ET NEWS

Central Railway will operate 1,702 special trains for the Diwali and Chhath Puja festivals in an effort to help passengers travel to their destinations and join their families on the festival.CPRO, Central Railway, Swapnil Nila told on Saturday, "The Central Railway is preparing for the upcoming Chhath and Diwali festivals by operating 1,702 special trains to help passengers travel to their destinations to celebrate with their families... These trains will start from stations such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Pune, Kolhapur, and Nagpur... Over 800 of these trains will serve routes to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and the northeastern states... Trains will connect various other locations within the country."CPRO added that Extra counters have been set up at major stations for the convenience and safety of the passengers.He further added, "To ensure passenger comfort and safety, holding areas with a capacity of over 3,000 passengers each have been established at major stations, equipped with amenities such as food, water, toilets, and fans... Mobile UTS services are available for ticket booking, and additional ticket counters have been opened to reduce waiting time..."Earlier on Saturday, the Indian Railways has decided to take strict action against social media handles sharing'misleading' videos related to railway operations.During this festive season, some social media handles have been circulating old or misleading videos, creating confusion among passengers, said the railways in a statement.The railway administration stated that over 20 such social media handles have been identified, and the process of filing FIRs has been initiated. A 24x7 social media monitoring mechanism has been put in place to keep a close watch on such antisocial elements.The railway has appealed to all social media users to refrain from sharing videos of crowds or other incidents at stations without verifying the facts.Passengers are urged to rely only on official Railway notifications and verified social media handles of the Ministry of Railways, i.e., @RailMinIndia on X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for authentic information.

Novo Nordisk has appointed U.S. pharmaceutical executive Greg Miley as its new global head of corporate affairs, as the obesity drugmaker faces growing pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump on drug pricing. Miley recently served as senior vice president of government affairs at U.S. pharmaceutical giant AbbVie. He posted a statement on LinkedIn on Friday and Novo Nordisk shared the statement with Reuters. Novo is turning to an American executive with deep U.S. pharmaceutical experience to help navigate political risks under the Trump administration in the United States, its largest market. NEW HIRE TO FOCUS ON RELATIONS WITH TRUMP ADMINISTRATION The appointment comes as new CEO Mike Doustdar tries to revive investor confidence through a restructuring to sharpen Novo's focus in a fierce obesity drug battle against U.S. rival Eli Lilly. The overhaul includes cutting 9,000 jobs, with 5,000 positions being eliminated in Denmark and layoffs underway across multiple U.S. departments. "In this new role, I see great potential to strengthen our Global Communication and Public Affairs efforts," Miley wrote on LinkedIn, adding that he would begin his new role next month and would relocate to Denmark, Novo's home market. Miley's urgent priority will be improving Novo's relations with the Trump administration, said a source familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential information. Other big pharmaceutical companies have hired public affairs experts with long backgrounds in Republican circles in order to navigate the administration's pressures on the industry, a source at a European drugmaker told Reuters on Friday. TRUMP SAYS OZEMPIC PRICE IN US WILL BE LOWERED Shares of Novo and Lilly fell on Friday after Trump said that the price of Novo's Ozempic diabetes treatment would be lowered. Ozempic contains the same active ingredient as its weight-loss drug Wegovy. Miley spent the past decade at AbbVie in Chicago and was promoted two years ago to senior vice president of government affairs, according to his LinkedIn profile. He has worked in the pharmaceutical industry since 2004, building his career at U.S. drugmakers including more than four years in public affairs at Abbott and nearly five years at Pfizer. AbbVie did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Miley did not reply when contacted by Reuters earlier on Friday. (Reporting by Maggie Fick in London and Stine Jacobsen in Copenhagen, Editing by Louise Heavens, Kirsten Donovan)

The suits are finally joining the party at the homes of their employees this festive season. Companies are easing protocol, offering greater flexibility and time off to cover employees under festival stress. Some firms are celebrating Diwali with the employees reaching office fighting traffic choked by festive shoppers in the national capital and other metros.RPG is following a 50% work-from-home policy. Its employees can use flexibility to work from home or any location of their choice and flexible working hours coordinated with their respective managers as and when needed, including during the festive season. For those reaching their offices, RPG is encouraging its employees to take the recently inaugurated metro line in Mumbai that is close to its office. This is to prevent them from getting stuck in traffic snarls, said the company spokesperson. "The Worli metro station in the Aqua line (Metro line 3), which became fully operational a few weeks ago, is just about 500 metres from our head office (Mumbai)," said the RPG spokesperson. Like other organisations, Deloitte also has optional days off. In some locations, a certain day next week is an optional day off for Deloitte employees. "Since most colleagues availed this option, we decided to keep those offices closed and have WFH for those who haven't taken leave," Deepti Sagar, chief people and experience officer, Deloitte India.. "Our continuing hybrid working pattern benefits us with each team having the discretion to decide whether WFH will work better due to festive season traffic or any other circumstances," said Sagar. Embassy Group, a real estate developer, is giving a Diwali break from 18th to 26th October, while SgurrEnergy, a renewable energy engineering and consulting firm, is also offering a 9-day Diwali break to all 200-plus employees across India. In addition to the break, Embassy is also organising festive luncheons, personalised gifts, and bonuses, its spokesperson told ET.While for some firms, bonuses are further increasing the festive cheer. "Diwali bonuses in India are largely on track this year, especially in the manufacturing sector, including industrial goods, automotive, and consumer durables," said Rajul Mathur, consulting leader, Work and Rewards, WTW India. According to Mathur, some companies, particularly in South India, have already paid their Diwali bonuses before the festival, while the automotive sector is expecting higher payout numbers due to strong sales performance.Most companies in the manufacturing space, especially industrial goods, automotive and consumer durables are on track for Diwali bonus, said experts.Higher Payouts at Car DealershipsThe overarching fact is that car bookings and consequent sales have seen multi-fold jump post GST revisions, and both wholesale and retail sales are beating expectations, said Yagesh Singhania, director, Deloitte. “For the blue-collar workforce, there is already a trend of ex gratia bonus for the year being paid during the Diwali month in addition to Diwali gifts, etc. This will continue this year.”He also said almost all automotive OEM companies have paid the increments and bonuses for the previous fiscal year for their white-collar workforce. At the dealership level, there will be higher payouts for September end, October and November on account of larger bookings. “OEMs have already created multiple festival incentive plans to encourage dealerships to boost sales.”

