City Delhi Financial News

Slikk Club has raised $3.2 million (about Rs 27.7 crore) in a funding round led by global venture capital firm Lightspeed. The round also saw participation from early-stage venture capital firm Multiply Ventures and other angel investors including Tracxn founder Abhishek Goyal, DST Global's Saurabh Gupta and Panthera Peak Ventures’ Nikhil Bhandarkar. The firm will use the funds for expanding operations in Bengaluru, aiming to cover 80% of the city's pin codes by setting up dark stores, expanding into new categories, adding more brands to the platform and strengthening its leadership team.

Supreme Court on Monday emphasised the importance of maintaining «freedom of media,» stating that courts should not issue "gag orders" that restrict this freedom. The remarks came during the hearing of a plea filed by the Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia) challenging a Delhi High Court order to take down a page titled "Asian News International versus Wikimedia Foundation." The Supreme Court issued a notice to ANI, which filed a defamation case against Wikipedia. The Bench, led by Justice A.S.

“They have come and enriched us here, created huge jobs. We must be an open progressive forward society not parochial like some of our neighbors, he said in a post on X. “The best and brightest of India are welcome here.” He was referring to data that showed most unicorn founders came from Maharashtra followed by Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. In a series of posts, he warned that Karnataka was on its way of losing out massively by the time the term of the present Congress regime ends, while urging chief minister Siddaramaiah to act for a “mid-course correction". The former Infosys board member said this in response to a reported remark by Telangana CM Revanth Reddy that his state was finding it difficult to pay salaries to employees on the first day of every month due to the weak financial position of the state.

Global South is being hindered by China’s growing economic and strategic clout, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said on Sunday. Delivering the fourth General Bipin Rawat Memorial Lecture in Delhi, he highlighted the increasing complexity China’s rise brings to global geopolitics. “The rise of China as a dominant economic and strategic force adds complexity, creates competition, and hampers India's effort to be the natural leader for the Global South,” General Dwivedi stated. He urged India to look towards Africa as a future power centre, recognising its potential role in the shifting global order. Despite its demographic and geographic advantages, India remains at a relatively lower global standing, he observed. “With the democratic shift and resource control race, we need to look at possibilities of Africa as a future power centre… India’s position will remain pivotal due to its geography, demography, democracy, prosperity, soft power, and inclusive approach,” he said.

Supreme Court on Monday said the trial of the Manipur ethnic violence cases, probed by the CBI, would be conducted in Guwahati, Assam, where it was transferred to earlier. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna also extended till July 31, 2025, the tenure of a committee headed by Justice Gita Mittal, the former chief justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. The panel, also comprising former Bombay High Court judge Shalini P Joshi and Asha Menon, former Delhi High Court judge, was set up on August 7, 2023 by the top court to oversee relief and rehabilitation of the victims of ethnic violence in Manipur. The tenure of the panel was previously extended by the top court by six months on August 5, last year. On Monday, the bench noted the submissions of a lawyer over the fate of the trials in the cases that were transferred to Guwahati for pre-trial proceedings by the bench on August 25, 2023. «We clarify that the trial of transferred cases will be held before the courts at Guwahati,» the CJI said.

Delhi Metro will now carry cargo in its trains during non-peak hours as part of a collaboration between Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and express logistics provider Blue Dart. The agreement aims to facilitate the transport of packages across Delhi-NCR, utilizing available train capacity to improve urban logistics, a TOI report stated.

Rajnath Singh and the US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard met and held bilateral talks in the national capital on Monday. On Saturday, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval held a meeting with Gabbard, and according to sources, they discussed several facets of the India-US relationship in detail. Gabbard is visiting India as a part of her multi-nation visit. The Asia leg of Gabbard's trip will culminate in an address on March 18 at the Raisina Dialogue, a multinational gathering of security officials in Delhi, to which Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited her. The US intel chief Gabbard will hold bilateral meetings with Indian officials and officials from other countries, The New York Times reported, citing a Trump administration official. Her visit to India follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US in February this year.

Delhi Police is introducing a merit-based examination for appointing Station House Officers (SHOs), marking a shift from the traditional system based on seniority and experience. For the first time, officers will be selected through a competitive process, starting with Cyber Police Stations, which handle digital crimes in the capital.

