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Alongside the launch of the Gates Foundation Goalkeepers Report 2024, Microsoft cofounder and philanthropist Bill Gates tells ET that he hopes India will be able to graduate from the public distribution system and rely instead on raised incomes over the next decades. Edited excerpts: The latest Goalkeepers Report focuses strongly on malnutrition. What is your view on India’s policy interventions such as free cereals given through the public distribution system? There is no doubt that the poorer you are, the higher is food as a percentage of your budget. And so, the idea that governments, either by incentivising the private sector or through various subsidisation, keep food costs fairly low- particularly for the urban poor, and yet they have to be careful not to hurt the farmers. The balancing act, India does manage largely. In the US, we have graduated from needing to have this type of food distribution. We have a thing called ‘food stamps’, where you get money, and you can only use it to buy food. At some point — it could be more than a decade — hopefully, you can graduate from having to have a public distribution system and just rely on the fact that you have raised incomes and educated consumers.

Modi 3.0 government for MSME exporters who are facing global challenges due to geo-political tensions. The measures included launching of 'Trade Connect e-Platform' to empower SMEs by giving them access to information and guidance on trade, the commerce ministry said on Tuesday. This platform will connect these enterprises to over six lakh IEC (import-export code) holders, 185 Indian Mission officials and over 600 Export Promotion Council members with the Department of Commerce. Briefing the media, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said that in the first 100 days, the ministry held meetings with exporters to understand their problems and find ways to resolve those issues.

In Nigeria and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, many households have limited access to nutrient-rich foods due to rising costs and the impact of climate change on agriculture and food systems

The lead engineer for an experimental submersible that imploded en route to the wreck of the Titanic says he felt pressured to get the vessel ready to dive and refused to pilot it for a journey several years earlier

American consumers and home buyers, business people and political leaders have been waiting for months for what the Federal Reserve is poised to announce this week: That it’s cutting its key interest rate from a two-decade peak

renewable energy’s RE-Invest 2024 (renewable energy investors’ meet and expo) began in Gandhinagar on Sept 16. Orb Energy is one of the key companies trying to make solar power affordable, accessible, and hassle-free. It has installed over 300 MW of solar systems for more than 1,330 commercial and industrial customers. It has delivered 167,700 systems across residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. The company recently launched its first 35 MW (DC) ground-mounted solar park at Arsikere, Karnataka. Spanning 110 acres and delivering 5.24 cr units of green power while reducing 45,000 tonnes of CO2 every year, this solar park has been developed specifically to empower SMEs in the region. In an interview with KumKum Dasgupta, co-founder and CEO of Orb EnergyDamian Miller discusses the company’s journey, how it stands out as a leading solar panel manufacturer, and the future of solar in India.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Federal Reserve is set to cut borrowing costs at its two-day meeting that ends Wednesday. The goal: preserve a solid job market now that price pressures have cooled.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The longed-for moment is almost here. For two and a half years, ever since America’s Federal Reserve embarked on its fastest series of interest-rate rises since the 1980s, investors have been desperate for any hint of when it would reverse course.

Many investors unknowingly make a costly mistake when rolling their money from a 401(k) plan to an individual retirement account: leaving their money in cash.

Wall Street ahead of the Federal Reserve's pivotal monetary policy decision, due later in the week, with a majority of traders pricing in a steep cut in borrowing costs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 41.4 points, or 0.10%, at the open to 41,435.17.

A summer start to interest rate cuts from the Bank of Canada failed to breathe new life into the Canadian housing market, with the national real estate association suggesting homebuyers are content to wait for cheaper borrowing costs before getting off the sidelines.

credit program for the building industry professionals like architects, interior designers, contractors-firms to address the critical credit gap in the segment. After working with over 3,500 professionals in the building space over the past two years, the company identified that dependence on informal credit alone invariably hinders business growth for professionals and curated the credit program to address this critical gap. By participating in the program, professionals can get higher credit limits, enabling them to take on larger projects. «By enrolling in the smart credit program, professionals can achieve significant growth. We project an increase in profit margins by 8-10% and business scaling by two to three times. With a higher credit limit, professionals can take on more prominent projects and experience exponential business expansion,» Vaibhav Poddar, co-founder of Mistry.Store, said.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. A tough job just got much tougher for Boeing’s new CEO. When the jet maker’s largest union went on strike Friday, the walkout compounded the list of problems facing Kelly Ortberg, who took Boeing’s top job five weeks ago.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Last week, Nithin Kamath tweeted about SundayGrids, a company offering solar energy access without the need for rooftop panels. The concept is simple: For those living in apartments without enough space to install solar panels, SundayGrids helps you buy solar panels that are put up elsewhere.

FOX Business’ Jeff Flock reports on the latest news emerging from the auto industry as data reveals insurance prices have surged year-over-year.

Audi factory in Brussels described by the German carmaker as the «cradle» of its electric drive, around 200 picketing workers huddled around a bonfire in the morning drizzle. The firm is considering closing the plant, a move that analysts say is symptomatic of the troubles afflicting Europe's wider electric car industry, amid low demand and competition from China. Audi is a subsidiary of Volkswagen, which earlier this month made the bombshell announcement that it was considering the unprecedented step of closing production sites in Germany.

Abneesh Roy, Executive Director, Nuvama Institutional, says the food space is quite attractive and there we will prefer Bikaji because it is a pure-play foods company. Among larger companies, he also likes HUL and ITC. Food is an attractive category, but there are very diversified companies. A double-digit volume growth for Bikaji is seen in last many quarters and that is expected to continue. After the edible oil duty hike, in H2, most of the food companies are expected to take price hikes. That should help overall pricing growth also. While the first quarter was subdued, we did see some positive outlooks from a few QSR companies. What is happening in terms of a meaningful recovery, on ground zero? Abneesh Roy: Gradual recovery will happen. That space has seen slowdown now almost for six quarters. The base has become favourable, but there is a lot of competition between the players and delivery seems to be doing better. So, delivery-focused players should do better. But urban consumption is still a challenge. We have seen the impact of higher interest rates. We have also seen the impact of job losses and the salary cuts in the D2C startups.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday accused the Centre of carrying out a «fuel loot» despite a reduction in crude oil prices and said election-going states shall defeat BJP by rejecting the "Modi-induced price rise". Kharge said crude oil prices have reduced by 32.5 per cent, yet BJP's "fuel loot continues". «Election-going states shall defeat BJP & reject this Modi-induced price rise!» Kharge said in a post in X.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday is all set to launch India's first 'Vande Metro' services between Bhuj and Ahmedabad. Ahead of the launch, the Railways Ministry has decided to rename the service to 'Namo Bharat Rapid Rail.' Additionally, Modi will launch the second phase of the metro rail service connecting Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar and take a ride on the metro train. For passengers, its regular service will start from September 17 from Ahmedabad and the total journey will cost Rs 455.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. In July, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Co. Ltd shares finally crossed their previous all-time high of ₹724.30 seen almost three years ago on 8 September 2021.