logo
India, Sweden deepen trade and innovation partnership

India, Sweden deepen trade and innovation partnership

Fibre2Fashion13-06-2025
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal held a series of substantive engagements with senior members of the Swedish government and industry leaders on his two-day official visit to Stockholm. The visit aimed at further deepening the bilateral economic relationship, enhancing trade and investment flows, and exploring new avenues of cooperation in emerging sectors.
In his official interactions, Goyal met with Benjamin Dousa, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, and Håkan Jevrell, State Secretary for Foreign Trade. Discussions focused on expanding the scope of India–Sweden trade and investment partnership, facilitating sustainable industrial collaboration, and identifying key areas for technology and innovation-driven growth.
During his Stockholm visit, Indian minister Piyush Goyal advanced Indiaâ€'Sweden economic ties through meetings with government officials and industry leaders. Key discussions focused on trade, innovation, sustainability, and investment. Swedish firms showed strong interest in expanding in India, reinforcing a shared commitment to deeper, future-oriented collaboration.
The 21st session of the India–Sweden joint commission for economic, industrial and scientific cooperation was held during the visit. The agenda included strategic cooperation in innovation and research and a roundtable discussion on strengthening the India–Sweden economic partnership. The meeting witnessed participation from key Swedish institutions including LeadIT, Vinnova, the Swedish Energy Agency, the Swedish National Space Agency, the National Board of Trade, the Swedish Export Credit Agency, Business Sweden, and the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in India. Both sides underscored their shared commitment to advancing joint projects in green transition, advanced technologies, and resilient supply chains, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a press release.
Goyal also addressed the India–Sweden business leaders' roundtable, where he interacted with key members of Swedish industry. He invited companies to enhance their footprint in India by taking advantage of the country's enabling regulatory environment, growing consumer base, skilled talent pool, and well-developed industrial infrastructure. The roundtable served as a platform for strengthening private-sector collaboration in clean energy, smart manufacturing, mobility, life sciences, and digital technologies.
The minister participated in the India–Sweden high-level Trade and Investment Policy Forum at the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise. The forum brought together business leaders and policy-makers from both sides to discuss the evolving trade architecture and opportunities under the proposed India–EU Free Trade Agreement. Presentations were made by CII and the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise. CEOs from leading companies shared their views on enhancing value-chain partnerships, technology transfers, and investment facilitation.
A number of one-on-one meetings were held with Swedish companies from sectors such as automation, renewable energy, sustainable food systems, maritime technology, and advanced materials. Several companies conveyed strong confidence in the Indian economy and expressed intent to scale their presence through new investments, capacity expansion, and deeper localisation. Areas of support discussed included facilitation in land access, skilling partnerships, and fast-track clearances.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RR)
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Timeline: How Rajasthan became India's top solar hub in just a decade
Timeline: How Rajasthan became India's top solar hub in just a decade

