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state business summits. The sheer volume of these events, particularly in January and February, underscores their perceived importance in attracting investment. Yet, the question lingered: how many of these inked commitments truly translate into tangible economic development? India's economic landscape is punctuated by a surge in state-led investment summits.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India’s insurance industry is growing rapidly, supported by robust economic growth, an expanding middle class, innovation and strong regulatory support. According to data from the Swiss Re Institute, total insurance premium collections are projected to grow by 7.1% over the next five years (2024–2028).

SBI research ecowrap predicts 75 basis points rate cut this fiscal. Experts believe that CPI inflation will be 3.9 per cent in the fourth quarter of FY25 and will average at 4.7 per cent for the entire year. However, looking ahead to FY26, inflation is expected to remain between 4.0 per cent and 4.2 per cent, with core inflation ranging from 4.2 per cent to 4.4 per cent. Given this trend, analysts anticipate at least a 75-basis-point rate cut during this cycle, with back-to-back reductions expected in April and June 2025. Another round of rate cuts could follow in October 2025. «With benign inflation this month and going forward, we expect a cumulative rate cut over the cycle could be at least 75 basis points, with successive rate cuts in next policy April and June 2025. With an intervening gap in Aug'25, the rate cuts cycle could restart from Oct'25, says the report. India's consumer price index (CPI) inflation dropped to a seven-month low of 3.6 per cent in February 2025, mainly due to a sharp decline in food prices.

total lunar eclipse will happen this week as the Earth moves between the sun and the moon. This will block sunlight from reaching the moon, making it appear dark red, often called a "blood moon." The event will be visible across North America and other regions if the sky is clear.

Infosys cofounder Nandan Nilekani predicts that India will have one million startups by 2035. He said that there are 150,000 startups today growing at a compound annual growth rate of 20%. He also noted that among 2000 funded startups, 100 unicorns have been created. He was speaking at venture capital firm Arkam Ventures Annual Meet 2025 on Wednesday here where he outlined a strategic roadmap for India to achieve an 8% annual growth rate and become an $8 trillion economy by 2035.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Investors in Bharti Hexacom Ltd stock must be a happier lot vis-à-vis their counterparts in Bharti Airtel Ltd, the parent company holding a 70% stake in the former. Hexacom’s shares have gained as much as 66% since its listing day’s closing price of ₹813.30 apiece on 12 April 2024.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India's benchmark index, Nifty 50, stayed strong despite the global market concerns and ended on a flat note in Tuesday's trading session. Taking cues from the global market, the indices opened with a gap down at 22,345 after recession fears triggered a sell-off in the US and Asian markets.

Amazon India has partnered with Youth4Jobs Foundation to support women sellers with disabilities by providing essential resources, tools, and training to succeed in the digital e-commerce ecosystem. Under the partnership, Amazon Saheli programme will conduct workshops and provide onboarding and account management support for these women sellers, according to a company statement. The alliance aims to bridge the gap between talented women with disabilities and wider market opportunities, and help them leverage the Amazon platform to grow their business online, it said. The women sellers will get hands-on training in digital marketing, performance marketing, product listing optimisation, and advertising solutions to help them establish a robust online business.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The 15th edition of Aero India, a biennial air show and aviation exhibition, concluded earlier this month. Conducted across 42,000 sq m, with more than 900 exhibitors including 150 foreign companies, it was the biggest Aero India to date.

Indian banks are advancing more loans than they are incrementally garnering deposits, the latest central bank data showed, pointing to only a partial success for dedicated lender programmes aimed at boosting the deposit base and de-risking the credit environment. The banking sector's incremental loan-to-deposit ratio (LDR) on a three-month rolling basis reached nearly 126% as of February 7, 2025. The incremental LDR stands at 103% so far this fiscal year, pointing to the persisting weakness in deposit mobilisation despite more circumspect advances toward unsecured loans and non-bank financing. As of February 7, credit climbed 11.3% year-on-year, while deposits saw a more modest increase of 10.6%.

KKS Murthy, the owner of Bengaluru’s Select Books, who recently passed away aged 95, it was after a gap of many years. He seemed quite unchanged, sitting amid the heaps of books in his now 80-year-old shop off Brigade Road. He recognised me at once and, without asking, directed me to a pile of second-hand cookbooks. I rarely buy physical books now. You can tell me all about the joys of holding a printed book, and I’ll shrug and switch on the e-books app on my tablet or phone, with instant access to thousands of books, new ones instantly available, all easily searchable, with adjustable lighting and size. I also live in a humid Goa valley, which is rotting my old books. But I still love second-hand books. Booksellers like Murthy who specialise in them are rare now, with the places where they congregated — Fort’s pavements in Mumbai, Moore Market in Chennai —mostly cleared away. New & Secondhand, in Mumbai’s Dhobi Talao, is a distant memory. But Murthy kept the flag flying for the kind of place where, instead of the purposive searching of regular bookshops, you could randomly sift through piles and find the one book which, through past owners and shops, was waiting for you.

