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Time of India
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Maa Box Office Collection Day 1: Kajol's horror film makes Rs 4.50 crore debut; faces stiff ccompetition from Vishnu Manchu's 'Kannappa' and Brad Pitt's 'F1'
Kajol 's long-awaited return to the big screen with the horror drama Maa has seen a respectable start at the Indian box office. The film which faced some stiff competition at the ticket windows, managed to earn an estimated Rs 4.50 crore nett collection on its opening day. Directed by Vishal Furia , the supernatural thriller has managed to make its mark despite facing intense competition from two high-profile releases — the Vishnu Manchu starrer Kannappa and Brad Pitt 's racing drama F1. Released on June 27, Maa marked Kajol's comeback after a three-year hiatus and generated steady buzz among fans of both horror and emotional dramas. With a UA 16+ rating and a runtime of 2 hours and 15 minutes, the film combines Indian mythology and psychological horror, following a mother-daughter road trip that spirals into a chilling confrontation with a cursed legend. The film saw a slow start to its collections, recording just around 8.23% occupancy for its morning shows and saw its numbers rise to 32.61% for its night shows. With a collection of Rs 4.50 crore, Maa placed third in Friday's box office battle, coming in behind F1, which earned an estimated Rs 5 crore nett and Kannappa, which emerged on top with a total Rs 9 crore collection. While the opening figures may not be front-loaded in comparison to big-budget tentpoles, trade experts consider the haul a decent start given the film's mid-range scale and genre-specific appeal. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Jolie-Pitt Family Shows Support For Shiloh's Change Drivepedia Undo Maa, entering a crowded box office window could have also played a role in diminishing its box office collections. Despite the competition, Kajol's emotional performance and the film has been praised. Added support from Ajay Devgn , including a limited-time 'Buy 2 Get 1 Free' ticket offer, has also helped drive ticket sales, particularly in urban centres. Maa still has room to grow over the weekend, especially if positive reviews continue to build.
Economic Times
an hour ago
- Automotive
- Economic Times
KPIT CEO calls for increased R&D, deeptech investments
ETtech Kishor Patil, cofounder and CEO, KPIT Technologies India needs to push investments into research and development in technology and deeptech, and boost quality exports to compete in the automotive sector, said Kishor Patil, cofounder and chief executive of mid-tier engineering and technology services firm KPIT Technologies.'If you look right now, the innovation index of India is still very extremely low; Rundefined educational reforms which are happening should help over time. And we have to build our exports…there quality will be key. It is headed in that direction but not what we need.' India's R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP was around 0.7% in 2024, compared with 2.68% in China, as per a discussion paper by government think tank NITI Aayog. According to Patil, with the ongoing geopolitical conflicts, supply chain issues hurting China, and Europe and the US being slow markets due to tariffs and other macro factors, 'India is the only market which is growing and open. So, my view is, this is the time we have to really build a very strong ecosystem.'One of the strengths of China has been the ecosystem built with support from its government, he said, adding that in India, the government needs to push infrastructure and automotive-focused software services provider, KPIT has increased its own R&D investments to around 6-7% of revenue from 2-3% about five years ago, he the financial year ended March 2024, KPIT spent $13.53 million on R&D as compared to $9.6 million in the previous year, as per its annual report. The FY24 spending was around 2.3% of the revenue.'For KPIT, we have a 6-7% investment into R&D, typically around 2-4% is organic and inorganically it is 2-3%,' Patil said. The Pune-headquartered company made three investments in 2023-24, worth over Rs 400 crore (around $47 million). In May this year, KPIT said it acquired US-based Caresoft Global Technologies' Engineering solutions for up to $191 million to expand its business in the off-highway commercial vehicle segment. The company will increase investment in the off-highway commercial vehicle segment, he said. The Caresoft acquisition is for that, he said, adding that it will also open the China market for KPIT along with cost reduction to compete with China's automotive FY25, KPIT's revenue grew 18% to $691 is the company's fastest growing market is Asia, with an around 20% market share, he said. 'Europe and the US are similar over 30% each. But India, Japan and, this year, Europe look better for us.'Patil expects the three regions to be key growth areas for the company with technologies like cybersecurity, autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence being integral to the deal pipeline worth $280 million that the company indicated during its FY25 results announcement. Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. The bike taxi dreams of Rapido, Uber, and Ola just got a jolt. But they're winning public favour Second only to L&T, but controversies may weaken this infra powerhouse's growth story Punit Goenka reloads Zee with Bullet and OTT focus. Can he beat mighty rivals? 3 critical hurdles in India's quest for rare earth independence HDB Financial may be cheaper than Bajaj Fin, but what about returns? Why Sebi must give up veto power over market infra institutions These large- and mid-cap stocks can give more than 23% return in 1 year, according to analysts Are short-term headwinds from China an opportunity? 8 auto stocks: Time to be contrarian? Buy, Sell or Hold: Motilal Oswal initiates coverage on Supreme Industries; UBS initiates coverage on PNB Housing
Economic Times
an hour ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
Karnataka's fake news bill: Rs 10 lakh fine, 7-year jail for disrespecting sanatan symbols, promoting superstition
