Business Bureau

India’s leading building materials exhibition, MATECIA Exhibition, in collaboration with SURFACES REPORTER, was formally inaugurated on Thursday at Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan (BBMP), Kolkata, marking the launch of the largest architecture, interiors and building materials platform for East and Northeast India. The three-day event, scheduled from January 30 to February 1, 2026, was inaugurated in the presence of industry leaders, senior architects and policymakers. National Award–winning actor and motivational speaker Ashish Vidyarthi attended as the chief guest. The inaugural ceremony included traditional lamp lighting and addresses by key industry representatives from plywood, laminates and building materials sectors, along with officials…

The Government of India has announced the launch of the country’s first AI-enabled state university pilot at Chaudhary Charan Singh University (CCSU), Meerut, marking a major step towards integrating artificial intelligence into higher education and skilling ecosystems. The announcement was made by Jayant Chaudhary, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Minister of State for Education, at Google’s AI for Learning Forum in New Delhi. The initiative is a collaboration between the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Google Cloud and CCSU, aligned with the Prime Minister’s vision of a technology-driven Viksit Bharat 2047.…

Tetley Green Tea has highlighted the role of L-Carnitine, a nutrient known for supporting energy production and fat metabolism, as part of its latest wellness-focused offering in India. L-Carnitine plays a key role in transporting long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondria for β-oxidation, a process essential for breaking down fat and generating energy. Naturally found in foods such as red meat, dairy products and avocados, the nutrient is also produced by the body from amino acids lysine and methionine, though supplementation is often used to ensure adequate intake. Scientific studies cited in wellness research indicate that L-Carnitine can aid fat…

TVS Motor Company has  reported its highest-ever quarterly sales, revenue and profits for the third quarter of FY26, reflecting strong demand across domestic and international markets. For the quarter ended December 2025, the company’s operating revenue surged 37 per cent to Rs. 12,476 crore, compared with Rs. 9,097 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. Operating EBITDA rose 51 per cent to Rs. 1,634 crore, while the EBITDA margin improved to a record 13.1 per cent. Profit before tax (PBT), before exceptional items, climbed 57 per cent to Rs. 1,315 crore during the quarter. Overall two- and three-wheeler sales, including…

Ahead of the Union Budget 2026, leaders from the life insurance sector have outlined a set of fiscal and regulatory measures aimed at improving retirement readiness, expanding insurance penetration and sustaining long-term economic growth. VenkyIyer, Co-Chairperson of the Insurance Awareness Committee (IAC-Life), said taxation has a disproportionately harsh impact on pension earners. He proposed aligning pension taxation with other fixed-interest instruments by taxing only the interest or gains, a move he said would enhance post-retirement income while mobilising long-term savings through life insurance solutions. Iyer also called for a standard deduction for pensioners who do not commute their corpus to ensure…

In a step strengthening the India–Japan skilled mobility corridor, NSDC International, under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, on Tuesday organised a send-off ceremony for Indian candidates who have completed Japanese language training and are departing for employment in Japan. Held at Kaushal Bhawan, New Delhi, the ceremony marked the departure of 39 candidates trained under NSDC International’s structured Japanese language and cultural readiness programme. The candidates will take up opportunities in caregiving, hospitality and agriculture across Japanese prefectures including Tokyo, Ibaraki and Hokkaido. The initiative aims to ensure smooth workplace integration through language proficiency, cultural orientation and employer…

Samsung is set to introduce a new layer of privacy protection for its Galaxy smartphones, aimed at preventing “shoulder surfing” and keeping personal information safe in public spaces. The company said the upcoming feature has been developed over more than five years of engineering, testing and user research, as concerns around mobile privacy continue to grow. According to Samsung, smartphones have become deeply personal, storing messages, passwords and daily routines, yet they are often used in crowded places such as buses, elevators and queues. The new privacy layer is designed to shield sensitive on-screen content, allowing users to check messages…

Royal Enfield will bring its street culture platform HunterHood to Shillong on February 7, 2026, marking the festival’s debut in the Northeast after successful editions in Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai. Built around the spirit of the Hunter 350 motorcycle, the event aims to celebrate urban expression through music, art, sport and community-led creativity. The one-day festival will feature BMX and skateboarding showcases, street football, slam dunk zones and interactive challenges, alongside custom motorcycles by JD Customs. Skate showcases curated by the Shillong Skate Mag community and live graffiti by the Mixed Media Art Crew and Art of Motorcycling 2024 winner…

Good Game, billed as the world’s first as-live global gaming reality show, has officially launched in India with the aim of finding the country’s first Global Gaming Superstar. Actor and entrepreneur Samantha Ruth Prabhu has joined cricketer Rishabh Pant as a global brand ambassador, alongside popular gaming creator Ujjwal Chaurasia. The show has announced a prize money of ₹1 crore, among the highest for a reality show winner in India, along with an opportunity to represent the country at a global level. The platform plans to invest up to ₹100 crore annually and is inviting brands and sponsors to associate…

Edtech company Great Learning has called for a more balanced approach to taxation on digital education services and improved access to affordable education loans, saying these steps are critical to accelerating upskilling efforts across India. Highlighting gaps in the current Goods and Services Tax (GST) framework, the company noted that while core educational services offered by formal institutions are exempt from GST, many online courses, coaching programmes and digital learning offerings continue to attract an 18 per cent tax. This, it said, adds to the financial burden on learners and education providers, particularly in a price-sensitive market focused on skill-based…