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INDIA bloc faces internal strife ahead of key meet

TMC's Firhad Hakim resigns as Kolkata mayor

Kolkata Mayor and Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Firhad Hakim has resigned from his post after receiving permission from party supremo Mamata Banerjee, senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said on Wednesday, amid deepening turmoil within the opposition party following its electoral defeat in West Bengal.The announcement came as the TMC grappled with its most serious internal crisis since losing power, with a large section of its legislators openly rebelling against the party leadership and seeking a reorganisation of the legislature wing.Also read: TMC crisis deepens as Mamata loyalists attend BJP-led review meetingThe political churn was visible on Wednesday when Hakim, along with TMC MLAs Nayana Bandyopadhyay, Ashok Deb and Kunal Ghosh, attended an administrative review meeting convened by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at Nabanna, a development that added a fresh dimension to the ongoing unrest within the party, PTI reported.The attendance of several leaders considered close to Banerjee at the government meeting came even as the party's legislative wing appeared headed for an unprecedented split.Rebels stake claim to legislature leadershipHours earlier, 58 dissident TMC MLAs formally extended support to expelled legislator Ritabrata Banerjee as the new leader of the legislature party and conveyed their decision to Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose, according to PTI.Ritabrata Banerjee, accompanied by fellow rebel MLA Sandipan Saha and other dissident legislators, met the Speaker and submitted letters of support purportedly signed by 58 MLAs.The rebel faction also proposed a new leadership structure, naming Ritabrata Banerjee as legislature party leader, Javed Khan, Sandipan Saha and Shiuli Saha as deputy leaders, and Raghunathganj MLA Akhruzzaman as the chief whip.Ritabrata Banerjee, Khan and Saha were also present at the chief minister's administrative review meeting later in the day.The developments followed a gathering of dissident legislators at the Assembly earlier on Wednesday. Significantly, none of the MLAs who attended the rebels' meeting had participated in Mamata Banerjee's dharna in central Kolkata on Tuesday, highlighting the growing divide between the party leadership and the dissident bloc.Also read: TMC rebels back expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as legislature party leader in BengalPolitical signals from administrative meetingsSeveral leaders identified with the Kalighat leadership, including Hakim, Bandyopadhyay, Deb and Ghosh, skipped the Assembly meeting and instead attended the Nabanna review meeting.The latest development comes days after senior TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and six party MLAs attended an administrative review meeting chaired by Adhikari in Kalyani, triggering speculation over shifting political equations within the opposition camp after the assembly election setback.Political observers told PTI that with another set of TMC leaders attending Wednesday's meeting, the line between administrative engagement and political messaging was becoming increasingly blurred in West Bengal's evolving post-election landscape.The BJP government has maintained that such meetings are inclusive administrative exercises. During the previous TMC regime, BJP leaders had often alleged that opposition legislators were excluded from official review meetings.Soon after assuming office, Adhikari announced that opposition MPs and MLAs would be invited to government programmes and district-level administrative review meetings.Also read: TMC dissolves West Bengal units, launches overhaul after poll drubbingParty debates participationReacting to the participation of TMC legislators in such meetings last week, Kunal Ghosh had said the matter was being discussed within the party."We are not in favour of boycotting administrative meetings called by the state government. But when our party workers are being assaulted and rendered homeless in post-poll violence, we need to think twice before attending such meetings. Our party is also discussing whether we should continue participating in these meetings or not," he had said.The ongoing turmoil comes against the backdrop of the TMC's crushing assembly election defeat and growing uncertainty over the party's future leadership structure.

