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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. After a lull, trade cement prices at an all India-level are gradually climbing in the recent months. But the recovery in prices is not broad-based.

India’s pension sector has historically been limited in scope, with coverage predominantly available to government employees and a small fraction of the private-sector workforce. In the past, pension services were riddled with bureaucratic challenges, requiring beneficiaries to fill in complex paperwork, endure long delays, and often travel to distant government offices to collect their pensions. These barriers were particularly significant for India’s rural population, which struggled to access pension schemes due to limited infrastructure and awareness.

decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors such as thermal power, iron and steel, and cement plants, people familiar with the matter told ET. The contours of the mission are being firmed up and an announcement could be made in the February budget, they said. This mission will be in line with India's goals to halve carbon emissions by 2050 and attain netzero emissions by 2070. «Discussions are on, on the contours of the mission… details are being worked out,» a senior government official said. A committee under the chairmanship of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) is in place for defining the requirement and timeline of this mission and scheme needed to implement the goals, the person said.Asecond official said two meetings of this committee have already taken place.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Suresh Soni, CEO of Baroda BNP Paribas MF, highlights a decline in India's price-earnings premium to other emerging markets, expecting Systematic Investment Plan (SIPs) to persist as a favoured investment method despite a shift in foreign portfolio investor focus towards developed markets. The recent market correction has meant a reduction in the price-earnings premium of India over other emerging markets from around 20% levels to ~13-14%.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has suggested that President-elect Donald Trump’s remarks about Canada becoming America’s “51st state” is distracting the public from the harm that steep tariffs would have on U.S. consumers

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: The PM internship scheme, which is currently in pilot stage, is likely to see a host of changes before it is officially launched. The scheme, which was announced in the previous budget, will see changes based on inputs from the pilot and from industry, according to three persons informed about discussions in the government.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd (Ireda) stock fell by almost 7% after it announced the December quarter (Q3FY25) results. Though the net profit grew by 27% year-on-year to ₹425 crore, the drop in provision coverage ratio, both sequential and year-on-year, spooked investors.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform ended 2024 on a high, posting record transactions in December both in terms of value and volume.

Prashant Pitti, co-founder of EaseMyTrip, recently shared a significant milestone on LinkedIn: his 'Founder's Office' job listing for his fintech startup, Optimo, has received an overwhelming 4,344 applications. In his post, Pitti expressed his surprise, writing, «Overwhelming to see 4344 folks have applied so far to work directly with me to change India's MSME lending landscape.» While Pitti is widely known for his role in the travel industry with EaseMyTrip, this job listing is for his latest venture, Optimo, a fintech startup focused on reshaping small and medium enterprise (SME) lending. Unlike his travel company, this startup is centered around providing innovative digital solutions for MSMEs, especially through its digital property-loan product. Pitti, along with investors Blume Ventures and Omnivore VC, is committed to developing the company’s growth. The listing for Optimo’s 'Founder’s Office' positions is for their office based in HSR Bangalore, where they are actively seeking ambitious individuals with a knack for deep thinking and multiple-project management. «You will get to see & learn on how large-scale companies are built directly, while working on multiple projects at the same time,» Pitti wrote in the job description. Optimo is aiming to build an industry-changing platform, with plans to expand rapidly across India.

CII has backed further simplification of the regulatory framework, expansion of the ambit of the national single-window system (NSWS) portal and revamp of the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) system to minimise tax disputes, among steps to make it easier for doing business in India. «Simplifying regulatory frameworks, reducing compliance burdens and enhancing transparency should continue to remain our focus agenda for the next several years,» Chandrajit Banerjee, director general of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), said in a press release on Saturday. The CII has pitched for centralised regulatory approval through NSWS, wherein all central, state- and local-level approvals are provided, bringing transparency and faster regulatory clearance for businesses. The industry body has suggested phase-wise onboarding of central ministries and states on the portal, incentivising the states to shift to the portal once the central ministries have been integrated into the portal.

