Laghu Udyog Bharati

Weekly Insights for Entrepreneurs

Haryana: MSMEs are key to national economic growth: CM Saini

Speaking at the national convention of Laghu Udyog Bharati at Samalkha in Panipat district, CM Saini stated that the three-day industry discussions would offer new directions for the growth of MSMEs and inspire young entrepreneurs to help achieve the vision of a Developed India – Developed Haryana.
Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are contributing significantly to the country’s economic growth, playing pivotal role in the success of initiatives like Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) and Make in India, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini said.
Union minister Khattar, in his address, said that industries play a vital role in the country’s development, adding that the government’s industry-friendly policies, including the reduction of GST slabs, as key achievements for the sector.

MSME relief on cards: Former Cab Secy led panel to suggest overhaul of Quality Control Orders

According to sources, two important changes proposed by the committee are: bring down the number of the technical conformity assessment schemes formulated by BIS from ten to two and shift the focus of inspections from the factory to the market.
According to official data, the BIS has notified 187 QCOs covering 770 products so far, including 84 QCOs covering 343 products issued in the past three years. Four QCOs have been issued in the financial year 2025-26.
QCOs are essentially legal directives issued by various ministries and departments specifying the respective criteria that needs to be fulfilled for domestic and imported products to conform with certain quality standards under the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act. This, in turn, leads to BIS certification.

India picks 8 firms, including IIT Bombay, to build a massive 1-trillion parameter AI model

India’s artificial intelligence mission is moving into its next big phase.
This latest move builds on earlier rounds of selection under the Mission. In May 2025, three startups — SoketAI, Gnani.ai, and Gan AI — were chosen to create India’s first home-grown foundational models. A month before that, four other startups, including Sarvam AI, were identified to focus on specialised AI systems.
In the context of AI, parameters are the learned internal variables that allow a model to recognise patterns and relationships in data. A higher parameter count often translates into a more sophisticated understanding of language. For India, a trillion-parameter model is seen as a major milestone in developing home-grown AI capabilities that can compete with global leaders.

Startups and MSMEs Powering India’s Semiconductor Industry Journey

While much attention goes to billion-dollar fabs and global giants, the real backbone of this journey lies in MSMEs and startups that are building the design, testing, packaging, and prototyping capabilities critical for a self-reliant ecosystem.
From fabless chip design firms to OSAT units and FPGA-based innovators, these companies are quietly shaping the future of India’s semiconductor landscape.
Discover key MSMEs and startups shaping India’s semiconductor ecosystem with design, packaging, and supply chain innovation supporting national growth.
A curated the list of key players fueling the semiconductor industry in India.......

Indian Navy to buy Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles from Odisha-based startup

"The Indian Navy is set to induct indigenously developed Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles (UWROVs) from an Odisha-based deep-tech robotics startup. This represents the first large-scale induction of India-built UWROVs into active naval operations."
"The frugal design delivers advanced capabilities at a significantly lower cost, marking India's first cost-efficient breakthrough in underwater robotics," the company said.
UWROVs have a wide range of applications, including dam and bridge inspections, ocean floor mapping, monitoring marine ecosystems, and inspecting offshore energy assets, pipelines, and subsea cables. They also play a critical role in disaster response and water quality monitoring.

Big trade boost: India, UAE aim to double bilateral non-oil, non-precious metal trade to $100 billion; what’s on the agenda

The plan has been outlined to achieve the target in the next three to four years. Currently, the bilateral trade excluding oil and precious metals amounts to $50-55 billion.
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that both nations have reached an agreement to collaborate on infrastructure development projects in other countries.
"We\'ve established plans to explore investment opportunities in Africa and the GCC regions across various sectors, particularly infrastructure, by combining UAE\'s financial capabilities with India\'s workforce expertise," he stated.
"UPl\'s establishment in the UAE is progressing well, with remittances expected to commence shortly," he indicated, noting that discussions expanded to include defence and aerospace sectors, with UAE expressing interest in Indian space technology.

Mission to tackle skill gaps, empower youth in works

The ministry of skills development and entrepreneurship is firming up a Yogya Bharat Mission, that will develop and oversee the nationwide implementation of basic employability and entrepreneurship skills, a move aimed at harnessing India's demographic opportunity and preparing a skilled workforce as part of government's vision for a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
Besides, it also plans introduce a National Employability and Entrepreneurship Measure to regularly track workforce employability data and use it from time to time to make necessary policy interventions, a senior government official.
The ministry is exploring the possibility of introducing entrepreneurship models such as 'business-in-a-box', aimed at providing structured, ready to deploy business models for direct implementation by individuals and nano-entrepreneurs with focus on technical skills and mentorship.

Govt prepares 100-product list to curb imports, boost self-reliance

The commerce and industry ministry has clubbed these imports into three broad categories—raw materials, intermediates and finished goods—to map where local industry can step in to substitute foreign supplies, commerce secretary Sunil Barthwal said.
“We are examining raw materials like zinc, plastic products, a range of chemicals, pharmaceuticals and other critical intermediates where imports are sizeable but local manufacturing can be strengthened,” Barthwal said.
The exercise is expected to help channel resources towards sectors where India can rapidly scale up, while reducing strategic vulnerabilities arising from critical imports, Barthwal said, adding that it will be made public possibly by this month end.

