Top Business & Market Headlines Today — BL Morning Report, January 14, 2025

Amidst changing business environment, Tata Consultancy Services has embarked on a transformation journey with AI at its centre. In conversation with businessline, TCS CEO K Krithivasan and CFO Samir Seksaria, talk about how enterprise clients are accelerating AI decisions despite global uncertainty, how deal cycles are shortening, and why the long-held American dream is no longer the primary aspiration for India’s IT talent. Read the full interview by Vallari Sanzgiri and Thomas K Thomas in the Hindu Businessline. ‘No more 10-minute delivery’: Quick commerce players do away with deadline after labour minister intervenes Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has persuaded major delivery aggregators to remove the mandatory 10-minute delivery deadline, following a series of sustained interventions, sources said Tuesday. A meeting was held with leading platforms including Blinkit, Zepto, Zomato and Swiggy among others to address concerns related to delivery timelines. According to sources, Blinkit has already acted on the directive and removed the 10-minute delivery promise from its branding. Other aggregators are expected to follow suit in the coming days. The move is aimed at ensuring greater safety, security and improved working conditions for gig workers. World Bank estimates 7.2% growth for FY26, 6.5% for FY27 World Bank on Tuesday pegged FY26 growth rate at 7.2 per cent which is lower than government’s projection of 7.4 per cent. For the next fiscal, the growth rate could be 6.5 per cent. “Growth in India is projected to slow to 6.5 percent in FY2026/27, assuming that the 50 percent import tariffs by the United States remain in place throughout the forecast horizon,” the Bank said in its latest Global Economic Prospects report. Securities transaction tax collection likely to miss Budget target The regulatory tightening of Futures and Options (F&O) trading, among other factors, led to a decline in securities transaction tax (STT) collections. Should current trends persist, revenue is expected to fall short of underperform against Budget estimates, a scenario not seen since FY20. Data made public by the Income Tax Department show that STT collection was around ₹44,500 crore as on January 11. Meeting Budget estimates will require a collection of over ₹33,400 crore in the remaining 79 days, a target that appears increasingly challenging.