Namaste! Aaj ka news roundup, Newswala style!

MARKETS

Markets: Markets may tread carefully this week with just three trading days and global jitters from the US-China tariff war. All eyes will be on big Q4 results from Infosys, HDFC Bank, and ICICI, while FIIs and DIIs continue their push-pull game.

TOP STORIES

Hero’s Back in the Saddle

What Happened

Hero MotoCorp has maintained its throne in India's two-wheeler market, selling a whopping 54.45 lakh units in FY25! 

This impressive performance secured them a 28.84% market share, according to the latest data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA). 

Their closest competitor, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, came in second with 47.89 lakh units sold, capturing 25.37% of the market. 

Deep Dive

The overall two-wheeler segment grew by 8%, with total registrations reaching 1.88 crore units compared to 1.75 crore in the previous year. 

This growth outpaced the passenger vehicle segment, which saw a more modest 5% increase.

What's particularly interesting is that rural areas outperformed urban regions across both segments.  

Zoom Out

India's auto market is gaining momentum with retail sales up 6%, reaching 2.61 crore units in FY25. The strong rural performance indicates economic improvement in India's heartland, promising continued growth for companies with good rural presence.

TOP STORIES

Flipkart Minutes Racing to 800 Dark Stores

What Happened

Flipkart's quick commerce division is hitting the gas pedal on expansion! CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy announced that Flipkart Minutes is on the way to reach 800 dark stores by the end of 2025. 

That's quite the jump from their current network of nearly 300 stores, especially considering they only launched nine months ago with a modest 100 locations.  

Why it Matters

This rapid expansion puts Flipkart in direct competition with some serious heavy hitters. Zomato's Blinkit currently operates over 1,000 dark stores and plans to double that number by December. 

Meanwhile, Swiggy Instamart is targeting 1,000 stores by March, and Zepto aims for 1,200 as it prepares for an IPO this year.

Behind The Scene

Flipkart is using its e-commerce expertise and Walmart's international quick commerce experience to carve out market share.

According to BofA Global Research, Flipkart Minutes offers particularly competitive pricing on electronics, leveraging the company's established sourcing strengths.

TOP STORIES

NITI Aayog's $145 Billion Triple-Threat Plan

What Happened

NITI Aayog has shared a bold plan to grow India's car parts industry. They want to double how much India makes—reaching $145 billion by 2030—and sell three times more parts to other countries, hitting $60 billion in exports. 

Right now, even though India makes lots of cars (fourth most in the world), we only have a small 3% share of the global car parts business, worth about $20 billion. The plan hopes to grow this to 8% and create over 2 million new jobs along the way.

Why It Matters

Currently, we're not doing great with the complex stuff like engine parts and steering systems, where we only have a tiny 2-4% of the global market. 

Our car part makers face real problems: everything costs too much to make, roads and ports need work, we're not well connected to global supply chains, and companies don't spend enough on creating new things.

The Action Plan

NITI Aayog wants to fix these problems by helping companies with their day-to-day costs, especially for tools and equipment.

Another smart move is creating shared testing centers where different companies can work together instead of each one trying to do everything alone.

If this plan works out, India could end up selling $25 billion more car parts than it buys from other countries by 2030.  

GROWTH GULLY

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📊 Finance Gold: What value creation in finance really means 

🐦 Rupee Voices: Top 20 Indian finance influencers you must follow on Twitter 

 📖 Hustle Blogs: 35 blogs that every entrepreneur should bookmark in 2025 

🦠 Gut Gains: Breakthroughs in microbiome research and how your gut affects overall health

PAISON KA KHEL

Gadkari's Grand Highway Glow-Up 🛣️

India's road wizard Nitin Gadkari has big plans for your highways. The Centre is rolling out a whopping ₹10 trillion investment over the next two years to beef up highways nationwide. The Northeast is getting special treatment, with Gadkari promising roads "on par with US highways".

Plus, the numbers are as massive as those potholes you've been dodging: 784 projects worth ₹3,73,484 crore in eastern states covering 21,355 km. Assam gets ₹57,696 crore, Bihar ₹90,000 crore, and a cool ₹1 trillion for the rest of the Northeast.

HDFC’s Small Town Love Story 🏙️

HDFC Capital is splashing ₹1,500 crore into a real estate deal with Eldeco Group to build 18 housing projects across India’s tier-2 and tier-3 towns. The goal is to whip up over 10 million sq ft of homes and rake in ₹11,000 crore in revenue. 

From Panipat to Rishikesh, these towns are getting a glow-up, thanks to growing infrastructure and HDFC’s bullish faith in the rising middle class.

GLOBAL NAZARA

Trump’s iPhone Dream Gets Expensive 📱

If Donald Trump gets his way and iPhones are made in the USA, get ready to pay three times more. Analysts say the price could shoot up to 3,500 dollars or about 3.1 lakh rupees. That is a lot of zeroes for a selfie machine.

Right now, making an iPhone in China costs just 40 dollars in labor. In the US, that jumps to 200 dollars. Ouch.

Ships Get Slapped with World's First Carbon Tax 🚢

Well, it's finally happened, folks! The shipping world just got its wallet pinched. Starting in 2028, ships will pay a $100 tax for every ton of carbon dioxide they belch into our atmosphere.

This first-ever global greenhouse gas tax aims to clean up shipping, which puffs out about 3% of the world's emissions. 

However, the US decided to play hooky from the meeting, with Team Trump warning they might hit back if anyone tries to tax their boats.

MIRCH MASALA

🏏 Dhoni Hint: Sakshi’s whispered “last match” gets fans speculating the end of an era

🥵 Hrithik Fever: One pic and the U.S. suddenly wants to know everything about Hrithik.

🎩 Trump Prophecy: The Simpsons strike again—with a spooky “April 12” prediction.

📚 Bulldozer Run: Girl flees with books as bulldozers raze homes—Supreme Court takes note.

🥚 Egg Mystery: Viral post claims penguin eggs turn transparent—science still silent.