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Opening up space and nuclear sectors most unexpected decisions of Modi government: Minister Jitendra Singh

Opening up space and nuclear sectors most unexpected decisions of Modi government: Minister Jitendra Singh

Time of India11 hours ago

File photo: Space minister Jitendra Singh
NEW DELHI: Space minister Jitendra Singh said on Sunday that opening the space sector to private enterprises and this year's announcement allowing foreign investment in the nuclear sector are 'some of the most unexpected decisions made in the last 11 years under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi'.
On ushering in reforms, the minister said: 'Over the last 10 years, some of the most unexpected decisions made were not even demanded, like opening the space to the private sector and this year's announcement about the nuclear sector... When it was realised that to move on from where we were, we could not wholly depend on government sources and resources, PM Modi allowed us to bring in the private sector and the results have been phenomenal'.
About the space sector, Singh said: 'We were a minimal economy till about 4-5 years ago. Today the sector is worth $8 bn and the pace of its growth is so fast that in the next 8-10 years, we hope to grow five times more to $45 bn. Which means that in the years to come, India's space economy is going to be a very important component of its growth story..."
Under PM Modi's leadership, India is not just chasing the future—it's engineering it. 'With the Rs 6,003.25-cr National Quantum Mission, which involves 150+ scientists, and 43 top institutions, Bharat is boldly shaping the next frontier with Quantum technology, using Indian talent to make a global impact,' he pointed out.

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India positioned to become world's third-largest economy: PM Modi in Cyprus
India positioned to become world's third-largest economy: PM Modi in Cyprus

The Hindu

time19 minutes ago

  • The Hindu

India positioned to become world's third-largest economy: PM Modi in Cyprus

India will soon become the third-largest economy in the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, highlighting myriad economic opportunities the country offers to companies from Cyprus. PM Modi, who is in Cyprus on the first leg of his three-nation tour, made the remarks as he, along with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, attended a business roundtable on Sunday (June 15, 2025) in Limassol, a city on the southern coast of Cyprus. 'The Prime Minister highlighted India's rapid economic transformation in the last 11 years and noted that the country, propelled by next-generation reforms, policy predictability, stable polity and Ease of Doing Business, has become the fastest-growing major economy in the world,' the External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi said in a statement. Emphasising the primacy being given to innovation, digital revolution, start-ups and futuristic infrastructure development, Mr. Modi expressed confidence that India, the fourth largest economy in the world, was well positioned to become the third largest in a few years' time. "India will soon become the third-largest economy in the world. India is one of the biggest emerging economies. We have implemented tax reforms, Goods and Services Tax, rationalised corporate tax, decriminalised laws, and are focussing on 'trust of doing business', along with ease of doing business." He said that steady growth in India's civil aviation, port, shipbuilding, digital payments and green development sectors has opened myriad opportunities for companies from Cyprus to partner with India, according to the statement. "For the first time in 23 years, an Indian Prime Minister has visited Cyprus, and the first event that has been organised is the business roundtable meeting. This shows the importance of business leaders in the India-Cyprus relationship," the Prime Minister said. He also underlined the strengths of India's skilled talent and start-up ecosystem and highlighted manufacturing, AI, quantum, semiconductor and critical minerals as new and emerging areas contributing to India's growth story. "You all [business leaders] are aware of India's talent and demographic dividend. In the last 10 years, a digital revolution has taken place in India. Around 50% of the world's digital transactions take place in India, thanks to the Unified Payments Interface or UPI. Countries like France are associated with this, and talks are also under way with Cyprus for this, and I welcome this move," he said. Prime Minister Modi noted that Cyprus was a significant economic partner for India, particularly in the Foreign Direct Investment sector and welcomed the keen interest in Cyprus for new investments into the Indian economy. PM Modi highlighted the "immense potential for growth" in bilateral ties. Cyprus has been a "reliable partner to India for a long time now," he said. Mr. Modi called Cyprus a "famous tourist destination" and added that India, too, is focussing on destination development and management, and so, "close collaboration between our tour operators will be a 'win-win'". He added that many other sectors also have the potential for such collaborations. 'Highlighting the potential for business engagement in the financial services sector, the two leaders welcomed the signing of an MOU between the NSE International Exchange GIFT CITY, Gujarat and the Cyprus Stock Exchange,' the statement said. 'NIPL (NPCI International Payments Limited) and the Eurobank Cyprus reached an understanding on introducing UPI for cross-border payments between the two countries, which would benefit tourists and businesses,' it said. Prime Minister also welcomed the launch of the India–Greece–Cyprus (IGC) Business and Investment Council, which will foster trilateral cooperation in sectors such as shipping, logistics, renewable energy, civil aviation and digital services. Prime Minister Modi welcomed the fact that many Indian companies see Cyprus as a gateway to Europe and a hub for IT services, financial management, and tourism. 'As Cyprus prepares to assume the Presidency of the EU Council next year, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen India-EU Strategic Partnership,' the statement said. They expressed optimism about concluding the India-EU Free Trade Agreement by the end of the year which would also give a major boost to trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. Prime Minister underlined that the business roundtable had given practical suggestions which would form the basis for a structured economic roadmap, ensuring long-term collaboration in trade, innovation and strategic sectors. 'With shared aspirations and a future-focussed approach, India and Cyprus are poised for a new era of dynamic and mutually beneficial economic cooperation,' the statement said. The participants of the roundtable represented diverse sectors such as banking, financial institutions, manufacturing, defence, logistics, maritime, shipping, technology, innovation, digital technologies, AI, IT services, tourism and mobility. In a post on X after the meeting, Mr. Modi said, "Boosting business linkages! President Nikos Christodoulides and I interacted with leading CEOs in order to add vigour to commercial linkages between India and Cyprus. Sectors such as innovation, energy, technology and more offer immense potential. I also talked about India's reform trajectory in the last decade."

