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The Indian Railways increased fares twice in this financial year—first in July and then in December, marking its most concerted effort in years to narrow losses from passenger services and ease the burden on freight users who have cross-subsidised passenger travel.While the hikes have triggered political criticism, the railways argues that the increases are modest, progressive and fiscally unavoidable, especially when passenger fares recover barely 55% of costs, implying a subsidy element of about 45%, as railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted in the Lok Sabha during the recent winter session of Parliament.The twin fare revisions were part of a rationalization strategy aimed at improving the financial sustainability of passenger services without imposing a sudden shock on travellers.The railways has been absorbing the rising costs of employees, pensions, safety investments and network expansion even as passenger fares remained structurally underpriced.

advertising. But its approach has had limited impact on India. Most of our focus continues to be on safer areas, such as gender, specifically women’s empowerment.

The animal spirits seem to be stirring, but the scoreboard tells a mixed story. New project announcements rose nearly 16% sequentially in the October-December quarter (Q3 FY26), almost doubling the momentum seen in the previous three months.

European Union, sent a shudder through cosmopolitan elites across the West.As many rushed to stockpile goods in the event of a “no-deal” Brexit, I remember being asked whether the sight of half-empty supermarket shelves reminded me of Albania under Hoxha (they did not). Yet with hindsight—after US President Donald Trump’s first election, a global pandemic, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and Trump’s return to the White House—even die-hard opponents of Brexit might now concede that their panic was somewhat overblown.Or was it? Next year, Brexit will mark its tenth anniversary—certainly an important symbolic milestone in the current age of globalization.

Dear reader, as 2025, a year of global tumult and volatility, rolls by, Mint's reporters and columnists look 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] DELHI: India’s energy transition has come a long way, with 50% of the country’s electricity generation capacity already coming from non-fossil sources led by solar and wind.

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Dear reader, as 2025, a year of global tumult and volatility, rolls by, Mint's reporters and columnists look 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 year 2025 drew to a close, thousands of spectators braved Delhi’s foul air, made stagnant by the unyielding winter winds, to catch a glimpse of Lionel Messi. Not long back, it would have been a regular meet-and-greet for a legendary footballer.

With the passage of a law that not only opens the door for private participation in India’s nuclear power industry but also promotes it, the government hopes to meet its target of 100GW in generation capacity by 2047. Currently, it accounts for a mere 2% of our grid capacity, and given India’s demand projection for 2047 and the electricity required to meet it, that goal implies a share of 5% by then.

It has been 10 years since the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris (CoP-21), where 195 states made a historic commitment to work together to keep the long-term rise in global temperatures well below 2° Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the rise to no more than 1.5° Celsius. France played its part in making this great moment of universal solidarity a success. A decade later, we can be proud of how far we have come.In France, we have reduced our greenhouse-gas emissions by 30% compared with 1990, including 20% between 2017 and 2024.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The U.S. pledged to protect Ukraine from any future Russian attack, U.S.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The early 1990s were an exciting time for the field of communications. Sudhin Mathur had always been interested in innovations and real-world application as a student of mechanical engineering.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. I recently attended an investment conclave in Ayodhya where, in a keynote speech, Acharya Mithilesh Nandini Sharan Ji shared the story of Bhasmasura as a metaphor for what investors do. It was an unexpected connection, but it was the perfect metaphor for what I see happening to retail investors across India today.

India’s strong GDP performance, kept up even in a period of global uncertainty, reflects structural strength built through consistent policy reform. As the country moves towards becoming the world’s third-largest economy, the key challenge is not the pace of growth, but ensuring that this momentum is sustainable, productivity-driven and inclusive.In this context, the next major frontier for India’s economic transformation lies in accelerating factor market reforms.Significant progress has already been achieved.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. At the end of her charming novel Rukmini Aunty and the R.K. Narayan Fan Club, Sita Bhaskar quotes the Scottish writer Alexander McCall Smith’s admiration for the much-loved creator of Malgudi Days, first published as a collection of short stories in 1943, and later turned into a popular TV series in 1986.

The feeble outcomes of this year’s UN climate summit, CoP-30, held at Belém in Brazil were a reflection of today’s geopolitical realities. The US does not recognize the threat of global warming, while several other large economies like Russia, China and India are in no mood to embark on a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Jerome Powell pushed through a rate cut Wednesday over the broadest reservations of his nearly eight-year tenure, and in doing so, implicitly delivered a pointed message to President Trump and his own successor: Cutting rates is harder than it looks. The decision drew three dissents—two from officials who opposed any cut and one from a Trump ally who wanted a larger reduction.

India’s food sector employs millions and is a major contributor to its economy. Food processing alone is valued at over $300 billion, reaching hundreds of millions of households daily. Globally, food and agriculture form a multi-trillion-dollar system, spanning farmland, fertilizers, cold chains and retail outlets.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the national auditor, is preparing to overhaul the way it audits government departments by moving from post-facto examination of accounts to real-time audits of public spending, project execution and service delivery. The shift marks one of the most significant changes to India’s audit architecture in decades, and comes at a time when governments are executing larger, technology-driven programmes that require closer and more continuous oversight.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. It is not difficult to spot the change. Bookshops now dedicate entire sections to financial guides.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. What do the following three companies have in common? Stellantis, owner of the Fiat, Jeep and Chrysler brands; Merck, which makes the world’s bestselling cancer drug; and Barry Callebaut, a Swiss chocolate-maker, which is particularly proud of its ruby flavour, neither sweet nor bitter. One answer: their capital-expenditure (capex) plans.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NEW DELHI : Problems in renewal of visas for Chinese technicians have slowed the pace of buildout of India’s lithium-ion battery manufacturing factories for electric vehicles and energy storage, according to two people aware of the matter. The issues are happening despite bilateral relations between India and China having eased in the past few months.