After witnessing a tremendous growth in fruit exports in the last five years, the government is now exploring new markets for fruit exports.

According to Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Jitin Prasada, the free trade agreements (FTAs) with the UAE and Australia have helped increase exports of fruits to the UAE and Australia by 27 per cent and six per cent, respectively.

“The free trade agreement has helped increase exports to the UAE, where there has been a 27 per cent increase in fruits export and with Australia where there has been a 6 per cent increase in export of fruits,” the minister informed the Rajya Sabha.

India’s fruit exports have surged by 47.5 per cent over the last five years.

As part of its Act East policy, India sent more than 15 tonnes of relief material to Myanmar on Saturday, following a series of powerful earthquakes that led to widespread death and destruction on Friday, with over 600 people feared killed and the toll expected to climb further.

The official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal said in a post that as part of 'Operation Brahma', India acted as a first responder to assist the people of Myanmar, who were affected by Friday’s massive earthquake.

“Our first tranche of 15 tonnes of relief material, including tents, blankets, sleeping bags, food packets, hygiene kits, generators and essential medicines has landed in Yangon,” Randhir Jaiswal posted on Saturday.

The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) has announced a collaboration with Digital India Bhashini to implement a multimodal, multilingual e-Governance solution for the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS).

The move is in pursuance of the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to effect qualitative improvements in Grievance Redressal systems to make them more sensitive, accessible and meaningful.

With the multilingual multimodal solution, it is envisaged that citizens will be able to file grievances on the CPGRAMS portal through 22 regional languages in an intuitive interface that will make grievance lodging much easier.

Citizens can use voice in their regional language to lodge grievances. This solution will also enhance ease of accessibility and navigation on CPGRAMS portal.

Indian stock markets ended the last trading session of the current financial year (FY25) on a lower side amid a volatile day. With this, the Sensex and Nifty gained over 5 per cent each in FY25.

Sensex dropped 191.51 points, or 0.25 per cent, to close at 77,414.92, while the Nifty slipped 72.60 points, or 0.31 per cent, to settle at 23,519.35.

Despite the weak intra-day session, both benchmark indices recorded gains for the full financial year. The Sensex gained more than 5.11 per cent while Nifty gained 5.34 per cent this fiscal.

Indian stock markets will remain closed on Monday (March 31), due to Eid festivities and trading will resume on Tuesday (April 1).

The domestic benchmark indices opened flat on Friday amid weak global cues, as selling was seen in the IT and auto sectors in the early trade.

At around 9.28 am, Sensex was trading 102.31 points or 0.13 per cent down at 77,504.12 while the Nifty declined 25.25 points or 0.11 per cent at 23,566.70.

Nifty Bank was up 209.20 points or 0.41 per cent at 51,785.05. The Nifty Midcap 100 index was trading at 52,443.65 after adding 604.25 points or 1.17 per cent. Nifty Smallcap 100 index was at 16,335.60 after climbing 215.75 points or 1.34 per cent.

According to market watchers, Nifty witnessed a strong buying of 213 points from lower levels before consolidating sideways, signalling sustainability in the uptrend.

To maintain the vast National Highway (NH) network, the government has approved short-term maintenance contract (STMC) works in 17,884 km length, costing Rs 2,842 crore, and performance-based maintenance contract (PBMC) works in 6,118 km length, costing Rs 6,757 crore, in the current fiscal (FY25), Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, said on Thursday.

In a written statement in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister said the government has prioritised the maintenance of the existing NH network and has evolved a mechanism to ensure the maintenance and repair of all NH sections through an accountable maintenance agency.

At present, 1,310 NH projects in 31,187 km length costing Rs 8.11 lakh crore are under construction in the country.

While STMC works are generally undertaken for a contract period of 1-2 years, PBMC works are undertaken for a contract period of about 5-7 years.

India’s billionaire count has grown to 284, with their combined wealth reaching an astounding Rs 98 lakh crore, a new report said on Thursday.

The ‘Hurun Global Rich List for 2025’ shows that the country’s wealthiest individuals have seen a 10 per cent rise in their total fortune over the past year. Mumbai alone has 90 billionaires.