Iran Opens Land Routes For Indian Student Evacuation As Over 10,000 Remain Stranded
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  • Hans India

Iran Opens Land Routes For Indian Student Evacuation As Over 10,000 Remain Stranded

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HDFC Flexi Cap Fund exits IndusInd Bank and HAL, adds Swiggy in May
HDFC Flexi Cap Fund exits IndusInd Bank and HAL, adds Swiggy in May

Time of India

time21 minutes ago

  • Time of India

HDFC Flexi Cap Fund exits IndusInd Bank and HAL, adds Swiggy in May

HDFC Flexi Cap Fund , the second-largest flexi cap fund by assets under management, made a complete exit from three stocks in May—IndusInd Bank, Hindustan Aeronautics ( HAL ), and Indigo Paints—while adding Swiggy to its portfolio during the same period. The fund offloaded approximately 25 lakh shares of IndusInd Bank , 15 lakh shares of HAL, and 3.3 lakh shares of Indigo Paints during the month. On the other hand, it added 80 lakh shares of Swiggy to its portfolio in May. Also Read | Nifty stuck in narrow range. Here's the mutual fund move you need to make now Best MF to invest Looking for the best mutual funds to invest? Here are our recommendations. View Details » by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Get Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro at a low price Medvi Get Offer Undo The second-largest flexi cap fund increased its stake in 13 stocks in May, including Cipla , State Bank of India , JSW Steel , ONGC , Havells India , PGCI, Bajaj Auto , Sapphire Foods India , Piramal Pharma , SBI Life Insurance , Bank of Baroda , and FSN E-Commerce Ventures . The fund added 1.58 crore shares of Bank of Baroda, raising its total holding to 3.20 crore shares in May, up from 1.62 crore in April. It also increased its stake in Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) by 1.21 crore shares, taking the total to 2.50 crore shares in May from 1.28 crore in April. Live Events Additionally, the fund bought 75 lakh shares of State Bank of India and 63.98 lakh shares of FSN E-Commerce Ventures during the month. Also Read | Explained: What all Gen-Z should know about mutual funds Meanwhile, the fund reduced exposure in 12 stocks, including Delhivery, Ashok Leyland, Mahindra & Mahindra, Bosch, ITC , Axis Bank, HCL Technologies, Birlasoft, Tech Mahindra, Kalpataru Projects International, Prestige Estates Projects, and InterGlobe Aviation. Around 20.28 lakh shares of Prestige Estates were sold from the portfolio, followed by 17.28 lakh shares of Tech Mahindra during the same period. The fund also offloaded 13,135 shares of Bosch in the corresponding time frame. The exposure in 27 stocks remained unchanged in May, including HDFC Bank, Infosys, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Lupin, The Ramco Cements, Reliance Industries, Tata Steel, Escorts Kubota, L&T, Eicher Motors, Apollo Hospitals Enterprises, ICICI Bank, Cyient, and Bharti Airtel. HDFC Flexi Cap Fund is an open-ended dynamic equity scheme that invests across large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap stocks. The investment objective of the fund is to generate capital appreciation/income by predominantly investing in equity and equity-related instruments. The fund is benchmarked against the Nifty 500 Total Returns Index and is managed by Roshi Jain. Launched on January 1, 1995, the scheme had an AUM of Rs 75,784.48 crore as of May 31, 2025.

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