New Delhi, April 22: Electronics exports from India has moved up from fifth position to third within one fiscal, owing to the transformative production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday.

In a post on social media platform, the minister said that electronics exports clocked an all-time high of Rs 3.27 lakh crore in FY25, with mobile exports standing at Rs 2 lakh crore.

“Electronics exports moves up from fifth position to third within one fiscal. Three years in a row, electronics is India’s fastest growing export amongst India’s top 10,” Vaishnaw informed.

He further stated that lakhs of new jobs have been created in the electronics ecosystem, especially for women, along with “skilling, increasing DVA and Indian MSMEs joining global supply chains”.

The electronics manufacturing industry has seen a five times growth in the last 10 years, surpassing Rs 11 lakh crore while the entire ecosystem has created 25 lakh jobs.

In the last decade, electronics exports have risen six times to surpass Rs 3.25 lakh crore.

In a historic achievement, smartphones emerged as India’s largest export category in the first 10 months of FY25 — marking a major success story under the government’s PLI scheme. In FY14, smartphones were ranked as India’s 167th export category — a sharp contrast to their number 1 position today.

The Union Minister also hailed hardware brands now lining up for India, as China stands to lose amid the ongoing trade tariff war with the US.

The PLI 2.0 scheme for IT Hardware saw more than Rs 10,000 crore production and 3,900 jobs in just 18 months of its launch, the government said in January this year. In a groundbreaking development for India’s electronics manufacturing sector, the production of laptops has started in the country.

Moreover, the electronics manufacturing sector has received a major boost with the government notifying the much-awaited ‘Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme’ (ECMS).

The scheme marks a turning point for strengthening India’s component manufacturing ecosystem and increasing domestic value addition.

With a financial outlay of Rs 22,919 crore over six years, ECMS aims to generate production worth Rs 4.56 lakh crore, attract investments of Rs 59,350 crore and create nearly 91,600 direct jobs.

New Delhi, April 22: Gold prices reached a historic milestone on Tuesday as the rate of 24-carat gold touched Rs 1,00,000 per 10 grams for the first time ever.

According to the India Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBJA), the price of 24-carat gold rose sharply from Rs 96,670 to Rs 1,00,000 per 10 grams — a jump of Rs 3,300 within 24 hours.

Along with 24-carat gold, other categories also saw a steep rise. The price of 22-carat gold climbed to Rs 97,600 per 10 grams, 20-carat gold reached Rs 89,000 per 10 grams, and 18-carat gold touched Rs 81,000 per 10 grams.

On the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), October futures briefly went above the Rs 1 lakh mark and touched an all-time high of Rs 1,00,484 per 10 grams — gaining nearly Rs 2,000 or 2 per cent in a single day.

Experts say the sudden spike in gold prices is due to increased global demand for gold as a safe-haven investment.

“The new all-time-high attained by the yellow metal is primarily influenced by the rising tensions between President Trump and US Fed Chair Jerome Powell regarding the Fed rate cut,” said Colin Shah, MD, Kama Jewellery.

This demand has been driven by rising geopolitical tensions and ongoing global economic uncertainties. His recent comments and decisions, including imposing tariffs on Chinese goods and questioning the Fed’s policies, have added to market volatility.

The weakening US dollar and interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve have made gold, a non-yielding asset, more attractive to investors.

Lower interest rates reduce the cost of holding gold, which leads to higher investments in the yellow metal.

Another major reason behind the price surge is central banks across the world, including India and China, increasing their gold reserves.

This strategy, known as ‘de-dollarisation,’ is aimed at reducing reliance on the US dollar and preparing for economic uncertainties by investing more in gold.

“While the gold price is on an upward trajectory, the fall in dollar will make gold affordable in other currencies, keeping the demand-price dynamics balanced,” Shah stated.

He added that domestically, it is observed that gold price witnesses a slight rise around festive season like Akshaya Tritiya, in reflection to the spike in demand.

With these global factors at play, analysts believe that gold prices may remain high in the near future.

Kolkata, April 22: The body of a woman with sealed lips was recovered from a trolley bag dumped at the roadside at Baguihati in the northern outskirts of Kolkata on Tuesday.

Local people said that some people from the locality noticed the trolley bag dumped at the roadside on Monday night only. However, all of them chose to ignore it.

However, a newspaper vendor became inquisitive after spotting the trolley bag in the same position on Tuesday morning. He immediately consulted a senior citizen, and they thought it wise to inform the local police station.

On being informed, the cops arrived at the spot. After opening the trolley bag, they saw the dumped body of a young woman in a salwar kurta and her lips sealed with brown tape.

The cops recovered the body and sent it for post-mortem purposes.

“The exact reason behind the death will surface only after the final autopsy report is available. Prima facie, it seems that the woman was murdered somewhere else, and then her body was placed in the trolley bag, and finally, the bag was dumped at the roadside. We have started our investigation into the matter. Our prime aim is to know the identity of women,” said an investigating official.

He also said that the footage from the CCTV cameras is being checked to get any clues in the matter. The missing persons’ diaries registered with the different police stations are also being examined.

To recall, in February this year, two women were arrested at the bank of the River Ganges at Kumartuli in north Kolkata as they were trying to dispose of a trolley bag carrying the headless and chopped body of a third woman in the river.

The two women, mother and daughter, were identified as Falguni Ghosh and Aarati Ghosh. The woman, whose chopped and headless body had been recovered from within the trolley bag, was reportedly that of Sumita Ghosh, an elderly relative of the two arrested women.