India remains strong on the global stage, ranking third in the number of billionaires, behind only the United States and China. The US tops the list with 870 billionaires.

The Hurun report also highlights that 175 Indian billionaires have seen their wealth increase, while 109 either experienced a decline or no change in their fortunes.

The Indian stock markets ended on a strong note on Thursday, with both the Sensex and Nifty closing in the green.

The 30-share Sensex rose 317.93 points, or 0.41 per cent, to settle at 77,606.43. During the day, the index touched an intra-day high of 77,747.46 and a low of 77,082.51.

Similarly, the Nifty gained 105.10 points, or 0.45 per cent, to close at 23,591.95. The index recorded an intra-day high of 23,626.75 and a low of 23,412.20.

Among the Sensex stocks, Bajaj Finserv, NTPC, IndusInd Bank, Larsen & Toubro, and Bajaj Finance were the top gainers, rising up to 2.85 per cent.

On the other hand, Tata Motors, Sun Pharma, Hindustan Unilever, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Bharti Airtel were among the top losers, with Tata Motors dropping the most by 5.38 per cent.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is working on a new penalty system that would prevent brokerage firms from being fined multiple times for the same violation.

The proposal, which has been under discussion for the past year, aims to stop different stock exchanges from imposing separate penalties for a single default.

The SEBI is in talks with stock exchanges to implement this rule, which would help reduce the financial burden on brokers, reported.

Currently, brokerage firms can face penalties from multiple exchanges for the same regulatory violation.

For example, if a broker fails to report a technical glitch on time, does not settle client funds, or fails to resolve investor complaints, all stock exchanges can impose fines separately.

This leads to a heavy penalty burden on brokers, the report said.

In a powerful demonstration of joint operational capability, the Indian Army on Thursday conducted a highly effective and important ‘Integrated Multi-Domain Exercise’.

This Tri-Service Integrated Multi-Domain Warfare Exercise was held in the Eastern Theatre, deep in the high-altitude terrain of Arunachal Pradesh.

According to the officials, the exercise, named 'Exercise Prachand Prahaar', was held from March 25 to 27. The exercise brought together the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, and other elements of the Indian Armed Forces in a synergised combat drill designed to simulate future warfare.

The domestic benchmark indices opened in green on Thursday amid mixed global cues, as selling was seen in the auto sector in the early trade.

At around 9.26 am, Sensex was trading 112.96 points or 0.15 per cent up at 77,401.46 while the Nifty added 28.20 points or 0.12 per cent at 23,515.05

Nifty Bank was up 80.55 points or 0.16 per cent at 51,289.55. The Nifty Midcap 100 index was trading at 51,605.10 after declining 41.05 points or 0.08 per cent. Nifty Smallcap 100 index was at 15,891.85 after declining 44.90 points or 0.28 per cent.

According to market watchers, Nifty has broken the steep rising trend line. On the hourly chart, it is possibly forming a flag pattern.

"40HEMA and lower end of flag pattern are almost at the same level. 40HEMA at 23390 will be an important support level to watch out for on the way down," said Vikram Kasat, Head-Advisory, PL Capital.

Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) on Wednesday said it has achieved notable improvements in multiple categories in the latest edition of the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI 37), along with securing top rank in the ‘Reputational Advantage’ category.

GIFT City also climbed from 45th to 40th in the FinTech ranking, and improved its overall ranking from 52nd to 46th place, making significant strides in establishing itself as a premier international financial centre.

Additionally, India’s first operational smart city also retained its position among the top 15 financial centres in the Asia-Pacific region.

After seven consecutive sessions of gains, the Indian stock markets ended lower on Wednesday as investors booked profits across sectors.

Sensex fell by 728.69 points, or 0.93 per cent, to close at 77,288.50. During the session, the index fluctuated between an intra-day high of 78,167.87 and a low of 77,194.22.

Nifty also declined, settling 181 points lower at 23,486.85, down 0.77 per cent. The index had touched an intra-day high of 23,736.50 before slipping to a low of 23,451.70.