“India has a unique opportunity to position itself as a global AI talent hub. However, by 2027, the job openings in AI are expected to be 1.5–2x of the talent availability. The challenge—and opportunity—lies in reskilling and upskilling a significant portion of the existing talent base on emerging technology tools and skillsets,” said Saikat Banerjee, Partner and leader in Bain & Company’s AI, Insights, and Solutions practice in India. He added, “The AI talent shortage is a significant challenge, but not invincible. Addressing it requires a fundamental shift in how businesses attract, develop, and retain AI talent. Companies need to move beyond traditional hiring approaches, prioritize continuous upskilling, and foster an innovation-driven ecosystem.”

You walk into a store selling personal care products and pick up two nearly identical products —one labelled for men, the other for women. To your surprise, the women’s version costs more. This invisible yet pervasive price disparity, known as the ‘pink tax’, quietly drains women’s wallets on everything from personal care items to professional services like dry cleaning and healthcare. 

Venue : Saxton Oval, Nelson New Zealand Women squad - Emma McLeod, Georgia Plimmer, Izzy Sharp, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Jess Kerr, Suzie Bates, Izzy Gaze, Polly Inglis, Bree Illing, Eden Carson, Emma Black, Fran Jonas Sri Lanka Women squad - Harshitha Samarawickrama, Imesha Dulani, Manudi Nanayakkara, Nilakshika Silva, Vishmi Gunarathne, Chamari Athapaththu, Chethana Vimukthi, Kavisha Dilhari, Rashmika Sewwandi, Anushka Sanjeewani, Kaushini Nuthyangana, Achini Kulasuriya, Inoshi Priyadharshani, Malki Madara, Sachini Nisansala, Sugandika Kumari New Zealand Women vs Sri Lanka Women Live Score: New Zealand Women Georgia Plimmer 24 (31) Suzie Bates 20 (23) Sri Lanka Women Achini Kulasuriya 0/19 (5) New Zealand Women vs Sri Lanka Women Live Score: Four! That is a great shot. Short in length, the batter cuts it through point and finds the boundary.

IIT-Kanpur graduates known for sharing their unique travel experiences on social media, recently found themselves in an unusual situation during a road trip from Udaipur to Ahmedabad. With no place to stay for the night, they made a spontaneous decision that left them questioning whether it was sheer recklessness or a stroke of wisdom. On January 10, as they drove from Udaipur to Ahmedabad, the duo realized they had no accommodation arranged. In a moment of spontaneity, they put up an Instagram story asking if anyone would be willing to host them for the night. To their surprise, a complete stranger responded, inviting them to stay over. Taking a leap of faith, they arrived at his home later that night—unaware that this experience would change their perspective on travel.

In the post-pandemic return-to-office era, flexibility has become crucial for women managing both professional and personal responsibilities. According to the Randstad Workmonitor Survey 2025, more than half of Indian employees (52%) would consider leaving a job that does not offer adequate flexibility, with women placing particular importance on work-life balance. Viswanath P S, MD & CEO of Randstad India, a talent company, said, «Women are actively seeking greater flexibility, meaningful career development, and upskilling opportunities, particularly in AI and emerging technologies. The demand for full-time remote work is also significantly higher among women.»

The report highlighted that around Rs 45-50 lakh crore of this debt will be required for capital expenditure, while the remaining Rs 70-75 lakh crore will be used by NBFCs and for meeting working capital requirements. It said «Corporate India will need to raise approx. Rs 115-125 lakh crore of debt between fiscals 2026 and 2030 to meet private and public sector capex».

A powerful Indian parallel is Kiran Bedi, India’s first female IPS officer. When she joined the service in 1972, policing was seen as a man’s domain. Bedi not only broke that barrier but took on some of the most challenging roles, from controlling riots to reforming the notorious Tihar Jail. These trailblazers, along with pioneers like Captain Prem Mathur, India’s first woman commercial pilot, and Chhavi Rajawat, the first woman sarpanch with an MBA, remind us that breaking bias is not a one-time act. It is a continuous effort to build a future where equity is the norm, not the exception. While awareness around gender equity has grown, the journey is far from complete. Today, as workplaces evolve, the onus is on CEOs and CHROs to go beyond intent and actively craft environments where every woman can thrive. One way to drive lasting change is through structured accountability. Australia’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) is a strong example. By mandating gender pay gap reporting, WGEA has improved transparency and advanced workplace diversity. In 2024, it began publishing employer-specific pay gap data, holding companies directly accountable.

United States officials are searching across oceans to find enough eggs to ease a shortage that’s sent prices soaring, forcing grocery stores to limit customer purchases and restaurants to add surcharges.

Delhi Capitals Innings Highlights : Gujarat Giants vs Delhi Capitals Live Score: FOUR! Good length around middle and leg, Meg Lanning flicks this in the gap and it races through the carpet for four towards the cow corner. Gujarat Giants vs Delhi Capitals Live Score: Delhi Capitals Marizanne Kapp 6 (8) Meg Lanning 84 (53) Gujarat Giants Kashvee Gautam 0/32 (3) Gujarat Giants vs Delhi Capitals Live Score: FOUR! On a length wide outside off, Marizanne Kapp looks to slog this around leg but gets an outside edge and this flies over backward point for a boundary.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. US President Donald Trump has been relentless in his pursuit of a tariff overhaul ever since assuming office in January. After making Mexico, China, and Canada his first victims (even though he paused some of the moves for a limited time), and threatening 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports, he then announced his intention to introduce reciprocal tariffs on US’s imports from other countries, including India.