Business
Buffalo milk prices rising in Mumbai from March 1, will have cascading effect
The buffalo milk wholesale prices in Mumbai will shoot up by Rs 5/litre from midnight on Tuesday and could trigger a significant cascading effect on the entire food industry that depends on it as its raw material, milk industry players say.
Portending a hard hit, the Mumbai Milk Producers Association (MMPA) last Friday announced the steep hike in wholesale price of buffalo milk.
The bulk milk prices will go up from Rs 80/litre to Rs 85/litre and will remain in force till August 31, MMPA Executive Committee Member C.K. Singh said.
This will be followed by a similar increase in the retail market by the 3,000-plus retailers in Mumbai for the creamy fresh buffalo milk, which would now sell at around Rs 90 per litre – up from the current Rs 85 per litre – from March 1.
These sharp hikes shall be borne by the ordinary consumers not only in the form of dearer plain milk, but also other milk products that are consumed by households daily.
“This would impact, albeit marginally, the rates of a cup of tea-coffee-ukala-milkshakes, etc, served by restaurants, at the ordinary pavement vendors, or in small eateries,” said MMPA Treasurer Abdul Jabbar Chhawaniwala.
The duo said that there are many other milk products like khoya, paneer, sweetmeats like pedha, barfi, certain north Indian or Bengali sweet varieties which are milk-based which could witness a price hike now.
Prominent milkman in north Mumbai, Mahesh Tiwari rued that the price hike has come on the eve of certain festivals and also the big fat weddings season, which would be hit by the whole-sale milk price hike from Wednesday.
“The demand for milk and milk products goes up at least 30-35 per cent during festivals and even higher for weddings, marriages and other social events, and the new rates would be applicable,” he said.
There’s a string of festivals like Holi, Gudi Padva, Ram Navami, Mahavir Jayanti, Easter after Good Friday, Ramzan Eid, and others in the next couple of months where the celebration budgets would have to be expanded, says Singh.
The hike has been necessitated to offset the increased prices of milch animals as well as their food items like dana, tuvar-chuni, chana-chuni, makai-chuni, udad-chuni, green grass, rice grass, hay, which have seen steep price rises by 15-25 per cent in the past few months, Singh said.
“Inflation has become unbearable, many of the items that make buffalo feed are almost wasted, but we have to buy them at higher rates from the market. So the milk price hike was inevitable, though done reluctantly,” rued MMPA General Secretary Kasim Kashmiri.
Singh avers that normally, any fluctuation in milk prices in Mumbai is usually followed by an increase in milk rates in the rest of the country, too.
On an average, Mumbai consumes over 50 lakh litres of buffalo milk daily, of which more than seven lakh is supplied by the MMPA through its chain of dairies and neighbourhood retailers, through their farms spread in and around the country’s commercial capital.
This is the second major hike by MMPA after September 2022 when the buffalo wholesale milk prices was jacked up from Rs 75 per litre to Rs 80 per litre, making domestic budgets of poor and middle-class families go haywire.
Incidentally, in February 2023, all the major cow milk producers’ associations in Maharashtra, along with other major branded producers, have hiked the prices of cow milk by at least Rs 2 per litre.
Business
Mumbai: Social Activist Demands Action Against Police Officers For Negligence In Torres Multi-Crore Scam Investigation
Mumbai: In a serious development concerning Torres massive financial fraud case, a Social Activist Shashikant Kawale has called for action against police officers who allegedly neglected their duty despite receiving prior warnings about fraudulent activities.
Social Activist Shashikant Kawale wrote a letter addressed to senior law enforcement authorities, including the Commissioners of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai Police, the Maharashtra Cyber Crime Department, the Economic Offences Wing, and the Enforcement Directorate, has raised serious questions about the delay in action against fraudulent companies operating in Mumbai and surrounding areas. The letter highlights gross negligence by responsible officers despite early warnings regarding Torres Scam.
Whistle Blower Flags Concerns
The Whistle blower Shashikant Kawale had previously flagged concerns, urging the authorities to investigate the legality of these companies’ operations, government-issued licenses, mandates, board of directors, and operational documents. Specifically, the letter called for a detailed probe into the working methods and financial inflows/outflows of the company, Records of investors and agents involved and The suspiciously high monthly returns promised by the Torres Company.