Global leaders are arriving in New Delhi to participate in the Raisina Dialogue 2025, a key conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics. The foreign Ministers of the Slovak Republic, Juraj Blanar; the Philippines, Enrique A. Manalo; and Antigua and Barbuda, EP Chet Greene, have already arrived in the capital. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal wrote on X, «Welcoming FM Mr. Juraj Blanar of Slovak Republic, FM Enrique A. Manalo of Philippines & FM E.P. Chet Greene of Antigua & Barbuda, as they arrive in New Delhi for the Raisina Dialogue 2025.» The Raisina Dialogue, India's premier conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics, will be held in New Delhi from March 17 to 19. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 10th edition of the event today, with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon as the chief guest and delivering the keynote address. Representatives from about 125 countries, including ministers, former Heads of State and heads of government, military commanders, captains of industry, technology leaders, academics, journalists, scholars on strategic affairs, experts from leading think tanks, and youth will participate in the Raisina Dialogue.

CBI court has set a fresh eight-day deadline for the accused, booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the IRCTC hotels case, to conclude their counter arguments on framing of charges against them. Last month, the court had set a six-day deadline to conclude arguments on framing of charges against former Union railways minister Lalu Prasad, wife Rabri Devi, son and Bihar's former deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav and others booked by CBI in the IRCTC hotels case. However, the same could not be concluded.

The team boasts an exciting set of players who can turn a game on its head, whether it's through explosive batting, crafty spin bowling, or fiery pace attacks. With a new season underway, here's a look at four key players to keep an eye on as they aim to finally lead DC to glory.

Heading into the 2025 season, the Capitals, led by Axar Patel and coached by Hemang Badani, are gearing up for a fresh campaign in their pursuit of the ultimate glory. Their first match in IPL 2025 is scheduled for March 24 against Lucknow Super Giants at Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. This could be the year that finally sees Delhi live up to its potential.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Sunday began a five-day visit to India with a focus on deepening the bilateral trade and economic ties. On Monday, Luxon will hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will attend the inaugural session of the Raisina Dialogue as the chief guest. Days ahead of the trip, the New Zealand prime minister said he will push for a comprehensive economic partnership with India and explore ways to strengthen bilateral security ties. Luxon is visiting India from March 16 to 20 in his first trip to the country as the prime minister. He is accompanied by one of the largest delegations a New Zealand prime minister has ever travelled with. The visiting leader was received at the Delhi airport by Union Minister SP Singh Baghel. «What I'm looking for is just a much more comprehensive economic partnership and how we'd move that forward, Luxon said last week, adding, „I am determined that we are going to change the trading relationships with India big time.“

Bhagwant Mann would complete his five-year term as the chief minister of Punjab, trashing opposition parties' claims that he would be removed from the post. However, Kejriwal also said drugs and corruption were the biggest problems in Punjab where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) under Mann has been in power for the last three years. Kejriwal and Mann offered prayers at the Golden Temple on the completion of three years of the party's government in the state on Sunday. Kejriwal, the former Delhi chief minister, arrived in Amritsar on Saturday after completing a 10-day Vipassana meditation session in Punjab's Hoshiarpur. During the Golden Temple visit, Kejriwal was accompanied by his wife Sunita Kejriwal, and AAP leaders, including minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) formed the government in Punjab in 2022 after winning 92 of the total 117 assembly seats.

Ministry of Home Affairs has sought an umbrella probe in the cases of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants staying in the country. A senior officer informed that in a recent meeting, instructions have been passed to all states and UTs to investigate the cases of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants as umbrella cases and identify the persons who have helped the illegal immigrants in obtaining documents to generate Aadhar and other documents pertaining to the citizenship of India. The officer added that in some cases, it has been found that the documents were prepared for the purpose of travel to European countries or the Middle East, and the persons didn't stay for long in India. The investigation officers have been instructed to also identify the persons who have helped the illegal immigrant in generating documents and make them accused in the case. During the investigation, it has been instructed to identify the loopholes used to generate documents. All suspicious aadhar cards have been sent for re-verification, which includes scrutiny of the documents submitted for aadhar generation. In a meeting with Aadhar officials, they have been asked to pass instructions to all aadhar centers to inform the police in case they find any person trying to modify or generate aadhar on suspicious documents. In case of confirmation of illegal Bangladeshi nationals, the persons will be kept in the detention centre, and FRRO will be informed to facilitate their safe return as per protocols.

