1.The Reserve Bank of India’s interest rate decision, Today,(October 1) will likely be a close call, with policymakers facing multiple reasons to lower borrowing costs as inflation stays low and economic growth takes a knock from high US tariffs.

While a majority of economists — 24 of 39 surveyed by Bloomberg — predict the repurchase rate will remain on hold at 5.5%, 15 expect a quarter-point reduction, citing India’s growth prospects. Even many of those forecasting a hold say there’s justification to ease.

The six-member monetary policy committee, led by Governor Sanjay Malhotra, will need to juggle a number of competing objectives this week. Inflation, which is hovering near the lower end of the 2%–6% target band, is expected to ease further after recent tax cuts, while growth is likely to face a hit from US President Donald Trump’s 50% export tariffs. 

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2.The government’s push to go ‘Swadeshi’ in tech, endorsement by senior ministers, and the overall social media buzz have taken the downloads and Daily Active Usage (DAU) of Zoho’s messaging app Arattai to record highs, report Sindhu Hariharan and Rohan Das.

According to data from the market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, shared with BusinessLine, Arattai’s downloads and daily active users in India have skyrocketed — increasing by 185 times and 40 times respectively, compared to the previous week. This massive jump happened between September 21st and 27th, right after the app came under the spotlight thanks to mentions by government officials.

The instant messaging app from software firm Zoho, that is being touted as a WhatsApp rival, has seen an exponential growth across all parameters such as installs and usage, and app store rankings.

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3.South Korean consumer electronics giant LG Electronics has decided to go ahead with the initial public offer of its Indian subsidiary, and its board has approved the sale of 10.18 crore shares in the Indian unit, according to a regulatory filing.

This will translate into a 15 per cent dilution of its stake in its Indian arm, LG Electronics India Ltd, in which it will hold 85 per cent stake post the IPO.

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4.The government has placed e-commerce platforms under scrutiny as it monitors prices of daily use FMCG products ranging from shampoo to pulses to ensure that the benefits of Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate cuts are being appropriately passed on to consumers.

Authorities are monitoring whether these platforms are complying with pricing norms and not withholding the intended consumer benefits from tax reductions.

Sources said the e-commerce platforms cited ‘technical glitches’ when discrepancies in pricing pre- and post-GST reduction were pointed out.

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Donald Trump’s H-1B visa crackdown will hasten US firms’ shift of critical work to India, turbocharging the growth of global capability centres (GCCs) that handle operations from finance to research and development, economists and industry insiders say.

The world’s fifth-largest economy is home to 1,700 GCCs, or more than half the global tally, having outgrown its tech support origins to become a hub of high-value innovation in areas from design of luxury car dashboards to drug discovery.

Trends such as growing adoption of artificial intelligence and increasing curbs on visas are pushing U.S. firms to redraw labour strategies, with GCCs in India emerging as resilient hubs blending global skills with strong domestic leadership.

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That’s a wrap for today’s news. Check out the hindu businessline’s website. Thank you for joining us. stay informed and stay ahead