Business
Exploration Of Critical Minerals In Northeast Among The Main Priorities: G Kishan Reddy
New Delhi: Union Minister of Coal and Mines, G Kishan Reddy, on Monday said that exploration of critical minerals in Northeast India is the main agenda of the government, among other activities.
Speaking to the reporters during the inauguration of the Namchik-Namphuk Coal Mine in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh today, the Minister said, “We want to develop the Northeast in every sector. Currently, coal-based activities are ongoing in Assam, and in the coming days, we will accelerate exploration activities in Mizoram and other states.”
“Additionally, there are significant reserves of critical minerals in neighbouring countries. Since major coal-related activities are happening in those countries, it indicates that the areas of our country bordering them may also have reserves of coal and critical minerals. Therefore, exploring these reserves, developing the region, providing employment to the local population, and boosting economic activity in the area is our main agenda,” the Minister said.
Critical minerals are essential resources for a nation’s economic development, national security, and modern technologies, including renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, and digital infrastructure. They are defined by their importance, not their scarcity, but they pose supply chain risks due to limited availability in certain geographic locations and complex global extraction and processing chains.
The much-anticipated exploration project, being developed by the Mahalaxmi Group, is expected to generate an estimated Rs 4,500 crore in revenue for the Arunachal Pradesh government, said Union Coal Minister Reddy along with Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu in a joint media briefing during the inauguration.
Reddy said the inauguration would mark a “new era of trust, transparency, and transformation” in the region’s mining sector.
“This is not just a mining project. It is a symbol of trust, transparency, and transformation for the people of Arunachal Pradesh. We are bringing sustainable, scientific, and legal mining practices to a region that holds immense potential,” the union minister said ahead of the event.
Chief Minister Khandu said the project would be a major driver of industrial growth and employment in the state.
“This initiative will not only boost revenue but also bring in skill development, infrastructure, and long-term employment for our youth. We are proud to be part of India’s growth journey,” he said.
The Namchik Namphuk coal block, with reserves of 1.5 crore tonnes, was first allocated in 2003 but faced long delays and stoppages due to various challenges. It was revived through a transparent auction process in 2022, opening the doors for private sector entry and marking the end of years of delays.
This initiative carries forward the vision of EAST – Empower, Act, Strengthen, Transform – a guiding philosophy for every initiative in the Northeast. With this development, Arunachal Pradesh joins india’s coal journey, the world’s second-largest coal producer, which crossed a record 1 billion tonnes of production last year.
According to the estimate of coal ministry, mine is expected to generate over Rs 100 crore annually as revenue for the state, creating jobs and prosperity for youth.
The Eli Lilly logo appears on the company’s office in San Diego, California, U.S., Nov. 21, 2025.
Mike Blake | Reuters
Eli Lilly on Monday said it is lowering the cash prices of single-dose vials of its blockbuster weight loss drug Zepbound on its direct-to-consumer platform, LillyDirect, building on efforts by the company and the Trump administration to make the medicine more accessible.
The announcement also comes weeks after chief rival Novo Nordisk unveiled additional discounts on the cash prices of its obesity and diabetes drugs.
Starting Monday, cash-paying patients with a valid prescription can get the starting dose of Zepbound vials for as low as $299 per month on LillyDirect, down from a previous price of $349 per month. They can also access the next dose, 5 milligrams, for $399 per month and all other doses for $449 per month, down from $499 per month across those sizes.
Zepbound carries a list price of roughly $1,086 per month. That price point, and spotty insurance coverage for weight loss drugs in the U.S., have been significant barriers to access for some patients.
Eli Lilly’s announcement comes just weeks after President Donald Trump inked deals with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to make their GLP-1 drugs easier for Americans to get and afford. The agreements will cut the prices the government pays for the drugs, introduce Medicare coverage of obesity drugs for the first time for certain patients and offer discounted medicines on the government’s new direct-to-consumer website launching in January, TrumpRx.
But Eli Lilly’s deal with Trump centers around lowering the prices of a different form of Zepbound – a multi-dose pen – after it wins Food and Drug Administration approval.
That means Eli Lilly’s Monday announcement around cutting prices on the existing single-dose vials could allow more patients to get discounted treatments more quickly.
“We will keep working to provide more options — expanding choices for delivery devices and creating new pathways for access — so more people can get the medicines they need,” said Ilya Yuffa, president of Lilly USA and global customer capabilities, in a statement.
Eli Lilly’s stock, which has climbed more than 36% this year, fell nearly 2% on Monday. Its meteoric rise due to the success of Zepbound and its diabetes injection Mounjaro vaulted it to becoming the first health-care company to hit a $1 trillion market value last month. Though cutting prices means lower revenue per medication sold, Eli Lilly’s sales — and shares — have continued to soar through past pricing announcements as demand balloons.
With single-dose vials, patients need to use a syringe and needle to draw up the medicine and inject it into themselves. Eli Lilly first introduced that form of Zepbound in August 2024.
It’s unclear how many patients are currently using single-dose vials of Zepbound. But Eli Lilly previously said that direct-to-consumer sales now account for more than a third of new prescriptions of Zepbound.
Novo Nordisk earlier this month lowered the price of its obesity drug Wegovy and diabetes treatment Ozempic for existing cash-paying patients to $349 per month from $499 per month. That excludes the highest dose of Ozempic.
The company also launched a temporary introductory offer, which will allow new cash-paying patients to access the two lowest doses of Wegovy and Ozempic for $199 per month for the first two months of treatment.
The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has approved a fresh increase in the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), raising the cost for both domestic consumers and commercial users.
According to the notification issued, the LPG price has been increased by Rs7.39 per kilogram, setting the new rate at Rs209 per kg for December. As a result, the price of a domestic LPG cylinder has risen by Rs87.21, bringing the new price to Rs2,466.10.
In November, the price of LPG stood at Rs201 per kg, while the domestic cylinder was priced at Rs2,378.89.
The latest price hike is expected to put additional pressure on households already grappling with rising living costs nationwide.
New Delhi: The taxable value of all supplies under GST surged by a robust 15 per cent during September-October this year, compared to the same period in 2024 due to sharp increase in consumption triggered by the tax rate cuts on goods across sectors that kicked in from September 22, according to official sources.
The growth in the same two-month period last year was 8.6 per cent. “This surge in taxable value during ‘Bachat Utsav’ demonstrates strong consumption uplift, stimulated by reduced rates and improved compliance behaviour,” a senior official said.
He pointed out that the growth has especially been strong in sectors where rate rationalisation was implemented, such as FMCG, pharma goods, food products, automobiles, medical devices and textiles. In these sectors, the taxable value of supplies has seen significantly higher growth, confirming that lower GST rates translated directly into higher consumer spending.
“It vindicates our strategy that reducing rates on essentials and mass-use sectors would create demand-side buoyancy — a Laffer Curve–type demand uplift,” he explained.These trends confirm that GST next-gen reforms have not disrupted revenue stability, and that consumption-side buoyancy has begun to translate into higher taxable value in key sectors.
This growth is in value terms which means that since GST rates were lower, the growth in volume terms will be even higher. It is clearly visible that while the Next Gen Reforms resulted in significant Bachat — increased consumption, industry has been very proactive in passing on the GST savings to the final consumers and ensuring that there is no supply side deficiency.
As GDP private consumption data will be released much later, GST taxable value serves as the most reliable real-time proxy for consumption, and the current numbers clearly indicate sustained demand expansion, the official added.
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