Indian News

India's renewable energy ambitions have created an urgent need for massive battery energy storage systems capable of smoothing the erratic output from solar and wind farms whilst maintaining grid frequency and voltage stability. The challenge is formidable. Solar generation disappears entirely after sunset, precisely when residential demand peaks, whilst wind output can drop by 80% within hours. Without storage, grid operators must either curtail renewable generation or maintain expensive fossil fuel plants on standby, undermining both economics and climate goals. Battery energy storage systems offer a solution by absorbing excess renewable power during high generation periods and releasing it when needed. Global installations have surged past 50 GW, with costs falling nearly 90% over the past decade. India currently has only around 2 GW of grid scale battery storage, far below what's required for its 500 GW renewable target. The technology landscape is evolving rapidly. Lithi...

There is a quiet order behind every successful infrastructure project, a structure that rarely draws attention but defines the outcome. In global power infrastructure, where complexity is the norm, this order becomes essential. For Jabraj Singh of KEC International, a process driven approach is not just a method, but the backbone of consistent and reliable project delivery. Large scale infrastructure is often associated with ambition and scale, yet its success depends on discipline at every stage. From initial design to final commissioning, each phase must follow a clearly defined path. Jabraj Singh explains that strong processes create clarity, ensuring that teams remain aligned even when projects span multiple regions and timelines. Operating across international markets introduces a level of unpredictability that cannot be ignored. Different regulatory environments, logistical challenges, and cultural contexts demand careful navigation. According to Jabraj Singh, a process driven ...

Discipline rarely draws attention, yet it is often the force that holds complex systems together. In global power infrastructure, where projects span continents and timelines stretch over years, discipline becomes more than a virtue. For Jabraj Singh of KEC International, it is the foundation that turns ambitious plans into reliable, functioning networks. At first glance, large scale power projects may appear to be feats of engineering alone. In reality, they are carefully coordinated efforts that require consistency at every stage, from planning to execution. Jabraj Singh explains that discipline ensures each component aligns with the larger objective, reducing uncertainty in environments where even minor errors can have wide consequences. Working across international boundaries introduces layers of complexity that demand structured thinking. Different regulatory systems, approval processes, and operational standards must be navigated with precision. According to Jabraj Singh, mainta...

The most consequential economic changes are rarely the ones that make headlines. They happen quietly, in branch offices, when someone who needed financial help was finally able to get it. V.P. Nandakumar's vision for financial inclusion at Manappuram Finance has been producing exactly that kind of change for decades. Financial inclusion is a phrase that India's policymakers and financial sector leaders use frequently. V.P. Nandakumar is one of the few who has spent a career actually delivering it. The distinction between talking about inclusion and building an institution that practises it at national scale defines his leadership entirely. The customers Manappuram Finance serves are not the customers India's large commercial banks have historically prioritised. They are small business owners, farmers, and households navigating unexpected expenses whose profiles do not fit the lending criteria of institutions built to serve a different kind of customer. V.P. Nandakumar bui...

The most durable trust in financial services is never built in boardrooms or through marketing campaigns. It is built one customer at a time, one transaction at a time, and one promise kept at a time. V.P. Nandakumar's career at Manappuram Finance is the clearest available demonstration of what that kind of trust building looks like over a lifetime of leadership. There is a distinction in financial services between institutions that are known and institutions that are trusted. Many financial companies achieve the first. Far fewer achieve the second. V.P. Nandakumar built Manappuram Finance into an institution that achieved both, and the path he took to get there holds lessons that every leader in the sector should understand. V.P. Nandakumar's career at Manappuram Finance has been defined by a consistent focus on the customer that many financial services leaders acknowledge in principle but compromise in practice. The customers Manappuram Finance serves are often individuals ...

Manappuram Finance Ltd, one of India’s leading non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), is proudly celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. The company was founded in 1949 by the late V.C. Padmanabhan in the village of Valapad , located in Kerala’s Thrissur district. His goal was simple — to help local villagers by providing them with financial support. Today, under the leadership of his son V.P. Nandakumar , who serves as the Managing Director and CEO , Manappuram Finance has grown into a major financial institution with an Asset Under Management (AUM) of Rs 42,070 crore , serving a large customer base across India. The company now offers a wide range of financial products such as personal loans, business loans, and vehicle loans , along with its core gold loan services . Reflecting on this remarkable 75-year journey, V.P. Nandakumar expresses his heartfelt gratitude to his team for their dedication, hard work, and continuous support in building Manappuram Finance into what i...