6+ day, 16+ hour ago (221+ words) Afghan Commerce Minister Alhaj Nooruddin Azizi The five-day visit of the Afghan Commerce Minister Alhaj Nooruddin Azizi to India has generated a lot of interest as it indicates New Delhi's readiness to do more business with the Taliban regime. Not surprisingly there was a full house at an interaction organised by an Indian chamber with Azizi and his business delegation. The Afghan Minister gave an impressive speech, talking in his local language, promptly translated into perfect English by his senior adviser. He talked about the scope and opportunities in his country for Indian businesses with the audience listening attentively to both him and the translator. While all eyes are on whether DK Shivakumar will succeed in toppling Siddaramiah for the top chair in Karnataka, two other developments have gone under the radar. JDS, the regional party, is celebrating 25 years of…...

7+ hour, 20+ min ago (272+ words) Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, at meeting organised by FICCI on Friday said a political call is needed to clinch the US-India trade deal, which is expected by the year-end. Those following the developments wondered what Agrawal meant. Is he saying the officials have done their best, and now, it is left to the government? Earlier, she also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convene monthly virtual meetings with the Chief Ministers and Chief Secretaries of Delhi's neighbouring States to review progress in controlling pollution. Recently, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted "Energy Maharatna @OilIndiaLimited has commenced a landmark offshore drilling campaign in the Kerala-Konkan Basin by spudding the first well. An inspirational stride in our energy journey guided by the vision of PM Sh @narendramodiJi. This frontier Category-III basin holds immense potential, and the planned 6,000-metre deep well to…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago (392+ words) When Hyundai launched the Venue in India five years ago, it quickly became a household name and one of the country's top 10 best-selling cars. But in today's fiercely competitive market, where Tata, Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra have carved out commanding positions, Hyundai is gearing up for a comeback. Despite maintaining its sub-4-metre footprint, Hyundai's packaging has resulted in a cabin that's noticeably roomier than before. On the outside, the 16-inch aero-style alloy wheels and dark-chrome accents lend a hint of sophistication, while the updated proportions give the SUV a more planted, premium look. Adding a layer of excitement to the lineup is the new Venue N Line, which now has its own distinctive personality. With sportier bumpers, red accents and a more assertive stance, it feels far more differentiated than before. Practicality has also taken a step up. The…...

2+ week, 7+ hour ago (298+ words) Q2 earnings indicate muted impact of US" tariff changes It was feared that Q2 corporate profits would take a hit on account of two factors: the additional tariffs (26 per cent to 50 per cent) imposed by the US and the holding back of consumption in anticipation of GST cuts (which came into effect late September) But actually, Q2 turned out to be a decent quarter for India Inc This newspaper's analysis of 2,418 companies which have announced their Q2 results so far shows that India Inc posted an improvement in both revenue and profits at an aggregate level Revenue grew 8.7 per cent in Q2 compared to the corresponding quarter in FY25 This betters the sluggish 6.5 per cent growth recorded in the first quarter of FY26 Net profit was up 15.7 per cent, registering a robust increase from the 10 per cent growth in the first quarter; operating margins remained steady At…...

3+ week, 2+ day ago (644+ words) Alok Gupta, Managing Director of ABD, discusses the company's performance drivers, capital deployment plans, plans to strengthen its international footprint, and portfolio of super-premium and luxury brands. How has the second quarter of FY26 worked out for you? Our focus continues to be on margin expansion through profitable volume growth, and premiumisation, including affording to super-premium and luxury brands. There is a continuous focus on cost. The commodity environment has been helpful, as it is still stable to neutral. We see backward integration helping us drive across markets. Prestige & Above (P&A) segment continued to strengthen, with volume salience rising to 47.1 per cent and value salience improving to 56.9 per cent. The second focus area is on capital deployment. We stay focused on the three big CapEx programs we have announced, which are PET, MALT, and ENA. All three projects are running to…...

2+ week, 6+ day ago (456+ words) Home and sleep solutions brand Wakefit Innovations, which is expected to launch its initial public offering (IPO) this calendar year, has opened 32 stores in the first 10 months of 2025, taking its total count to over 130 as part of its retail expansion strategy. Going ahead, Wakefit plans to open 117 additional company-owned, company-operated (COCO) regular stores, which comprises 67 in FY27 and 50 in FY28 across cities including Mumbai, Noida, Bengaluru, Ghaziabad, Bhubaneshwar, Lucknow, Gurgaon, Tumkur, Vizag, Kozhikode, Thanjavur, Ambala and Sonipat. The Bengaluru-based company launched its first store in March 2022 in Lucknow and expanded to 98 stores by December 31, 2024. As part of its strategy to strengthen presence in smaller towns and underserved pockets of metros, the company plans to open COCO regular stores of varied sizes, tailored to specific catchment areas across product categories such as mattresses, furniture and furnishings. "We believe that there is an opportunity…...

3+ week, 2+ day ago (47+ words) Pocket by Ravikanth Published on November 7, 2025 Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. - Get notified by email for early preview to new features, discounts & offers...

1+ week, 12+ hour ago (566+ words) Diversified conglomerate ITC Ltd is strengthening its organic food products portfolio and widening its distribution network across the country for the "24 Mantra Organic" brand to grab a bigger slice of India"s "10,000-crore organic food products market. Moreover, the Sanjiv Puri-led conglomerate is looking beyond the US to augment export of the organic products under this brand to Europe and other important overseas markets, as it acquired organic packaged food maker Sresta Natural Bioproducts earlier this year to expand its future ready portfolio for its non-cigarette FMCG business. The domestic organic food products market, of which the packaged food market is estimated at around "3000 crore, has been growing between 15 per cent and 20 per cent annually. However, penetration in the country stands at only 0.3 per cent against the global average of 3.5-4 per cent. "So the headroom for growth is immense which…...

3+ week, 5+ day ago (378+ words) Bihar poll promises smack of fiscal irresponsibility As elections draw near, parties in the fray outdo each other in making crazy promises " of jobs, cash transfers or free power Bihar is no different; and the two formations locked in combat " the Mahagathbandan led by the Rasthtriya Janata Dal and Congress and the National Democratic Alliance led by the BJP and Janata Dal (United) " have promised to turn what is perhaps India's poorest State into an El Dorado in double quick time The questions that arise are: where is the money; and is it being spent to address basic issues of the State? Their promises are similar, with their focus on women and "extremely backward classes'; the latter accounts for 30 per cent of the population The NDA has promised to create one crore jobs, one crore lakhpati didis (women in self…...

6+ day, 16+ hour ago (545+ words) ADDING MILEAGE: BKT's flagship factory in Bhuj, Gujarat, is being equipped to manufacture consumer tyres There are plenty of "non-sexy" businesses in the world that investors like Warren Buffet are famously said to love. One of them involves manufacturing off-highway tyres (OHT). Certainly, tyre maker Balkrishna Industries (BKT) has made its fortune in the space, exporting to 160 countries. It closed last financial year with revenues of roughly "10,615 crore, of which 70 per cent came from exports. BKT now plans to wheel into the highly competitive consumer segment, besides strengthening its presence in India. Says Rajiv Poddar, joint managing director, BKT, "Our vision was to be a one-stop solution provider for everything off-road for our partners. Now, we are expanding that vision to include the on-road space as well." Rajiv Poddar, Joint Managing Director, BKT Poddar says commercial production for on-road tyres…...