"On the smaller time frame, the Nifty index has dropped below the near-term moving average,” said Rupak De of LKP Securities. On the lower end, support is placed at 23,300, up to which the current decline might extend.

With the United States shifting its economic stance, emerging markets are poised for a significant rally, and India stands to gain the most with robust foreign institutional investors (FII) inflows returning into its markets, a new report said on Wednesday.

There is a paradigm shift in global economic dynamics driven by the US administration’s evolving fiscal and monetary policies.

This transformation will shape investment opportunities, urging investors to navigate the changing landscape with strategic foresight,” said Emkay Global Financial Services in its ‘India Strategy Report’.

As capital moves away from dollar assets, India’s strong economic fundamentals, supportive policy environment, and attractive valuations position it as a prime beneficiary of global capital flows, the report noted.

The recent amendments in priority sector lending (PSL) guidelines by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) should further help the economy grow faster and fine tune the building blocks of the factors of productions, mainly the MSMEs, agri and allied sectors, housing and exports, etc, a report by SBI Research said on Wednesday.

The RBI this week issued revised guidelines on PSL to facilitate better targeting of bank credit to the priority sectors of the economy. The new guidelines will come into effect from April 1.

According to the report, the revised PSL guidelines cater to enhancement of several loan limits, including housing loans, for enhanced PSL coverage and broadening of the purposes based on which loans may be classified under ‘Renewable Energy’.

The domestic benchmark indices opened flat on Wednesday amid positive global cues, as buying was seen in the realty sector in the early trade.

At around 9.29 am, Sensex was trading 78.19 points or 0.10 per cent up at 78,095.38 while the Nifty added 46.80 points or 0.20 per cent at 23,715.45.

Nifty Bank was up 50.35 points or 0.10 per cent at 51,658.30. The Nifty Midcap 100 index was trading at 52,082.25 after adding 112.50 points or 0.22 per cent. Nifty Smallcap 100 index was at 16,088.95 after declining 19.95 points or 0.12 per cent.

According to market watchers, Nifty tried to break above the previous high of 23,807 but could not sustain above it.

The salaries of Central government employees may increase by Rs 14,000 to Rs 19,000 per month after the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission report, according to a report by Goldman Sachs on Tuesday.

The global financial services firm stated that around 50 lakh Central government employees and 65 lakh pensioners are expected to benefit from the pay revision.

The commission is likely to be formed in April, with its recommendations expected to be implemented in 2026 or 2027.

Goldman Sachs conducted an analysis to estimate the salary hike.

Currently, central government employees earn a median monthly salary of Rs 1 lakh before tax.

The total number of refills of LPG cylinders by poor households under the PM Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) have doubled in the past five years and the per capita consumption of PMUY beneficiaries has risen to nearly four-and-a-half cylinders per year, according to information tabled in the Parliament.

As on March 1, 2025, there are 10.33 crore PMUY connections across the country. The refill cylinders under the scheme have doubled in five years. As many as 41.95 crore refills were delivered in 11 months of the current financial year (FY25) till February, up from 39.38 crore refills in the 12 months of 2023-24 marking the success of the scheme, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas informed the Parliament.

The number of refills in 2019-20 stood at 22.80 crore, showing a nearly 100 per cent jump in this FY from five years ago.

Showing a resilient economy in the Asia-Pacific region amid global uncertainties, India’s GDP will grow at 6.5 per cent in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, S&P Global Ratings said on Tuesday.

This assumes the upcoming monsoon season will be normal and that commodity — especially crude — prices will be soft,” said the global financial institution in its latest quarterly economic update for Asia-Pacific economies.

“Cooling food inflation, the tax benefits announced in the country’s budget for the fiscal year ending March 2026, and lower borrowing costs will support discretionary consumption,” it added.

India’s macroeconomic situation has bottomed out, and the country is set to see GDP growth around 6.5 per cent for the year ahead, according to a Bernstein note on Tuesday.

Amid geo-political risks like the possibility of a US recession and reciprocal tariffs, Bernstein’s India strategy offers a positive outlook for the economy in the coming year.

