thursday said it will announce a price hike by the end of December.
The average cost of a vegetarian thali became dearer by 10 per cent in June due to the jump in onion, potato, and tomato prices, a report said on Friday. However, a decline in the broiler price contributed to a decrease in the cost of a non-vegetarian meal, as per Crisil Market Intelligence and Analysis' monthly "Roti Rice Rate" report. The cost of veg thali, which comprises roti, vegetables (onions, tomatoes and potatoes), rice, dal, curd and salad, increased 10 per cent to Rs 29.4 per plate in June from Rs 26.7 in the year-ago period, and was higher when compared to Rs 27.8 in May 2024, it said.
Union Petroleum Minister disclosed the decision on fuel prices will be taken on Jan 17, in the GoM meet.
The centre on Tuesday sought to allay fears that VAT will be inflationary and expressed confidence that the new tax system will be introduced by all the states from April 1.
With crude palm oil prices on the rise, companies have started to jack up rates of soaps and edible oils in order to pass on the hike to consumers. Crude palm oil, one of the main ingredients in the manufacture of some consumer goods, saw a price rise of 45.2 per cent in the last three months. One of the country's largest consumer companies, Hindustan Unilever, said it has already started to take price increases in the skin cleansing category.
Maruti, Tata Motors and Ford Motor India have already made similar announcements.
Karnataka PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi has stated that a decision on the Social and Educational Survey report, popularly referred to as caste census, is unlikely in the near future and may take up to a year due to the complexities involved. He expressed concerns that any missteps in addressing the concerns raised by various castes over the report could cause problems for the ruling Congress party in the future. The cabinet is scheduled to take up the matter again on May 2.
German luxury car maker Mercedes Benz on Friday said it will hike prices of its products across models by up to 10 per cent in India from next month.
'We believe that in the new world order FTAs or bilateral trade agreements (BTAs) are the way forward.' 'They are enablers for our participation in global value chains. Today, around 70 per cent of global trade is tied to these chains.'
Auto parts exports from India may see a slight slowdown as US President Donald Trump's 25 per cent tariff could increase car prices for buyers by 8-25 per cent, thereby affecting demand, experts believe.
Coal India Ltd on Tuesday announced an average 16.7 per cent hike in prices of all grades of coal from midnight on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said India will never compromise the interests of its farmers, fishermen and dairy farmers, asserting that he would be ready to pay any price.
Japanese auto major Toyota will hike prices of its vehicles across all models in India by up to 3 per cent from January to offset rising input costs.
International crude oil prices crossed the $60 a barrel mark yesterday--up from a record low of $32.40 in December last year--on the back of improved sentiment over the economic recovery, especially in China and Europe.
The Reserve Bank on Friday raised the inflation projection for current fiscal year to 4.8 per cent from 4.5 per cent with Governor Shaktikanta Das saying lingering food price pressures are likely to keep headline inflation elevated in the December quarter. Consumer price index (CPI)-based inflation increased sharply in September and October 2024 led by an unanticipated increase in food prices.
Reliance Industries (RIL) annual general meeting (AGM) had several stunning announcements. RIL looks to list Jio Platforms (JPL) by June 2026. It targets doubling of FY22 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) (Rs 1.25 trillion; $14.6 billion) by FY27 implying 14.7 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the FY22 levels.
The fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector is likely to report muted results in the fourth quarter of 2024-25 (Q4FY25) due to weakness in urban consumption. The weakness may persist through the first half of 2025-26 (H1FY26).
The first to see price hikes will be soaps. In the past six months, domestic palm oil prices have increased by 46 per cent. Palm oil is a key input going into soaps.
Giving in to rising input cost pressures, the country's largest carmaker by sales, Maruti Suzuki India has increased prices of its vehicles by up to Rs 8,000 across models, except its newly launched compact car Alto K10.
'There will be a series of rate hikes, but the pace and quantum will depend on how the economy in the US and the rest of the world behave.'
RIL estimates output from KG-D6 could reach up to 60 mscmd in the next five years, when all satellite fields are brought into production.
Under pressure from increasing input and freight costs, Maruti on Tuesday hiked prices of certain models, including Alto and M800, ranging between Rs 500 and Rs 5,000.
In a unique protest against fuel price hike, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday rode pillion on an electric scooter to state secretariat Nabanna.
The proposed price increase, the first in 18 months, is likely to be in the range of Rs 2 per litre for petrol and Re 1 per litre for diesel, senior petroleum ministry officials said.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's sudden resignation after only a year in office has thrown Japan into political turmoil, raising doubts about how the country will handle economic and regional challenges, observes Dr Rajaram Panda.
"We have hiked prices last week by 1.5 to 2 per cent on all our vehicles due to higher commodity costs," Mahindra and Mahindra President (Automotive and Farm Sectors) Pawan Goenka said.
The stock of Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals has shed about 12 per cent since the start of the month due to a muted near-term outlook. Demand slowdown across segments and pre-buying in cooling products in the June quarter are expected to weigh on revenues going ahead. In addition to pre-buying in the preceding quarter, demand conditions are soft on account of lower consumer spending due to inflationary conditions, weakness in rural demand and the fact that Q2 remains a soft quarter after a strong summer.
Mercedes sells models ranging from A Class to Maybach, priced between Rs 28 lakh and Rs 1.67 crore.
