The Development Contract intends to revive the historically important industrial site ‘Steelworks of Piombino’, by way of modernisation of the facilities and enhancement of industrial activity. JSW Steel Italy Piombino SPA (JSW Italy), a wholly owned subsidiary of JSW Steel, has signed a Development Contract with the Ministry of Enterprise & Made in Italy, the Tuscany Region and l’Agenzia Nazionale per l’Attrazione Degli Investimenti e lo Sviluppo d’Impresa SPA. The grant is towards the development of the Rail Mill Modernisation Project being implemented by JSW at Piombino at an estimated project cost of €143 million. This project will nearly double the capacity of the Rail Mill from about 0.32 MTPA to 0.6 MTPA which will also enable JSW Italy to enhance the length of the rails being made at JSW Italy from 108 meters to up to 120 meters. Published on April 18, 2025 As per the contract, JSW Steel Italy Piombino S.P.A. is being provided a grant of €33 milion from the Italian Government.

“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Dr Mangi Lal Jat, Deputy Director General -Research (AI) & Director Global Research Program of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad to the post of Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE)-cum-Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for a period of three years from the date of assumption of charge of the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” the government order said.The government has appointed Mangi Lal Jat as Director-General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for a period of three years. He will also be ex-officio Secretary of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.Published on April 17, 2025 Currently the agriculture secretary holds charge of DG, ICAR and Secretary, DARE after the retirement of Himanshu Pathak, who joined as DG, ICRISAT in Hyderabad on March 6 after taking voluntary retirement from ICAR.Jat has a PhD in Agronomy with a specialisation on Soil Moisture Conservation in Rainfed Pearl Millet from ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi.According to ICRISAT website, Jat is a well-recognised Systems Agronomist with over 25 years of rich experience in Systems Science across the developing world. He has served for over 12 years at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) as Principal Scientist/System Agronomist and System Science Strategy Lead and one year at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). He has also served 12 years at Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) as Systems Agronomist.While agriculture scientists in ICAR are allowed to serve until 62 years of age, the DG, ICAR may continue up to the age of 60 years as the person also functions as the secretary in DARE.

The share of B30 in the mutual fund industry’s total AuM now stands at 18 per cent, excluding cash-dominant institutional funds that are largely concentrated in T30 cities. Equity Assets under Management (AuM) in B30 cities have also kept pace with those in T30 metros, growing at a CAGR of 46 per cent over the same period. This has enabled B30 cities to retain a 26 per cent share of the overall equity AuM of the mutual fund industry.
Tier-II and III cities, collectively referred to as B30 locations, are emerging as the growth engine of India’s mutual fund industry, according to a recent report released by CAMS at the 18th Mutual Fund Summit held by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). As of January 2025, B30 cities accounted for 56 per cent of all new SIP registrations, up from 49 per cent in FY23, marking a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 64 per cent.
The CAMS report suggests that the momentum in B30 locations is driven by sachet-sized SIPs, rising digital adoption, and widening access to financial advisory services. Locations beyond the top 10 B30 cities are witnessing faster growth, underscoring the potential of deeper penetration across smaller towns.
Age-wise segmentation shows that investors aged 20–40 years make up 56 per cent of the B30 investor base, signalling increasing interest from the younger demographic. Furthermore, 74 per cent of B30 investors are focused solely on equity schemes, with another 24 per cent diversifying across multiple asset classes.
The report, titled “B30 Locations – Performance & Potential”, draws from data sourced from CAMS MFDEx, which covers around 98 per cent of the mutual fund industry’s AuM. The report indicates that the B30 investor base now stands at around 2 crore, accounting for 58 per cent of the total first-holder investor base serviced by CAMS.
Speaking about the report, Rishi Kumar Bagla, Chairman, CII Western Region, said, “The report is a testament to the success of regulatory foresight and collaborative industry efforts. It’s encouraging to witness Bharat investing confidently, backed by access, awareness, and advisory.”
The data also points to a diversification trend among B30 investors. The proportion of investors with exposure to more than four mutual fund schemes rose from 20 per cent in March 2023 to 22 per cent in January 2025. Additionally, 47 per cent of B30 investors are now investing through more than one fund house, suggesting a maturing investment approach.
Retail participation continues to lead growth. Gross inflows into equity schemes from B30 locations have more than doubled over two years, growing from ₹1.3 lakh crore in FY23 to ₹2.7 lakh crore in FY25 (till January). Distributors such as mutual fund distributors (MFDs) and registered investment advisors (RIAs) have seen significant traction, with RIA-led SIP registrations increasing nearly four-fold during this period.
Published on April 15, 2025