India Financial News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Mumbai: In 1983, a teenaged Salman Khan boarded a yacht off the Andaman Islands with a group of young, happening folks and a red icebox filled with chilled glass bottles of Campa Cola. They pitch tents on a pristine beach, chanting ‘Campa Cola’ to an electric guitar.

Maharani Rajikaraje Gaekwad and Princess Diya Kumari of Rajasthan, still hold social and political influence, others have made headlines with contentious claims to historical sites and properties. Among them is Prince Yakub Habeebuddin Tucy, a man who claims to be the sixth-generation heir of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor. His lineage, he asserts, connects him to legendary rulers like Akbar, Shah Jahan, and Aurangzeb. But it is not just his ancestry that has kept him in the news—it is his claims over some of India’s most iconic heritage sites, as reported by TOI.

WhatsApp on Tuesday said it banned more than 9.7 million accounts in India during February 2025, 1.4 million of which were proactively banned prior to any user reports. Releasing its monthly safety report, the Meta-owned messaging app also shared tips on using the platform responsibly. It listed out ways to do so, including respecting boundaries, avoiding spamming with bulk and auto messages, and using broadcast lists responsibly. «According to the report for the month of February 2025, WhatsApp banned over 9.7 million accounts in India for violating its Terms of Service. More than 1.4 million of these accounts were proactively banned prior to any user reports,» WhatsApp said. A WhatsApp spokesperson further said the platform has consistently invested in Artificial Intelligence and other technology, data scientists and experts, and processes, to keep users safe on the platform.

banking liquidity turned to surplus for the first time in more than three months as aggressive fund injections by the central bank helped erase one of the worst-ever cash crunches in the financial system. The surplus, measured through banks deploying excess funds with the Reserve Bank of India, was at 717 billion rupees ($8.4 billion) as of March 29, the first such reading since Dec. 15, according to the latest central bank data. The value increased further to 894 billion rupees on March 30. Analysts have said that abundant liquidity with banks is key for transmission of lower borrowing costs. The central bank reduced interest rates for the first time in almost five years in February, and is widely expected to cut again at its April 9 policy review.

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has hiked the toll charges by an average of 4-5% on tolled highway stretches across the country. The revised toll charges will be effective from April 1, 2025. Toll revision is an annual exercise and is linked to the changes in the wholesale price index based inflation. Every year, it is implemented from April 1. There are around 855 user fee plazas on national highway network on which user fee is levied as per National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008. Out of these, around 675 are public-funded fee plazas and 180 are concessionaire-operated toll plazas. The revised rates will affect the commuters of key routes across the country including Delhi-Meerut Expressway, Eastern Peripheral Expressway, Delhi-Jaipur highway among others. With average monthly collection of around Rs 6000 crore and 350 million monthly toll users, the NHAI is expected to garner nearly Rs 70,000 crore in toll collection in FY ’2024-25.

Vedanta Group and India's largest private oil and gas exploration and production company, has entered into an agreement to hire a high performance 2000 horsepower drilling rig from Parker Wellbore, recently acquired by Nabors Industries — a global technology provider. The pact will help expand the company's oil and gas exploration and production operations in India, the firm said in a statement. Cairn «will deploy this state-of-the-art rig in Barmer, Rajasthan — the company's largest onshore producing asset in India, this month,» it said. «This deployment aligns with Cairn's ongoing efforts to increase production and support its exploration initiatives in the region.» Recently at CERAWeek 2025, Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal shared the company's plan for India's energy sector growth. The company will be investing in brownfield projects to add 5 billion barrels of oil equivalent reserves, and produce 500,000 barrels per day at a cost of USD 5 per barrel, the statement said without giving timelines.

