logo
Govt aims to make India's auto industry No.1 globally in next five years: Nitin Gadkari

Govt aims to make India's auto industry No.1 globally in next five years: Nitin Gadkari

Time of India2 days ago
The government's aim is to make India's automobile industry the number one in the world in the next five years, Union Minister
Nitin Gadkari
said on Tuesday.
Launching a report prepared by The
Express Industry
Council of India (EICI) and
KPMG
,
Gadkari
said the future of express industry is very good in the country.
"The size of Indian automobile industry is now Rs 22 lakh crore... my aim is to make India's automobile industry number one in the world in the next five years," Gadkari said.
The minster further said when he took charge of the transport ministry in 2014, the size of the automobile industry was Rs 7.5 lakh crore and today its size is Rs 22 lakh crore.
Presently, the size of the US automobile industry is Rs 78 lakh crore, followed by China (Rs 47 lakh crore) and India (Rs 22 lakh crore).
Live Events
Gadkari said the dream of
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
is to make India third largest economy in the world and logistics sector will play an important role in achieving this dream.
Gadkari said until recently,
logistics cost in India
was about 16 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP).
"I want to share that, according to a joint IIM-IIT survey, we have brought this (logistics cost) down to 10 per cent.
"That is a major milestone and we are aiming to bring logistics cost down to single-digit soon," Gadkari said.
The minister credited the fall in logistics cost to massive investments in expressway and economic corridors.
According to the report titled 'Powering India's Economy, Connecting Business and Markets', express industry contributes USD 1-1.5 billion GST and USD 650 million to customs revenue annually.
"The size of express industry sector is projected to double from USD 9 billion in FY25 to USD 18-22 billion by 2030, creating 6.5-7.5 million jobs," it said.
The report noted that the express industry has transformed from a logistics facility to an essential service provider.
Domestic express accounts for about 70 per cent of the total market, valued at USD 6.3-6.5 billion, with surface express contributing the largest share, it added.
The report added that international express segment with a share of about 30 per cent, handled 19.5 million shipment, weighing about 1,52,300 tonnes in FY24.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Online gaming companies move to shut paid operations as gaming Bill gets Rajya Sabha nod
Online gaming companies move to shut paid operations as gaming Bill gets Rajya Sabha nod

Indian Express

time21 minutes ago

  • Indian Express

Online gaming companies move to shut paid operations as gaming Bill gets Rajya Sabha nod

The Rajya Sabha's approval of the online gaming Bill Thursday has drawn the final curtain on India's booming real-money gaming industry. What was once a bustling digital arena of wagers and winnings now stands eerily silent, as leading platforms suspend paid play and others fold entirely. Lawmakers hail the measure as a shield against harm, but to thousands of workers and millions of players, it feels like the lights have dimmed on a once-thriving stage. Opinion trading platform Probo, in a message displayed on its app, said that 'in light of recent developments, we have paused all recharge activities in your best interest,' while requesting users to withdraw funds. Dream11, the country's biggest fantasy sports app and the Indian cricket team's main jersey sponsor, also communicated to its employees that it will wind down its real money operations. Zupee, another gaming platform, said it was discontinuing paid games, with users able to play free titles. 'Everyone will shut down paid operations for now, as the industry prepares a legal roadmap to challenge the law,' a senior gaming industry executive said. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, now passed by both houses of Parliament, outlaws online money gaming services and penalises their celebrity endorsers. The Bill has been drafted over national security concerns related to online gaming platforms, including the use of digital wallets and cryptocurrencies for money laundering and illicit fund transfers, these platforms serving as potential messaging and communication grounds for terror organisations, and offshore entities circumventing Indian tax and legal obligations, among others. The government will prohibit any person from offering online games in India, failing which they could be imprisoned for up to three years, and penalised Rs 1 crore. Those promoting such platforms, such as social media influencers, will also face jail time of two years, and a penalty of Rs 50 lakh. The government will also prohibit banks and financial institutions from facilitating financial transactions on such platforms. The Bill applies to all online money gaming platforms irrespective of whether they are games of skill or chance, a distinction the industry had lobbied hard for in the past. The Bill said that the unchecked expansion of online money gaming services has been linked to 'unlawful activities including financial fraud, money-laundering, tax evasion, and in some cases, the financing of terrorism, thereby posing threats to national security, public order and the integrity of the State'. The parallel proliferation of online money games accessible through mobile phones, computers and the internet, and offering monetary returns against user deposits has led to 'serious social, financial, psychological and public health harms, particularly among young individuals and economically disadvantaged groups,' it said.

