New Delhi : India exported more than 7,000 metric tonnes of Makhana and value-added Makhana products to over 20 international destinations, including the US, the Middle East and Africa, in last fiscal (FY26), the government informed on Saturday.

Bihar accounts for nearly 85 per cent of India’s Makhana production. To further strengthen the sector, a separate HS Code for Makhana came into effect from July last year under the Finance Bill, 2025.

In a new feat, APEDA facilitated first-ever commercial sea shipment of 18 metric tonnes of GI-tagged Mithila Makhana from the BIADA Industrial Area in Bihta, Bihar, to Australia.

The consignment, sourced from Makhana growers of Darbhanga district, is expected to strengthen the international presence of Bihar’s flagship GI product while creating enhanced income opportunities for farmers through export-led market access, according to Commerce Ministry.

The initiative has enabled farmers to realise nearly 18 per cent higher returns than prevailing market rates, highlighting the benefits of export-oriented value chains and direct market linkages.

The export is expected to strengthen the international presence of GI-tagged Mithila Makhana, create sustainable export opportunities for Bihar’s Makhana sector and contribute to higher farmer incomes.

State Agriculture Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said Makhana is the identity of Bihar and greater participation of Bihar-based exporters in international trade would enable farmers to secure better price realisation.

He emphasised the importance of maintaining quality standards to meet global market requirements and stated that the Government of Bihar is continuously working to strengthen the Makhana value chain by supporting growers, processors and exporters.

The minister further said that all necessary support would continue to be extended to the Phori community, whose traditional skills are integral to Makhana processing.

The first-ever sea shipment of GI-tagged Mithila Makhana to Australia reflects the growing global demand for Bihar’s agricultural products and opens new opportunities for farmers and exporters, he added.

New Delhi : The Coordinators’ Conclave‑cum‑Meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the CSIR Integrated Skill Initiative reviewed the progress made during the first year of Phase III of the initiative, an official statement said on Saturday.

The statement from the Ministry of Science & Technology said the two‑day meeting facilitated knowledge exchange among participating laboratories and strengthened collaboration for effective implementation of the programme.

The conclave was hosted by CSIR‑HRDC in association with CSIR‑National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, and brought together Skill Nodal Coordinators from all 37 participating CSIR laboratories to present annual progress reports covering programmes conducted, trainee outreach, innovations, challenges and future action plans.

These presentations enabled the Monitoring Committee to comprehensively assess the implementation status across laboratories while providing an excellent opportunity for sharing best practices and successful models of skill development.

Dr. Mohana Krishna Reddy Mudiam, Director, Institute of Pesticide Formulation Technology (IPFT), Gurugram, and Chairman of the Monitoring Committee underscored that skill development is an integral part of nation-building and outlined five key priority pillars to guide the CSIR Integrated Skill Initiative towards building a robust, future-ready, and industry-aligned skill development ecosystem.

Dr. Vinay Kumar, Scientist-G and Skill Nodal Principal Investigator, CSIR-HRDC highlighted Skill Initiative’s pivotal role in creating a nationwide skill development ecosystem for nurturing industry-ready talent to build a technology-driven workforce.

Dr. Ashish Lele, Director, CSIR-NCL, Pune emphasised that CSIR is uniquely positioned to make a meaningful contribution to the Skill India Mission by leveraging its extensive nationwide laboratory network and scientific expertise to help position India as a global hub for skilled talent.

Dr. T. S. Rana, Head, CSIR-HRDC, Ghaziabad, emphasised CSIR’s commitment to transforming knowledge into digitally enabled, experiential, and innovation-driven solutions for skill development.

Mumbai, Aug 8: The Indian equity benchmarks posted gains for the second consecutive week, over sharp corrections in crude oil prices and strong Q1 FY27 earnings results.

Nifty jumped 0.77 per cent during the week and shed 0.27 per cent on the last trading day this week to reach 24,570. At close, Sensex was down 455 points, or 0.58 per cent, at 78,499. It added 0.52 per cent during the week.

Small-cap stocks continued to outperform, supported by strong earnings traction and stock-specific catalysts, while PSU banks led sectoral gains on improving fundamentals.

Metals benefited from a stronger growth outlook and resilient domestic demand, while automobiles gained momentum on expectations of healthy festive-season demand, said market watchers.

The week started on a volatile note triggered by the rollout of the new F&O Closing Auction Session (CAS), but markets regained stability as participants adapted to the revised framework, an analyst said.

“Sentiment improved meaningfully with the sharp decline in crude oil prices, which helped strengthen the macroeconomic outlook and supported expectations of easing inflationary pressures,” he added.

Globally, softer labour market indicators reduced the likelihood of a near-term Fed rate hike, leading to a moderation in US bond yields and a weaker dollar. This, coupled with sustained safe-haven demand ahead of key US economic data releases, provided additional support to gold prices.

On the domestic front, the RBI reinforced confidence by maintaining its policy stance, while modestly upgrading its growth outlook and lowering inflation projections. The ongoing Q1 FY27 earnings season has further strengthened investor confidence, with results broadly exceeding expectations and driving broad-based buying interest.

Broad market indices outperformed the benchmark indices, as Nifty Midcap100 added 0.87 per cent, while Nifty Smallcap100 jumped 2.73 per cent during the week.

Investors are looking for cues from upcoming US labour market and inflation data for further clarity on the Fed’s policy trajectory. Domestically, CPI and WPI inflation readings, along with credit growth trends, will provide key insights into India’s growth-inflation dynamics.