Supreme Court of India on Tuesday indicated that it would consider a petition filed by Ranveer Allahbadia, a popular YouTuber and entrepreneur, seeking the release of his passport. The top court, however, added that it would take up the matter after two weeks, in light of the ongoing investigation into the case. Allahbadia had approached the Supreme Court requesting a modification of the condition imposed on him, which required him to deposit his passport with authorities. His legal team argued that the condition was affecting his livelihood and professional commitments, as he frequently travels for business and work-related purposes. In response to Allahbadia’s plea, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the apex court that the investigation in the case involving Allahbadia was likely to be completed within two weeks. He further stated that the authorities were actively working on the case, which has raised several concerns in the media.

“We are willing to work with the Indian side to strengthen practical cooperation in trade and other areas, and to import more Indian products that are well-suited to the Chinese market,” the ambassador to India was quoted as saying by China’s state-run Global Times, in a story posted Monday. Bilateral trade between the neighbors stood at $101.7 billion in 2023-24, according to India’s trade ministry, with India running a significant deficit. India’s main exports include petroleum oil, iron ore, marine products and vegetable oil, amounting to $16.6 billion, according to the government figures. The envoy’s remarks were to mark the 75th anniversary of the diplomatic ties. US President Donald Trump, who is set to roll out reciprocal tariffs Wednesday on countries around the world, has called out China and India for trade practices that he sees as unfair.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. When Donald Trump announced his bid for reelection in November 2022, the 45th President of the US relied on promises of sweeping reforms to win the American people over. Among these promised reforms was the idea of increasing tariffs.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: The US has once again raised objections to India’s trade policies, including key initiatives meant to support local manufacturing, casting a shadow on ongoing negotiations between the two nations for a bilateral trade agreement.

In its 2025 National Trade Estimate (NTE) report, the US Trade Representative raised concerns on India’s opaque and unpredictable quantitative restrictions, patent regime and digital trade barriers such as data storage requirements. Most of the issues are repeat of the earlier reports while those such as equalisation levy and WTO disputes, which are already resolved, continue to be mentioned in the report, experts said. Also Read: India is going to drop tariffs: Trump hints at ‘Liberation Day’ trade victory a day before April 2 deadline It also criticized India’s strict import licensing for remanufactured goods and medical devices. In 2024, India stopped issuing licenses for refurbished American medical devices, affecting exports. While Washington sees this as unnecessary red tape, India worries that relaxing the rules could lead to a flood of secondhand or low-quality products that might harm consumers and hurt local industries.

Election Commission of India (ECI) has concluded its largest-ever engagement drive with political parties, conducting 4,719 meetings nationwide at the levels of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), District Election Officers (DEOs), and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) as of March 31, the apex poll body said. According to a ECI release, these meetings, held over 25 days, included 40 by CEOs, 800 by DEOs, and 3,879 by EROs, engaging over 28,000 representatives from political parties across the country. The meetings were held in accordance with directives issued by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi, during the CEOs' conference held between March 4-5 this year at India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in the national capital. The nationwide meeting across these levels aimed at addressing the pending issues within the legal framework of the Representation of the People Acts of 1950 and 1951, the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, and ECI guidelines. State and Union Territory CEOs have been asked to submit action-taken reports, with unresolved issues to be escalated to the Commission for further review, the release said.

India and Chile on Tuesday decided to start negotiations on a mutually beneficial comprehensive economic partnership agreement as Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font for wide-ranging talks focusing on boosting bilateral ties in diverse areas. Boric is on a five-day state visit to India to explore ways to shore up bilateral cooperation in a number of areas, including trade and defence. «Today, we have directed our teams to begin discussions on a mutually beneficial comprehensive economic partnership agreement,» Modi said in his media statement after the talks. Partnership in the field of critical minerals will be explored, he said. The prime minister said work will also be done to establish resilient supply and value chains.

NPCI), which operates the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), on Tuesday announced that some banks were facing an issue, with UPI transactions being declined occasionally. In a post on X, the NPCI stated, “Today due to financial year closing, some of the banks are facing intermittent transaction declines.” The previous financial year closed on March 31 and a new financial year (FY26) commenced on April 1.

