Business
Minister Emphasizes Reducing Coal Imports and Increasing Domestic Production

Approximately 74 percent of India’s electricity generation depends on thermal power plants (TPPs), underscoring the necessity for a strong and sustainable coal sector, according to G Kishan Reddy, the Union Minister of Coal and Mines. The minister further noted, “The coal ministry is on track to achieve ‘Atmanirbharta’ in the industry.”
Efforts to reduce reliance on imported coal have shown promising results. From April to November 2024, coal imports decreased by 5.35 percent, yielding savings of around $3.91 billion (Rs 30,007.26 crore). Particularly, imports for blending at domestic power plants dropped by 23.56 percent.
The Ministry’s ‘Mission Coking Coal’ aims to enhance domestic coking coal production to 140 million tonnes (MT) by FY 2029-30, thereby curtailing import dependence in the steel sector. In FY 2023-24, coal production hit a record high of 997.82 MT, a significant increase from 609.18 MT in FY 2014-15, exhibiting a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.64 percent over the past decade. This year alone, production has jumped by 11.71 percent compared to the previous year.
As of January, the Ministry of Coal has allocated 184 mines, with 65 blocks receiving Mine Opening Permissions. Coal output from these blocks has reached 136.59 MT, reflecting a remarkable 34.20 percent increase year-on-year. Expectations are for this figure to surpass the 170 MT target in FY 2024-25.
Among the eight core industries, coal has shown the highest growth rate, achieving a 5.3 percent increase in December 2024 compared to the previous year. Furthermore, the coal sector contributes approximately 50 percent to freight revenue for Indian Railways and employs nearly 478,000 individuals directly, as per the ministry’s report.
Business
CBIC Publishes Updated Guidelines for GST Registration Application Processing

Officers are now required to follow the specific list of documents outlined in the registration application form. In particular cases, essential documents must be uploaded with the registration application, as detailed in the issued instructions.
Additionally, officers have been instructed not to issue notices based on presumptive grounds, minor discrepancies, or for additional documents that are not necessary for application processing.
The order emphasizes that officers must obtain approval from the relevant Deputy/Assistant Commissioner if they need to request any documents beyond those listed.
Zonal Principal Chief Commissioners and Chief Commissioners have been encouraged to establish a monitoring mechanism to ensure that trade notices are issued appropriately as needed. Furthermore, strict action will be taken against officers who do not comply with these new guidelines.
This initiative aims to simplify the GST registration process, reduce compliance burdens, and enhance the ease of doing business. Notably, the latest directive supersedes prior instructions dated June 14, 2023, addressing recent developments and providing clarity to officers handling registration applications.
Importantly, a 7-day timeline has been established for the approval of applications that are not flagged as risky on the common portal, provided they are complete and free of deficiencies.
For applications involving owned premises, the applicant must upload one of the following documents: the latest Property Tax receipt, a Municipal Khata copy, the owner’s Electricity Bill copy, or any similar document such as a water bill, or any other document required by state or local laws.
Business
RBI Signs MoU with FIU-IND to Combat Money Laundering and Suspicious Transactions

Under this MoU, both organizations will collaborate on areas of shared interest, facilitating the exchange of valuable intelligence and information from their respective databases.
Additionally, they will focus on identifying red flag indicators for suspicious transactions. The entities have committed to adhering to pertinent international standards and will hold quarterly meetings to engage in discussions and share insights on matters of common concern.
Furthermore, both parties have agreed to enhance Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) skills within the regulated and reporting entities under the RBI’s oversight.
The MoU was signed by Vivek Aggarwal, Director of FIU-IND, and R.L.K. Rao, Executive Director of the Reserve Bank of India’s Department of Regulation.
Business
TCS Collaborates with Vianai Systems, Founded by Vishal Sikka, to Advance AI Initiatives

The Hila platform integrates natural language interactions with advanced data analytics, facilitating decision-making in areas such as finance, supply chain, and sales. According to a press release from TCS, the company will tailor the Hila platform to suit the specific needs of financial institutions and other critical sectors.
These customizations will feature smooth integration into existing enterprise systems, ongoing support after deployment, and specialized AI services. Furthermore, TCS plans to use the Hila platform to enhance conversational capabilities within core business sectors such as CRM, sales, and supply chain across various industries, as stated in the press release.
With this partnership, TCS clients will gain access to Vianai’s Hila platform, a cutting-edge solution that allows corporate executives to ask questions and receive real-time insights from their data repositories. By merging natural language processing with data analytics, Hila enables decision-makers in finance, supply chain, and sales to effectively utilize generative AI (GenAI), thus maximizing the potential of their enterprise data without requiring deep technical knowledge.
TCS CEO and Managing Director K. Krithivasan remarked, “The future of enterprise decision-making hinges on making data intuitive, intelligent, and accessible. The collaboration with Vianai Systems actualizes this vision, empowering C-suite executives to interact with their data for insights, accelerate decision-making, and lead with more clarity.”
Krithivasan also noted that TCS is restructuring its AI and cloud business by establishing independent units for each, driven by the rapid pace of AI innovation and the emergence of new AI-native businesses that may serve as potential partners for TCS.
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