Localisation lens on 500 most-imported items

New Delhi: The government is examining 500-odd heavily imported products including machinery, fertilisers, chemicals, cotton staple fibre, plastics, silicon wafers and carbon fibres, to identify localisation opportunities and reduce dependence on overseas supply. The commerce and industry ministry is collating data from different ministries on import dependence, estimated time and capital investment required to achieve commercially viable domestic manufacturing capability, and national strategic relevance of these products, officials privy to the development said.The idea is to reduce the country's import bill and build supply resilience amid the ongoing West Asia crisis.The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is "analysing data such as production capacity and bottlenecks faced by industry," one of the officials said.131428063The department has sought information such as the extent to which domestic demand for the product is met through imports, indicating vulnerability to external supply and the need for localisation, and the importance of the product in ensuring continuity, resilience, and stability of domestic manufacturing and essential downstream sectors.The exercise also covers harvester-threshers, parts of turbo jets and certain graphite, officials said.DPIIT is likely to shortlist around 100 items where the imports are high but the country has capacity to produce them locally, another person aware of the development said.High import dependence means where 60% or more of the domestic demand for the product is met through imports while medium is where imports are 30-60%. "Electronics and chemicals are two key sectors where imports are huge but the potential to export is also significant," another official said.India's goods import bill stood at $774.98 billion in FY26, led by oil at $174 billion, electronics at $116.17 billion, and gold at $72 billion. The country also imported organic and inorganic chemicals worth $28 billion last fiscal.Makeup preparations, dishwashers, industrial valves and certain silicon wafers also figure in the list of the products whose imports are being studied.The exercise comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to help preserve foreign exchange and contain the country's rising import bill amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia.

Patanjali Foods Q4 Results: Profit jumps 46% to Rs 524 crore despite margin pressure

Patanjali Foods reported a 46% year-on-year rise in net profit for the March quarter, aided by strong growth across its edible oils and FMCG businesses. However, higher raw material and packaging costs weighed on profitability. The company's profit after tax rose to Rs 524 crore in the quarter ended March 2026 from about Rs 359 crore a year earlier.Revenue from operations increased 17% year-on-year (YoY) and 6% sequentially to Rs 11,217 crore during the quarter. Despite the strong top-line performance, margins remained under pressure due to rising input costs.Gross profit stood at Rs 1,398 crore, translating into a margin of 12.47%. The company said profitability was impacted by a sharp rise in packaging material costs during the latter half of March, particularly for PET bottles and polyester films, driven by crude oil volatility and higher freight expenses.Cost of goods sold increased by 294 basis points as a percentage of revenue on a YoY basis. EBITDA, excluding exceptional items, came in at Rs 502 crore with an EBITDA margin of 4.48%.The edible oils business remained the largest contributor to revenue. The segment reported revenue of Rs 8,324 crore during the quarter, up 23% YoY and 13.5% sequentially. Segment EBITDA stood at Rs 215 crore, with margins of 2.58%.Branded edible oils accounted for nearly 75% of total edible oil sales and continued to drive growth.The company said palm oil prices strengthened sharply during the quarter, with refined palm oil prices rising nearly 20% between January and March 2026. The increase was driven by higher import costs from Malaysia and Indonesia, elevated freight charges, rising insurance costs and expectations of tighter global supplies.Soya oil prices also moved higher, rising 23% during the quarter.The FMCG segment continued its strong performance and generated revenue of Rs 2,890 crore, up 14% YoY. Segment EBITDA rose 14% to Rs 292 crore, while margins stood at 10.1%.The FMCG business contributed nearly 26% of quarterly revenue and almost 58% of segment EBITDA during the quarter, underscoring its growing importance in the company's earnings mix.Within FMCG, biscuits remained a key growth driver. Quarterly biscuit revenue rose nearly 14% to Rs 478 crore. For FY26, biscuit revenue crossed Rs 1,907 crore, growing 16%.The company said its Doodh biscuit brand has now become a Rs 1,300-crore-plus annual sales brand, while Nariyal biscuits continued gaining market share.The Staples portfolio generated quarterly revenue of Rs 849 crore, while the home and personal care business posted strong growth of 35% to Rs 840 crore. The skincare category emerged as one of the fastest-growing segments, with revenue rising 58% YoY.The ghee business reported quarterly revenue of Rs 339 crore, while textured soya products contributed Rs 106 crore.Beverages and juices also witnessed improved demand toward the end of the quarter as summer consumption recovered after an initially delayed season.The company's nutraceutical business generated revenue of Rs 18 crore following internal restructuring initiatives. Exports contributed Rs 32 crore during the quarter, while annual export revenue stood at Rs 187.8 crore. Patanjali Foods exported products to 37 countries during FY26.For the full year, Patanjali Foods reported its highest-ever annual revenue from operations at Rs 40,170 crore, representing growth of 19% over FY25.The edible oils business generated annual revenue of Rs 29,313 crore, while the FMCG segment reported annual revenue of Rs 11,188 crore, up nearly 20%. The company also continued expanding its oil palm plantation business under the government's edible oil self-sufficiency push.As of March 2026, the total oil palm cultivated area under the company's network stood at 1.11 lakh hectares across 12 states, reflecting growth of 24% YoY.Patanjali Foods spent around 2% of quarterly revenue on advertising and brand-building activities during the quarter.(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by experts are their own. These do not represent the views of the Economic Times.)