Agencies The state government's draft proposal—the Karnataka Misinformation and Fake News (Prohibition) Bill, 2025—placed before the cabinet last week, has raised concern among stakeholders. According to the bill, the government looks to criminalise and punish those who spread misinformation. The draft bill says that companies and social media platforms may also be held liable for fake news shared through their the draft bill, social media users found guilty can face two to five years in jail. If one posts fake news on social media platforms, they can be imprisoned for up to seven years and fined up to Rs 10 lakh. Abetment of such offences will also attract a two-year jail term, the 11-page draft read. The draft includes formulating a state 'fake news regulatory authority' tasked with a broad mandate to monitor and regulate the content disseminated on social media platforms. 'Prohibit publication of content amounting to disrespect of Sanatan symbols and beliefs on social media platforms. Prohibit publication of content promoting superstition,' the draft bill accessed by ET read. Government's takePriyank Kharge, state IT-BT minister, told ET that the document is an opinion of a few individuals in the law department and will be thoroughly discussed by the home and IT departments before moving forward. Defending the Congress government's move, Kharge said, "We are not deciding whether it is misinformation or fake news. We are getting professionals to do that. We would love it if even the Editors Guild of India or the Press Council of India, or anybody else, wants to be a part of it."He added that the government is not trying to change any policy. 'We're just trying to connect the dots that already exist and make a bill out of it." The minister emphasised that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that misinformation creates havoc and is a threat to democracy. The new authority's core functions would include ensuring a complete ban on the spread of fake news. It also talks about content that is abusive, obscene, anti-feminist, or insulting to the dignity of women. The new body will have the power to recommend punitive action under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, against individuals or entities found asked if the government would support such a bill at a central level, Kharge, referring to the Broadcast and Digital Bill, said, "We are not doing anything like tampering with the IT Act. We are merely categorising any public interest information as true or false. And we are tracking it up with reasons why we think it is false. Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. The bike taxi dreams of Rapido, Uber, and Ola just got a jolt. But they're winning public favour Second only to L&T, but controversies may weaken this infra powerhouse's growth story Punit Goenka reloads Zee with Bullet and OTT focus. Can he beat mighty rivals? 3 critical hurdles in India's quest for rare earth independence HDB Financial may be cheaper than Bajaj Fin, but what about returns? Why Sebi must give up veto power over market infra institutions These large- and mid-cap stocks can give more than 23% return in 1 year, according to analysts Are short-term headwinds from China an opportunity? 8 auto stocks: Time to be contrarian? Buy, Sell or Hold: Motilal Oswal initiates coverage on Supreme Industries; UBS initiates coverage on PNB Housing
Business Recorder
an hour ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
The cost of irrational energy levies
The federal government's decision to impose a petroleum levy of Rs 77 per litre on furnace oil (HFO), supplemented by a carbon tax of Rs 2.50 per litre, adds Rs 84,742 per ton in taxes to a fuel that otherwise costs approximately Rs 130,000 per ton. For export-oriented textile manufacturers, many of whom depend on HFO-based captive power for uninterrupted production, this will severely undermine their viability. Under current market conditions, HFO-fired captive generation costs roughly Rs 33 per kWh, broadly equivalent to prevailing grid tariffs. Once the new levies are applied, generation costs surge to nearly Rs 51 per kWh, by over 50%. At this level, HFO-based power generation ceases to be economically viable, forcing textile firms into an untenable dilemma: continue operating at a severe loss or switch to an unreliable and, ultimately, more expensive grid supply. For most mills, switching to grid-supplied power is not a viable alternative, as HFO-fired captive generation is principally used by units lacking reliable DISCO connections. Across Pakistan—and particularly in urban industrial hubs such as Lahore and Karachi—DISCOs routinely decline new industrial hookups due to constrained infrastructure and transformer capacity. Where connections are technically offered, firms are presented with demand notices running into the tens of billions of rupees merely to secure a feeder line, with no guarantee of timely service: lead times for actual energization often extend to two or three years. Under these conditions, pursuing a formal grid connection is neither commercially nor operationally feasible, aside from enduring the frequent voltage sags and load-shedding that characterize grid supply. This punitive taxation of HFO follows the so-called 'grid transition levy' on gas consumption by captive-power users—a tax that the government itself concedes is incorrectly calculated yet refuses to rectify. Officially, the transition levy is intended to align the cost of captive power with grid tariffs. In practice, however, the levy calculation is based on peak-hour grid rates that apply for only four hours each day, it relies on an eight-year-old Nepra determination of captive O&M costs, a figure that has since doubled or tripled due to inflation and currency depreciation, and incorporates a series of arbitrary errors that artificially inflate the final rate, coercing efficient captive generators onto an unprepared grid. Over the past month alone, two major textile production units served by HESCO reported repeated outages, voltage fluctuations, and sudden trippings. These disturbances burned out feeders and control panels, inflicted heavy machinery damage, and disrupted tightly scheduled production lines. Similar incidents are occurring across multiple DISCOs, underscoring that Pakistan's electricity grid lacks both the capacity and reliability to absorb additional industrial loads. Rather than addressing these structural weaknesses through targeted grid investments, modernization of aging infrastructure, and expansion of generation capacity, the government has opted for a shortcut: tax all alternative energy sources until the grid becomes the sole available