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At first glance, this may seem like a question for economists and statisticians, a matter of compensation data, actuarial logic and policy benchmarks. It is nothing of the sort. It is a moral question that we in India must ask ourselves.As a citizen who has lived his entire life in India’s metropolitan cities, benefited from a measure of material success and travelled globally, my conclusion is neither emotional nor ideological.

₹70 to a dollar. Today, it’s significantly higher.

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016, for insolvency resolution—work in tandem rather than at cross-purposes, while also seeking to harmonize debt recovery rules with other laws, the people added.“The annual financial statement may classify special situation funds (SSFs), a new class of alternative investment funds (AIFs), as financial institutions (FIs) for debt resolution, and give banks greater autonomy by removing the clause that requires borrowers’ approval to withdraw debt recovery proceedings,” the first of the two persons said.Additionally, the government may change the rules of the SARFAESI Act—Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act—to prevent the redemption of securities by borrowers once creditors have finalized the sale, the first person added.Redemption of securities has been a major contributor to the rising volume of litigation in DRTs. As of late 2025, around 178,000 cases were pending before 39 functional DRTs and five Debt Recovery Appellate Tribunals (DRATs) across the country.

₹9,588 crore in Q2FY26 (July-September), driven by volume growth across key segments. Non-CV businesses are also expanding: aftermarket services grew 11%, power solutions 14%, and defence 25%. These non-truck segments now contribute roughly 50% of consolidated revenue, boosting margins and insulating the company from cyclical CV volatility.Ebitda jumped 14.3% to ₹1,162 crore during the September-ended quarter, with margins expanding 50 bps to 12.1%, aided by cost optimization and higher non-truck growth.

The recent decision of Indian Railways (IR) to raise fares on all classes of travel, other than suburban rail, season passes and short-distance second-class ordinary, reflects a dilemma that has long dogged IR and underpinned its fare decisions: Should IR be run as a commercial enterprise, albeit state-owned, or as a departmental undertaking with social objectives placed above profit?Historically, all governments, both before and after India’s 1991 embrace of market principles, have veered towards the latter view. Sadly, political calls have shaped almost everything about IR, including track expansion, stops along routes and, of course, train fares. Fare revisions have always had a populist angle.

Data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (Fada) data released on Tuesday showed EV penetration grew for two consecutive months after a dip in October, leading to fears that New Delhi’s move to cut tax on ICE vehicles could hurt EV penetration in the long run, as the fossil-fuelled ones were already much cheaper in the price-sensitive Indian market.“Electric vehicle sales are here to stay. There was softening in the last few months, but penetration levels have grown in 2025.

₹20,000 crore that have slowed highway development in the country.The pre-conciliation committee, set up by the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH), will attempt to resolve disputes valued under ₹5 crore between highway contractors and government authorities before they snowball into prolonged legal battles, according to two government officials aware of the development.The development assumes significance given that these small-value disputes account for a fifth of the nearly ₹1 trillion legal claims in road and highway construction that the government has been party to over the past decade. Also, there are documented cases of sub- ₹1 crore road payment disputes where contractors had to wait for 6-7 years for resolution.

In relief to Vedanta Ltd, the Delhi High Court has ordered status quo on the Union government’s direction asking the company to stop operations and hand over the CB-OS/2 offshore oil and gas block in Gujarat to the Oil and Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC).A single judge bench of Justice Amit Sharma passed the interim order on Tuesday, and released today.The order effectively puts the government’s takeover plan on hold while Vedanta’s legal challenge is examined.

Data-centre investments hint at a shift in the AI race. Soon, reliable and affordable electricity will confer a decisive advantage in this sector.

retirement age defined by the organisation overrides the option of exit after completion of 15 years,” said Sumit Shukla, MD and CEO, Axis Pension Fund.The main hesitation towards NPS was the lock-in until 60 years of age and the minimum 40% annuity. “Now, both have been considerably eased.

Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL) signals a gradual consumption recovery over the next few quarters, with improving demand conditions in the December quarter (Q3FY26). Easing inflation and a better affordability after the goods and services tax rate rationalization would aid revival.In its Q3FY26 pre-quarterly update, GCPL stated that consolidated revenue (in rupee terms) would be close to double digits, driven by double-digit volume growth in the India business.