Maha Kumbh, with plans to operate over 300 trains, including 80 special services, to ensure efficient transportation for devotees arriving in Prayagraj, an NCR official said. Hours ahead of the commencement of the Maha Kumbh, the Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of NCR, Shashi Kant Tripathi, told that the railway authorities have completed all necessary preparations, including crowd management, ticket booking counters, train services, and security arrangements. Providing details about train services, the CPRO said that North Central Railways will also introduce unreserved short-distance regular trains starting tomorrow.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Bengaluru: Nobel Hygiene, a maker of diapers, maternity pads and other such products, is in talks to raise ₹150-200 crore in a funding round led by the investment arm of Neo Asset Management, three people familiar with the matter told Mint. The company plans to use the funds for expansion, one of them said, without providing more details on the valuation.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Non-resident Indians play a vital role in India’s economic and social progress, significantly contributing to the country’s growth through remittances, investments, entrepreneurship, and international trade. As the Union Budget for 2025-26 approaches, NRIs will be looking for clarity on certain rules as well as incentives and reforms that could strengthen their contribution to India’s economic landscape.

Election Commission has asserted it is a «vital instrumentality» aimed at providing level playing field in polls. According to the bills brought by the government to implement 'one nation, one election', there is an imperative need for holding simultaneous elections for various reasons including polls becoming expensive and time-consuming. The Constitution amendment bill to implement 'one nation, one election' said the imposition of a Model Code of Conduct in poll-bound parts of the country puts on hold the entire development programmes and causes disruption in normal public life. It said that frequent poll code imposition also impacts the functioning of services and diverts the man manpower from their core activities to election duties for prolonged periods.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: For homebuyers facing issues such as construction delays, substandard construction or hidden charges in apartment sales, India’s consumer protection watchdog is ready to take up the cudgels on their behalf. India’s Central Consumer Protection Authority plans to collaborate with the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (Rera) to help homebuyers file complaints, seek compensation, and address unfair contracts with developers, according to two officials familiar with CCPA’s plans.

Union Budget: As India plans to work towards being a viksit nation by 2047, industry body Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has put forward a 10-point specific suggestion before Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government for the upcoming Budget 2025 to enable ease of doing business. As per the industry body, all regulatory approvals — central, state and local levels — must mandatorily be provided only through the National Single Window System (NSWS), which they believe will help bring about transparency and speed in the processes. In the first stage, CII suggested that it should be completed for all central ministries within the next six months, followed by bringing on the platform, states, in a phased manner. A dedicated central budget could be allocated for the purpose, especially from the point of view of incentivizing states to shift completely to the portal. Read More: Budget 2025 can position India as the world’s China Plus One hub with manufacturing prowess

Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2025 at Bharat Mandapam. During his visit, PM Modi interacted with the participants and saw their projects. The Department of Youth Affairs successfully kicked off the two-day Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi On Saturday. The event began with a grand inaugural session attended by Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports Raksha Khadse, Anand Mahindra, Palki Sharma, S Somnath, Pawan Goenka, Amitabh Kant and Ronnie Screwvala. The ceremony opened with the traditional lighting of the lamp, followed by a floral tribute to Swami Vivekananda, whose enduring ideals continue to inspire the nation's youth.

IMD has issued a warning of a wet spell in the city, with thunderstorms and hail expected later in the day. Visuals from India Gate showed near-zero visibility in the national capital, with people seeking refuge in night shelters in Safdarjung to escape the harsh weather.

In a statement, the White House highlighted the range of security assistance provided to Taiwan, including the first-ever use of Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), as well as International Military Education and Training (IMET), Taipei Times reported. The statement also noted that President Joe Biden had identified the Indo-Pacific as a crucial region for the future of both the US and the world.

Joe Biden administration in the United States on Friday slapped sanctions on two Indian companies, Skyhart Management Services and Avision Shipping Services, for being allegedly involved in the transportation of Russian liquified natural gas (LNG), violating American curbs. Skyhart Management Services “is an India-based entity that became the operator of US-designated LNG carrier Mulan shortly before it loaded LNG from USdesignated LLC Arctic LNG 2”, the US State Department said. Avision Shipping Services “is an India-based entity that became the operator of US-designated LNG carrier New Energy shortly before it loaded LNG from LLC Arctic LNG 2”, it said.

US stock market's bull run is still ongoing, and is expected to continue for some time now. The economy is also going quite strong, and it is expected that certain trades after January 20 will see some good jumps and spikes after Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony. However, there are also recession and inflation fears, which have taken a rise.