Patanjali Foods Q4 Results: Profit jumps 46% to Rs 524 crore despite margin pressure

Patanjali Foods reported a 46% year-on-year rise in net profit for the March quarter, aided by strong growth across its edible oils and FMCG businesses. However, higher raw material and packaging costs weighed on profitability. The company's profit after tax rose to Rs 524 crore in the quarter ended March 2026 from about Rs 359 crore a year earlier.Revenue from operations increased 17% year-on-year (YoY) and 6% sequentially to Rs 11,217 crore during the quarter. Despite the strong top-line performance, margins remained under pressure due to rising input costs.Gross profit stood at Rs 1,398 crore, translating into a margin of 12.47%. The company said profitability was impacted by a sharp rise in packaging material costs during the latter half of March, particularly for PET bottles and polyester films, driven by crude oil volatility and higher freight expenses.Cost of goods sold increased by 294 basis points as a percentage of revenue on a YoY basis. EBITDA, excluding exceptional items, came in at Rs 502 crore with an EBITDA margin of 4.48%.The edible oils business remained the largest contributor to revenue. The segment reported revenue of Rs 8,324 crore during the quarter, up 23% YoY and 13.5% sequentially. Segment EBITDA stood at Rs 215 crore, with margins of 2.58%.Branded edible oils accounted for nearly 75% of total edible oil sales and continued to drive growth.The company said palm oil prices strengthened sharply during the quarter, with refined palm oil prices rising nearly 20% between January and March 2026. The increase was driven by higher import costs from Malaysia and Indonesia, elevated freight charges, rising insurance costs and expectations of tighter global supplies.Soya oil prices also moved higher, rising 23% during the quarter.The FMCG segment continued its strong performance and generated revenue of Rs 2,890 crore, up 14% YoY. Segment EBITDA rose 14% to Rs 292 crore, while margins stood at 10.1%.The FMCG business contributed nearly 26% of quarterly revenue and almost 58% of segment EBITDA during the quarter, underscoring its growing importance in the company's earnings mix.Within FMCG, biscuits remained a key growth driver. Quarterly biscuit revenue rose nearly 14% to Rs 478 crore. For FY26, biscuit revenue crossed Rs 1,907 crore, growing 16%.The company said its Doodh biscuit brand has now become a Rs 1,300-crore-plus annual sales brand, while Nariyal biscuits continued gaining market share.The Staples portfolio generated quarterly revenue of Rs 849 crore, while the home and personal care business posted strong growth of 35% to Rs 840 crore. The skincare category emerged as one of the fastest-growing segments, with revenue rising 58% YoY.The ghee business reported quarterly revenue of Rs 339 crore, while textured soya products contributed Rs 106 crore.Beverages and juices also witnessed improved demand toward the end of the quarter as summer consumption recovered after an initially delayed season.The company's nutraceutical business generated revenue of Rs 18 crore following internal restructuring initiatives. Exports contributed Rs 32 crore during the quarter, while annual export revenue stood at Rs 187.8 crore. Patanjali Foods exported products to 37 countries during FY26.For the full year, Patanjali Foods reported its highest-ever annual revenue from operations at Rs 40,170 crore, representing growth of 19% over FY25.The edible oils business generated annual revenue of Rs 29,313 crore, while the FMCG segment reported annual revenue of Rs 11,188 crore, up nearly 20%. The company also continued expanding its oil palm plantation business under the government's edible oil self-sufficiency push.As of March 2026, the total oil palm cultivated area under the company's network stood at 1.11 lakh hectares across 12 states, reflecting growth of 24% YoY.Patanjali Foods spent around 2% of quarterly revenue on advertising and brand-building activities during the quarter.(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by experts are their own. These do not represent the views of the Economic Times.)

