The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has made remarkable progress in developing the country's highway infrastructure, as it constructed 5,614 kms of national highways in FY25, surpassing its target of 5,150 kms, according to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways data on Wednesday.

This achievement highlights the authority’s commitment to improving road connectivity across India. According to the Ministry, the NHAI also recorded its highest-ever capital expenditure in a single financial year.

The total expenditure for highway development in FY 2024-25 reached over Rs 2,50,000 crore (provisional), exceeding the target of Rs 2,40,000 crore.

This includes both government budgetary support and the NHAI’s own resources. Compared to Rs 2,07,000 crore spent in FY 2023-24, the expenditure saw an increase of around 21 per cent.

The rise was even more significant when compared to FY 2022-23, with a 45 per cent jump from Rs 1,73,000 crore.

The Union government on Wednesday said it has spent Rs 51.46 crore for the drug deaddiction campaign in the country between FY 2020-21 to FY2024-25.

Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) was launched on August 15, 2020, by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment in 272 identified most vulnerable districts and now it has been extended to all districts of the country.

“NMBA has reached out to the masses and spread awareness about substance use with a focus on higher educational Institutions, university campuses, and schools by reaching out and identifying dependent populations and providing counselling and treatment facilities in hospitals and rehabilitation centers,” said BL Verma, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

“In 2020-21, the Centre released Rs 13.38 crore in funds under the NMBA; in 2021-22 it was Rs 3.14 crore; and in 2022-23 it stood at Rs 1.50 core. In 2023-24, the government spent Rs 6.19 crore on NMBA, and in 2024-25 it spent Rs 27.25 crore,” he added.

Driven by rapid digitisation, rise of fintech and increased government support, the rural lending landscape in India is undergoing a significant transformation, creating new opportunities for structured and efficient lending models and ensuring that credit reaches those who need it most, according to a new report.

The government initiatives such as the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) and subsidised loan schemes continue to play a crucial role in supporting farmers and rural entrepreneurs.

The government has increased the subsidized KCC loan limit from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, benefiting approximately 7.7 crore farmers, including fishermen and dairy farmers

India's goods and services tax collections surged by 9.9 per cent to Rs 1.96 lakh crore during March this year compared to the same month of the previous year, reflecting the higher level of economic activity and better compliance.

Sequentially, the GST collections were 6.8 per cent higher than the Rs 1.84 lakh crore revenue recorded in February this year.

Gross GST revenue in March included Rs 38,100 crore from Central GST, Rs 49,900 crore from State GST, Rs 95,900 crore from Integrated GST, and Rs 12,300 crore from compensation cess.

In comparison, February saw Central GST collections at Rs 35,204 crore, State GST at Rs 43,704 crore, Integrated GST at Rs 90,870 crore, and compensation cess at Rs 13,868 crore.

Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh were the top five contributors to GST collections in March.

India’s defence exports surged to a record high of Rs 23,622 crore (about $2.76 billion) in the just-concluded FY25 -- a growth of Rs 2,539 crore or 12.04 per cent compared to Rs 21,083 crore in FY24, the government said on Tuesday.

The defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) have shown a significant increase of 42.85 per cent in their exports in FY25, reflecting the growing acceptability of Indian products in the global market and the ability of the Indian defence industry to be a part of the global supply chain.

The private sector and DPSUs have contributed Rs 15,233 crore and Rs 8,389 crore, respectively, in defence exports in FY25, whereas the corresponding figures for FY24 were Rs 15,209 crore and Rs 5,874 crore, respectively.

In a post on social media platform X, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is marching towards achieving the target of increasing defence exports to Rs 50,000 crore by 2029.

While both India and the US are deeply interconnected through trade, investment, and strategic agreements, recent US tariff measures have introduced new complexities, as per a report.

The trade relationship between the United States and India, valued at $129.20 billion in 2024, is at a critical juncture as new US trade policies aim to introduce tariff realignments.

India has already kicked off some tariff adjustments specific to the US, beginning with the Budget 2025. It has relaxed tariffs for various goods on the US export list, such as motor bikes from 50 per cent to 40 per cent, and bourbon whiskey from 150 per cent to 100 per cent.

Simultaneously, both countries have started working towards negotiating the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) aimed at reaching a deal before the end of 2025.

Goldman Sachs has projected a positive outlook for BSE Limited, following a recent proposal by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to restrict index options expiry days to Tuesdays and Thursdays.

This regulatory change is expected to benefit BSE by strengthening its market position and reducing concentration risk in the segment.

SEBI published its consultation paper on March 27, outlining plans to space out expiry days for index options.

The move aims to improve product differentiation and limit market concentration, which could work in BSE’s favour.

Despite global headwinds, the credit ratio for India Inc strengthened in the second half of FY25 — improving to 2.35 times from 1.62 times in H1 FY25, a CareEdge Ratings report said on Tuesday.

The upgrade rate increased to 14 per cent from 12 per cent in the first half of last fiscal (FY25), driven by sectors that benefited from strong domestic consumption and government spending.

Meanwhile, the downgrade rate dropped 200 bps to 6 per cent, driven by asset quality concerns in NBFCs catering to microfinance and unsecured business loans, alongside pricing pressures faced by small-sized entities in the Chemical and Iron and Steel sectors, as well as export-focused Cut and Polished Diamond players.

In a big relief for industries and businesses that rely heavily on cooking fuel, oil marketing companies on Tuesday announced a price cut of Rs 41 on commercial LPG gas cylinders (19 kilograms).

However, the prices of domestic LPG cylinders used for household cooking remain unchanged in this revision.

Effective from April 1, the current retail sale price of 19 kg commercial LPG cylinders in New Delhi will be Rs 1,762.

In Mumbai, the current price is Rs 1,714.5, whereas in Kolkata, the price stands at Rs 1,872 and in Chennai, it is Rs 1,924.50.

Indian equity indices opened lower on Tuesday and recovered in the early trade, as heavyweights like Bharti Airtel and ITC turned green.

At 9:44 am, Sensex was down just 3 points at 77,412, and the Nifty was up 23 points or 0.10 per cent at 23,542.

Markets were led by smallcap and midcap stocks. Nifty Midcap 100 index was up 309 points, or 0.67 per cent, at 52,017, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 index was up 88 points, or 0.55 per cent, at 16,184.