The Centre's Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has entered into a strategic partnership with ITC Ltd to promote entrepreneurship and innovation in the country’s startup ecosystem, according to an official statement issued on Wednesday.

This collaboration charts a shared vision to accelerate startup growth and technological advancement besides creation of viable market opportunities for startups across the country, the statement said.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) paves the way for a partnership where ITC’s vast experience and expertise with its extensive market network will complement the DPIIT’s initiative for supporting startups across the country.

Under this partnership, ITC is looking to deploy startup solutions in key areas such as digital platforms for Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), integrating renewable energy opportunities for manufacturing locations and energy storage systems.

Leading cleantech company Attero on Wednesday launched MetalMandi -- an innovative digital AI-powered platform designed to bring organisation and efficiency to the unorganised metal scrap industry.

By leveraging cutting-edge technology and eco-friendly practices, it offers a seamless, transparent, and fair collection experience for scrap dealers and businesses across the country.

India’s material recycling market is valued at $40 billion and has immense potential for streamlining and formalizing the sector.

MetalMandi aims to capitalise on this opportunity by facilitating the daily transaction of 1,000 tonnes of scrap by May 2025, translating to an annual turnover of Rs 2,000 crore.

India is showcasing its growing strength in the textile industry with its Pavilion at Heimtextil 2025, at Messe Frankfurt. With the largest country participation at this prestigious global home textiles fair, India demonstrates its commitment to innovation, sustainability, and global partnerships.

The Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh inaugurated the India Pavilion and addressed global home textile exporters, importers, and manufacturers, highlighting the country’s growing competitiveness and the need for collaboration to achieve sustainable growth. He also invited all participating countries to attend Bharat Tex 2025 and explore investment opportunities in India’s thriving textile ecosystem.

The Minister, during the Investors’ Meet with the textile and machinery manufacturers, highlighted India’s growth story and rising FDI in the last 10 years, emphasizing that the ‘Make in India’ initiative is a proven strategy driving India’s emergence as a competitive manufacturing hub. He encouraged investors to seize the growing opportunities, warning that staying out of India’s market could lead to a fear of missing out. Inviting global investors, he said, ‘Come and invest in India - Make in India, Make for the World’.

India is projected to see a five-fold growth in green investments to Rs 31 lakh crore between 2025 and 2030, a Crisil report showed on Wednesday.

Of the Rs 31 lakh crore investments, Rs 19 lakh crore is seen going into renewable energy and storage, Rs 4.1 lakh crore into transport and automotive sectors and Rs 3.3 lakh crore into oil and gas, according to the report presented at the Crisil's ‘India Infrastructure Conclave 2025’ in the national capital.

This is a crucial part of an estimated $10 trillion investments needed through 2070 to achieve the country’s net-zero goals as per the Updated First Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement.

Among India’s key NDC commitments are a 45 per cent reduction in the carbon intensity of its gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030 from 2005 levels, and an increase in the share of cumulative installed power capacity from non-fossil-fuel-based energy resources to 50 per cent.

Adani Group shares rallied for the second consecutive day on Wednesday following a sharp surge in the previous trading session.

In the trading session so far, Adani Green Energy stock surged to 1,080 per share with a gain of 7.27 per cent and Adani Power rallied to Rs 571.90 per share with a gain of 6.50 per cent. At 1.00 p.m., Adani Green Energy and Adani Power were trading with a gain of 3.76 per cent and 2.94 per cent respectively.

Adani Green Energy's total traded volume so far in the day stood at 7.1 times its 30-day average, while the RSI was at 47.

Adani Power's total traded volume so far in the day stood at 13 times its 30-day average, while the RSI was at 57.

The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) has joined the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) to boost 6G research by developing basic devices and components.

In the process of developing indigenous hardware for 6G, C-DOT, the premier telecom R&D centre of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), signed an agreement with IIT Delhi for the development of "Building Blocks for THz Communication Front Ends” for 6G.

