SIDBI MSME Survey Highlights Business Performance and Growth

The Survey is in-depth and captures MSMEs’ assessment of current business situation and future expectations on 22 parameters ranging from business performance to availability of skilled labour, employment generation, capacity addition, financial access, cost of funds and ease of doing business. 

While the M-BCI is an indicator of the sentiment of the MSMEs during the survey period, i.e. October-December 2024, M-BEI indicates the future sentiments of the MSMEs based on expectations on the above parameters captured for the next four quarters. The M-BCI and M-BEI are diffusion indices that ranges from 0 to 100, where scores above 50 indicate positive sentiment and scores below 50 suggest negative sentiment.

The key findings of the survey are mentioned below... 

OYO founder shares lessons on startup success: 'What helps you overcome tough times is your...'

Ritesh Agarwal, the founder of OYO, has spent nearly a decade building the company and plans to lead it for years to come. Reflecting on the challenges of running a startup, he emphasised that success can come quickly, but long-term survival depends on core values. 

Aggarwal highlighted three key principles that have guided him. The first is transparency—ensuring trust across all stakeholders. He explained how he maintained transparency from OYO’s early days by giving regular updates to employees and board members. 

The second principle is genuine engagement with stakeholders. He stressed the importance of honest and meaningful conversations, which have helped him build strong relationships. 

The third is listening to customers and partners. He recalled a challenging phase in 2019 when OYO faced criticism from hotel owners. To address their concerns, he started monthly town halls to hear their feedback and improve the business. 

Ola’s Krutrim commits Rs 10,000 Crore to democratise AI, plans India’s largest supercomputer

Krutrim AI Lab aims to democratise AI innovation through collaborations with academia, startups, and developers. The lab will provide state-of-the-art computing resources to accelerate AI capabilities and focus on building multilingual AI models that represent India’s diverse linguistic landscape. This focus ensures equitable access to AI across all Indian languages. 

The lab’s research will concentrate on critical AI domains, including multimodal AI that understands text, speech, and visuals, addressing India’s data scarcity by digitising knowledge, and creating AI solutions optimised for scale and affordability in India’s resource-constrained environment... 

RBI MPC Meeting 2025 Highlights: Repo rate cut by 25 basis points to 6.25%, says RBI governor Sanjay Malhotra; GDP growth projected at 6.7%

As expected, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the RBI cut rates for the first time since May 2020. The recent easing in CPI inflation, and the need to remain supportive of economic growth moved Mint Road. The repo rate currently stands at 6.25%. A repo rate cut would bring big cheer to loan borrowers, since it would mean lower monthly EMIs. 

However, it maintained the policy stance at ‘neutral,’ which gives it flexibility to remain data dependent and respond to exigencies. 

While the RBI maintained its FY25 growth forecast at 6.4%, it revised India's FY26 GDP growth projection from 6.6% to 6.7%... 

Millions of drones to be deployed in villages to spray fertilizers

The government is working on a plan to make 10 drones available to each of India's 640,000 villages for spraying fertilizers, two people aware of the matter said. 

This will reduce input costs, improve efficiency and help apply fertilizers more precisely, they said, in the backdrop of the Union budget for 2025-26 allocating ₹1.67 trillion for fertilizer subsidies...  

India rises to become the World's 2nd largest mobile manufacturer; From 2 units in 2014, over 300 units are operational today

In 2014, India had only 2 mobile manufacturing units but fast forward to today, the nation boasts over 300 manufacturing units, underscoring a significant expansion in this vital sector. 

It is worth mentioning that today, 99.2% of all mobile phones which are sold in India are made in India. The manufacturing value of mobile phones has surged from ₹18,900 crore in FY14 to a staggering ₹4,22,000 crore in FY24. 

The sector's expansion has also been a major employment driver, creating approximately 12 lakh direct and indirect jobs over the decade. 

Sh. Ashwini Vaishnaw mentioned that the focus is now on advancing deeper into the value chain, with an increased emphasis on fine components and semiconductor production, thereby ensuring the indigenous development of the electronic component ecosystem. 

Govt expands quality compliance requirements for over 150 products

The government has expanded quality compliance requirements by mandating Quality Control Orders (QCOs) for over 150 products, ranging from household appliances to industrial materials.