JioStar is witnessing early signs of recovery in advertising spends, following recent changes in the goods and services tax (GST) regime, said its CEO for entertainment Kevin Vaz.The company reported a steady second quarter, supported by growth across both digital and linear businesses."Television entertainment advertising sales continue to face pressure, mainly because FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) companies have cut spending. However, with the GST changes, we are seeing green shoots, and we expect the coming quarter to be stronger," Vaz said during Reliance Industries' second-quarter earnings call. "Sequential comparisons may not be ideal since the previous quarter included the IPL (Indian Premier League), but despite that, we have delivered stable revenue growth."Industry executives expect festive season advertising expenditure to rise, with incremental spends of around ₹5,400 crore projected as GST rationalisation revives consumer demand in FMCG, durables and automobiles.For the quarter to September, JioStar reported revenue of ₹6,179 crore, with an earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) margin of 28.1%. EBITDA stood at ₹1,738 crore, while profit after tax was ₹1,322 crore. Vaz attributed the performance to cost control and balanced contributions from subscription and advertising across television and digital.On the linear side, JioStar's entertainment channels increased their viewership share by 0.3 percentage points to 34.5%. "Our viewership is now close to the combined share of the next three networks," Vaz said.Linear television ad revenue grew in double digits quarter-on-quarter despite a subdued ad market. "We continue to push the linear business hard," Vaz said.JioStar maintained 400 million monthly active users on its digital platform, JioHotstar, during the quarter. "We have managed to convert cricket viewers into entertainment viewers," Vaz said. "Entertainment watch time grew 10% quarter-on-quarter, and digital ad sales showed strong momentum, led by connected TV, where revenue per user is much higher than on mobile."Vaz cited the platform's entertainment slate as a key driver of engagement. "What the IPL is to cricket, Bigg Boss is to entertainment," he said, adding that the reality show saw a 55% increase in watch time across multiple languages. Special Ops was the second most-watched series on the platform, behind Criminal Justice, and held the top spot for four consecutive weeks, he said.The company's long-format daily series model also delivered strong results. "Heartbeat, a Tamil show, ran for 100 episodes with daily drops, and we saw users coming back every day for 100 days. That is the kind of stickiness we want to replicate across markets," Vaz said.

With the government lowering goods and services tax (GST) on two-wheelers powered by engines up to 350cc to 18% from 28%, manufacturers are recalibrating product strategies to step up launches in the 300-350cc segment, said industry executives.Companies such as Hero MotoCorp, Royal Enfield, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India and Bajaj Auto are all accelerating efforts to either enter into or expand their presence in this segment. "The next round of launches will aim for maximum performance within 350cc," said an executive at a leading motorcycle maker, who did not wish to be identified. "It's the sweet spot for both taxation and demand." 124676675 Two-wheelers above 350cc fall under the steep 40% tax bracket for 'luxury' items, following the revision by the GST Council last month, necessitating a strategic reset on the part of the manufacturers in a price-sensitive market like India.Bajaj Auto executive director Rakesh Sharma said, "The sub-350cc segment will clearly benefit more, and we'll look to strengthen our portfolio there. The industry has already passed on the GST rate cuts, which should lift overall performance."Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, which has had early success with its 350cc models, is doubling down on this range. "Our 350cc models have been well accepted by customers, reinforcing confidence in this segment," said Yogesh Mathur, director, sales and marketing. The company is also pushing for network expansion to tap into new markets.Meanwhile, Hero MotoCorp and Bajaj Auto have confirmed new launches in the 300-350cc category by early 2026. Even Royal Enfield, whose flagship models hover near the tax threshold, is reportedly tuning its future powertrains to stay within 350cc, without compromising on performance.Executives said that with pricing no longer the primary lever, manufacturers are digging deep into engineering. The goal is to deliver more performance, better refinement and premium features within the 350cc ceiling.Engineers are focusing on smarter electronic fuel mapping, lighter components and tighter combustion control to maximise torque and efficiency from smaller engines. "It's not downsizing," an industry insider said on condition of anonymity. "It's making 350cc the new benchmark for aspirational biking."This engineering push is also redefining expectations. Upcoming models are expected to include features once reserved for premium bikes: digital dashboards, traction control, Bluetooth connectivity and riding modes, all aimed at "premiumising" the mid-range segment.The impact on higher-displacement bikes has been swift. Models in the 400-650cc bracket, long considered aspirational for urban riders, are now seeing a decline in demand, especially outside major metros. The price hikes of ₹25,000-60,000 following the revision to GST slabs have made these offerings less accessible."It's impossible to offset a 22 percentage point tax handicap on bikes above 350cc through innovation or features alone," Sharma said.To be sure, this does not imply that the premium two-wheeler segment will collapse.