Uber Technologies is in early stages of discussions to acquire BluSmart Mobility, the Gurugram-based all-electric cab service operator, two people in the know said. A deal could help Uber increase its presence in the growing space for electric cabs in India as well as signal consolidation in the urban mobility industry. The discussions come at a time when Gensol Engineering, the solar engineering procurement and construction company promoted by BluSmart cofounder Anmol Singh Jaggi, is facing liquidity issues. “Uber is scoping out BluSmart’s assets...particularly the electric vehicle fleet, which could help shore up its presence in the segment,” one of the people said.

Job offers from startups and ecommerce companies at the country's prestigious business schools surged this hiring season, with graduates of the Class of 2025 being wooed with attractive pay packages to help drive growth and expansion plans. The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), XLRI-Xavier School of Management, Management Development Institute (MDI) Gurgaon, Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) Delhi, and Institute of Management Technology (IMT) Ghaziabad were among the B-schools that saw offers pour in from companies such as Zomato, Flipkart, Amazon, Navi, Myntra, PhonePe, Ola, Nykaa and Swiggy, among others. Business expansion plans and the push towards digital transformation drove hiring across domains, including product management, growth and marketing, operations, business analytics, sales, tech, finance and human resources (HR), covering entry- to mid-level leadership roles.

Maya’s team—which included another woman, two men and a child— was carrying the skin of an adult tiger and 17 kilos of bones. Before “someone from Meghalaya” could come and collect the consignment from Maya, the police swooped in. “We were stunned to find that these were the remains of a second tiger— we had already missed the first tiger,” says Pranjal Baruah, a range officer of Kamrup, Assam, who had spearheaded the initial probe. Forensic tests traced the skin to one of the three missing tigers from the faraway Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. That was a clue something was going awry with the striped beast. Even as India’s tiger population has been steadily climbing over the past couple of decades, it could get derailed. A surging appetite for tiger bones in China and Vietnam and the revival of a smuggling route through Mizoram-Myanmar have reignited dormant trafficking networks. The Assam case was transferred to the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), an arm of the ministry of environment and forests, which cracks down on organised wildlife crime. The agency’s trail led to multiple arrests in Maharashtra. They also caught Mishram Jakhad, an octogenarian from Dwarka in Delhi, believed to be a key link between tiger poachers and smuggling syndicates.

DC, led by Australian legend Meg Lanning, reached the final directly, having won five out of eight matches and finishing on the top of the table. This is their third consecutive final and will be looking to lift their first WPL title as they fell short in both 2023 and 2024. The Harmanpreer Kaur-led MI, finished second in the league stage with 10 points. Even though they were tied with Delhi, Mumbai had a lower Net Run Rate. They defeated Gujarat Giants comfortably in the Eliminator match to play their second WPL final. They were the inaugural champions of the tournament.

Sharad Pawar has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to permit installing three horse-mounted statues of Peshwa Bajirao I, Mahadji Shinde and Malharrao Holkar at the Talkatora Stadium. The area around Talkatora Stadium holds immense importance in the military campaigns launched by the Maratha Empire against the Mughals in the 18th century. Pawar said a Pune-based NGO had planned to install busts of Bajirao, Shinde and Holkar at the Talkatora Stadium, but litterateurs and historians have weighed in favour of equestrian statues of the three warriors. «However, many literary figures and well-wishers have voiced the sentiment that full-sized equestrian statues would be a more fitting tribute to their valour and contribution,» he said in a letter to Modi. Pawar said as Talkatora Stadium falls under the jurisdiction of the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), he was seeking the prime minister's intervention in directing the Government of Delhi and NDMC to grant the necessary permissions for installing full-sized equestrian statues.

Real estate developers have acquired 5,885 acres land during 2022-24 for Rs 90,000 crore to build projects amid strong demand for housing and commercial assets, according to JLL India. Real estate consultant JLL India data showed that real estate developers bought 1,603 acres of land in 2022 for Rs 18,112 crore, 1,947 acres in 2023 for Rs 32,203 crore. During 2024, the land acquisition by developers touched 2,335 acres costing Rs 39,742 crore. During the 2022-24 period, real estate developers bought 5,885 acres for Rs 90,057 crore.