Fiscal snapshot: Centre’s deficit widens to 62.3% of budget target by November; higher than last year

The Centre’s fiscal deficit stood at Rs 9.76 lakh crore at the end of November, accounting for 62.3% of the full-year budget estimate for 2025-26, government data released on Wednesday showed, PTI reported.The deficit was higher than the 52.5% recorded during the same period last year, reflecting a faster pace of expenditure relative to revenue…

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Aim to apply for universal bank licence in a decade: Fino Bank

MUMBAI: Fino Payments Bank, promoted by Fino PayTech, received in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in early December 2025 to transition into a small finance bank, enabling lending operations after restructuring. Fino PayTech’s major shareholders are Bharat Petroleum, ICICI Bank group, Blackstone and Intel Capital. In an interview with TOI, Rishi Gupta,…

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Russia pushes deeper: Putin orders ‘buffer zone’ expansion in Ukraine’s Sumy, Kharkiv in 2026; Zelenskyy calls plans ‘mad’

Russia on Wednesday said that its forces are advancing in northeastern Ukraine, with President Vladimir Putin ordering the expansion of a territory that Moscow describes as a “buffer zone” along the border in 2026, according to Russian state news agencies.Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said Putin had directed the expansion of the buffer…

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From build-out to scale-up: India’s infrastructure moves from projects to platforms in 2025

In the roads and highways segment, the government continues to prioritize the expansion and enhancement of the national highways network. By Sushi Shyamal VemuIndia’s infrastructure sector is experiencing a significant transformation, as major developers and Infrastructure Funds shift their focus from isolated project implementation to developing large-scale infrastructure platforms. This change is driven by increased…

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