Real-time labour market info system in the works

The system will offer insights on various aspects of the labour market, such as what skills are in demand, the areas of opportunity, and the type of educational courses required to match industry standards. Multiple factors will be considered while gathering the information regarding job supply and demand, wages, skills availability, and emerging workforce trends.
A standardised skills taxonomy aligned with the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) and National Classification of Occupations (NCO) will help in mapping skill sets. Advanced analytics involving Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are likely to support detection of skill gaps and regional variations.
The system is being designed to help match workforce supply with the demands of fast-changing sectors. It is expected to assist job seekers in finding opportunities, employers in hiring the right talent, educational institutions in updating curricula, and governments in tailoring policy and resource allocation.

Land data to be digitised with ownership rights

The government is planning to create a comprehensive, integrated electronic database of land records that clearly delineates ownership rights in both rural and urban areas and is backed by cadastral maps, land resources secretary Manoj Joshi said.
The move will help improve the flow of real-time information on land rights, optimise the use of land resources, reduce the scope of disputes and improve transparency in such record-keeping.
It assumes significance as the government intends to pursue "next-generation reforms" in the factor markets, including in land, to spur economic growth.

New IIT Hyderabad chip enables 'internet of everything' with low-power 6G tech

Researchers at IIT Hyderabad have developed an indigenous IoT-enabled system-on-chip (SoC) that integrates 4G, 5G, and satellite communications into a single platform, unlocking transformative applications across sectors.
The compact, low-power, and low-cost chip extends connectivity to virtually any corner of the Earth, working reliably for years without battery replacement. "Wearables and animal tags equipped with the chip can monitor health indicators, delivering early alerts and improving both human wellness and livestock management," Kuchi said, highlighting some of the chip's transformative applications. He added that with built-in GPS, assets, perishable goods, school bags, and even children can be tracked affordably and safely.
"By enabling ultra-low-power, sensor-based communications, it complements high-speed 6G networks and makes massive-scale connectivity feasible, affordable, and sustainable."

IIT-M makes low-cost solar power tech for areas with less space

The researchers said they designed and developed a dual-axis ‘tilt-roll' heliostat, a mirror device that tracks the sun's movement and reflects its rays onto a fixed target (solar concentrator or a receiver).
"Our approach is aimed particularly at small installations, including rooftops, educational settings, and areas with space constraints. Precise sun tracking across two axes is done, which maximises sunlight capture throughout the day," said Prof Tiju Thomas. "The elegance of this work lies in the use of the simple Astronomical Almanac for sun tracking, eliminating the need for more expensive commercial trackers," said Prof Sreeram K Kalpathy, IIT-M.
The research team is adapting the heliostat for new uses, including chemical reactions such as converting electronic waste plastics into safe and usable materials at moderate temperatures.

IIT-Indore develops low-cost metal 3D printing technology

The technology, called Micro-Plasma Metal Additive Manufacturing (MP-MAM), can produce high-quality metal components at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods. It works with a range of materials, from titanium alloys used in aircraft to special metals for medical implants and superalloys for heavy-duty tools.
Apart from healthcare, the technology is expected to boost sectors like aerospace, defence, and tooling, with advantages of lower electricity consumption, zero harmful gas emissions, and faster production cycles.
IIT Indore director Professor Suhas Joshi said, "This breakthrough reflects IIT Indore's commitment to innovation that benefits society and industry. MP-MAM positions India as a leader in advanced, eco-friendly metal 3D printing."

CeNS Researchers Create Flexible Aluminum Battery Technology as Lithium-Ion Alternative

The newly developed aluminum battery technology utilizes aluminum—one of the Earth’s most abundant metals – along with a water-based solution. This combination makes the battery cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and significantly safer to handle.
The breakthrough comes from scientists at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru – an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) – in collaboration with the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE), Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
The researchers designed a unique cathode made of copper hexacyanoferrate (CuHCFe), pre-filled with aluminum ions, and paired it with a molybdenum trioxide (MoO₃) anode. This design produced a flexible, high-performance battery capable of bending and folding without losing efficiency.

BITS Pilani & IIT Bombay develop low cost, portable sensor for brain health monitoring

The newly developed sensor presents a portable, low-cost, and reliable alternative to traditional detection methods. Researchers employed molecular imprinting, a technique that creates “molecular locks” shaped precisely like L-tyrosine. These imprints are embedded on a U-shaped optical fiber, which monitors light signals to detect when L-tyrosine binds.
The sensor is highly sensitive—capable of detecting as little as 0.36 micromoles of L-tyrosine. It remains unaffected by similar biomolecules such as glucose or dopamine, maintains accuracy for up to 15 days, and continues to function after multiple washes.
Beyond healthcare, the device holds promise for applications in food safety testing and environmental monitoring, broadening its impact across multiple sectors.

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