Business
Several women candidates emerge favourites for CEA’s position
Woman power may make a strong statement in next years Union Budget as the economic policy recommendations may come from Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the top, ably guided by a first-ever woman Chief Economic Advisor (CEA).
The process of selection of the new CEA, which is underway now, has participation from more women this year with a strong chance that the country for the first time may have a dual combination of a woman FM and CEA guiding the Budget making process for 2022-23.
Sources said that three names are being bandied about in the corridors of power. These include Dr Pami Dua, Professor at Delhi School of Economics; Poonam Gupta, Director General of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) and Gita Gopinath, chief economist at the IMF, who vacates her office in January 2022 making her available for assignment in India.
The government has invited applications for the post of CEA which will fall vacant next month (December 7) as present incumbent K V Subramanian completes his three-year tenure. Subramanian has said that he will be leaving the finance ministry to return to academia following the completion of his tenure.
Sources said that though the applications invited from the Department of Economic Affairs are valid till next week, some of the candidates already identified by it may get preference and it is here that the chances of getting the first woman CEA get stronger. Sources also said that the current Principal Economic Advisor Sanjeev Sanyal may emerge as the dark horse for the position as he has been with the government for some time and is aligned to its thinking that would hold the key to framing next year’s Economic Survey.
With regard to women candidates, Dr Pami Dua was picked by the Modi government in 2016 as the first woman member of the RBI’s all powerful Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) for four years. Poonam Gupta, on the other hand, was the RBI Chair Professor at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy and was recently appointed as one of the seven members of the reconstituted Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM).
The name of Gita Gopinath, 50, is also doing the rounds over her strong India connections and talks on pandemic economics where India’s role has been lauded. The only drawback in her candidature comes from her holding US citizenship.
In these circumstances, sources said that Sanyal could be the right candidate. But as the budget is already round the corner, there is also thinking that the government delay the release of the Economic Survey 2021-22, till the appointment of the CEA is completed and the person is able to oversee the survey. However, this would mean that Budget announcements may come without a survey, an unprecedented event.
The process of appointing the CEA involves vetting of candidates by a search committee which will then shortlist at least three candidates whose names will go for approval before the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister.
Business
Adani Power signs pact to supply 2,400 MW power to Bihar

New Delhi, Sep 13: In a significant development, Adani Power Ltd (APL) has signed a 25-year power supply agreement with Bihar State Power Generation Company Ltd (BSPGCL) to supply 2,400 megawatt (MW) of power to the state, the Adani Group’s firm said on Saturday.
Under the agreement, the India’s largest private sector thermal power generator would supply the proposed power from a greenfield ultra super critical plant to be set up at Pirpainti in Bhagalpur district of Bihar.
The development came after a Letter of Award (LoA) by BSPGCL to APL, on behalf of North Bihar Power Distribution Company Ltd (NBPDCL) and South Bihar Power Distribution Company Ltd (SBPDCL) in August.
Adani Power won the project by offering the lowest supply rate at Rs 6.075 per kWh.
“The company is planning to invest approximately $3 billion to build the new plant (800 MW X 3) and its supporting infrastructure under the Design, Build, Finance, Own, and Operate (DBFOO) model,” the APL informed.
The coal linkage for the power plant has been allocated under the SHAKTI Policy of the government of India.
During the construction phase, the project will generate around 10,000 to 12,000 direct and indirect employment. Once it becomes operational, it will employ 3,000 people.
APL aims to commission the plant in 60 months.
Earlier, in a first-of-its-kind adoption of the greenshoe option in a thermal power tender in India, APL was awarded a total of 1,600 MW capacity by MP Power Management Company Limited (MPPMCL).
The company received a LoA from MPPMCL, awarding 800 MW additional capacity under the ‘Greenshoe Option’.
Both units (800MW x 2) in Anuppur district, Madhya Pradesh, will be commissioned within 60 months of the appointed date.
APL said that it will invest around Rs 21,000 crore towards setting up the plant and related infrastructure.
The project is expected to generate direct and indirect employment of 9,000-10,000 during the construction phase, and 2,000 once in operation.
Business
Stock market ends week on positive note, clock 8 consecutive session gains despite uncertainties

