The overall milk situation in the country is stable with the year-on-year Wholesale Price Index and (WPI) and Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rates for milk recorded at low levels of 2.09 and 2.85, respectively, for the month of November 2024, Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD) Secretary Alka Upadhyaya, said at a review meeting here, an official statement said on Thursday.

"There is an adequate commodity stock of skimmed milk powder, whole milk powder, white butter, and ghee. At the same time, there has been an improvement in milk procurement and milk procurement prices over the year,” she pointed out.

The Secretary also highlighted that India holds the top position globally in milk production, generating approximately 239.3 million metric tons in the year 2023-24, according to an official statement.

Global automaker Range Rover on Thursday announced the start of sales for the 2025 'Made in India' Range Rover Sport in the country.

The ‘2025 Range Rover Sport’ – the first made-in-India vehicle exclusively for the country– is now available in smooth and powerful 3.0l Petrol Dynamic HSE and 3.0l Diesel Dynamic HSE variants, the Tata Motors Group company said in a statement.

The pricing of the New Range Rover Sport now starts at Rs 1.45 crore, ex-showroom, and is available in five colour options - Fuji White, Santorini Black, Giola Green, Varesine Blue and Charente Grey.

Available in 3.0l Petrol Dynamic HSE and 3.0l Diesel Dynamic HSE variants, the Range Rover Sport is built on the state-of-the-art MLA-Flex platform, offering next-level capability, performance and handling, as well as greater efficiency.

The country's ultra-high net worth individual (UHNI) count reached 13,600 in 2024, marking a 6 per cent annual growth, and is projected to soar by 50 per cent by 2028, far outpacing the global growth average of 30 per cent, a report showed on Thursday.

While India’s UHNI population grew by 6 per cent in 2024, China’s grew by just 2 per cent, signalling India’s rising economic prominence, according to the report by Anarock Group.

India ranks sixth globally in UHNI population and third in Asia, trailing only China and Japan.

About 10 per cent of UHNIs secured alternate citizenships in 2024, favouring Portugal, Malta and the UAE for their global mobility and tax benefits.

“Approximately 14 per cent of UHNIs own properties abroad, with Dubai, London and Singapore as the primary hotspots. The average international property investment exceeded Rs 12 crore ($1.44 million) in 2024,” said Prashant Thakur, Regional Director and Head, Research, Anarock Group.

India's energy storage capacity is expected to shoot up 12-fold to around 60 GW by 2031-32 which would play a key role in stabilising the power grid as the country transitions to renewable energy, according to an SBI Research report.

The country's energy storage landscape is evolving rapidly, with the proportion of renewable energy (RE) projects incorporating storage solutions recording a significant increase from 5 per cent in FY20 to 23 per cent in FY24, the report said.

This will surpass the growth anticipated for renewable energy sources themselves.

The share of variable renewable energy (VRE) in power generation is expected to triple by 2031-32 which could destabilise the grid. The challenge lies in the inherent mismatch between the generation of VRE and peak power demand. This mismatch often leads to grid instability, surplus energy during peak production hours, and continued reliance on fossil fuels during non-solar periods.

India tops the list of recipient countries for remittances in 2024 with an estimated inflow of $129 billion, followed by Mexico ($68 billion), China ($48 billion), the Philippines ($40 billion), and Pakistan ($33 billion), according to the latest figures compiled by World Bank economists.

The growth rate of remittances this year is estimated to be 5.8 per cent, compared to 1.2 per cent registered in 2023, according to a World Bank blog post

“The recovery of the job markets in the high-income countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been the key driver of remittances. This is especially true for the United States where the employment of foreign-born workers has recovered steadily and is 11 percent higher than the pre-pandemic level seen in February 2020,” the report said.

Officially recorded remittances to low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) are expected to reach $685 billion in 2024, it further stated.

India’s pharma industry is considered to be the world's third largest by volume, and in FY 2023-24 the pharmaceutical market has been valued at $50 billion, said Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Anupriya Patel.

In a written reply to Rajya Sabha Patel said that in FY 2023-24, the pharmaceutical market’s domestic consumption value was at $23.5 billion, and exports were valued at $26.5 billion.

The Indian pharmaceutical industry has a strong presence at the global level. It is also the 14th in terms of value of production with an extremely diversified product base covering generic drugs, bulk drugs, over-the-counter drugs, vaccines, biosimilars, and biologics.

“According to National Accounts Statistics 2024, published by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, total output for industry that is, pharmaceuticals, medicinal and botanical products is Rs. 4,56,246 crores for FY 2022-23 at constant prices, of which value added is Rs. 1,75,583 crores. 9,25,811 number of persons are engaged in Pharmaceuticals, medicinal and botanical products industry during FY 2022-23,” Patel said.

Startups will be a core driver of India’s economic growth this ‘Techade,’ likely to contribute nearly $120 billion (or 1.6 per cent) to the country’s GDP by 2030, which will be nearly 3.5 times jump from $35 billion in 2023, according to a new report.

Given that most developed economies see between 5-10 per cent of their GDP being contributed by Tech startups, India’s journey has only just begun, according to the report by venture capital firm Kalaari Capital.

In fact, the contribution by startups can surge to a whopping $1.6 trillion by 2047, thus contributing 5 per cent of the GDP when India aims to become a ‘Viksit Bharat’ with a $35 trillion economy, the report mentioned.

Also, the country is expected to have over 300 unicorns by 2030, from more than 100 at present.

The Adani Group Chairman, Gautam Adani, on Thursday said that the company makes promises which are not only about building infrastructure but also creating hope, progress and a brighter tomorrow for millions of Indians.

Reacting to a unique and out-of-the-box advertisement on wind turbines and renewable energy by the Adani Group that took the internet by storm, Gautam Adani posted on X social media platform that the “winds of change are here.”

“In our actions sit the promises we make. Promises that are not just about infrastructure but of hope, progress and a brighter tomorrow. The winds of change are here. Hum Karke Dikhate Hain!” said the Adani Group Chairman.

The 1.30-minute video, with the tagline 'Pehle Pankha Aayega, Phir Bijli Aayegi,’ takes the viewers by surprise and also goes on to illustrate how clean energy can light up lives, without polluting the environment.

A unique and out-of-the-box advertisement, on wind turbines and renewable energy by the Adani Group, is taking the internet by storm as it comes across as not just a commercial but a beacon of hope for millions, still living in darkness or facing long bouts of power cuts.

The 1.30-minute video, with the tagline 'Pehle Pankha Aayega, Phir Bijli Aayegi’ takes the viewers by surprise and also goes on to illustrate how clean energy can light up lives, without polluting the environment.

The short but incisive video narrates the story of Tamtu, a young boy from a village who along with his father has been spending nights in darkness, waiting for the electricity to knock on their doors.

When out of curiosity, Tamtu asks his father, “Papa, when will the electricity come? When will the fan start?” His father responds, “Pehle Pankha Aayega, Phir Bijli Aayegi” (First comes the fan, then comes the electricity).

When Tamtu shares this hopeful thought with his classmates, he is mocked not just by his classmates but also by relatives and neighbours.

From major elections across the globe to conflicts and crises, the year 2024 was critical for the news industry, said Google News on Wednesday.

These significant events highlighted the important role of newsrooms in providing accurate and timely information, said the company, highlighting its contributions to fight misinformation in the Indian news ecosystem.

In 2024, the tech giant supported the Shakti initiative -- a collaboration to combat misinformation and provided AI training to newsrooms.

It also empowered India's news ecosystem through initiatives like the Indian Languages Programme, boosting user engagement and ad revenue for local publishers, as well as expanded Google News Showcase.