India Financial News

Her name is Lakshmi. She lives in a small village in the Krishna delta, Andhra Pradesh, where the fields flood in September and the nearest bank branch is a one-hour bus ride away. She wants to buy a buffalo, not as an aspiration, but as a business plan.

₹60 per cylinder hike has added to household stress and squeezed small businesses.The primary driver, experts say, is global instability.According to Adhil Shetty, CEO of BankBazaar, the increase reflects continued pressure from international markets where crude oil and natural gas prices remain elevated due to geopolitical tensions and supply chain disruptions."India imports a large share of its LPG needs, so any rise in international prices or freight costs tends to flow through to domestic cylinder rates," Shetty noted. He added that the latest global escalation has made cooking fuel more expensive, and with deliveries taking longer in some areas, households must prepare for higher and less predictable expenses.For several years, LPG prices in regulated markets remained relatively steady, with only minor fluctuations.

The Finance Commission is a key pillar of India’s federal fiscal architecture. A constitutional body appointed every five years, it is expected to arbitrate impartially between the central and state governments and among the latter themselves in allocating tax revenues collected by the Central government on behalf of all administrations. Though FCs are not widely known, their awards have far reaching implications for fiscal federalism and macroeconomic fiscal outcomes.

.A technical committee review has flagged the existing BIS standard for drinking water as outdated, noting it does not adequately reflect newer technologies or the challenges seen in real-world use.The review signals a shift in policy focus—from just expanding tap water access to ensuring the water supplied is safe to drink. Mint explains the development.Fluoride contamination remains a structural issue in India, particularly in groundwater-dependent regions.

‘Water bankruptcy’ is a term coined to convey a stage after which it is impossible to return to ‘normal’ water levels without major changes. Popularized by a January 2026 United Nations report calling out the reality of an era of “global water bankruptcy,” the term has attracted considerable attention. While globally relevant, the report highlights India as a hotspot for groundwater depletion, given our overdependence on rapidly diminishing aquifers.

Mint that their luxury brands, which also include home goods brand Jay Strongwater, have seen a clear uptick in the last one month."March emerged as the strongest it has been in the last seven years, and sales rose strongly after a brief dip in February, with overall conversion ratios improving," Kataria said. If the current geopolitical tensions persist and the West Asia war continues, more NRIs (non-resident Indians) could move back to India while residents defer overseas travel, boosting domestic luxury spending.

Boong, a Manipuri film that became the first Indian movie to win in the Best Children’s and Family Film category at the BAFTA (British Academy Film Awards) recently, was re-released in cinemas earlier this month after its win but it found few takers. It made only around ₹1 crore, mirroring the struggle of films like All We Imagine as Light (filmed in Malayalam, Marathi and Hindi) earlier, that was nominated for the Palme d'Or and won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.For context, Boong was made at a cost of ₹8 crore.

Mint's requests for a comment till the time of publishing.Everstone owns a majority stake in Subway India, which also counts Norwest Venture Partners and Playbook Partners among its investors.Nearly a year ago, Mint reported that Everstone was exploring a partial stake sale in the fast-food chain’s local operations as part of a $100 million private fundraising round. Those plans have since evolved, with the company now preparing for a public market listing.Everstone operates the master franchise of Subway restaurants in India through Eversub India, giving it the right to open and operate Subway restaurants in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.

Mint explores.While addressing Parliament on the West Asia war on 23 March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted that ethanol blending in petrol went up from just 1-1.5% a decade back to 20% currently.Ethanol, a biofuel made from agricultural crops, is now replacing about 45 million barrels of imported crude oil every year (total imports in FY25 were about 1803 million barrels).As per the petroleum ministry, ethanol blending in petrol has saved India ₹1.44 trillion (in cost of imported fuel) between November 2014 and July 2025. The ministry also estimates that the programme has led to CO2 emission reductions, equivalent to planting 300 million trees.

₹6–7 until recently, has now climbed to ₹11–12 due to a PP shortage.Due to the shortage, per tonne cost of cement will increase by roughly ₹60–80, considering 20 bags of 50 kg each per tonne, said Sourav Mitra, partner, Oil and Gas, Grant Thornton Bharat.At the heart of the issue is polypropylene (PP), used to produce woven cement bags. Refineries in the Gulf region are increasingly diverting feedstock such as propane and butane toward liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) production amid supply uncertainties, tightening PP availability.Bag manufacturers are currently receiving only about 60–70% of their contracted PP chip supplies, according to a Motilal Oswal report dated 18 March.

