In an exclusive interview with Business Standard, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, renowned economist and former deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, unpacks the strategy policymakers could adopt for India's decarbonisation.

Spotlight: Montek Singh Ahluwalia on India's decarbonisation strategy

Hospitality firm Sarovar Hotels is broadening focus towards highway hotels and resorts close to major cities, capitalising on the country's rapidly expanding roads network, a top official said.
The hotel chain has 80 projects in the pipeline over the next few years as part of its expansion plan, he said.
"Highway hotels and resort-concept properties close to cities, within three-four hour journey, are a new high-growth segment for hospitality, at a time when competition is getting intense in urban centres," Sarovar Hotels Chairman Ajay K Bakaya told PTI in an interview.
He said this strategic shift aligns with the ongoing road infrastructure development in the country.
Enhanced connectivity is opening up opportunities for leisure and business travel, creating demand for accessible and convenient accommodation options, he said.
"We haven't seen such development of highways in the past. Around 10,000 km of national highways are being constructed annually, which is remarkable. It is 

Enhanced connectivity is opening up opportunities for leisure and business travel, creating demand for accessible and convenient accommodation options, official said

Gujarat-based Suchi Semicon has started production of semiconductors without the Centre's incentive and plans to invest USD 100 million in three years, a top official of the company said on Sunday.
Suchi Group Chairman and Suchi Semicon founder Ashok Mehta said though the company has applied for the Centre's incentive under SPECS (Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors) and India Semiconductor Mission, it does not want to hold on to production for the sake of incentives.
"We have a full proof business plan. Our business plan is not primarily for incentives. We have set up a plant to do business. The Centre's approval will come when we meet their requirements. We have made USD 100 million (about Rs 840 crore) investment plan over three years," Mehta said.
He said that the state government has approved 20 per cent incentives for the plant.
"At the time of Covid when there was shortage of semiconductors, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked

Suchi Group Chairman and Suchi Semicon founder Ashok Mehta said though the company has applied for the Centre's incentive under SPECS and India Semiconductor Mission

The 26-year-old Indian American had accused OpenAI of using copyrighted content to train its AI models. Details

Apple is one of Broadcom's biggest customers, accounting for roughly 20 per cent of revenue

The BJP government in Rajasthan, led by Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, completed one year in office on Sunday with a number of accomplishments, including the creation of more than 1.24 lakh jobs, a crackdown on the paper-leak mafia and signing an MoU regarding the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project.
The government organised an investment summit in its first year and signed memoranda of understanding worth Rs 34 lakh crore, a step towards realising its vision of increasing the economy size of the desert state to USD 350 billion, for which the ruling regime has effected a 65-per cent increase in capital expenditure in this year's budget.
Winning five of the seven seats in the recently-held Assembly bypolls is also being credited to the efficiency of Sharma's leadership.
However, the palpable discord of Agriculture Minister Kirodi Lal Meena, indecisiveness on issues, such as the formation of new districts by the former Congress government, the controversial sub-inspector recruitment of 

Winning five of the seven seats in the recently-held Assembly bypolls is also being credited to the efficiency of Sharma's leadership

Mexico, Canada, and 10-nation Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN benefited more from the US-China trade war than India, economic think tank GTRI said in a report.
It said that India has to strengthen its local supply chains and produce critical intermediates to reduce reliance on China, while improving cost efficiency and ease of doing business to enhance competitiveness of domestic industries and increase exports to the US.
With Donald Trump again becoming the US President, the evolving trade landscape offers huge opportunities for the Indian industry as he is now planning new tariffs targeting Mexico, Canada, China, and others.
The US-China trade war, initiated in 2018 under President Trump with tariffs targeting key sectors, has significantly reshaped global trade flows but failed to achieve its primary goals.
"Key beneficiaries of the trade war included Mexico, Canada, and ASEAN nations, which collectively accounted for 57 per cent  of the growth in US imports. India also emerged as a 

US-China trade war, initiated in 2018 under President Trump with tariffs targeting key sectors, has significantly reshaped global trade flows but failed to achieve its primary goals

Stakeholders from the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sought a reduction in GST, technology upgrade, and production-linked incentive scheme benefits for various segments in a pre-Budget meeting with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday.
The meeting aimed to seek inputs and suggestions for the Budget for 2025-26, expected to be presented on February 1.
Members from the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Karnataka (AWAKE); Karnataka SC and ST Entrepreneurs' Association; Plant-Based Food Industry Association (PBFIA); Ambala Scientific Instruments Manufacturers' Association (ASIMA); Rajasthan Footwear Manufacturers' Association were among the participants at the meeting.
The All-India Plastics Manufacturers' Association; All India Manufacturers' Association; Gujarat Chamber of Small Industries Association; Federation of Associations of Cottage and Small Industries (based in West Bengal); Federation of Andhra Pradesh Small and Medium Association; and Laghu Udyog 

The meeting aimed to seek inputs and suggestions for the Budget for 2025-26, expected to be presented on February 1

Call for reining in food inflation and raising investment in pre-Budget  talks

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Spotlight: Montek Singh Ahluwalia on India's decarbonisation strategy

In an exclusive interview with Business Standard, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, renowned economist and former deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, unpacks the strategy policymakers could adopt for India's decarbonisation.

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