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NEW DELHI : : Finland will help India develop and build quantum computers here, Finnish diplomat Kimmo Siira said in an exclusive interview with Mint. Siira, Counsellor in the Finnish embassy, revealed that the country will pursue closer high technology collaborations with India in quantum computing and artificial intelligence. This focus on technology cooperation comes from the Finland’s new DESI initiative, which targets Digitalisation, Education, Sustainability and Innovation in its relationship with India.

NEW DELHI : Cipla Ltd on Wednesday reported a net profit of ₹996 crore in Q1, up 45.1% year-on-year (y-o-y), backed by strong US sales performance. The pharma company’s profit beat the Bloomberg consensus estimate of ₹860.4 crore in the three months to June. The company’s income from operations at ₹6,329 crore was up 17.7% year-on-year.

New Delhi: India has the potential to develop a $40-$100 billion space industry by 2040 on the back of rising space budget, increased number of launch services from the country, entry of private players and startups, and boom in India’s satellite internet market, consultancy firm Arthur D. Little said in its latest report. Currently, India’s space industry is valued at $8 billion with a 2% share in the global space economy.

NEW DELHI : Packaged consumer goods company Marico Ltd has signed a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake in Satiya Nutraceuticals Private Ltd that owns plant-based nutrition brand Plix for ₹369 crore. “In line with our strategy to accelerate our diversification journey, the investment in Plix not only expands our total addressable market in value-added wellness foods and nutrition segments, but also brings another digital-first brand with a distinct value proposition into our fold," Saugata Gupta, MD and CEO, Marico, said in a filing with the exchanges. The acquisition of 32.75% of the paid-up share capital of Satiya Nutraceuticals on a fully diluted basis, through primary infusion and secondary buyouts, was completed on 26 July 2023; acquisition of remaining 25.25% of the paid-up share capital of the company will be completed in one or more tranches by May 2025, subject to terms and conditions of the definitive agreements, the company said in its filing.

NEW DELHI : Six major Asian economies, China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan, which comprise one-fifth of the world’s population, will experience rapid decline in their working-age populations that is expected to drop about 10 percentage points by 2050 to 59% of their total populations on average, leading to major impact on global economic growth, Moody’s Investors Services said in a report on Wednesday. The drag on growth and public finances for these economies will be significant, barring gains in productivity, workforce participation or quality of available labour, said the report titled “Aging in key economies will drag on growth and finances, with global credit implications".

New Delhi: In another wave of engine trouble, India’s largest airline IndiGo will need to send some of its Airbus A320neo family aircraft run on Pratt & Whitney engines for inspection as the US-based engine maker has suggested accelerated inspection of 600 aircraft worldwide. “We are in receipt of the information from the OEM Pratt and Whitney (P&W) regarding the outcome of the latest inspection of their engine. We are working closely with P&W to assess and minimise any potential impact to our fleet," an IndiGo spokesperson said.

New Delhi: On the anniversary of the “Quit India Movement" on 9 August, the government will launch a 21-day campaign — “Meri Maati, Mera Desh" — as a culminating event of the “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav", in which soil collected from different parts of the country in August will be used to develop a garden along the Kartavya Path in Delhi. Events have been planned at the panchayat, village, block, urban local body, and state and national levels, respectively. The panchayat-level programmes will be organised between August 9 and 15.

New Delhi: India has the potential to develop a $40-$100 billion space industry by 2040 on the back of a rising space budget, increased number of launch services from the country, entry of private players and startups, and a boom in the country's satellite internet market, consultancy firm Arthur D. Little said in its latest report. Currently, India’s space industry is valued at $8 billion with a 2% share in the global space economy.

Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the new International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) complex 'Bharat Mandapam' in Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) complex to the nation which has been developed at a cost of about ₹2,700 crore. The Delhi Police had deployed hundreds of its personnel at and around Pragati Maidan ahead of the inauguration.