Infosys Ltd’s announcement late Wednesday to buy two US-based tech services firms for $560 million takes its acquisition spend in a fiscal to an all-time high, reflecting the pressing need for new capabilities as automation tools upend India’s tech sector.The country’s second-largest information technology (IT) services company said it will spend up to $465 million to buy Optimum Healthcare IT, a Florida IT services and consulting firm.On the same day, it announced the acquisition of Stratus, a New Jersey-based tech services provider to the insurance sector, for up to $95 million.Both deals are in cash and are expected to close by June. The payment includes upfront amounts and earn-outs but excludes management incentives and retention bonuses.The acquisitions will add $319 million in incremental revenue to Infosys, including $276 million from Optimum Healthcare and $43 million from Stratus, making up almost 45% of Infosys’ incremental revenue last year.Infosys ended last year with $19.28 billion in revenue, up 3.85% on a yearly basis.

India’s government has signalled its intent to amend the Women’s Reservation Act of 2023, also known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, to fast-track its 33% quota of seats for women in Parliament and state assemblies. The sooner it’s done, the better. It would mark a major step in a long march towards the political and economic emancipation of women in the country.Women constitute almost half the population, but various estimates suggest women contribute less than 20% to GDP—based on models that crunch data on labour force participation, earning gaps, etc, and only capture what’s on the record.

war in West Asia intensifies, oil is climbing, risk appetite is wobbling, and governments are quietly stepping up defence spending. If past conflicts are any guide, prolonged uncertainty doesn’t just rattle markets, it accelerates military budgets.That shift tends to outlast the headlines.

₹950 a day during the peak season. He even helped his relatives and their friends—five people in all—enter the business, getting them work in the Anandapur facility a decade ago. Shaow eventually moved to take up work with another employer in 2024, but they stayed on.On 26 January, a massive fire on the premises gutted a unit owned by Pushpanjali Decorators and the adjacent one, owned by food chain Wow! Momo, killing at least 25 people, among them Shaow’s relatives and their friends.A preliminary investigation found serious lapses at the godown, which had been functioning without a fire clearance certificate.

₹1 lakh.”Santosh Joseph, founder of Germinate Investment Services, added: "People earlier were told what to do, but never the why. Now social media sells the benefits through these tips."But accessibility comes with risks.“The biggest issue is oversimplification,” Anooshka warned. “Wealth creation is complex, but social media often reduces it to quick tips.”There’s also the problem of context—what works for one person may not work for another.

India’s energy story is inseparable from its growth trajectory. As one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies, its energy demand is rising rapidly. India is now the world’s third-largest energy consumer, and peak electricity demand is projected to reach 345–365 gigawatts (GW) by 2030.

SBI Life remains the cheapest among peers. Based on Motilal Oswal Financial Services’ FY26 estimates, SBI Life trades at a Price/VNB of 27x, compared with 30x for HDFC Life and 29x for ICICI Prudential.SBI Life’s valuation advantage is supported by stronger operating performance in 9MFY26.Its annualized premium equivalent (APE)—a proxy for topline or revenue in life insurance—is calculated by adding regular premiums and one-tenth of single premiums.

pays ₹60,000 rent every month for her apartment in Bengaluru. She keeps rent receipts, has a rent agreement, pays via bank transfer, and has shared his landlord’s PAN with her employer to claim HRA.

Mint.A second fund, still on the drawing board, is a blended finance fund of similar size, Rai said in an interview at the Mumbai headquarters of Nabfid, which was founded in 2021. The company was initially set up as a development finance institution to support long-term projects.“We are (also)likely to launch an alternative investment fund, mainly for the equity side, in the next six months,” Rai said.Nabfid’s new subsidiary will be like a holding company, under which there will be multiple alternative investment funds (AIF).

₹29,000-crore liability for unsettled cases.A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan reaffirmed that landowners whose land was acquired for highway projects between 1997 and 2015 are entitled to extra compensation, known as solatium, and interest, even for past acquisitions.The apex court maintained that financial implications of the judgment, estimated at around ₹29,000-crore by the NHAI—cannot be a ground to deny fair compensation to landowners.“The grant of solatium and interest cannot be made contingent upon the magnitude of the financial burden. The Constitutional guarantee of just compensation cannot be diluted on that basis.

India stands at a crossroads as one of the fastest-growing large economies in the world, yet it also has among the highest levels of inequality, with little movement seen in recent years. On paper, India’s growth story remains strong even as global conditions are uncertain. According to the latest national accounts with a revised base year of 2022-23, India’s real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 7.2% in 2023-24 and 7.1% in 2024-25.