Unlike Charles Dickens’ fabled expression, it isn’t the best or worst of times for us in India; we have seen better and we have seen worse. Inspired, however, by the title of the celebrated work from which these lines are taken, I am going to tell a tale—not of two cities, but of two disruptions, both of which arrived on India’s scene with a bang, promising the consumer escape from mediocrity and even delivering on that promise for a while.This is a tale of IndiGo in aviation and Vodafone in telecom. Both injected competition into sectors long accustomed to limited choice and uneven service.

flat steel products at 12% for the first year, 11.5% for the second and 11% for the third year. India had notified an interim order imposing the duty in April to halt the surge in imports, which had lapsed on 7 November.Benchmark HRC prices had fallen to ₹47,100 per tonne in November, a 10-month low, while rebar prices stood at ₹47,000 per tonne, a five-year low due to low demand and oversupply.Hot rolled coil is used in automobiles and home appliances, while rebars are used in construction and infrastructure.Tata Steel, JSW Steel, Jindal Steel, AMNS India and Steel Authority of India did not respond to Mint’s queries on price hikes.According to Niladri N Bhattacharjee, Partner and Metals and Mining Industry Leader at Grant Thornton Bharat, the December safeguard duty, coupled with a weaker rupee, has raised the cost of steel imports from countries such as China and Japan, giving domestic producers confidence to raise prices.“Supported by strong domestic demand, these factors have allowed steelmakers to push through price hikes.

On New Year’s Eve, India woke up to gig workers logging off en masse, turning a day of celebration into a flashpoint over wages, incentives and the true cost of app-based work.The strike finally failed to really take off, as many riders chose to work after Swiggy and Zomato rolled out special incentives. Zomato offered peak-hour payouts of ₹120– ₹150 per order and waived penalties for refusals and cancellations, enabling riders to earn up to ₹3,000 in a day, according to a letter reviewed by Mint.

₹8,790 crore in FY25. Based on an average exchange rate of ₹84.57 to a dollar during the period, the company recorded $1.04 billion revenue.However, JSW MG Motor India’s losses nearly doubled to ₹1,096 crore in FY25 from ₹586 crore in FY24, filings show, as the company slipped back into operating losses after posting its first-ever operating profit in FY24.JSW MG Motor, a joint venture finalised in 2024 between the JSW Group and China’s SAIC Motor, has emerged as one of the fastest carmakers to enter the $1-billion revenue club, achieving the milestone in nearly half the time its European peer Renault took to reach in India.

New year ender line: Dear reader, as 2025, a year of global tumult and volatility, rolled by, Mint's reporters and columnists looked around the corner on what is coming in 2026—to help you know what to expect and prepare for it. Tell us what you think at [email protected] a year of sweeping regulatory reforms, the market regulator is expected to focus less on new rulemaking in 2026 and more on consolidating and implementing its 2025 overhauls.

Dear reader, as 2025, a year of global tumult and volatility, rolled by, Mint's reporters and columnists looked around the corner on what is coming in 2026—to help you know what to expect and prepare for it. Tell us what you think at [email protected]: The past 12 months have likely been the most challenging yet for the chief executive officers (CEOs) of India’s two largest airlines, IndiGo and Air India, which together control about 91% of the country’s aviation market.In September 2022, Tata Sons appointed Campbell Wilson as CEO of Air India to revive the debt-laden carrier it had acquired from the government earlier that year, under a five-year phased transformation plan.

legal battles between domestic generic drug manufacturers and global innovators, reigniting the debate over striking a balance between innovation protection and broader drug accessibility.Looking ahead to another year of patent challenges, Mint examines who ultimately benefits from these challenges.New drugs or methods of making them are typically protected by patents under intellectual property (IP) rights. The patent grants the innovator exclusive rights to market the drug for a set period, typically 20 years.

Business activity in India’s manufacturing and services industries softened as companies grappled with subdued demand, increased competition and inflationary pressures.The seasonally adjusted HSBC India Services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) Business Activity Index hit an 11-month low of 58 in December, falling from 59.8 in November. With slower new work orders and easing output, companies refrained from recruiting additional staff.Plus, operating expenses rose, with cost pressures reportedly stemming from building items, chemicals, medical supplies, salaries, vegetables and office maintenance fees.“Anecdotal evidence suggested that growth was constrained by a greater presence of alternative providers and cheaper services offered elsewhere,” the services PMI survey report said.

equities “just in time” to avoid a crash, and they will tell you how hard it is to do it twice. Selling is only the first step. The second — getting back in — is often even harder.A few realities investors underestimate:You will likely get the timing wrong.

With India’s urban hubs struggling with creaking infrastructure and weak service delivery for bulging populations, the central government is drawing up a blueprint to give municipal administrators greater autonomy over finances and service delivery, while reducing reliance on state and central grants.The blueprint—expected to be unveiled at the upcoming Union budget—will focus on strengthening urban local bodies’ (ULBs’) own-revenue sources such as property tax and user charges, two government officials directly involved in the process said, requesting anonymity.It will also encourage ULBs—including municipal corporations, municipalities and nagar panchayats—to tap market-based instruments including municipal and green bonds to fund long-term urban investment.