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Piyush Goyal rolls out red carpet for Swiss firms to invest in India (Ld)

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New Delhi, June 10: Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has invited Swiss companies to expand their footprint in India and take advantage of the country’s dynamic and rapidly growing market.

The minister held a meeting in Bern with the leadership from several premier Swiss companies across diverse sectors and urged them to see India as a strategic hub for manufacturing, talent, and innovation.

The discussions focussed on enhancing synergies between Indian and Swiss enterprises, with a special emphasis on innovation, technology transfer, and sustainable manufacturing, according to an official statement issued on Tuesday.

Goyal assured the business leaders of India’s unwavering commitment to fostering a conducive business environment through transparent regulatory processes, a robust Intellectual Property regime, and pro-investment policy frameworks.

Following these strategic discussions, the Minister chaired two focussed roundtables with sectoral leaders from the Swiss industry —covering biotech and pharma, healthcare, and precision engineering, Defence, and Emerging Technologies.

These sessions, hosted with the support of the Indian Embassy in Switzerland, highlighted India’s scale, affordability, and rising innovation ecosystem.

The Minister called on Swiss businesses to leverage the dedicated EFTA Desk at Invest India for handholding and facilitation support.

He reiterated India’s willingness to work towards regulatory harmonisation and mutual recognition agreements, highlighting India’s proactive stance on building reciprocal bridges to encourage Swiss and Indian investments.

In addition to industry interactions, the Minister also met with members of the Switzerland Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).

He lauded the chapter for their contributions and for upholding the high standards and global reputation of the ICAI, while strengthening the India–Switzerland professional and business ecosystem.

Swiss industry leaders across a diverse range of sectors — including biotechnology, precision manufacturing, healthcare, automation, Defence, cybersecurity, and advanced materials — expressed strong confidence in India’s trajectory as a global economic powerhouse and an innovation-led growth destination, the statement said.

Companies commended India’s unique strengths: A vast and dynamic market, growing middle class, world-class engineering and scientific talent, and a policy environment that actively promotes ease of doing business, IP protection, and technology partnerships.

For many, India is not only a promising market but also an ideal base for manufacturing, R&D, and co-creation of globally competitive solutions.

Several firms indicated active interest in forming joint ventures, scaling operations, and localising production to serve both Indian and international markets.

From cutting-edge cancer therapies and cell sciences to industrial automation, fibre optics, space technologies, and digital security, Swiss companies underscored their alignment with India’s developmental priorities and sectoral growth plans.

The sentiment was one of strategic alignment and long-term commitment.

Many participants described India as a natural partner and conveyed readiness to invest in its next phase of growth, not only to tap into domestic demand but to position India as a hub in their global value chains, the statement added.

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Indian stock market ends in bullish tone over hopes of renewed FII inflows

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Mumbai, Dec 13: Indian equity benchmarks made marginal losses during the week amid sustained FII outflows and uncertainty surrounding the US-India trade negotiations.

However, the market ended the week in a bullish tone with Nifty surging 0.57 per cent on the last trading day after the US Federal Reserve announced a 25-bps rate cut.

Benchmark indices Nifty and Sensex dipped 0.36 and 0.17 per cent during the week to close at 26,046 and 85,267, respectively.

Indian equities opened the week on a subdued note, amid continued rupee depreciation and negative global cues due to rising Japanese bond yields.

The US Fed rate cut later in the week eased liquidity concerns and fuelled hopes of renewed FII inflows. With supportive central bank policies, steady domestic investments, and optimism over trade progress despite unclear timelines, benchmarks closed the week on a strong note.

India’s year-on-year inflation rate based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was estimated at 0.71 per cent for November this year which was marginally higher than the 0.25 per cent in October, according to figures released by the Ministry of Statistics.

Broader indices underperformed, with the Nifty Midcap100 and Smallcap100 down 0.51 per cent and 0.67 per cent, respectively, in a week.

Sectoral performance was mixed, with IT under pressure while PSU banks, real estate and consumer durables witnessed selective buying.

Hrishikesh Yedve, AVP Technical and Derivative Research, Asit C. Mehta Investment Interrmediates, said that Nifty’s weekly chart shows buying interest at lower levels.

Nifty has 26,200 and 26,325 as stiff resistance levels while 25,700 will act as support zone, he added.