option. First gas, now HFO and even solar panels. On one hand, political rhetoric extols market-driven strategy and competitive pricing; on the other, regressive taxes are being wielded to coerce industrial users onto a system that is demonstrably incapable of meeting their needs. The economic repercussions extend far beyond individual factory bills. Pakistan's textile industry accounts for over 50% of export revenues, sustains millions of direct and indirect jobs, and underpins rural livelihoods through cotton cultivation. A unilateral surge in energy costs will erode global competitiveness, and potentially trigger plant closures or relocation of production to more stable energy markets. Already, the poorly designed levy on gas-fired captive generation has slashed captive gas demand by 90%, creating a 400 MMCFD RLNG surplus that the government cannot absorb and which worsens circular debt. The same error is now being applied to furnace oil—despite domestic oversupply, demand will collapse once the levy is imposed, forcing HFO to be exported at under Rs 100,000 per ton rather than sold locally at Rs 130,000. As a result, industry will rely on a grid powered largely by imported coal and RLNG, while domestic HFO is sold abroad at a loss. With demand destroyed, the levy will generate no revenue, import costs will rise, and domestic value addition in exports—through the use of local fuels—will decline. To reverse this trajectory, the government must take three immediate steps. First, suspend the new petroleum and carbon levies on HFO until a comprehensive impact assessment is completed, involving industry stakeholders, DISCO representatives, and energy experts. Such an assessment should quantify the cost differential between captive and grid power under current conditions, and model the long-term effects on export revenue, employment, and foreign exchange earnings. And even then, any levy should be imposed gradually to allow sufficient time for consumers to adjust. Second, the calculation of the grid transition levy must be corrected to reflect actual grid power tariffs and captive generation costs and eliminate arbitrary inflation. Finally, commit to a multi-year grid-modernization plan that addresses transmission bottlenecks, reduces line losses, and provides reliable power at a regionally competitive rate of 9 cents per kWh or below. Without these corrective actions, the government risks imposing a de facto production tax on Pakistan's most vital export sector—one that it can ill afford. Coercive levies may fill the treasury in the short term, but they undermine industrial resilience, drive up unemployment, and weaken foreign-exchange reserves through the hollowing-out of export capacity. In effect, policy is being used not to bolster markets, but to strangle them—and in the process, torpedo the very growth narrative that it purports to champion. A reversal of these levies, accompanied by a clear roadmap for grid improvement, will restore confidence among exporters, stabilize power costs, and ensure that Pakistan's textile sector remains a global competitor rather than a declining casualty of misguided energy policy. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Time of India
an hour ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
KPIT CEO calls for increased R&D, deeptech investments
KPIT CEO Kishor Patil emphasised the need for India to boost R&D investment, foster deeptech innovation, and improve export quality to compete in the global automotive sector. Highlighting geopolitical shifts and India's growth potential, he called for stronger government support, citing KPIT's own rising R&D spend and global expansion efforts. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads India needs to push investments into research and development in technology and deeptech, and boost quality exports to compete in the automotive sector , said Kishor Patil , cofounder and chief executive of mid-tier engineering and technology services firm KPIT Technologies 'If you look right now, the innovation index of India is still very extremely low; Rundefined educational reforms which are happening should help over time. And we have to build our exports…there quality will be key. It is headed in that direction but not what we need.'India's R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP was around 0.7% in 2024, compared with 2.68% in China, as per a discussion paper by government think tank NITI to Patil, with the ongoing geopolitical conflicts, supply chain issues hurting China, and Europe and the US being slow markets due to tariffs and other macro factors, 'India is the only market which is growing and open. So, my view is, this is the time we have to really build a very strong ecosystem.'One of the strengths of China has been the ecosystem built with support from its government, he said, adding that in India, the government needs to push infrastructure and automotive-focused software services provider, KPIT has increased its own R&D investments to around 6-7% of revenue from 2-3% about five years ago, he the financial year ended March 2024, KPIT spent $13.53 million on R&D as compared to $9.6 million in the previous year, as per its annual report. The FY24 spending was around 2.3% of the revenue.'For KPIT, we have a 6-7% investment into R&D, typically around 2-4% is organic and inorganically it is 2-3%,' Patil Pune-headquartered company made three investments in 2023-24, worth over Rs 400 crore (around $47 million). In May this year, KPIT said it acquired US-based Caresoft Global Technologies ' Engineering solutions for up to $191 million to expand its business in the off-highway commercial vehicle company will increase investment in the off-highway commercial vehicle segment, he said. The Caresoft acquisition is for that, he said, adding that it will also open the China market for KPIT along with cost reduction to compete with China's automotive FY25, KPIT's revenue grew 18% to $691 is the company's fastest growing market is Asia, with an around 20% market share, he said. 'Europe and the US are similar over 30% each. But India, Japan and, this year, Europe look better for us.'Patil expects the three regions to be key growth areas for the company with technologies like cybersecurity, autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence being integral to the deal pipeline worth $280 million that the company indicated during its FY25 results announcement.
