Business
Heatwave, reduced wheat production credit negative for India: Moody’s Investors Service
High climatic temperatures affecting northwest India curbing wheat production and possible extended power outages exacerbating already high inflation and hurting growth is credit negative, said Moody’s Investors Service on Monday.
The credit rating agency in a report said: “Over the longer term, India’s highly negative credit exposure to physical climate risks — which contributes to the country’s highly negative environmental risk issuer profile score and credit impact score — means its economic growth will likely become more volatile as it faces increasing, and more extreme, incidences of climate-related shocks,” Moody’s said.
The Indian government has revised down its estimates for wheat production by 5.4 per cent to 105 million tonnes for the crop year ending June 2022, given lower yields amid higher temperatures, Moody’s said.
The lower production, and fears that a surge in exports to capitalise on high global wheat prices would add to inflationary pressures domestically, has prompted the government to ban the export of wheat and to divert it toward local consumption instead.
Although the move will partially offset inflationary pressures, it will hurt exports and subsequently growth. The ban comes at a time when India — the world’s second-largest wheat producer — could have been capitalising on the global output gap from wheat following the Russia-Ukraine military conflict, Moody’s said.
Global wheat prices have jumped 47 per cent since the conflict began in late February.
According to Moody’s, the wheat export ban is likely to induce further surge in wheat prices in importing countries like Bangladesh, which absorbed 56.8 per cent of India’s wheat exports in fiscal 2021, Sri Lanka-8.3 per cent, UAE – 6.5 per cent and Indonesia – 5.4 per cent.
Additionally, elevated power demand amid the heatwave and an uptick in economic activity — resulting in higher domestic power prices — prompted India’s Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) to cap power prices at Rs 12 per kilowatt-hour in the electricity exchanges.
With suppliers importing coal at market rates to fill the shortfall and inadequate supply to meet peak demand, at least 16 out of 28 states experienced 2-10 hours of power outage per day in April, Moody’s said.
After the price ceiling was introduced on April 1, India’s total domestic coal actual stock fell 23 per cent by mid-May, with days of actual stock declining to 7.8 days from 10 days.
Further drawdowns in coal inventory could lead to prolonged power outages in industrial and agricultural production, leading to significant cuts to output and weighing further on India’s economic growth — particularly if the heatwaves continue beyond June.
Inflation will be partially alleviated by keeping wheat production for domestic consumption and the cap in power prices in exchanges, as well as the Reserve Bank of India’s 40-basis-point policy rate rise in early May.
However, given the prominence of cereals and food more generally in India’s consumption, elevated food prices could add to social risks if they persist.
Business
Skill training institutes no less than IITs, IIMs: PM Modi urges youth to champion skill development
New Delhi, Oct 9: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met members of India’s contingent that delivered an impressive performance at the WorldSkills Competition Shanghai 2026, congratulating the young participants for showcasing their talent and skills on the global stage.
The interaction took place at the Prime Minister’s residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, where PM Modi lauded the competitors for their achievements and encouraged them to continue excelling in their respective fields.
Sharing details of the meeting on social media, the Prime Minister praised the participants for their outstanding performance at the international skills competition and said it was a pleasure to interact with and motivate the young achievers.
The Prime Minister underlined the objective behind establishing a separate Ministry for Skill Development and said that the importance of skill training institutions is no less than that of IITs and IIMs. He encouraged the participants to share their experiences and suggestions with the government to help improve India’s skill training system.
India recorded its best-ever performance at the 48th WorldSkills Competition, held from September 22 to 27 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) in Shanghai. The country secured six silver medals and 20 Medallions for Excellence, finishing 10th in the overall rankings.
The latest result marks a significant improvement from the previous edition of the competition held in France’s Lyon in 2024, where India finished 13th with four bronze medals and 12 Medallions for Excellence.
The improved ranking reflects the growing capabilities of India’s skilled workforce and its rising presence in global skills competitions.
According to the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, the six-day event brought together more than 1,400 young competitors from nearly 70 countries and regions.
India fielded its largest-ever contingent, comprising 70 competitors, who participated in 63 skill categories spanning emerging technologies, advanced manufacturing, engineering, creative industries and specialised services.
