Author: News Desk

Bharat Forge Limited on Tuesday said it has received a ₹1,661.9 crore contract from the Ministry of Defence for the supply of 255,128 Close Quarter Battle (CQB) Carbines to the Indian Army. The order will be executed over a period of five years. The contract marks a significant boost for indigenous defence manufacturing and aligns with the government’s push for self-reliance in military equipment. Indigenous Weapon Developed Under Atmanirbhar Bharat The 5.56×45 mm CQB Carbine has been indigenously designed, developed, and manufactured under the IDDM category. The compact firearm was jointly developed by the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE)…

As 2025 draws to a close, the India Women’s Cricket team is in the midst of a five-match home T20I series against Sri Lanka. After commanding victories in the first two games in Vizag, the Women in Blue have taken a 2-0 lead. With three matches still to be played in Kerala, the team is expected to continue their dominance and cap off the year on a high note. A Landmark Year for India Women’s Cricket Regardless of how the T20I series concludes, 2025 has already become historic for India Women’s cricket. The year was marked by growth, consistency, and…

Mukesh Ambani on Tuesday introduced a draft artificial intelligence (AI) manifesto for Reliance Industries, outlining the company’s ambition to become an AI-native deep-tech enterprise. The initiative aims to boost productivity tenfold across Reliance’s workforce of over 600,000 employees and create a 10x impact on India’s economy and society. Ambani on Artificial Intelligence Describing AI as “the most consequential technological development in human history,” Ambani said Reliance plans to lead India’s AI adoption much as it spearheaded the nation’s digital transformation over the past decade. The goal is to deliver “Affordable AI for every Indian,” embedding AI across all Reliance businesses…

Raihan Vadra, son of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi and businessman Robert Vadra, is now engaged to his long-time girlfriend, Aviva Baig, according to NDTV. The couple, who have been dating for seven years, exchanged rings with the approval of both families. The engagement is set to be celebrated with a larger ceremony at Ranthambore in Rajasthan on Wednesday, December 31. The wedding is expected to take place in the coming months. Both families are reportedly close, with Aviva and her family based in Delhi. About Aviva Baig Aviva Baig, 25, is a Delhi-based photographer whose work, according to her…

Wayanad-based deep-tech start-up NeuBiom Labs has unveiled Canopy, a “Coffee Crop Intelligence” platform designed to give coffee growers and industry stakeholders detailed, plot-level insights into crop health and productivity. The launch took place during the centenary celebrations of the Central Coffee Research Institute (CCRI) in Bengaluru, with the platform jointly released by M J Dinesh, Chairman of the Coffee Board, and Kurma Rao M, CEO & Secretary of the Coffee Board. Canopy leverages satellite imagery, artificial intelligence, and hyperlocal data to digitize the coffee value chain and enhance climate resilience. By creating a “digital twin” of each plantation, the platform allows…

Despite relatively small volumes, the Nasdaq-listed Vietnamese automaker VinFast has made a notable impact in India’s electric vehicle (EV) market. In December 2025, VinFast overtook South Korean brands Hyundai and Kia to become the country’s fourth-largest EV maker. Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles remains India’s top-selling EV brand, with 5,231 registrations in December, according to VAHAN data as of December 29, 2025. Tata offers six electric models in its lineup. JSW MG Motor India, backed by SAIC, came second with 3,054 registrations, while Mahindra & Mahindra sold around 2,600 EVs in the same month. VinFast, which entered India in 2025 with…

The government is set to transform India’s shipbuilding sector by offering land at near-zero cost to shipyards, aiming to attract global investment, reduce operational expenses, and strengthen India’s position in the maritime industry. The initiative is expected to drive sustainable growth in coastal states. Under the new greenfield shipbuilding cluster development scheme, shipyards investing in new construction and repair facilities within designated industrial corridors may receive land almost free of cost. The ports and shipping ministry has proposed leases of up to 60 years, extendable further, with only nominal rent charged. The land cost itself will not be included in…

India has officially moved ahead of Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy, with its gross domestic product reaching $4.18 trillion, the central government said in a press release issued on Monday, December 29, 2025. On the back of strong and sustained growth, India is now expected to surpass Germany and claim the third spot globally by 2030. The government projects India’s GDP to expand to around $7.3 trillion over the next five years. “With GDP valued at $4.18 trillion, India has surpassed Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy and is poised to displace Germany from the third rank…

Western Railway has marked a year of transformative progress in 2025, achieving major milestones across electrification, infrastructure development, safety systems and digital transformation. The initiatives aim to modernise the zone’s operations, enhance network capacity, improve passenger services and boost overall efficiency on one of India’s busiest rail corridors. A key achievement has been the expansion of electrified routes, enabling smoother and more energy‑efficient train operations while reducing dependence on diesel traction. The completion of additional electrification work has allowed Western Railway to run more electric locomotives and support faster, greener services. Infrastructure upgrades have included station redevelopments, signalling enhancements and track improvements, designed to…

Despite positive GDP growth, India’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) ended 2025 under continued strain. They faced heavy US tariffs, delayed payments, rising regulatory costs, and limited credit access, while government support struggled to reach the ground. The stress intensified in August when the US, following previous 25% duties, imposed tariffs up to 50% on many Indian exports over New Delhi’s continued purchase of discounted Russian oil. These higher tariffs disrupted orders in labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, leather, and engineering goods, hitting small exporters—who operate on thin margins and limited pricing power—especially hard. For many MSMEs, the tariff…