Business Standard

timea few seconds ago

  • Business Standard

Timeline: How Rajasthan became India's top solar hub in just a decade

A decade ago, Rajasthan's vast desert stretches, scorching in the day and freezing at night, were seen as empty, unforgiving land, hostile to most forms of development. Today, those same empty plains sparkle with millions of solar panels, making the Thar one of the most powerful clean energy engines in the world. From the dusty villages of Jodhpur to the futuristic sprawl of Bhadla, the state has dramatically transformed–no one could have seen that coming. With great policy support, billions in investment, and overwhelming geography, Rajasthan has vastly climbed to the top of India's renewable energy map. What once was a story of survival in the desert has become one of scale, ambition, and leadership in the race to a low-carbon future. Here is how the journey unfolded. The journey of solar power production over a decade The foundation for Rajasthan's solar success was laid in December 2014, when the Centre launched the Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects Scheme. Rajasthan was among the earliest states to sign up, with Bhadla identified as the flagship site for large-scale development. Just a few years later, in 2017, the Bhadla Solar Park in Jodhpur district began to take shape, attracting major developers such as ACME, Adani, and Hero Future Energies through Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) auctions. The same year proved decisive for India's tariff story as well. In May 2017, Bhadla's competitive auctions discovered a record-low solar tariff of ₹ 2.44 per unit, a benchmark that redefined expectations for solar pricing nationwide and continued to shape auctions through 2018. By 2020, Rajasthan's installed solar capacity had grown to about 5.1 GW, a figure that positioned it for the surge to follow. That surge came between 2021 and 2022, when Rajasthan added capacity on an unprecedented scale. In 2022 alone, the state brought online 6.7 GW of new solar and wind power, about 43 per cent of all renewable capacity added in India that year. By June 2022, Rajasthan's large-scale solar had already reached close to 13 GW, thanks largely to central auctions conducted by SECI. The growth story soon began drawing global capital. In 2023, funds such as Brookfield poured money, financing projects in Rajasthan through a ₹3,380-crore pool. Masdar, the Abu Dhabi-based developer, tied up with Hero Future Energies on a 2.2 GW India platform, with 1.5 GW of that capacity linked to projects in Rajasthan and Haryana. Indian companies like ReNew were also continuing to create their presence across the solar clusters in the state. By early 2024, Rajasthan is estimated to be above 20 GW, even tracker companies placing its operational solar base above 21 GW, and this is a lead which none of the other states can match. This trend continued till mid-2025, and official MNRE data demonstrated that Rajasthan had achieved 32.32 GW of solar capacity by July 31. Not only does this establish Rajasthan as India's undisputed leader in renewables, but it also calls itself home to the world's largest solar park in Bhadla at 2,245 MW installed capacity. Why Rajasthan leads in solar power production Rajasthan's dominance in solar energy is rooted in its geography, policy, and scale. The state enjoys consistently high solar irradiation of around 5.5-6.5 kWh/m²/day, coupled with vast stretches of arid land across its western districts that are ideally suited for gigawatt-scale solar parks. The early decision to participate in the Centre's Solar Park Scheme gave Rajasthan a head start, while a clear state framework for aggregating land and setting up park-specific special purpose vehicles reduced developer risk and shortened project timelines. Scale has also been central to Rajasthan's rise. The Bhadla Solar Park, spread across about 56 square kilometers and was developed in multiple phases starting from 2015, became the world's largest single solar park with an installed capacity of 2,245 MW and a showcase of pooled land, ready infrastructure such as roads and pooling stations, and competitive auctions that pushed tariffs to record lows of under ₹2.50 per kWh. Alongside this, investments in transmission under the Green Energy Corridor ensured that power could be evacuated both within and outside the state. Phase II of the corridor, approved in January 2022, is on track for commissioning by March 2026, promising even greater grid flexibility. What's next for renewable energy in Rajasthan Rajasthan's clean energy journey is expanding beyond solar parks and is being taken one step further. The Centre's National Green Hydrogen Mission has already named the state one of two (the other being Ladakh) leading candidates for large-scale hydrogen production in the country. The rationale is simple and logical - Rajasthan has available land and substantial solar potential, making it a suitable area for electrolyser-based projects, resulting in competitively priced green hydrogen. Additionally, the next wave of hybrid projects that integrate solar, wind, and storage technologies is being accommodated with additional transmission corridors under Green Energy Corridor-II. With over 32 GW of solar installed already, the state should comfortably remain India's top state for solar throughout this decade, which is key for the 500 GW renewable energy commitment by 2030, with hybrid parks and larger storage projects leading the next wave of growth.

Three-lenders cap makes micro borrowers fall in line
Three-lenders cap makes micro borrowers fall in line