"QCOs are designed to prevent the import of substandard goods and ensure consumer access to high-quality products," a senior official said.

The number of products under QCO coverage has witnessed a significant jump from 106 in 2014 to over 732 products by October 2024.

The move aligns with India's broader strategy to enhance domestic manufacturing standards while curbing the influx of low-quality imports...

Union Cabinet approves new Income Tax Bill to simplify and modernise tax system

The bill, which will replace the Income Tax Act, 1961, aims to simplify and modernise India’s tax system. It will also simplify legal language so that taxpayers can easily understand the provisions. 

The bill will not introduce new taxes. Instead, it will focus on simplifying tax laws, reducing legal complexities, and making compliance easier for taxpayers, confirmed the finance secretary. It will have shorter sentences, provisos and explanations. The government has also said that the new law will be 50% shorter than the current one. A major goal is also to reduce litigation. 

The bill may introduce lower penalties for certain offences, making the tax system more taxpayer-friendly... 

Isro achieves key milestone in cryogenic engine testing

Isro successfully conducted a crucial vacuum ignition test of its indigenous CE20 cryogenic engine at its Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu. The test simulated space conditions for the engine, which powers the upper stage of the LVM-3 rocket. 

Isro said the test focused on igniting the engine’s thrust chamber using a multi-element igniter under vacuum conditions, matching the tank pressure parameters required for engine restart during actual space flight. 

Developed by Isro's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), the CE20 engine has already been qualified for thrust levels between 19 and 22 tonnes with single-start capability and is cleared for use in the Gaganyaan mission. This latest vacuum test follows earlier successful trials conducted under ground conditions... 

IIT Bombay researchers use new technique to measure rate of degradation of coatings on iron

In their innovative approach, the IIT Bombay researchers combined hydrogen permeation-based potentiometry (HPP) with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). In the HPP setup, researchers apply an electrical current on one side of the metal to generate hydrogen. The hydrogen atoms then permeate through the metal and cause changes in electrochemical potential measured on the other side containing oxygen. In this way, the amount of hydrogen that has passed through the metal is used as a sensor to measure the ORR rate.  

An alternating current (AC) voltage is applied to the material, and the resulting current response is measured, from which the material’s impedance (or resistance) can be calculated. The impedance value associated with different processes occurring on the metal surface, including hydrogen-induced ORR progress, can be monitored at a certain frequency of the AC signal.  

Combining HPP and EIS techniques allowed the researchers to quantify the degradation rates at the interface between the organic coating and the metal... 

India Eyes Indigenous GPUs As Nvidia, AMD, HPE Engage In Talks

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has initiated consultations with industry players and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) to advance the design and production of homegrown GPUs. The government is also finalising a list of companies eligible for state support in acquiring GPUs and developing AI computing infrastructure. 

Nvidia has shown interest in co-developing a chip in India, leveraging the country’s growing expertise in chip design. 

Furthermore, HPE is expected to provide critical server infrastructure optimised for GPU-based AI workloads, while AMD continues to advocate for a competitive AI ecosystem to prevent monopolisation. The government has also pledged to make GPU-based computing more accessible, with on-demand AI computing rates as low as Rs 64 per hour... 

Army inks deal with IIT Guwahati for bamboo-based bunkers at high altitudes

Bamboo-based composites may replace conventional building materials in constructing bunkers for the Indian Army in often freezing conditions at high altitudes. 

The fabricated panels will provide the same level of protection, albeit with reduced weight, which will decrease the time and effort required for ferrying supplies, ultimately enhancing force preservation. 

The Army said the agreement was a major step toward innovation and collaboration, setting new standards for cooperation between government research and development institutions and military educational bodies to drive technological progress... 

CSIR-NIIST develops technology that converts biomedical waste into soil additives

CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) has developed a technology that converts pathogenic biomedical waste into value-added soil additives that eliminate the need for costly and energy-intensive incineration. 

The rig will be installed and commissioned at a function at AIIMS, New Delhi. The rig ensures the safe disposal of waste materials such as blood, urine, sputum and laboratory disposables while simultaneously imparting a pleasant fragrance to the treated material. 

Once validated and approved by competent authorities, the technology will be ready for full-scale implementation in healthcare facilities across the country. 

India generates approximately 743 tonnes of biomedical waste daily, according to the 2023 annual report of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).