Manufacturing Financial News

foreign institutional investors (FIIs) offloaded around ₹60,000 crore worth of financial sector stocks, triggering a sharp correction in the Bank Nifty.That’s just the selling in the financial sector…in one month.But if you look at the overall trend, FIIs pulled out more than ₹1.12 trillion from Indian equities, making it one of the sharpest monthly outflows in recent years.While all this was happening, a few FIIs quietly took a contrarian call and continued to buy Indian equities. Interestingly, their focus was small-cap stocks.During the Jan-March 2026 period, several small companies received interest from foreign institutional investors.In this editorial, we will look at four small-cap stocks that were bought by FIIs in the March 2026 quarter.In the December 2025 quarter, the company’s FII holding was 3.36% that has increased to 5.77% as of March 2026.Shringar House of Mangalsutra designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of mangalsutras in 18k and 22k gold, studded with American diamonds, cubic zirconia, pearls, and semi-precious stones.It holds close to 6% share of the organized mangalsutra market in India.

Under mounting global scrutiny, India has cracked down on paediatric cough syrups, with the health ministry proposing to bar prescription of cough and cold medications for babies below two years of age and also discouraging them for children below five, according to two government officials and documents reviewed by Mint.The move, part of the draft National Formulary of India (NFI) 2026 published by the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC), under the health ministry, marks a sharp regulatory tightening after contamination-linked deaths, with implications for prescribing practices and a fast-growing market.The NFI draft has standardized information on drug dosages, indications, contra-indications and side-effects for doctors and pharmacists.The development assumes importance for India’s cough syrup market, that was valued at $262.5 million in 2024 and is projected to grow to $743 million by 2035.This regulatory tightening follows alarm over discovery of toxic industrial solvents, including diethylene glycol (DEG) and ethylene glycol (EG), in liquid oral formulations, which could lead to acute kidney failure and even death, thereby denting India’s image as the ‘pharmacy of the world’.The draft highlights the life-threatening risks of DEG and EG contamination and follows a Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) October advisory to states to address the public health crisis following deaths in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.“As we look back at the historical precedents, the tragic deaths linked to cough syrups were primarily caused by poisonous ingredients like diethylene glycol (DEG), which induces severe poisoning symptoms.

NEW DELHI: India plans to restrict the testing of vaccines and specialized biological products exclusively to government-controlled laboratories to maintain quality standards, according to two government officials and documents reviewed by Mint. This new approach will affect private laboratory operators and the pharmaceutical manufacturers that rely on them for faster testing turnaround times.Under the existing rules, private labs are allowed to test specified drugs including vaccines and biologicals.

construction to consumer durables, aluminium’s price movements have wide-ranging implications for industry.“Caustic soda prices are highly vulnerable to energy price fluctuations, and energy remains a key variable in the current conflict scenario. Any increase in raw material prices is bound to impact user industries,” said Nirmal K.

Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, the textile processing clusters in Surat, Gujarat, and the glass manufacturing cluster in Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh.This assumes significance given that the MSME sector contributes about 30.1% to India’s GDP and accounts for 35.4% of its manufacturing output and nearly 45% of the country's export.“The plan is to extend community kitchen services, which are already in operation in several states, to the manufacturing clusters. It may also include setting up new community kitchens with the cooperation of state governments, as well as industry and social groups,” said the second person, adding that it would be initiated with the provision of three meals a day.Queries sent on Wednesday to the spokespersons of the ministries of finance and MSME remained unanswered until press time.To be sure, several states run subsidized community kitchen or low-cost meal schemes for workers and the urban poor.

pension funds, and large asset managers, allocation decisions are not driven solely by nominal yield spreads.The calculus is more rigorous: risk-adjusted returns in dollar terms. A US Treasury at 4.28% offers a risk-free, USD-denominated return.

₹10,900 crore production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for the food processing sector has delivered on several fronts, drawing investments and expanding capacity. But questions remain on whether it has actually delivered as expec­ted.With the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) now examining why several PLI schemes have underperformed expectations, Mint explains whether the needle has moved beyond headline investments to sustained value addition.The PLI scheme for the food processing sector is designed to support food manufacturing companies that meet minimum sales thresholds and commit to investments for expanding processing capacity and building global brands.The scheme, being implemented for six years till FY26-27, seeks to create globally competitive food manufacturing champions.

As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes global tech spending, India’s IT services majors are responding with a leadership reset. New chief AI roles, dedicated business units, and AI-linked revenue disclosures point to a structural shift in how the sector is gearing up for growth in the automation era.This shift is already visible in the pace of leadership changes.

India's pharmaceutical reputation, however, was harder to contain.This wasn't an anomaly. It was a pattern.

Mint.The US-based semiconductor equipment major is “spending more energy” tracking opportunities in the country than before, as policy support and early-stage investments begin to translate into a stronger pipeline of startups, said Om Nalamasu, chief technology officer (CTO) of Applied Materials.“With initiatives like ISM 1.0 (India Semiconductor Mission 1.0), ANRF (Anusandhan National Research Foundation), and RDI (research, development, and innovation) funds, we expect a significant increase in both the number and quality of ideas emerging from India,” he said.Nalamasu added that the firm is also engaging with government-backed initiatives such as fund-of-funds structures aimed at boosting domestic innovation.Applied Ventures has joined the India Deep Tech Alliance (IDTA) as a corporate strategic partner, signalling a deeper engagement with the country’s semiconductor and deep-tech ecosystem.Globally, it has invested over $500 million across more than 100 companies, deploying about $100 million annually across 19 countries. It has seen more than 10 listing exits and multiple mergers and acquisitions.In India, however, its exposure remains limited so far.

