‘Free vaccines to States to add just ₹10,000-crore’
The Hindu
Fiscal deficit to widen by only 0.4%: UBS
The government’s move to supply free coronavirus vaccines to the States for universal inoculation and extend free rations to help the poor tide over the pandemic will only add an additional 40 basis points (bps) of GDP to fiscal deficit, says a report. The increased allocation of free vaccines to all above 18 years coupled with extending free foodgrain supplies through rations will add only 40 bps to the overall fiscal deficit in FY22, which poses upside risks to the estimated of 6.8% of GDP, Tanvee Gupta-Jain, economist at UBS Securities India, wrote in a note. Assuming an average price of ₹150/dose, with a similar amount incurred on logistics and supply charges, we estimate the total fiscal cost to the Centre will be ₹40,000-₹45,000 crore and of this, ₹35,000 crore has already been provided for in the Budget, which means the Centre will have to allocate a maximum of ₹10,000 crore for this, she said.
Silver futures soar to ₹2.32 lakh/kg as global prices exceed $75, marking a record high in commodities trading.
Stock markets decline as Sensex and Nifty fall amid foreign fund outflows and low trading volumes on December 26, 2025.
Rupee drops 23 paise to 89.94 against the dollar amid negative equity trends and rising crude prices.
The commencement of commercial flight from the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is expected to speed up infrastructure and real estate development across Navi Mumbai and surrounding regions, analysts & industry executives said.
GCCs keep India’s tech job market alive, even as IT services industry embarks on a hiring moratorium
Global Capability Centres, offshore subsidiaries set up by multinational corporations, mostly known by an acronym GCCs, are now the primary engine sustaining India’s tech job market, contrasting sharply with the hiring slowdown witnessed by large firms in the country.
India’s manufacturing sector underperforms compared to China and South Korea, partly due to public sector wages that raise costs and reduce competitiveness.
Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, once prominent investors in the Indian equity market are seen shying away due to rupee depreciation and have moved to global funds, said a top financial services executive.
Mobile phones are increasingly migrating to smaller chips that are more energy efficient and powerful supported by specialised Neural Processing Units (NPUs) to accelerate AI workloads directly on devices, said Anku Jain, India Managing Director for MediaTek, a Taiwanese fabless semiconductor firm that claims a 47% market share India’s smartphone chipset market.
In one more instance of a wholly owned subsidiary of a Chinese multinational company in India getting ‘Indianised’, Bharti Enterprises, a diversified business conglomerate with interests in telecom, real estate, financial services and food processing among others, and the local arm of private equity major Warburg Pincus have announced to collectively own a 49% stake in Haier India, a subsidiary of the Haier Group which is headquartered in Qingdao, Shandong, China.
Indian stock markets closed lower amid volatility, with key firms lagging as global trends influenced trading activity.
Bharti and Warburg Pincus invest in Haier India, acquiring a 49% stake to enhance growth and innovation in consumer durables.
India's net FDI remains negative for October 2025, with outflows surpassing inflows amid trade deal uncertainties.
Bombay High Court halts fraud notices to Anil Ambani, questioning banks' compliance and the audit's validity.