Analysts said that markets will likely remain positive in near future but sensitive to rupee stability, FII flow trends, trade agreement clarity, and cues from major central banks abroad.

Amidst risks from currency fluctuations and global trade uncertainties, improving earnings visibility and liquidity support provide a constructive backdrop and downside protection, they added.

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Maharashtra on path to becoming GCC hub: CM Fadnavis

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Nagpur, Dec 12: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday announced that a crucial milestone has been achieved in the journey to establish Maharashtra as a GCC (Global Capability Centre) Hub.

He said that the Brookfield company is set to build Asia’s largest Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Mumbai, spanning approximately 2 million square feet.

The Chief Minister said that this project is expected to generate a total of 45,000 jobs, including 15,000 direct and 30,000 indirect jobs.

He stated that due to the state’s talent pool, infrastructure, and industry-friendly environment, Maharashtra is becoming a preferred destination for Global Capability Centres.

“The new GCC policy will lead to large-scale skill-based job creation and economic growth,” he added.

He also mentioned that FedEx, a global leader in the logistics sector, is keen to invest in its GCC and other operations near the Mumbai-Navi Mumbai airport area, said the government release.

The Chief Minister informed that he requested Microsoft to consider Maharashtra for their investments, noting that their largest existing investment is already in the state.

He expressed confidence that Microsoft will make a major investment in the future and take the lead in making Maharashtra an Artificial Intelligence (AI) centre.

The Chief Minister said that Maharashtra’s model for crime control with the help of Artificial Intelligence is a guiding light for the entire country.

Chief Minister Fadnavis confirmed that Microsoft has assured priority to Maharashtra in their largest ever investment in India, amounting to $17 billion.

He further highlighted the ‘Marble’ platform developed by Maharashtra, which helps detect cyber and financial crimes in just 24 hours instead of 3-4 months.

He said that this has resulted in saving people’s money and has expedited the process of tracking criminals.

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India’s CPI inflation estimated at 0.71 pc for Nov, food inflation stays in negative zone

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New Delhi, Dec 12: India’s year-on-year inflation rate, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), was estimated at 0.71 per cent for November this year which was marginally higher than the 0.25 per cent in October, according to figures released by the Ministry of Statistics on Friday.

Food inflation stayed in the negative zone during November at (-) 3.91 per cent as prices of food goods fell compared to the same month of the previous year. Food inflation has now stayed negative for the sixth month in a row, easing the burden on household budgets.

However, the increase in headline inflation during November 2025 is mainly attributed to an increase in the inflation of vegetables, eggs, meat and fish, spices, and fuels compared to October, according to an official statement.

The retail inflation had eased further in October, after having plummeted to an over 8-year low of 1.54 per cent in September, as prices of food items and goods across sectors fell during the month.

The declining trend in food prices continued in October as food inflation fell deeper in the negative zone at (-) 5.02 per cent from (-) 2.28 per cent in September.

However, the overall outlook for inflation remains benign.

The RBI’s monetary policy committee (MPC) last week slashed its forecast for India’s inflation rate for the financial year 2025-26 to 2 per cent from 2.6 per cent predicted in October due to the sharp decline in food prices and the GST rate cuts playing out.

RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra announced a reduction in the repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.25 per cent from 5.5 per cent earlier, as inflation had come down and the monetary policy could focus on boosting growth.

Malhotra said that the surge in economic growth to 8.2 per cent in the second quarter of the current financial year and the sharp decline in inflation to 1.7 per cent had provided a rare “Goldilocks period” for the Indian economy.

“The MPC noted that headline inflation has eased significantly and is likely to be softer than the earlier projections, primarily on account of the exceptionally benign food prices. Reflecting these favourable conditions, the projections for average headline inflation in 2025-26 and Q1:2026-27 have been further revised downwards.”

Malhotra also pointed out that core inflation (which excludes food and fuel) remained largely contained in September-October, despite continued price pressures exerted by precious metals. Excluding gold, core inflation moderated to 2.6 per cent in October. Overall, the decline in inflation has become more generalised, he added.

The RBI Governor observed that food supply prospects have improved on the back of higher kharif production, healthy rabi sowing, adequate reservoir levels and conducive soil moisture. Barring some metals, international commodity prices are likely to moderate going forward.

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