The agreement is signed under the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) 6G Call for proposal of the Department of Telecommunications, according to a statement by Ministry of Communications.

“This call for proposal is for accelerated research on developing 6G Eco-system, as part of the the Bharat 6G vision to design, develop and deploy 6G network technologies that provide ubiquitous intelligent and secure connectivity for high quality living experience,” it added.

South Korea's industry ministry said on Wednesday the government will spend 1.5 trillion won ($1.02 billion) this year to induce consumers to purchase electric vehicles (EVs).

The move is aimed at revitalising domestic demand for EVs amid sluggish sales driven by safety concerns and a lack of access to charging stations, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The accumulated number of EVs and hydrogen fuel cell cars stood at 720,000 as of end-2024, with EVs accounting for 680,000, reports news agency.

Domestic EV sales dropped 9.7 per cent on-year to 147,000 in 2024, marking a decline for the second consecutive year.

Some consumers have expressed concerns about EV safety following a massive fire caused by a Mercedes-Benz EV in August, which damaged over 100 vehicles and destroyed an underground apartment parking garage in Incheon, west of Seoul.

Three Indian banks -- HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and the State Bank of India (SBI) -- ended the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2024 at the 13th, 19th, and 24th spots in the top 25 global banks by market capitalisation, respectively, according to a new report.

While HDFC Bank ended Q4 2024 with $158.5 billion in market cap, ICICI Bank had a market cap of $105.7 billion, and the SBI, $82.9 billion, according to a report by GlobalData, a leading data analytics and research company.

Indian banks demonstrated resilience, with ICICI Bank emerging as a standout performer, with its market cap growing by 25.8 per cent to $105.7 billion, highlighting the strength of India’s expanding digital banking and credit ecosystem.

However, HDFC Bank’s market cap recorded a 1.6 per cent increase to $158.5 billion, due to rising competition and cost pressures.

India’s net direct tax collections recorded a robust 15.88 per cent jump to Rs 16.90 lakh crore during April 1, 2024-January 12, 2025 of the current financial year compared to the same period of the previous financial year, according to latest figures compiled by the Income Tax Department.

The gross direct tax collections, before refunds, shot up by 19.94 per cent to Rs 20.64 crore during this period compared to the corresponding figure of Rs 17.21 lakh crore in the same period of the previous year.

Personal income tax collections during the period surged 21.6 per cent to Rs 8.74 lakh crore compared to Rs 7.2 lakh crore in the previous year while corporate tax collection rose by 8.12 per cent to Rs 7.7 lakh crore compared to Rs 7.10 lakh crore in the same period of 2023-24.

Securities Transaction Tax (STT) collection, which is also a component of direct tax, surged by as much as 75 per cent to Rs 44,500 crore during this period compared to Rs 25,415 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year.

हुंडई मोटर और उसकी सहयोगी किआ ने मंगलवार को कहा कि आर्थिक मंदी के बावजूद पर्यावरण के अनुकूल वाहनों का उनका संयुक्त निर्यात 2024 में एक साल पहले की तुलना में 3 प्रतिशत बढ़ गया।

हुंडई मोटर ग्रुप ने एक प्रेस विज्ञप्ति में कहा कि हुंडई और किआ ने पिछले साल कुल 707,853 पर्यावरण-अनुकूल कारों की शिपिंग की, जो एक साल पहले 687,420 इकाइयों से अधिक थी।

समाचार एजेंसी की रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, इको-फ्रेंडली कार शिपमेंट में गैसोलीन हाइब्रिड मॉडल की हिस्सेदारी 56 प्रतिशत है, जो इलेक्ट्रिक वाहन (ईवी) मॉडल की धीमी मांग की भरपाई करती है।

ईवी मंदी से निपटने के लिए, कार निर्माताओं ने कहा कि वे अधिक ईंधन-कुशल गैसोलीन हाइब्रिड मॉडल जोड़कर अपने उत्पाद लाइनअप को मजबूत करेंगे।