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Shops gutted in Hyderabad commercial hub blaze

Massive fire at Ameerpet shopping complex; no casualties reported. Firefighters control blaze at KSR Fashions showroom. Traffic affected.

Massive fire guts shops in complex at Hyderabad’s Ameerpet; no casualties

Hyderabad: The blaze began around 1 pm, sending thick plumes of smoke into the sky and triggering panic among local shop owners and commuters.

Ladakh up in arms over new liberal liquor policy introduced by L-G administration

Our stand is clear. We do not support the opening of 20 new wine shops or the unrestricted sale of alcohol in hotels, guest houses, and homestays, says Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) in a statement

Andhra Pradesh govt. bans advertising on liquor at retail shops, bars

All retail outlets must refrain from displaying promotional material related to liquor in any form, says Ravindra

No dustbin, no business: Kurnool civic chief fines two shops on sanitation round

A surprise check turns up a staff shortage and poor upkeep at the Collectorate’s Anna Canteen during the Kurnool commissioner’s sanitation round

Telangana Teen Dies By Suicide, Bandh Called Over 'Love Jihad'

The bandh affected normal life, with many shops remaining closed

Fire rips through fish market in Odisha’s Cuttack, guts over 30 shops, bank

According to preliminary estimates, around 17 fish traders who operated from the market suffered extensive losses

Officials from Agriculture Dept. conduct raids at input shops in Kalaburagi district following complaints of overcharging

Show-cause notices issued to 26 dealers and sale of fertilisers suspended at 10 outlets over alleged violations

Bulldozer rolls at TMC office, shops in Bengal amid anti-encroachment drive

Bulldozer rolls at TMC office, shops in Bengal amid anti-encroachment drive

RBI says banks can withstand severe shocks

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday said that India's financial sector remained resilient in 2025-26, supported by healthy bank and non-bank balance sheets, improved asset quality and strong capital buffers. The central bank affirmed confidence in India's banking sector, indicating that it remains healthy, with gross bad loans at multi-decadal lows and stress tests showing banks can withstand severe shocks without breaching capital norms."Stress test results reaffirmed the resilience of banks, indicating their ability to withstand losses under adverse scenarios while maintaining capital buffers well above the regulatory minimum," the central bank said in its Annual Report. RBI further highlighted that the financial sector remained resilient on the back of healthy bank and non-bank balance sheets, improved asset quality and capital buffers, enabling double-digit credit growth.Also read: India steers boat through a risky channel between war clouds and El NinoRBI noted that bank credit growth gained momentum across sectors and outpaced deposit growth during the year, leading to a rise in the credit-deposit ratio. The transmission of policy repo rate changes to banks’ deposit and lending rates also remained robust amid conducive liquidity conditions.Bank credit to the commercial sector grew 15.9% year-on-year in 2025-26, up from 10.9% a year ago, while credit from non-bank sources expanded 13.3%, underscoring the continued strength of financial intermediation in the economy, the report said.RBI noted that profitability of scheduled commercial banks remained robust alongside improvement in asset quality. The gross non-performing assets (GNPA) ratio declined to a multi-decadal low, while the capital to risk-weighted assets ratio (CRAR) remained comfortably above regulatory requirements.The report added that asset quality and capital adequacy of non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) remained strong during the year. Urban co-operative banks also witnessed improved credit and deposit growth along with robust capital buffers and higher profitability.The central bank further said the share of external benchmark-based lending rate (EBLR)-linked loans increased during the year, aiding faster monetary policy transmission, while the proportion of marginal cost of funds-based lending rate (MCLR)-linked loans continued to decline.RBI on Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)The RBI indicated that it expanded its experimentation with Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) during 2025-26 by launching multiple pilots linked to direct benefit transfer (DBT) schemes of the Centre and state governments.In its Annual Report, the central bank said programmable CBDC was used to deliver food subsidies under the public distribution system (PDS) in Gujarat, Puducherry and Chandigarh. Beneficiaries were credited subsidies through CBDC wallets that could be redeemed only for eligible commodities at fair price shops and designated merchants.The RBI said the pilots leveraged the programmability feature of CBDCs, allowing targeted use of funds and improving efficiency in subsidy delivery.The central bank also advanced efforts in tokenisation of financial assets through the development of the Unified Markets Interface (UMI), a multi-layer platform aimed at improving settlement efficiency using wholesale CBDC.“A pilot on tokenisation of certificates of deposit (CDs) was initiated on UMI,” the report said.On cross-border payments, RBI said it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) for collaboration on digital assets and held bilateral discussions with MAS and the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) to operationalise a cross-border CBDC pilot.The RBI also joined multilateral initiatives led by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub, including Project Rialto and Phase 2 of Project Mandala, focused on improving cross-border payments using CBDCs.The report comes as central banks globally continue to explore digital currency infrastructure to improve payment efficiency, lower transaction costs and strengthen cross-border settlement systems.The research by the U.S.-based Atlantic Council think tank revealed that 146 countries & currency unions, representing over 98% of global GDP, are exploring a CBDC. There is a new high of 77 countries in the advanced phase of exploration, which includes development, pilot, or launch.

The Hindu, Galgotias University establish Centre for Excellence in Journalism

Select students of Galgotias University will gain access to internship opportunities with The Hindu’s editorial teams, collaborative publishing opportunities for visual communication projects, curated workshops, field visits, and structured interventions by media professionals.

Rest still a favour, not a right, for retail-staff in Chennai

Five years after Tamil Nadu legislated on the ‘right to sit’ provision within the Tamil Nadu Shops and Establishments Act, 1947, the law remains a luxury for many. From high-end coffee shops to bustling textile showrooms, Chennai’s retail workers continue to trade their long-term health for long shifts on their feet

Govt to use AI for selection of beneficiaries, ration delivery and complaints

The scheme now extends from April 2026 to March 2031 and aims to modernize country’s PDS, which distributes subsidised food grains through ration shops

Third edition of AIAC hosts 21 artists from nine ASEAN countries

Over 10 days, artists will create original works, take part in workshops on classical dance, music, and handicrafts, and explore India’s artistic traditions in a collaborative setting

Police attach ₹1.25 crore property of alleged drug peddler in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua

“The attached property comprises shops and a dhaba located at Chapper Morh in Hiranagar,” officials said

₹10 overcharge: At TASMAC outlets, low-paid workers bear cost of administrative failure

Before the elections, TVK chief C. Joseph Vijay, during a rally, took a jibe at the charging ₹10 above the maximum retail price (MRP).extra ₹10 charged at TASMAC outlets. Workers at the shops do not dispute the practice, but say it merely offsets irregularities in the system

Vizianagaram wears deserted look in heatwave; Collector advises staying indoors

Day temperatures touch 42°C in Vizianagaram, the Ring Road junction lies near-empty and many shops and hotels report poor business, residents staying home through the afternoon

Medical shops to remain open in NTR district on May 20 during nationwide bandh