Can explore pilot on regulated platform for pre-IPO share trading, says Sebi Chairman
Can explore pilot on regulated platform for pre-IPO share trading, says Sebi Chairman

Indian Express

time21 minutes ago

  • Indian Express

Can explore pilot on regulated platform for pre-IPO share trading, says Sebi Chairman

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is considering to launch a pilot programme for a regulated trading platform where companies can trade shares before their initial public offerings (IPO). 'Can we think of an initiative on a pilot basis for a regulated venue where pre-IPO companies can choose to trade subject to certain disclosures?' the regulator's Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey said. The new platform will help in reducing grey market activity in companies unlisted shares. The grey market refers to the unofficial trading of securities even before being listed on stock exchanges. This is an unregulated market and works on demand and supply, with investors purchasing or selling shares notionally in the grey market even before they get listed. The Sebi is also mulling ways to improve the tenor and maturity profiles of the derivative products, its Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey said on Thursday. The proposed measures would be aimed at introducing longer-term derivative products, he said. Derivative products derive their value from underlying assets that could include stocks, commodities and currencies. Derivatives or futures and options (F&O) markets assist in better price discovery, improve market liquidity and allow investors to manage their risks better. 'We have often stated that equity derivatives play a crucial role in capital formation, but we must ensure quality and balance. We will consult with stakeholders on ways to improve, in a calibrated manner, the tenor and maturity profiles of derivative products, so that they better serve hedging and long-term investing,' Pandey said at the annual capital markets conference organised by FICCI. Currently, most derivatives in the country have either weekly or monthly expiry. Extending the tenure would make these products suitable for hedging and long-term investing. The derivatives segment has been an exponential surge in trading volumes, with the majority of traders incurring losses. A Sebi study released last year found that close to 93 per cent, or 9 out of 10 individual traders, in the equity F&O segment incurred losses, with aggregate loss exceeding Rs 1.8 lakh crore between FY22 and FY24. In the recent past, the markets regulator has announced a raft of reforms to strengthen the derivatives market and to restrain speculative trading. These measures included recalibration of contract size for equity derivatives, rationalization of weekly index derivatives products and increase in tail risk coverage on the day of options expiry. Pandey said that SEBI's approach in relation to equity derivatives has been thoughtful and consultative. The regulator is also looking to deepen the cash equities market, which is the true foundation of capital formation. 'Volumes in the cash market have grown rapidly, doubling in terms of daily traded volumes over a period of just three years. However, much more needs to be done,' he said.

Online Gaming Bill can damage India's digital economy: K'taka IT minister
Online Gaming Bill can damage India's digital economy: K'taka IT minister

Hindustan Times

time21 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

Online Gaming Bill can damage India's digital economy: K'taka IT minister

The Union government's decision to impose a blanket ban on real money gaming (RMG), with the passage of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill in the parliament, has drawn sharp criticism from Karnataka IT minister Priyank Kharge, who called it a 'knee-jerk reaction' that could damage India's digital economy. Online Gaming Bill can damage India's digital economy: K'taka IT minister The online gaming sector has grown rapidly in recent years, generating close to ₹20,000 crore annually through GST and income tax. Over 2,000 gaming startups operate in the country, many of them providing coding, design, and backend services for global platforms. Industry estimates suggest that more than two lakh jobs in IT, AI design, and the creative economy are linked to this ecosystem. The sector has also attracted around ₹23,000 crore in foreign direct investment (FDI) over the past five years, said Kharge. Kharge warned that the ban threatens this entire ecosystem. 'Thousands of people will be unemployed, the gaming talent pool will shrink, and allied sectors like data centres, advertising, and cybersecurity will be hit. If the government is talking about building a $10 trillion digital economy, how does shutting down this vertical send the right signal to global investors?' he said. A senior government official had told HT that the Centre weighed the revenue from online money games against their social costs and concluded that the latter outweighed the financial gains. The official added that 45 crore players have lost ₹20,000 crore to online money games. The government is also of the view that these money games not only create a financial burden but also contribute to behavioural changes like addiction and related suicides among youth. Beyond jobs and revenue, Kharge argued that prohibition will push users to unregulated offshore platforms. Industry observers have also raised similar concerns, pointing out that platforms based in China and Eastern Europe often operate without mechanisms like KYC or tax compliance, raising risks of money laundering, data theft, and even terror financing. The minister said the industry itself has been demanding regulation, not prohibition. 'Addiction won't end by banning platforms. Instead, users will flock to offshore servers where no safeguards exist. If they lose money there, who will they complain to?' he asked. Estimates suggest that India could lose nearly ₹8 lakh crore annually to unregulated foreign operators if players migrate en masse. Government officials have acknowledged that the ban will affect the industry but maintain that companies can reorient themselves towards recreational and casual games that do not involve monetary stakes. Kharge, however, drew a comparison with India's earlier attempt to block pornography websites, saying such bans only drove users to VPNs and unregulated domains. He also criticised the timing of the Online Gaming Bill, describing it, along with other recent pieces of legislation like the the Constitution Amendment Bill, 2025, the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025, as a 'diversion' from the Election Commission's ongoing scrutiny of electoral rolls. 'It is common sense that illegal markets will threaten national security. How many URLs can you block? They will just reappear under different domains. And if servers move abroad, they go beyond India's ambit,' Kharge said. HT reached out to IT ministry officials for a comment but did not immediately receive a response.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store