To fund hydel project, NHPC proposed its forest land assets as collateral, Govt said no

The Environment Ministry has turned down a NHPC proposal to use assets located on forest land as collateral to raise funds for the Subansiri Lower hydel project which is facing an over 300% cost escalation. The project is located on the Arunachal Pradesh-Assam border.

India's small enterprises hold key to job growth

The new labour codes are likely to transform the employment landscape of India. Our discourse on employment, however, primarily centres on the need to "create more jobs".

State should reclaim its role, shape digital markets

Most Indians interact with digital markets shaped by sprawling digital ecosystems. These ecosystems, comprising infrastructure, data, software, and consumer-facing services, have not evolved organically; rather, they are strategically curated by dominant orchestrators. By controlling foundational layers such as operating systems, app stores and data flows, these firms shape how value flows across markets.

Centre recommends Al companies pay creator royalties at govt panel-set rates

In a working paper on balancing AI innovation with copyright, released by a DPIIT-led committee, the Centre has invited feedback on recommendations for a sweeping new framework for AI training that recommends a mandatory blanket license requiring all AI companies to pay royalties for using copyrighted work to creators.

India, EU discuss core chapter of trade deal

With weeks left to close the trade-deal negotiations by the end of the year, EU negotiators who were in India between December 3 and 9 discussed core chapters of the deal, including market access for goods and services and technical barriers to trade, among others.

Microsoft commits to investing $17.5 billion on India’s AI buildout 

Microsoft will invest $17.5 billion in India between 2026 and 2029 to accelerate expansion of the country's cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure, strengthen sovereign digital capabilities and scale skilling programmes. The commitment, the company's largest in Asia, comes on top of the $3 billion investment announced in January, which Microsoft said it expects to fully deploy by the end of 2026.

Why India is not 'dumping' rice in the US as Trump says

US President Donald Trump has claimed India can't be allowed to "dump" rice in the US and undercut domestic producers, and that he would take care of the problem using tariffs.