“We do blue-collar hiring, mainly in the manufacturing and supply chain sectors, and there, the costs of getting workforce in the metros has gone up by about 15-20% in a month,” said Neeti Sharma, chief executive officer of TeamLease Digital, part of the staffing firm TeamLease Group.Scarcity of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has forced construction and manufacturing sectors' blue-collared workers—scaffolders, plumbers, welders, etc.—back to their hometowns and villages.Radheshyam and four others together iron clothes in south Mumbai. These migrant workers from Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh, together typically use one LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinder for a little over a month.

Mumbai: Adar Poonawalla-led Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd is in talks to partner with medical device maker Trivitron Healthcare to scale up its investment in MyLab Discovery Solutions Pvt.

Mint. “Disruption means there's been a certain particular specification of vehicles the manufacturer is not able to give us.”Vigneswar, however, said consumer purchasing decisions remain unaffected, though dealers are urging customers to expedite purchases amid concerns over potential production disruptions.“We've been telling customers, please come and pick up your vehicles, because there could be a production issue.

Mint.Co-founder Mohal Lalbhai confirmed the fundraise, saying the company is in discussions with existing and new investors to support market expansion this financial year, but declined to comment on valuation. “We are currently in the process of raising around $50 million from existing and new investors as we look to grow our market presence over this financial year,” he said.The round is being led by existing investors, including Capital 2B, and Japan Airlines' JAL Innovation Fund, one of the two people quoted above said on the condition of anonymity.

₹2,600 crore into its automobile subsidiary, JSW Green Mobility, since its inception—signalling a serious push into India’s passenger and commercial vehicle market as it gears up for a FY27 debut.Billionaire Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Group is targeting the October–December quarter of financial year 2027 to launch its first passenger vehicle, after infusing about ₹2,600 crore into its automobile subsidiary, JSW Green Mobility, since inception.According to Mint’s review of multiple filings with the ministry of corporate affairs, the capital was deployed primarily toward setting up plant operations for passenger and commercial vehicle businesses in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, alongside general corporate purposes and debt repayment.With interests spanning steel, energy and paints, JSW’s move marks its most decisive diversification yet—and places it alongside Tata Group and Mahindra as the third major Indian business house entering the automobile sector.While the automobile subsidiary was incorporated in 2023, filings show it did not receive meaningful financial support from group firms until December 2024—when chairman Sajjan Jindal publicly declared JSW’s intent to build its own automobile brand.Funding from group companies accelerated sharply after that announcement.Queries sent to JSW Group remained unanswered.“Our idea is not to be an outpost of a Chinese company to sell products in India,” Jindal told the Financial Times in December 2024. “We want to manufacture the products in India, value-add in India, and sell them in India.”The company is scheduled to launch its first car in the October–December quarter of financial year 2027.

EPL is the world's largest manufacturer of laminated tubes, producing roughly 9 billion tubes annually. It operates 21 manufacturing facilities across 11 countries, catering to the oral care, beauty, and personal care (BPC), and pharmaceutical segments.

manufacturing sector continuing to be a male fortress. Of the top 100 manufacturing companies in India today, only a handful are headed by women who reached those heights without the leverage of a family name.Born to a Sindhi Amil family in Hyderabad (Sindh) in 1944, Lila Thadani’s steel was forged in the harsh kiln of partition.

The government is exploring ways to increase domestic production of induction cookers, petrochemicals, and other essential industrial inputs, as the West Asia war shows signs of continuing for some time, according to two people in the know.Officials from the department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT), the power ministry and the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) reviewed strategies to boost output in sectors that could face supply disruptions if the war continues for the next few months, said one of the people mentioned above.“Discussions centred on accelerating production of induction cookers and vessel heaters, strengthening the petrochemical value chain, and ensuring adequate availability of gunny (bori) bags—seen as critical for both industrial use and agricultural supply chains,” the other person said.The government has already taken pre-emptive steps by cutting import duties on several key petrochemical products to cushion against potential shortages and price spikes.Officials said the move is part of a broader contingency framework, with ministries preparing for multiple scenarios, including a prolonged conflict that could disrupt shipping routes, inflate logistics costs and tighten availability of critical inputs.The government on Thursday announced a temporary waiver on customs duties for select essential petrochemical imports, which will remain in force until 30 June.

steel tubes market, supported by an expansive distribution network.That scale advantage is difficult for competitors to replicate, and remains the backbone of APL’s pricing power and market-share resilience. Thanks to this pricing power, Nuvama Institutional Equities expects Ebitda per tonne to remain healthy at over ₹5,500.Importantly, this is no longer just a volume-led story.

EPL Ltd’s recently announced merger with Indovida is not just another expansion, but a shift in the business model. The transaction is structured as a share-swap, making it largely cash-neutral, where EPL will issue shares to Indovida shareholders.The deal values EPL at about ₹339 per share, implying a 70% premium to its pre-announcement closing price on 27 March, while Indovida is being acquired at a discount to EPL’s valuation multiple.

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd’s EV debut got off to a poor start with production falling short of target as its domestic launch got delayed, a rare-earth magnet crisis hit manufacturers and global electric vehicle sales growth slowed.The country’s largest car manufacturer exported 25,000 EVs and registered 1,400 units domestically in FY26, missing a target set by chairman RC Bhargava at the start of the fiscal year to produce 70,000 units of its first electric vehicle, mostly for overseas markets. Although Maruti hasn’t disclosed EV production numbers, they are typically a little higher than sales volumes.“There were some initial delays but now the ramp-up is progressing steadily,” Rahul Bharti, senior executive officer-corporate affairs at Maruti Suzuki, told Mint in an emailed response.According to experts, Maruti’s EV manufacturing plan faced setbacks for reasons ranging from a delay in the launch to production-related issues.“The lower-than-anticipated production came on the back of rare earth magnet issues which affected production schedules of automakers.