“Despite global uncertainties, India is well-positioned to benefit if a US recession materialises,” said the global brokerage in its note.

India’s growth trajectory has often been independent of the US economy, and past experiences show that India has typically recovered ahead of the US during economic slowdowns.

While the broader markets have faced corrections, India is expected to benefit as the global trade environment stabilises.

Over nine million updated Income Tax Returns have been filed over the last four years, which helped the government raise an additional revenue of Rs 9,118 crore, reflecting the success of the voluntary compliance scheme introduced by the Government, Parliament was informed.

The government in 2022 had introduced the option for taxpayers to file updated I-T returns (ITR-U) up to two years from the relevant assessment year (AY) by paying additional income tax as part of a scheme to encourage voluntary compliance,

Cumulatively, between AY 2021-22 to AY 2024-25, over 9.176 million ITR-Us were filed which fetched additional taxes of Rs 9,118 crore to the government, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

India on Tuesday said Pakistan continued to "illegally occupy" part of Jammu and Kashmir, and "must vacate" the territory while slamming the neighbouring country for its "repeated references" to J&K at a United Nations debate on peacekeeping reforms.

Speaking at the Security Council, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, said the remarks were "unwarranted" and reiterated that the region "was, is, and will always be an integral part of India."

"India is compelled to note that the delegate of Pakistan has yet again resorted to unwarranted remarks on the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Such repeated references neither validate their illegal claims nor justify their state-sponsored cross-border terrorism," Harish said.

The domestic benchmark indices opened higher on Tuesday amid positive global cues, as buying was seen in the IT sector in the early trade.

At around 9.27 am, Sensex was trading 112.50 points or 0.14 per cent up at 78,096.88 while the Nifty added 12.10 points or 0.05 per cent at 23,670.45.

According to experts, Nifty, continuing with the robust move, has indicated a V-shaped recovery with the bulls gaining strength over the bears almost reaching the previous peak of 23,800 zone.

"With further targets of 24,200 and 24,700 levels expected, the bias and sentiment has turned overall positive as of now. the important 50EMA zone of 23,000 level shall be positioned as the major support from here which needs to be sustained," said Vaishali Parekh, Vice President-Technical Research-PL Capital

The Indian stock markets on Monday continued their winning streak for the sixth consecutive trading session, with both Sensex and Nifty ending the day with robust gains.

Investors remained optimistic as key indices surged over 1 per cent each during the intra-day trade. The 30-share Sensex climbed 1,078.87 points, or 1.40 per cent, to close at 77,984.38. During the day, it even touched an intra-day high of 78,107.23.

Similarly, the Nifty index ended 307.95 points higher, or 1.32 per cent, at 23,658.35, after reaching a high of 23,708.75 earlier in the session.

Market sentiment was bullish, with 24 out of 30 Sensex stocks closing in the green. NTPC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, SBI, Tech Mahindra, and Power Grid Corporation were among the top gainers, rising up to 4.63 per cent.

As the Indian equity markets hit two-months high on Monday, Raamdeo Agrawal, Chairman and Co-founder of Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd, said on Monday that now the worst is over for the stock exchanges and "happy days are back".

Agrawal said that after the recent correction, the stock market is finally stabilising and ready for a period of recovery and growth.

The Indian stock market witnessed a sharp rally in the recent time due to positive global and domestic updates, he added.

In the past one week, Nifty and Sensex have surged more than 5 per cent. Midcap and Smallcap stocks contributed the most in the recent rally.

During this period, the Nifty Midcap 100 index shot up by more than 8 per cent and the Nifty Smallcap 100 index surged more than 9 per cent.

From April 1, Central government employees with at least 25 years of service will be eligible for a fixed pension equal to 50 per cent of their average basic salary from the last 12 months before retirement under the new Unified Pension Scheme (UPS).

The government is introducing the UPS to offer more financial security after retirement to at least 23 lakh Central government employees, particularly for those who prefer a stable and predictable income instead of a market-linked pension.

Employees, who have served for more than 10 years but less than 25 years, will receive a minimum pension of Rs 10,000 per month. In case of the pensioner’s death, their family will be entitled to 60 per cent of the last pension drawn as a family pension.