New Delhi: Key for assisting developing countries with a combination of expertise, staying power, low-cost financing, leverage, and knowledge-sharing capabilities, multilateral development banks (MDBs) will need to transform themselves to effectively impact changes, Lawrence Summers and NK Singh have said in an article on Project Syndicate, a digital media platform. For the first time in nearly half a century, the global economy is fracturing rather than coming together due to high interest rates, threats of pandemic, and high debt burden.

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which will exempt land within 100km of border that is needed for national security projects, small roadside amenities, and public roads leading to a habitation, from the purview of the forest conservation laws. The Bill was passed after a brief debate in the lower house of the parliament, before the session was adjourned for the day amid continued protests by opposition members over violence in Manipur.

New Delhi: Union minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday said that there was adequate insurance cover offered for nuclear incidents in the country. In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, the minister said, India has enacted Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage (CLND) Act 2010 to provide for civil liability for nuclear damage and prompt compensation to the victims of a nuclear incident through a no-fault liability regime channelling liability to the operator.

New Delhi: The government on Wednesday tabled the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023 in the Lok Sabha. The new bill mandates Aadhaar number use for birth certification. This development is part of an amendment to the original 1969 Act, which could streamline the processes for registering births and deaths.

New Delhi: Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnav on Wednesday said that the utilization of Vande Bharat trains has reached 99.60% during April-June, highlighting the growing popularity and efficiency of high-speed trains among passengers. “In the current financial year 2023-24, the overall utilization of Vande Bharat trains has been recorded at an outstanding 99.60%," the minister said in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.

New Delhi: The government is constructing 13 railway lines to enhance coal transportation and distribution capabilities, coal minister Pralhad Joshi said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. In a written reply, the minister said, “Ministry of Coal is coordinating with Ministry of Railways to enhance coal evacuation & distribution capabilities.

Home Minister Amit Shah will launch a virtual platform, part of the unique initiative of 'Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar' under the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', on Thursday at Qutub Minar in New Delhi, the Ministry of Culture said. The ministry has initiated 'Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar' (MGMD), a pan-India project under the National Mission on Cultural Mapping in coordination with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA).

New Delhi: Union home minister and minister of cooperation Amit Shah will launch ‘Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar’ as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav on 27 July, the ministry of culture said. It is a pan-India initiative of the Ministry of Culture under National Mission on Cultural Mapping. Shah will officially launch the virtual platform during a grand projection mapping show at the Qutub Minar.

New Delhi: Minister of state for consumer affairs, food and public distribution Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti on Wednesday said prices of refined sunflower oil, refined soybean oil, and RBD palmolien have declined significantly over the past year, bringing much-needed respite to consumers amid economic challenges. In response to a question in the Lok Sabha, the minister said retail prices of refined sunflower oil witnessed an impressive decrease of 29.04% over the past year. Similarly, refined soybean oil prices declined 18.98%, while RBD palmolien prices dropped 25.43% during the same period.

New Delhi: Despite frequent disruptions, the union government has lined up 31 bills to be passed in the monsoon session, including two key ones that deal with forests and biodiversity. While the Lok Sabha passed the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2023 with a voice vote on Tuesday; environment minister Bhupendra Yadav is scheduled to move the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023, which amends the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 in the Lok Sabha today. Mint takes a closer look at these two key pieces of legislation.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, minister of state for electronics and information technology, told FT that despite India's crackdown on Chinese manufacturers and mobile applications, New Delhi is " Open to investment from China". Chandrasekar told The Financial Times that, " We are open to doing business with any company anywhere as long as they are investing and conducting their business lawfully and are in compliance with the Indian laws".

New Delhi: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday reaffirmed his government’s stance of maintaining peace at borders, but warned that India will not shy away from retaliating if provoked. Singh was speaking at the occasion of the 24th Kargil Vijay Diwas. Earlier, he laid a wreath at the War Memorial in Drass, Ladakh, to pay tributes to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the 1999 Kargil war.