Author: GP Editor
Employees’ State Insurance Corporation regional office. File | Photo Credit: www.esic.gov.in The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) is looking to invest surplus funds in the stock market through exchange traded funds (ETFs) and is awaiting markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)’s nod for exemption from the ₹25-crore per transaction limit.As of March 31, 2024, the social security body’s investments in government and other securities, bonds and debentures, fixed deposits (FDs) and Special Deposit Account (SDA) totalled ₹1,48,547.16 crore, sources in the Ministry of Labour and Employment said. Of this, ₹79,611 crore has been invested in government securities,…
Drone manufacturer Garuda Aerospace said it has made an investment in Zuppa, an indigenous deep-tech start-up specialising in cyber-secure drones and advanced autopilot systems. Through this investment, Garuda Aerospace and Zuppa now partner to drive innovation, expand market reach, and position India as a global leader in secure drone technology, the companies said in a joint statement. “As the only Indian company among a select seven worldwide with proprietary deep-tech in secure autopilot systems, vital for unmanned aerial systems (UAS), Zuppa brings unmatched expertise. Focused on joint development and market expansion, this collaboration will fast-track next-gen drone solutions,” the statement added.“Zuppa leads…
February 2025 CPI drops to 4.1% due to slower increase in tomato and potato prices, with potential global risks. File | Photo Credit: Reuters The Consumer Price Index (CPI), that measures general price levels, may have dropped to a seven-month low of 4.1% in February 2025 from 4.3% last month on slowing increase in tomato and potato prices, according to data from Bank of Baroda.CPI inflation had come in at 3.6% in August 2024. Reserve Bank of India’s inflation targeting framework mandates CPI inflation to be between 2% and 6%.The Bank of Baroda observed a broad slow down in price…
City-based realty player Sattva Group and Blackstone, an alternative asset manager, has filed papers for the largest Real Estate Investment (REIT) in India to raise up to ₹6,200 crore.According to a draft offer document filed on Thursday, this would include combined assets of Sattva and Blackstone’s Nucleus Office Parks, a total leasable space of 48 million sq ft. Blackstone will hold a 55% majority stake, while Sattva will retain the remaining ownership of this REIT, Knowledge Realty Trust.The REIT’s portfolio spans six cities making it India’s geographically diverse office REIT, including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune, with 30 office properties,…
The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) has urged a ‘zero-for-zero’ tariff agreement with the U.S. for textile and apparel trade. The U.S.-India trade balance in textiles and apparels remains strongly in India’s favour. In 2024, U.S. imports from India stood at about $10.8 billion, whereas U.S. exports to India were limited to just $0.41 billion, with cotton making up 50.6%. With reduced tariffs, exports to the U.S. could surge to $16 billion in the next three years, CITI said. Published – March 06, 2025 09:59 pm IST Source link
Actor Ramya at 16th BIFFes on Thursday. | Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN Popular actor Ramya lamented the lack of quality female characters in Kannada cinema even as she praised the Malayalam film industry for constantly presenting progressive female roles, while speaking at the panel discussion on “Women in Cinema: Challenges, Triumphs and the Road Ahead” at the 16th Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) on Thursday.“When I watch Malayalam movies I wonder why I don’t see such strong female roles in Kannada films. I see very few stories from a woman’s perspective in Kannada,” opined Ramya. The actor-politician was joined by cinematographer Preetha…
NMDC CMD Amitava Mukherjee | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement NMDC Director-Finance Amitava Mukherjee, who since March 2023 has been holding additional charge as the chairman and managing director, on Thursday assumed office as the CMD of State-owned miner. The Public Enterprise Selection Board (PESB) had in November 2024 recommended his name for the post of CMD. The government order appointing him to the post was issued on Wednesday. A 1995 batch Indian Railway Accounts Services (IRAS) officer, Mr. Mukherjee served the Government of India in various capacities before ascending to the apex leadership of NMDC. He has been the Director-Finance since…
Coromandel International Managing Director and CEO S Sankarasubramanian and other senior executives at the inauguration of the facility in Visakhapatnam. | Photo Credit: Arrangement Agriculture solutions provider Coromandel International doubled sulphur fertilizer capacity at its Visakhapatnam facility with the opening of a second sulphur manufacturing plant. The Visakhapatnam facility is a wholly backward integrated unit and produces approximately 12 lakh tonnes of complex fertilisers along with phosphoric acid and sulphuric acid. The site also hosts a sulphur fertilizer plant with 25,000 tonne capacity. With the inauguration of another plant, the sulphur fertilizer capacity has doubled to 50,000 tonne thus ensuring a…
Rekha Bhardwaj | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT The rich, smoky incense of loban (fragrant resin) wafting out of Sufi shrines of Delhi is fresh in Rekha Bhardwaj’s memories even as her composition of Amir Khusrau’s kalam Aaj Rang Hai unfolds in her head. Fighting a viral infection to find her characteristic timbre before her performance at the upcoming Sufi Heritage Festival this weekend at Sunder Nursery, the singer says while growing up in Delhi, bowing before a Sufi shrine was a common practice even if one had never entered one. “Listening to Garm Hava’s qawwali, Maula Salim Chisthi still makes me cry, and memories of listening to Shankar-Shambhu…
Generic drugmaker Laurus Labs Board will invest ₹83.30 crore in its joint venture with Slovenian firm KRKA. Consequently, KRKA will also be investing ₹86.7 crore to maintain the existing shareholding ratio of 51:49 in KRKA Pharma, the joint venture company, Laurus said on Thursday in a filing after getting its Board approval for the ₹83.30 crore investment. The purpose of the investment is to acquire land and to meet initial cost of setting up a manufacturing facility for production of finished products for the new markets, including the Indian market. This investment aligns with the company’s strategic growth plans and…