SEPTEMBER, 20269Unilever Global CEO Fernando Fernandez expressed India as "the blueprint of what we are doing in emerging markets," underlining the country's strategic importance to the British consumer goods major.Speaking at the Barclays Global Consumer Staples Conference, Fernandez said India is probably the only large FMCG market with true exponential growth potential over the next five years. India is emerging as a critical growth market for global consumer businesses, with Unilever identifying the country as a blueprint for its broader strategy across emerging economies. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has invited proposals to accelerate the adoption of concentrating solar thermal (CST) technology for industrial heating. The project offers financial support of up to 50 percent of the project costs, capped at Rs 2 crores per project. The government intends to seek a pilot demonstration project that can establish whether solar thermal systems can become economically and technically viable alternatives to fossil fuels.The initiative is launched under MNRE's Renewable Energy Research and Technology Development (RE-RTD) program. The program places particular emphasis on integrating solar thermal systems and thermal energy storage (TES) systems, and a hybrid system wherever applicable. Electric two-wheeler maker Ultraviolette is expanding its manufacturing footprint with a new facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, as the company prepares for the next phase of growth in India and overseas markets.The company plans to invest Rs 779 crore over the next five years in its new BIGGA (Big Global Ambition) Factory. The facility will initially scale up to an annual production capacity of 2.5 lakh vehicles, while its infrastructure will be designed to eventually support 5 lakh vehicles annually. The expansion will complement Ultraviolette's existing Bengaluru plant and strengthen its ability to manufacture products across multiple electric two-wheeler segments. India is stepping up to increase its domestic liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) production in response to renewed US Iran conflict. The conflict raises fresh concern over the movement of cooking gas through the Strait of Hormuz. The production push is aimed at bridging the domestic supply gap and providing a buffer against further disruption in imports.The move is part of the nation's broader plan to strengthen domestic LPG supply resilience at a time when the country remains heavily dependent on overseas supplies. In August, the government set a maximum daily domestic production target of 68,810 tonnes for public and private sector refineries and upstream companies. MNRE BACKS CST PILOTS TO CUT FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION IN INDUSTRYWHAT IS BEHIND ULTRAVIOLETTE'S RS 779 CRORE MANUFACTURING EXPANSIONUNILEVER CEO CALLS INDIA A BLUEPRINT FOR EMERGING MARKET GROWTHINDIA'S BROADER STRATEGY TO STRENGTHEN LPG SECURITY
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