Business
Resolving industry issues key to revival | The Express Tribune
HYDERABAD:
Hyderabad is a major business hub of Sindh and plays an important role in the province’s economy, but industrial issues must be resolved on a priority basis to improve economic conditions, Rawal Sharjeel Memon said on Saturday.
According to a statement, Memon was speaking to industrialists at the Hyderabad SITE Association of Trade and Industry. He said efforts would be made to bring the provincial IT minister to Hyderabad to initiate digitalisation of the SITE Limited system. He also announced that solar-powered street lights equipped with surveillance cameras would be installed on roads in SITE Hyderabad through the deputy commissioner. He added that the long-standing issue of road blockages by HESCO in the SITE area would be resolved at the earliest.
Earlier, Chairman Hyderabad SITE Association of Trade and Industry Zubair Ghangra said promotion of industry and trade was essential for a strong economy. He expressed hope that issues of SITE Hyderabad, including energy shortages, infrastructure deficiencies and rising business costs, would be conveyed to the Sindh government leadership.
Senior Vice Chairman HSATI Amir Shahab said SITE Hyderabad was the second-largest industrial zone in Sindh, with more than 600 industrial units. However, low gas pressure, unannounced shutdowns, high tariffs, complicated licensing procedures and poor infrastructure had reduced industrial production by 30% to 40%.
New Delhi: If you often use your HDFC Bank debit card for free airport lounge access, this update is important for you. The bank has changed how complimentary lounge entry works on its debit cards. Instead of simply swiping your card at the lounge, customers will now need a digital voucher to get access. Also, the minimum spending requirement has been increased, reported Moneycontrol. These new rules will come into effect from January 10, and will apply to eligible debit cardholders going forward.
How the New Lounge Voucher System Works
Once your eligibility is confirmed, HDFC Bank will send you an SMS or email with a link to claim your lounge access voucher. You’ll need to verify your request by entering an OTP sent to your registered mobile number. You will receive a voucher code or QR code after successful verification which must be shown at the airport lounge to get entry.
Minimum Spend Requirement Increased
Under the revised rules, HDFC Bank debit card users will now need to spend at least Rs 10,000 in a calendar quarter to be eligible for complimentary airport lounge access. Earlier, the minimum spend required was Rs 5,000.
However, this condition will not apply to HDFC Infiniti Debit Card holders. Customers using the Infiniti card will continue to enjoy free lounge access without any minimum spending requirement.
Eligible Transactions and Free Lounge Visits by Card Type
Only purchase transactions made using the debit card will be considered while calculating the quarterly spending requirement. Other types of transactions will not be counted, as noted by Moneycontrol.
Meanwhile, the number of complimentary lounge visits remains unchanged and continues to depend on the debit card variant:
Millennia Debit Card: 1 free visit per quarter
Platinum Debit Card: 2 free visits per quarter
Times Points Debit Card: 1 free visit per quarter
Business Debit Card: 2 free visits per quarter
GIGA Debit Card: 1 free visit per quarter
Infiniti Debit Card: 4 free visits per quarter
This means cardholders should check both their spending eligibility and card type to know how many lounge visits they can enjoy.
Which Transactions Count and Voucher Validity Explained
Only purchase transactions made using the debit card will be counted towards the quarterly spending requirement. As per Moneycontrol, the following transactions will not be included:
ATM cash withdrawals
UPI or wallet payments (GPay, PhonePe, Paytm, etc.)
Credit card bill payments made via debit card
Debit card EMI transactions
New debit cardholders will also need to meet the Rs 10,000 spending requirement to become eligible for complimentary lounge access.
Voucher Validity:
Once issued, the lounge access voucher will remain valid till the end of the next calendar quarter, after which it will expire if not used.
What This Means for Debit Card Users
With the updated lounge access rules, HDFC Bank is clearly encouraging higher card usage and digital verification. Customers who regularly use complimentary lounge benefits will now need to keep a close watch on their quarterly spending and complete the voucher process in advance. As per Moneycontrol, physical debit card swipes will no longer work from January 10, making it important for travellers to switch to the new digital voucher system.
Business
India-US trade: Exports rebound in November; supply-chain shifts and holiday restocking drive recovery, says GTRI – The Times of India
India’s exports to the US bounced back in November after two months of dip. The rebound was largely supported by supply-chain adjustments and pre-holiday season inventory restocking, according to the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI). This recovery came despite the US imposing 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods since August.
November India-US trade snapshot amid higher tariffs
- Exports to the US rose 22.61 per cent in November to $6.98 billion, reversing declines seen between May and September.
- Smartphones (largest export item): Exports fell from $2.29 billion in May to $884.6 million in September, before rising to $1.8 billion.
- Gems and jewellery: Slumped from $500.2 million in May to $202.8 million in September, then rebounded to $406.2 million.
- Machinery and mechanical appliances: Declined to $516.8 million in September, before nearly returning to peak levels at $614.6 million in November.
- Pharmaceuticals: Shipments rose to $669.2 million in November, but remained below May levels.
- Mineral fuels and oils (tariff-exempt): Fell from $291.5 million in May to $251.5 million in September, before climbing to $274.3 million.
GTRI said the rebound came after a sharp fall in exports earlier in the year, triggered by uncertainty surrounding impending tariff hikes. GTRI Founder Ajay Srivastava said US buyers initially delayed orders and ran down inventories. “Once the higher tariffs became certain, exporters and US buyers began adjusting, absorbing part of the cost, renegotiating prices, and shifting toward less-affected or hard-to-substitute products,” he said.However, the think tank also warned that this recovery might not last. They claimed that it was more about adjusting to tougher tariffs rather than a permanent improvement. The think tank also added that businesses were using short-term strategies to cope with the new trade environment.
A social action charity has welcomed the decision to increase the living wage in Jersey to £15.10 per hour in 2026.
The new rate was approved this week and will come into effect at the beginning of January.
The living wage is £1.51 higher than Jersey’s minimum wage which is set to increase to £13.59 per hour from April 2026.
Caritas Jersey CEO, Patrick Lynch, said the living wage was the minimum islanders needed “in order to thrive, and not just survive here in Jersey”.
Mr Lynch said: “This will be good news for many at accredited organisations and their subcontractors, ahead of the new year, when many people will have increased rental costs and also face increases in the cost of some utilities and other day to day expenses.
“The Jersey Living Wage has never been as important as it is now for so many people with poverty unfortunately still increasing and a continued rise in food bank usage in our island.
“Putting that in perspective, in February 2022 one food bank was seeing 195 families; that figure has now risen to over 640 families.
“The majority of the people who form this increase are people in work, on minimum or low wages.”
He added the differential between the minimum wage and the Jersey Living Wage “remained worryingly high” and something “Assembly members should ponder as they debate the budget this week and look ahead to next June’s general election”.
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