The production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for telecom and networking products has witnessed Rs 3,998 crore worth actual investment (against Rs 4,014 crore as committed investment) by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and non-MSMEs, the Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, said in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha that total 42 beneficiaries have been approved under the PLI scheme for telecom and networking products (till October 31).

In order to promote manufacturing of telecom products and reduce import dependency, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) notified the PLI for telecom and networking products in 2021 with a total financial outlay of Rs 12,195 crore.

Indian pharmaceutical companies, which benefited from sector tailwinds such as stable generic pricing and shortage-led opportunities and stable costs of raw materials in the past 18-24 months, will make further progress in differentiated and complex generics in the US market in 2025, a report showed on Wednesday.

According to a note by HSBC Global Research, these tailwinds are projected to continue in 2025 as well given that “we don’t see major changes on the demand-supply dynamics.”

At least nine in 10 Indian businesses now affirm that embracing cloud transformation is a critical enabler of AI adoption, according to a report on Wednesday.

Notably, 67 per cent of Indian companies are currently transitioning applications to the cloud, reinforcing the nation’s commitment to innovation and efficiency, according to an EY India report.

Most Indian companies are adopting a hybrid approach, with 80 per cent managing enterprise applications partly on the cloud and partly on-premises.

This balanced strategy allows for flexibility while enabling gradual progress toward full cloud migration.

India has the potential to create more than 30 million new women-owned enterprises, according to a report.

The report -- on democratisation of entrepreneurship in India -- by consulting firm KPMG stated that this can translate to 150 to 170 million more jobs in the country.

Investing in women-led ventures can have a multiplier effect, as they are more likely to reinvest in their communities, the report said.

Further, boosting venture capital (VC) funding in women-led startups in India can enhance gender equity. It will also enable women founders to scale their businesses, create jobs, and contribute to the economy on a larger scale.

There is a potential $40 billion investment opportunity for the development of electric vehicles (EVs) and ancillary industries in India over the next 5-6 years, a report showed on Wednesday.

About two-thirds of the planned investments can potentially materialise in the lithium-ion battery segment alone, said the report by Colliers, a professional services and investment management company.

The deployment of these funds will rely upon successful implementation of government policies, charging infrastructure ramp-up and domestic manufacturing capacity scale-up, it added.

At the same time, with an uptick in EV adoption, increasing need for charging infrastructure would potentially translate into real estate demand for more than 45 million square feet by 2030.

The Indian capital market is projected to see 17-45 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR)-sustained revenue growth over FY24-27, a Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd (MOFSL) report said on Tuesday.

The entire ecosystem of capital market – asset management companies (AMCs), brokers, exchanges, intermediaries and wealth managers – will see sustained growth in revenue during the period

Fixed cost nature will drive operating leverage for all segments, resulting in superior profit growth, said the report, adding that high cash generation, healthy dividend payouts, and superior return on equities (RoEs) bolster MOFSL’s view in the entire capital market space.

There is a recent uptick in deal activity in the Indian market which will be better visible in the first quarter of 2025, a report showed on Tuesday.

As the year draws to a close, deal activity is expected to remain subdued to moderate, with several transactions likely to be pushed to Q1 2025, according to Grant Thornton Bharat Dealtracker.

“Quick commerce fund raising activity headlined in November, which otherwise witnessed a subdued activity as deals have been delayed/ postponed to 2025,” said Shanthi Vijetha, Partner, Growth at Grant Thornton Bharat.

“There is a recent uptick in deal activity in the market, but expected to be announced in Q1 2025. Hence, anticipate moderate deal activity in December too, but a good start for the new year 2025 in January,” she added.

India is expected to be the key destination for global oil and gas products as the country adds refinery, petrochem, LNG regasification and pipeline capacity while the Chinese economy slows, according to an HSBC report released on Tuesday.

The report states that global oil prices are likely to remain weak. This would benefit India as the country imports over 80 per cent of its crude oil requirement and any decline in global oil prices leads to a huge saving in the import bill.

"For India's oil and production, we expect another year of marginal growth but it is all contingent on ONGC's ability to deliver on-schedule production and minimise the decline in nomination blocks. CY25 will also see at least 25 per cent growth in LNG regasification capacity which will further enhance India's capacity to absorb global LNG. On the refining side, India is expected to increase its capacity by 9 per cent, adding 0.5 million barrels per day,” the HSBC report states.

The inflow into systematic investment plans (SIPs) stood at Rs 25,320 crore in November in the country, almost similar to the October figures (Rs 25,323 crore), according to data from the Association for Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) on Tuesday.

In November, the mutual fund industry's total assets under management (AUM) increased to Rs 68.08 lakh crore in November from Rs 67.25 lakh crore in October, as per the data by the AMFI.

In October, the SIP investments crossed Rs 25,000 crore for the first time in the country. The continuously increasing SIP figure shows that people prioritise investing in mutual funds through SIP.

The transport ministry here said on Tuesday it has imposed fines totalling 11.7 billion won ($8.16 million) on 18 foreign and domestic automakers for selling cars with inadequate safety standards.

Of those, the imported brands included BMW Korea, Honda Korea, Mercedes-Benz Korea and Tesla Korea, while the domestic manufacturers included Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Corp. and KG Mobility Corp., according to the ministry.

The ministry said the fines were based on corrective measures against defective parts of the companies' models from July to December of last year, reports news agency.