About The Allegations
The letter alleges that had an inquiry been launched promptly, it would have prevented many investors from falling prey to false promises, sparing them from financial devastation. Despite explicit warnings that the companies were preparing to flee after defrauding investors, no significant action was taken.
The Social Activist Kawale has demanded an inquiry into officers who failed to act on the provided information, urging that those found guilty be held accountable under applicable regulations. The letter further appeals for systemic reforms to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.A social activist from Dharavi, Shashikant Kavale, first raised red flags in November last year and approached the Shivaji Park police and EOW, highlighting Torres’ dubious practices.
Business
JSW MG Motor India Unveils Cyberster Roadster & M9 Limousine At Bharat Mobility Expo 2025
New Delhi: MG Motor India has made a bold statement at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 with the launch of two groundbreaking electric vehicles—the MG Cyberster, India’s first all-electric roadster, and the MG M9, India’s first electric three-row presidential limousine.
These models, introduced under the new luxury brand channel, MG Select, highlight the company’s vision of bringing intelligent, sustainable, and customer-focused mobility solutions to India.
MG Cyberster: The All-Electric Roadster of the Future
The MG Cyberster takes luxury and performance to new heights as India’s first electric roadster. It features India’s first-ever electric scissor doors, opening and closing in just five seconds via a single-touch button. The built-in Dual Radar sensors ensure safety while opening the doors, while an anti-pinch feature prevents harm when closing.
Under the hood, the Cyberster delivers blistering acceleration, going from 0 to 100 kmph in just 3.2 seconds. The sleek, aerodynamic design is complemented by the industry’s slimmest 77 kWh battery pack, ensuring the vehicle remains both powerful and efficient, setting a new standard for modern roadsters.
MG M9: The Ultimate Electric Limousine
The MG M9 takes luxury to the next level with India’s first electric three-row presidential limousine. Designed for ultimate comfort, it features a touchscreen armrest for controlling reclining ottoman seats with 8 massage modes and 3-zone climate control.
The spacious cabin can accommodate seven passengers and offers features like a panoramic sunroof, front-opening skylight, and advanced audio systems for a theatre-like experience. With an electric-powered design, the MG M9 redefines the concept of luxury on wheels, offering unparalleled comfort and performance for discerning customers.
Business
Internet users to surpass 900 million in India this year, AI a game changer
New Delhi, Jan 16: Driven by the growing use of Indic languages for digital content, the internet user base in India is set to surpass 900 million by 2025, driven by the growing use of Indic languages for digital content, a report showed on Thursday.
The number of active internet users in India reached 886 million in 2024, marking a robust 8 per cent year-on-year growth. Rural India, with 488 million users, leads this growth and now accounts for 55 per cent of the total internet population, according to the report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Kantar.
Nearly all internet users (98 per cent) accessed content in Indic languages, with Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam emerging as the most popular due to their extensive availability.
Over half (57 per cent) of urban internet users prefer consuming content in regional languages, underscoring the growing demand for local language content across platforms, according to the report.
AI has emerged as a significant game changer over the past year. Nine out of 10 internet users have interacted with apps featuring embedded AI capabilities.
“The widespread acceptance and enthusiasm surrounding AI should encourage digital companies to introduce more next-generation AI features in India,” Biswapriya Bhattacharya, Director, B2B and Technology, Kantar Insights–South Asia, said.
The digital gender gap in India is steadily narrowing, with 47 per cent of all internet users in the country being women — so far the highest.
Female internet users now form a significant portion of shared device users in rural India at 58 per cent. This marks substantial progress in making digital access more inclusive and equitable over the years, the report noted.
Rural India dominates online engagement for top activities, including OTT video and music streaming, online communication, and social media usage, outpacing urban users in these categories.
Urban India leads in the adoption of non-traditional devices such as smart TVs and smart speakers, which have grown by 54 per cent between 2023 and 2024.
Concurrently, mobile devices remain the primary means of accessing the internet across both urban and rural demographics, said the report.
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