he government is looking to transform India Post into a logistics company and increase the revenue of the department by 50-60% in the next 3-4 years, Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a Public Affairs Forum of India event in the national capital, the minister said about 25,000 villages in the country that do not have mobile networks will be connected by next year.

Nearly 50 percent of public infrastructure in India is unprepared for disaster management, according to a survey by CBRE.

The survey findings were released at a joint 'Infrastructure Management Conference 2024' organised by CBRE and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

India's home and household market is expected to reach USD 237 billion by 2030 at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 10 per cent, fuelled by increasing disposable income, shifting consumer preferences and a growing focus on comfort and convenience across product categories, according to a report by Deloitte.

The report, Powering Consumption Growth-India's Home and House Market, launched at the two-day event MAPIC India 2024, which began here on Wednesday, also said that the home and household market are witnessing strong demand, particularly in tier 2 and tier 3 cities that are emerging as growth hubs.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday launched the NPS Vatsalya scheme, which will allow parents to save for their children's future by investing in a pension account.

Parents can subscribe to NPS Vatsalya online or visiting a bank or post office. The minimum contribution to open Vatsalya account is ₹1,000. Subscribers will have to contribute ₹1,000 annually thereafter.

The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday announced mandating private joint-stock companies in the country to allocate at least one seat for women on their boards of directors after the completion of the current board’s term.

The United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Economy further announced that the implementation of this decision will commence in January 2025 and urged the private joint-stock companies to factor this requirement into their future board restructuring plans.

India is participating in a key tourism trade fair in French capital Paris with the goal of significantly increasing inbound tourism, officials said on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Tourism in a statement said it is participating in the prestigious IFTM Top Resa 2024 which is one of the prominent travel exhibitions held in Paris from September 17 to 19.

An Incredible India Pavillion has been set up at the venue.

he AI Alliance on Wednesday said it has expanded its membership to seven new members from India namely Infosys, AI4Bharat (IIT Madras), IIT Jodhpur, KissanAI, People+AI, Sarvam AI, and Wadhwani AI.

Founded in 2023, the AI Alliance is a global community technology developers, researchers and industry leaders dedicated to advancing safe and responsible AI through open innovation.

The new members join existing founding members IBM, Meta, and IIT Bombay.

The government on Wednesday approved ₹24,474.53 crore subsidy on phosphatic and potassic (P&K) fertilisers for the rabi season of 2024-25 to ensure supply of crop nutrients to farmers at affordable rates.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) rates for rabi season 2024 (from October 2024 to March 2025) on P&K fertilizers.

The Reserve Bank is unlikely to ease the benchmark policy rate during 2024 given the uncertainty over food inflation, State Bank of India (SBI) chairman C S Setty has said.

The US Federal Reserve's first cut in interest rates in more than four years is expected soon, triggering central banks in other economies to follow suit.

Small and medium enterprises have generated over 35 million job applications in the first eight months of this year fuelled by rising demand in key sectors such as BFSI, BPO, and hospitality, says a report.

The Middle East sees emerging opportunities for Indian jewellery exporters with countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait showing rising demand for studded gold jewellery, according to the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC).

The recent data has revealed a positive trend showcasing substantial growth in regions beyond the traditional strongholds for India's gems and jewellery, like the US and China, GJEPC has claimed.

India will be a big dominant player, with a much greater influence in global affairs by 2047, NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam said on Wednesday.

At an event organised by the Public Affairs Forum of India (PAFI), Subrahmanyam added that climate change is an opportunity for India to become a leader in climate technology.

The steel ministry is in discussions with the finance ministry to explore policy measures aimed at curbing the rising imports of steel, including imposition of a minimum import price and protecting the domestic industry, Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy said on Wednesday.

Acknowledging that tackling imports of steel was the "main issue", the steel minister said efforts are also being made to strengthen the domestic alloy industry.

Support from the Centre and state governments will help the country to achieve USD 1 billion worth of alcoholic beverages exports in the coming years, the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC) said on Wednesday.

CIABC Director General Anant S Iyer also said that promoting ease of doing business for the sector is key at both the Central and state government levels.

ustomer relationship management-focused Salesforce's chairman and chief executive Marc Benioff has said the world is moving into an "Indian era".

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the annual "Dreamforce" event here, Benioff said the opportunities in India are "exciting" and the company has invested in the country aggressively.

"You can see that the world is moving into the Indian era. There is no question that we are going to move into an incredible moment in India," he said.

Farmers' body FAIFA on Wednesday said the government's initiatives for digital revolution in agriculture will go a long way in arresting the exodus of youth from agriculture.

Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA), which claims to represent farmers and farm workers of commercial crops across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Gujarat, said the recently announced seven schemes totalling ₹14,000 crore will play a key role in stopping the movement of the youth from rural to urban and from farming to other professions.

India and the US have agreed to explore ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation across the energy value chain for a just and orderly energy transition, as Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri met Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt.

Puri, the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Pyatt met at the 52nd Gastech Exhibition and Conference in Houston.

Competition Commission can now appoint agencies to monitor the implementation of its orders, with the notification of amended regulations.

The move also comes amid instances of some entities flagging concerns about non-compliance with certain orders of the regulator, which works to ensure fair competition in the market place.

The Competition Commission of India (General) Regulations, 2024 were notified on Tuesday.

INOXGFL Group on Wednesday announced that its renewable power generation platform IGREL Renewables Ltd has raised ₹300 crore.

The funding round witnessed participation from marquee investors, including Akash Bhansali, Rohit Kothari, and Madhusudan Kela, through their respective entities, a company statement said.

Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said the government's decision to impose 20 percent import duty on edible oils will help domestic farmers who will get better prices for their oilseed crops.

With cess, the import duty will be 27.5 percent, he told reporters here.