After four days of intense competition, winners were honoured during the closing ceremony held in Shanghai on September 27. The event celebrated excellence in technical expertise, innovation, precision and craftsmanship, drawing participants, industry leaders, experts and international delegations from across the world.
India’s participation in WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 was coordinated by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, with support from Sector Skill Councils, industry partners, training institutions and technical experts.
New Delhi, Oct 9: PhonePe and the Digital Publisher Content Grievances Council (DPCGC), a self-regulatory body under the aegis of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The partnership aims to facilitate seamless SRO certification for all merchants, champion regulatory compliance, and drive merchant education for all merchant partners onboarding on PhonePe’s Payment Gateway.
Under applicable Indian regulations, over-the-top (OTT) or Publishers of Online Curated Content (OCCPs) are legally required to be members of a recognised self-regulatory organisation (SRO) for grievance redressal.
Pioneering a compliance-first approach, PhonePe enforces this regulatory requirement as a mandatory prerequisite during its merchant onboarding process.
DPCGC is a Level II SRO formed under the IT Rules, 2021, which is registered with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Through the MoU, PhonePe and DPCGC aim to drive merchant education and awareness.
Recognising the limited awareness among OTT/OCCPs regarding SRO compliance, the joint initiative will educate both existing and prospective merchants on regulatory requirements and seamlessly facilitate their SRO certification through DPCGC.
The partnership further strengthens PhonePe’s position as a trusted, robust, and compliant payment partner tailored for the rapidly growing OTT ecosystem.
Dr. Subho Ray, President of IAMAI, said, “DPCGC, established under the IT Rules, is committed to efficiently addressing concerns and grievances related to OTT platforms through self-regulation.
This collaboration between DPCGC and PhonePe will foster greater alignment and adherence to the Code of Ethics, expanding the reach of self-regulation and strengthening its benefits for both the industry and its users.”
Deep Agrawal, Head of Payments at PhonePe, added, “At PhonePe, compliance and trust are at the core of everything we build. The OTT segment has exploded in terms of coverage and penetration over the last couple of years.
Agrawal further stated that our MoU with DPCGC will allow us to educate the OTT platforms to seamlessly drive higher awareness about customer grievance redressal, reinforcing PhonePe as the most trusted & compliant growth partner for India’s booming OTT ecosystem.”
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 1.3 kg of gold biscuits worth Rs 1.8 crore in a smuggling operation involving luggage trolleys. Two accused transported the gold from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and concealed the biscuits by sticking them to luggage trolleys.
The accused allegedly targeted unsuspecting passengers who picked up these trolleys and crossed customs. They reportedly followed the passengers and later retrieved the gold from the trolleys, using innocent travellers as unwitting carriers without their knowledge.
Acting on intelligence inputs, DRI officials seized the gold. The investigation is expected to focus on the alleged smuggling network and the modus operandi used to transport the gold through unsuspecting passengers.
Earlier, on October 4, the DRI had seized a cumulative 15.59 kg of narcotic drugs, including amphetamine, cocaine and heroin, in three separate intelligence-led operations, the Finance Ministry said. Five people were arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
In one operation, the DRI, in coordination with the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN), had intercepted a car suspected of carrying amphetamine at the Ujjain-Dewas Toll Plaza in Madhya Pradesh.
When signalled to stop, the driver had allegedly broken through the barricade and sped away. The officers pursued the vehicle in a high-speed chase lasting approximately 1.5 hours before intercepting it near Bicholi Mardana in Indore.
A detailed search of the vehicle led to the discovery of the contraband concealed inside the spare tyre mounted on the rear door of the Thar, according to the statement.
Earlier, on October 2, the DRI’s Mumbai Zonal Unit had busted an international syndicate involved in smuggling 8.5 kg of gold worth Rs 12.65 crore into India and trafficking 1,168 carats of diamonds worth Rs 1.09 crore out of the country to Dubai through Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA).
The DRI had arrested eight members of the syndicate for their alleged involvement in trafficking valuables into and out of the country.
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