Mumbai, Sep 12: The Indian equity indices ended the week on a positive note on Friday, maintaining the winning streak for the eight consecutive trading sessions despite geo-political uncertainties.
Optimism over a potential rate cut by the US Fed, positive developments in India-US trade talks and buying in defence stocks fueled the market sentiment.
Sensex settled the session at 81,904.70, up 355.97 points or 0.44 per cent. The 30-share index started trading with a decent gap-up at 81,758.95 against last day’s closing of 81,548.73. The index extended the momentum further amid positive global cues to hit an intraday high at 81,992.85.
Nifty closed at 25,114.0, up 108.50 points or 0.43 per cent.
The national market closed at a three-week high, supported by renewed global optimism over a potential Fed rate cut. Sentiments improved further on reports that the EU may reject U.S. tariff proposals on India for buying Russian oil, analysts said.
Progress in the US-India trade talks is also expected to keep the positive momentum intact in the near term. The defence sector outperformed, aided by the Indian procurement authorities beginning negotiations for six next-generation conventional submarines, analysts added.
BEL, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj FinServ, Axis Bank, Maruti, Tata Motors, ICICI Bank, L&T, Infosys, and PowerGrid were the top gainers from the Sensex basket. Eternal, Hindustan Unilever, Trent, Asian Paint, Bharati Airtel and ITC settled lower.
The majority of sectoral indices settled higher. Nifty Fin Services jumped 184 points or 0.70 per cent, Nifty Bank escalated 139 points or 0.26 per cent, Nifty Auto increased 122 points or 0.46 per cent, and Nifty IT settled the session 107 points or 0.3 per cent. Nifty FMCG fell.
Broader indices followed suit as well. Nifty Smallcap 100 moved 114 points or 0.64 per cent, Nifty Midcap 100 jumped 183 points or 0.32 per cent, and Nifty 100 closed 106 points or 0.41 per cent.
Rupee traded positively with gains of 0.18 per cent at 88.27 as mixed FII inflows supported sentiment.
“The dollar index remained weak below 98, providing additional strength to the rupee, while ongoing trade deal talks with the US also added optimism. Weakness in crude prices offered further minor support,” said Jateen Trivedi f LKP Securities.
Overall, the rupee looks set to gain some lost ground with scope to test 87.75 in the coming days, while 88.50 is seen as a reversal resistance zone, he added.
Business
Icelandic collaboration to further boost India’s Blue Economy

New Delhi, Sep 12: India and Iceland are set to enhance collaboration in fisheries and aquaculture, emphasising sustainable practices, zero-waste models, technology transfer and cluster-based development, the government said on Friday.
An Indian delegation, led by Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi, Secretary of the Department of Fisheries, completed a three-day official visit in Iceland’s Reykjavík to strengthen bilateral cooperation through strategic partnerships, investment promotion, and innovation exchange, an official statement said.
Likhi met with senior representatives of the Iceland Ocean Cluster and discussed cooperative innovation in fish processing, value addition, traceability, and certification. BRIM and Hampiðjan, leading Icelandic companies, provided insights into their advanced zero-waste models and cutting-edge processing technologies.
“Both sides explored investment opportunities for the Icelandic seafood processing industry in India, along with ways to deepen business-to-business (B2B) linkages,” the statement said.
The delegation also visited MATIS, Iceland’s top food and biotech R&D institute, to discuss cooperation in biotechnology, food safety, and marine resource utilisation. The visit opened new avenues for collaboration in research and technology transfer to bolster India’s fisheries value chain, the release added.
Emphasis was also laid on training and capacity building in deep-sea fishing technologies, alongside the adoption of advanced vessel monitoring and surveillance (VMS) systems, the ministry of Fisheries said.
The two sides explored opportunities in deep-sea fishing technologies, vessel monitoring systems, trout farming, and tuna innovations for India’s islands.
The government has adopted a cluster-based development model under the PMMSY, with 34 clusters notified so far. The cluster-based approach enhances competitiveness and efficiency by uniting geographically connected enterprises of all sizes – micro, small, medium, and large-across the entire value chain, from production to exports.
The country’s total fish production has grown by 104 per cent from 96 lakh tonnes in 2013–14 to 195 lakh tonnes in 2024–25, as inland fisheries expanded by 142 per cent for the same period from 61 lakh tonnes to 147.37 lakh tonnes, according to government data.
India stands as the second largest fish producing nation in the world, contributing around 8 per cent of global output.
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