Adani Green to seek board nod to raise up to $1 billion

Adani Green Energy is set to seek board approval to raise Rs 6,150 crore ($750 million) to Rs 8,200 crore ($1 billion) through the qualified institutional placement (QIP) route, said people aware of the matter.Two group companies had got approval of their boards for fundraising on May 13 —Adani Enterprises (Rs 12,500 crore) and Adani Transmission (Rs 8,500 crore).The exercise is part of a group plan outlined internally last year to build a “three-year equity cushion” to support expansion plans.Adani Green has secured such capital-raising permission every year from its board except in 2021, as per a Bloomberg analysis.The capital raised by Adani Green Energy will be used to repay an outstanding $750 million, three-year bond issued in 2021 that’s due next year. The money is likely to be kept in a dedicated redemption reserve account and paid on the due date, said the people cited above.Renegotiating Terms With TotalThe original plan had been to prepay the bond after special Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approval but the company decided against this move.“We do not comment on routine business matters. All public disclosures on business matters are disclosed when appropriate,” an Adani Group spokesperson told ET.Adani Green is also renegotiating the terms of its agreement with French utilities giant TotalEnergies for a proposed $4 billion investment in a green hydrogen venture, having signed a memorandum of understanding in 2022. In February, Total said it was pausing the plan in the wake of the Hindenburg Research report on the Adani Group alleging stock manipulation and fraud. The Adani Group has rejected the report’s findings.Total had said it won’t immediately proceed with the plan that involved taking a 25% stake in Adani New Industries Ltd (ANIL), a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises.In June last year, ANIL and TotalEnergies had outlined a capex plan of $50 billion to set up a 2.5 million metric tonnes per annum (mmtpa) of green hydrogen manufacturing capacity over the next 10 years, with the first phase of 1 mmtpa expected to be commissioned before 2030. Total had also made a total $10 billion capital commitment to the hydrogen venture, standing guarantor to 50% of the project’s debt, translating to $6 billion, ET had reported February 13.ANIL plans to manufacture green hydrogen and downstream products such as ammonia, urea, methanol and ethanol at its Khavda and Mundra SEZ facilities. The Khavda site has a land bank of 71,000 acres, which has a large-scale renewable deployment potential of 20 GW due to its high wind and solar resource potential.After the initial MoU, a more detailed ‘heads of agreement’ — pre-contractual negotiations for a commercial framework — was originally planned to be signed between May and September this year. But this is unlikely at this juncture.The Adani Group has, however, continued with the project work in Mundra on its own, aiming to complete a substantial part of the first phase of the integrated manufacturing ecosystem for ANIL by December.This involves 4.5 GW of solar module manufacturing capacity and 1.5 GW of wind turbine manufacturing capacity along with electrolysers, glass, aluminium frames etc. Analysts say over 5% of the total capex has already been incurred by Adani though the bulk of the work is scheduled for 2026-2028. Any binding agreement with Total is now expected only in 2024 or 2025 and the valuation and the overall commercial terms is likely to get altered as the French company is not incurring any of the greenfield project risks, they said.“We have 40 GW of land equivalent. We've been doing solar modules for the past five years. We know we will produce modules at 15 cents to 17 cents,” Robbie Singh, chief financial officer of Adani Enterprises, had told ET on January 22.Other than the green hydrogen project, Total has just over $3 billion of investments with Adani, including in gas distribution and solar projects, which it has played down as a small 2.4% slice of its total capital commitments.