Business
Indian EV makers hail industry-wide GST rate cut
Electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers on Friday hailed the GST Council’s decision that EVs with or without battery pack will now be taxed at 5 per cent.
At present, e-vehicles are taxed at 5 per cent while lithium-ion batteries are taxed at 18 per cent.
The decision was taken at the GST Council’s 47th meeting in Chandigarh on June 28-29, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
“Electric vehicles, whether or not fitted with a battery pack, are eligible for the concessional GST rate of 5 per cent,” a ministry statement read.
Akshit Bansal, CEO of electric vehicle (EV) charging network provider Statiq, said that the government has declared a clear intention to boost domestic EV adoption and usage by making the industry eligible for a concessional GST rate of 5 per cent.
“This move will encourage the industry to pass on more cost benefits to the users and also lend a necessary push to people who are still looking for incentives to adapt to the EV way-of-life,” Bansal told IANS.
“I welcome this move of industry-wide GST reduction to 5 per cent and thank the government for helping us bridge the gap between the possible adoption of EVs and a real-life rise in its adoption,” he added.
Battery price makes up as much as 50 per cent of an electric vehicle’s cost.
In 2018, the GST rate on lithium-ion batteries was slashed from 28 per cent to 18 per cent.
In December last year, then NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said the government was working on reducing GST on EV batteries.
Business
Job postings in India stay above pre-Covid pandemic levels: Report

New Delhi, Nov 27: Formal job creation in India softened in the month of October but despite this, job postings remained above the pre-Covid pandemic level, a report said on Thursday.
“Amid slowdown, Indian job postings are still 60 per cent above pre-pandemic levels, but have fallen 25 per cent since their peak in January 2023,” Indeed, a leading hiring platform, said in its report.
Over the past three months, job postings declined in almost three-quarters of occupations. Yet in a softening job market, there will still be some strong performers, and the past three months have been no exception, said the report.
Job postings in cleaning and sanitation rose around 20 per cent over the past three months, ahead of community and social service (17.4 per cent), dental (13.1 per cent), nursing (11.2 per cent) and food preparation and service (10.3 per cent).
Another positive was the posting for human resources, which climbed 2.3 per cent.
However, these gains were more than offset by weakness in banking and finance, where postings fell 25.6 per cent, along with legal (-22.4 per cent), retail (-16.7 per cent) and loading and stocking (-15 per cent), the report noted.
Every month, the Indian workforce gradually transitions towards more formal work arrangements. As the nation transitions, job creation in the formal sector is expected to outpace overall employment growth nationwide, said Callam Pickering, Indeed’s APAC Senior Economist.
“This transition is also why job postings in India have been stronger than in other Indeed markets, both during the post-pandemic job boom and the subsequent slowdown,” he added.
Meanwhile, during the month, 9.1 per cent of Indian job postings explicitly mentioned phrases such as ‘work from home’ or ‘work remotely’ in their job descriptions. That’s up from 7.6 per cent a year ago.
Remote opportunities are most common in IT infrastructure, operations and support at 18.2 per cent of postings in the October quarter 2025, ahead of community & social service (15.1 per cent) and industrial engineering (14 per cent).
Business
From Kachchhi Kharek to Kesar Mango: Over 10 treasures of Kutch and Saurashtra earn GI tag