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which operates the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), confirmed the development in a post on X. “Today, due to the financial year closing, some of the banks are facing intermittent transaction declines. The UPI system is working fine, and we are working with the concerned banks for necessary redressal,” NPCI said.

Hardik Pandya, the dynamic all-rounder of Mumbai Indians, has recently garnered significant attention not only for his impressive performances on the field but also for his rumoured relationship with Jasmin Walia. The rumours gained traction when Jasmin was spotted in the stands of an IPL match, passionately cheering for Hardik, the MI captain. The situation further sparked curiosity when she was later seen boarding the Mumbai Indians team bus, fueling speculation about their blossoming romance. Amid the growing buzz around Hardik and Jasmin’s relationship, now, ex-wife, Natasa Stankovic, has reacted. Taking to Instagram story, Natasa Stankovic reacted by sharing a quote, “Let all that I am praise the Lord; May I never forget the good things he does for me. Psalms 103:2".

Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday asked the government to immediately start the decadal census as well as caste census, saying a large number of people are being left out of welfare schemes due to the delay. Expressing concern over the delay in conducting the decadal census during the Zero Hour in the House, the senior Congress leader said India has been conducting a census every 10 years since 1881. It was conducted even during wars, emergencies, or other crises. He recalled that back in 1931, a caste census was conducted along with the regular census. Right before the 1931 census, Mahatma Gandhi had said that just like 'we need periodic medical checkups to assess our health, a census is the most important checkup for a nation', Kharge stated. He said the census is a crucial exercise and involves a large number of people who collect data not just on population but also on employment, family structures, socio-economic conditions, and several other key aspects.

finished steel imports during the first 11 months of the financial year, which began in April, stood at 8.98 million metric tons, marking a 15.8% year-on-year increase, according to provisional government data reviewed by Reuters on Tuesday. India, the world's second-biggest crude steel producer, became a net importer in 2023/24, a trend that has continued with rising shipments from China, South Korea and Japan. Last month, India recommended a 12% temporary tax on certain steel products for 200 days, known as a safeguard duty, in an attempt to curb imports. South Korea was the biggest exporter of the alloy to India during April-February, with shipments reaching 2.6 million metric tons, up 7.1% year-on-year, the data showed. Finished steel imports from China totalled 2.4 million metric tons, down 5.3% year-on-year, while imports from Japan reached 1.9 million metric tons, marking a nearly 70% year-on-year increase, the data showed.

stock market fraud and regulatory violations. The HC last month granted the interim stay on the special court's order, noting it was passed mechanically and no specific role was attributed to the accused. On Tuesday, Justice Shivkumar Dige noted that the original complainant in the case has filed an affidavit and granted time to Buch and others to go through the same. «The interim relief granted earlier shall continue until further orders,» Justice Dige said, posting the matter for further hearing on May 7. Last month, Buch, three current whole-time directors of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) Ashwani Bhatia, Ananth Narayan G and Kamlesh Chandra Varshney, Bombay Stock Exchange's Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Sundararaman Ramamurthy and BSE's former chairman and public interest director Pramod Agarwal moved the HC against the special court order.

Ashwani Kumar made a dream start to his IPL career for Mumbai Indians, delivering a standout performance against Kolkata Knight Riders in MI’s first home game of the season at Wankhede Stadium. The left-arm seamer returned with figures of 4/24, the best by an Indian debutant in IPL history. He also became the first Indian bowler in a decade to take a wicket with his very first ball in the tournament. The pacer, known for his expertise in death overs, was snapped up by Mumbai Indians for ₹30 lakh in the 2025 mega auction.

British Airways is reportedly considering launching a biweekly service between the two cities. The announcement came after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee raised the issue during her recent visit to the United Kingdom. On Thursday, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) said on social media that British Airways is acting on Banerjee's request, with plans for direct flights already in progress. However, the airline has yet to issue an official statement regarding the matter.