Indian stock market ends a tad lower after RBI keeps repo rate unchanged

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Mumbai, Aug 6 (IANS) The Indian stock market ended slightly lower after witnessing volatile trading on Wednesday, as investors showed mixed reaction to the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) decision to keep the repo rate unchanged at 5.5 per cent.Sensex settled at 80,543.99, down 166.26 points or 0.21 per cent. The 30-share index opened in negative territory at 80,694.98 against last session’s closing of 80,710.25 ahead of the RBI’s decision on rate cut in the morning. The index hit an intra-day low…

COAI urges Centre to persistently bind OTT communication apps to SIM cards

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New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) Telecom industry body Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) on Wednesday urged the government to bind OTT communication apps with the verified mobile SIM card of the users at all times.Currently, a subscriber’s app-based communication services such as WhatsApp are connected to their mobile SIM card only during installation and verification, after which the app works independently on the device even if the SIM card is removed or deactivated, COAI said.The industry…

FSSAI tested 86,401 food samples for pesticide residues; 2.8pc exceeded limits: Govt

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New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) tested 86,401 food samples for pesticide residues between 2022 and 2025, the government informed the Parliament on Wednesday.In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Prataprao Jadhav, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, stated that “2.8 per cent samples” were found to exceed the limits.“FSSAI through its regional offices and State/UT Food Safety authorities undertakes regular surveillance, mon…

Installed solar PV module manufacturing capacity reaches 91.6 GW in India: Centre

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New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) India’s installed solar PV module manufacturing capacity has reached 91.6 GW, according to the approved list of models and manufacturers (ALMM), the Parliament was informed on Wednesday. “The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, has been consistently bringing out policies such as production linked incentive (PLI), domestic content requirement (DCR) and others to encourage domestic solar manufacturing,” Shripad Yesso Naik, Minister of State of …

Over 7 lakh persons rehabilitated from drug de-addiction centres in 2024-25: Union Minister

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New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) More than 7 lakh persons have been rehabilitated from drug de-addiction centres in the year 2024-25, said Dr. Virendra Kumar, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, in the Parliament on Wednesday.Replying to a question in Rajya Sabha, Kumar shared that the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) has formulated and enacted National Action Plan for Drug Demand for Reduction (2018-2025), which supports rehabilitation and drug-deaddiction centres.“Ove…

BharatGen AI to support all 22 scheduled Indian languages by June 2026: Minister

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New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) The government’s BharatGen AI initiative will cover all 22 scheduled Indian languages by June 2026, the Parliament was informed on Wednesday.The move is part of a roadmap to create sovereign foundational AI models tailored to Indian languages and societal contexts.“BharatGen currently supports nine Indian languages — Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Telugu, and Kannada,” Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology …

Over 1,700 global capabilities centres employ over 19 lakh people in India: Minister

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New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) There are more than 1,700 global capabilities centres (GCCs) currently operating in India, employing more than 19 lakh people, the Parliament was informed on Wednesday.The total revenue generated by these GCCs in last 5 years has grown from $40.4 billion in FY19 to $64.6 billion in FY24 with CAGR of 9.8 per cent, Jitin Prasada, Minister of State of Electronics and Information technology, said in a written reply in Lok Sabha, citing National Association of Software and Ser…

US tariffs likely to impact just 0.19 pc of India's GDP: Industry

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New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) The proposed US tariffs on India will have a “manageable” impact on India’s economy, affecting just 0.19 per cent of the country’s GDP, industry leaders projected on Wednesday.The tariff will affect exports to the US worth approximately $8.1 billion, industry think tank PHDCCI said in a report. “Our analysis estimates an impact of only 1.87 per cent on India’s global merchandise exports and a negligible 0.19 per cent on India’s GDP due to US tariffs on India,” it ad…

Production of electronics goods up six times in last 11 years, exports up 8 times

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New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) The production of electronics goods in the country saw six-time growth in the last 11 years — from Rs 1.9 lakh crore in 2014-15 to Rs 11.3 lakh crore in 2024-25, as exports surged eight times from Rs 38,000 crore to Rs 3.27 lakh crore in the same period, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.India now has 300 mobile manufacturing units, from just two in 2014-15, while production of mobile phones has increased a whopping 28 times in the last 11 years — from Rs 18,000 cror…

11,535 coaches fitted with CCTV cameras to enhance passenger safety: Ashwini Vaishnaw

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New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) Indian Railways has so far fitted 11,535 coaches across zones with CCTV cameras to improve the safety and security of passengers, the Parliament was informed on Wednesday.According to Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, CCTV cameras will be installed in approximately 74,000 coaches and 15,000 locomotives.”Each coach will be provided with four CCTV cameras – two in each entrance way. Each locomotive will have six CCTV cameras, one camera each at the front, rear and on both…