Central government employees, currently under the National Pension System (NPS), will have the option to switch to the UPS.

India’s stock market recorded the highest monthly gain among the world's ten largest equity markets in March, rising 9.4 per cent in dollar terms, as per latest stock exchange data.

This marks the strongest rally in four years, following five consecutive months of decline.

According to the exchange data, the total market capitalisation of all listed companies on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) surged to approximately $4.8 trillion, up from around $4.39 trillion at the end of February.

This is the biggest monthly jump since May 2021. India outperformed other major markets, with Germany following at a distant second with a 5.64 per cent rise in market capitalisation to over $2.81 trillion.

The domestic benchmark indices opened higher on Monday amid positive global cues, as US President Donald Trump signalled potential reciprocal tariff flexibility.

Buying was seen in the PSU bank and realty sectors in the early trade.

At around 9.32 am, Sensex was trading 414.98 points or 0.54 per cent up at 77,320.49 while the Nifty climbed 137.80 points or 0.59 per cent at 23,488.20.

Nifty Bank was up 393.45 points or 0.78 per cent at 50,987.00 The Nifty Midcap 100 index was trading at 52,375.50 after adding 524.75 points or 1.01 per cent. Nifty Smallcap 100 index was at 16,423.40 after climbing 238.45 points or 1.47 per cent.

The Indian stock markets witnessed a strong rebound this week, with benchmark indices Nifty and Sensex surging over 4 per cent -- best weekly performance in four years -- and the rally was fuelled by improving investor sentiment, improvement in foreign flows and positive global developments, experts said on Saturday.

The Nifty gained over 4 per cent, the highest weekly since February 2021. The Sensex also surged 4 per cent, the most since July 2022.

The resurgence in market sentiment was fuelled by the comeback of FIIs amid a strengthening Indian rupee. Additionally, the steep correction in many stocks over recent months created opportunities for value buying, attracting investors looking to capitalise on lower valuations.

Nifty closed at 23,350.4, while Sensex ended the week at 76,905.51 -- both near their weekly highs.

Tensions have risen in both Imphal West and Imphal East districts of Manipur following the disappearance of a 20-year-old youth from the Meitei community, authorities reported on Monday evening.

Nagpur Police Commissioner Ravinder Singal urged citizens to stay calm and cooperate with the authorities to ensure peace and maintain law and order.

National Convener of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said that the state government has resolved a major problem faced by the industrialists from the last 32 years by introducing the One Time Settlement (OTS) scheme.

As per the instructions of Director General of Mining and Geology Department, Sh. K.M. Pandurang, concrete steps are being taken against illegal mining. During the checking of 1392 vehicles by the District Administration and Mining Department in Yamunanagar district, 30 vehicles were challaned and a fine of Rs 2.96 lakh was imposed.

The share prices of JSW Steel Limited and Tata Steel Limited fell on Wednesday, leading to a decline in the Nifty Metal index.

This drop comes as the US imposed new tariffs on steel and aluminum, impacting global market sentiment.

US President Donald Trump announced a 25 per cent duty on steel and aluminum imports without any exemptions.

This move is expected to affect metal prices in the international market. Despite concerns raised by American industries, including aluminum giant Alcoa Corp, Trump proceeded with the tariff hike.

Alcoa had warned that these tariffs could put thousands of jobs at risk and drive up costs for American consumers already struggling with inflation.

In a bid to help companies raise capital faster, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has reduced the timeline for completing rights issues to 23 days from 126 days, effective from April 7.

In a circular, the capital markets regulator has also provided flexibility of allotment to specific investors in the rights issue.

“As part of the new framework, in terms of amended Regulation 85 of SEBI (Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2018 (SEBI ICDR Regulations), it is being specified that Rights Issues shall be completed within 23 working days from the date of Board of Directors of the Issuer approving the Rights Issue,” said SEBI.

“In terms of Regulation 87 of SEBI ICDR Regulations and in view of the revised timelines, it is being specified that Rights Issue shall be kept open for subscription for a minimum period of seven days and for a maximum period of thirty days,” it added.