Economic Times

time4 minutes ago

  • Economic Times

Three-lenders cap makes micro borrowers fall in line

Synopsis Borrowing by vulnerable economic groups is changing. The number of borrowers with many lenders decreased significantly. This reflects stricter lending practices. Data shows a drop in borrowers using more than three lenders. However, some older loans still pose a risk. The microfinance sector is now focusing on stability. The market size has contracted. Getty Images The number of bottom-of-the-pyramid borrowers taking loans from four or more lenders has come down 44% from a year ago, reflecting the impact of prudential lending in the most vulnerable economic strata where mounting delinquencies dented the performance of Indian lenders in the last five number of such borrowers queuing up at more than three financiers fell to 3.1 million at the end of the June from 5.7 million a year ago, showed the CRIF High Mark data, illustrating the efficacy of a three-lender exposure cap that took effect from the start of this fiscal. The latest count represents about 4% of an active borrower base of 79.8 3.1 million customers, who could be considered 'higher risk' have ₹35,712 crore of outstanding borrowing between them at the end of June. That amounts to about a tenth of the sector's outstanding loan portfolio of ₹3.6 lakh portfolio relating to borrowers transacting with more than three microfinance lenders remains very vulnerable to slippages, especially after the guardrail 2.0 regime limiting fresh loans from more lenders to such borrowers, Crisil Ratings' director Malvika Bhotika said a fortnight ago. "As per our estimates, almost a fourth of the portfolio with more than three lenders is in the PAR (portfolio at risk) 31-180 days bucket as on June 30, 2025," she said. The portfolio exposure of borrowers with high lender associations declined from 19.2% of the book over the past 12 months, CRIF data this transition has lowered the exposure of MFIs to over-leveraged borrowers, slippages from the legacy portfolio will keep asset quality under pressure, experts said. The issue of borrower overleveraging has been at the heart of the high delinquencies over the past one years leading to severe asset quality stress and loss in income for lenders. It's ironic that lending to the micro borrower segment, which was once known for their robust repayment behaviour, is now being considered risky. "The industry is prioritising risk management and portfolio stabilisation over aggressive growth, reflected in subdued lending activity and a stronger focus on liquidity," CRIF said. This moderation aligns with the implementation of guardrails by self-regulatory organisation Microfinance Institutions Network to mitigate overleveraging risks. This led to a 17% year-on-year contraction in the size of the microfinance market to ₹3.59 lakh active loan accounts fell to 132 million from 159.3 million, with the live customer base declining to 80 million from 86.6 million between June 2024 and June 2025, data compiled by CRIF sector's portfolio at risk for more than 90 days past due remained elevated at 15.54% of the total on- and off-balance sheet book. This means the gross non-performing assets without excluding the technically written-off loans stood at ₹55,820 crore at the end of June. Loans are classified as NPA when borrowers fail to pay interest or principal for more than 90 days.

INDIA bloc decides to field VP candidate, weighs DMK-backed scientist Mylswamy Annadurai among options
INDIA bloc decides to field VP candidate, weighs DMK-backed scientist Mylswamy Annadurai among options

Economic Times

time18 minutes ago

  • Economic Times

INDIA bloc decides to field VP candidate, weighs DMK-backed scientist Mylswamy Annadurai among options

New Delhi: Leaders of many INDIA bloc parties held an online meeting on Monday evening and decided in principle to field an Opposition vice-presidential candidate. While some probable names - including DMK-floated Mylswamy Annadurai, a space scientist from Tamil Nadu who had worked with ISRO - were discussed, the leaders decided to hold more talks before finalising the Opposition candidate, perhaps by president Mallikarjun Kharge was authorised by the meeting to reach out to leaders such as Mamata Banerjee, Tejashwi Yadav and others. The bloc leaders may meet on Tuesday afternoon to finalise the name was circulated by some DMK members at the suggestion of their leader MK Stalin. DMK, some leaders say, would prefer a Tamil candidate in order to deal with BJP-AIADMK bid to play on the Tamil identity of NDA nominee CP Radhakrishnan. DMK MP Tiruchi Siva's name was also floated by some sections. Trinamool leadership is reportedly keen on having a non-politician as Opposition candidate as a way of navigating through the fault lines within the Opposition camps. With DMK leadership on board, there were also suggestions of fielding a candidate from Andhra Pradesh or Maharashtra, where BJP has allies. Some argue that Opposition should make the contest against Radhakrishnan a "fight against his RSS background". Since Radhakrishnan is currently Maharashtra governor, a fact that weighs in the mind of some INDIA bloc leaders, some Opposition circles circulated the name of a former Dalit MP, but it didn't receive much traction. The odds in the election are clearly against the Opposition as the ruling NDA is set to bag the post comfortably.

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