Gandhinagar, Nov 27: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently championed India’s indigenous and heritage products, placing local strength at the heart of national growth. His call for Vocal for Local and Aatmanirbhar Bharat has given visibility to artisans and farmers across the country.
In line with this vision, the Prime Minister has also actively promoted Geographical Indication (GI) products, highlighting them in his radio address Mann Ki Baat and personally felicitating artisans who preserve traditional crafts.
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has set an ambitious goal of reaching 10,000 GI-tagged products across India by 2030 under the vision of “Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi.”
Gujarat has emerged as a strong contributor to this national mission by promoting its rich artisanal heritage, from Kutch’s celebrated crafts to Saurashtra’s premium agricultural produce on global platforms.
GI tagging reinforces the state’s commitment to “Viksit Gujarat to Viksit Bharat,” transforming local skills into global competitiveness. Kutch and Saurashtra together have secured GI recognition for over ten iconic products, including Ajrakh block printing, Bandhani tie-dye, Rogan art, Kutch shawls, the famed Kachchhi Kharek, and the globally loved Gir Kesar mango.
The upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference (VGRC) in Rajkot will spotlight the region’s craft excellence and export capacity, offering artisans a robust platform to scale their businesses.
Renowned for its blend of tradition and artistry, Kutch boasts GI-tagged crafts such as embroidery, Ajrakh printing, Bandhani, Rogan painting and the Kutch shawl. In the agricultural category, Kachchhi Kharek — a celebrated variety of date known for its rich flavour and nutritional value has also earned GI status.
Saurashtra’s signature products include Gir Kesar mango, often hailed as the “Queen of Mangoes,” the famed Jamnagari Bandhani, and the exquisite Rajkot Patola silk weaving tradition, cherished by Bollywood celebrities.
Surendranagar’s Tangaliya shawl, with its intricate weaving technique, has also built a loyal international following. The upcoming VGRC for Saurashtra and Kutch aims to accelerate the region’s artisan economy.
The two-day conference will bring together entrepreneurs, artisans, interior designers and product designers, creating avenues of collaboration with the Government e-Marketplace, private enterprises, investors and leading e-commerce platforms. The event promises to enhance innovation, expand market access and drive sustainable growth for traditional craft clusters.
Business
Young innovators worldwide can find inspiration from confidence of India’s Gen Z: PM Modi

New Delhi, Nov 27: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday lauded India’s Generation Z for their confidence and capacity building.
Speaking via video conferencing at the inauguration of the Infinity Campus of Indian space startup Skyroot and unveiling its first orbital rocket, Vikram-I, PM Modi praised the country’s Gen Z for their positive mindset and creativity.
“Our youth, our Gen Z, are developing solutions to challenges in every sector. Young innovators around the world can find inspiration from the confidence of India’s Gen Z,” PM Modi said.
“The capacity building, positive mindset, and creativity of India’s Gen Z can set a global benchmark for Gen Z across the world,” he said.
Emphasising that India’s youth always place national interest above all and make the best use of every opportunity, PM Modi remarked that when the government opened the space sector, the country’s youth, especially the Gen-Z generation, came forward to take full advantage of it.
He highlighted that today more than 300 space startups are giving new hope to India’s space future, and noted that most of these startups began with small teams — sometimes two people, sometimes five, sometimes in a small rented room — with limited resources but with determination to reach new heights.
“This spirit has given birth to the private space revolution in India,” said the Prime Minister. He noted that Gen-Z engineers, designers, coders, and scientists are creating new technologies, whether in propulsion systems, composite materials, rocket stages, or satellite platforms.
PM Modi stressed that India’s youth are working in areas that were unimaginable just a few years ago.
He remarked that India’s private space talent is establishing a distinct identity across the world and added that today, for global investors, India’s space sector is becoming an attractive destination.
The Prime Minister remarked that the changes being witnessed in the space sector are part of the broader startup revolution taking place in India.
“Over the past decade, a new wave of startups has emerged across diverse sectors such as fintech, agri tech, health tech, climate tech, edu tech, and defense tech, with India’s youth, particularly the Gen-Z generation, providing innovative solutions in every field,” PM Modi said.
PM Modi emphasised that “India has now become the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem”.
There was a time when startups were confined to a few big cities, but today they are emerging from small towns and villages as well, the Prime Minister said, underlining that the country now has more than 1.5 lakh registered startups, with many of them having achieved unicorn status.
“India is no longer confined to apps and services but is now advancing rapidly towards deep-tech, manufacturing, and hardware innovation,” said the Prime Minister, thanking Gen-Z.
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