eNews
Goyal and Shekhawat to headline Ficci’s 98th annual meet
NEW DELHI: Ficci is set to roll out its 98th annual general meeting and annual convention on 28 and 29 November at Bharat Mandapam, drawing a heavyweight line up from government and industry to discuss the theme India: Self Reliant Economic Powerhouse.
Commerce and Industry minister Piyush Goyal and Tourism and Culture minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will headline the gathering, which is expected to pull policymakers, business leaders and sector specialists into a packed two day programme. Attendees have been urged to register in advance.
A strong roster of secretaries from key economic ministries will join the discussions. The list includes Rajesh Kumar Singh from Defence, M Nagaraju from Financial Services, Rajesh Agrawal from Commerce, Devesh Chaturvedi from Agriculture, S Krishnan from Electronics and IT, Amardeep Singh Bhatia from DPIIT, A P Das Joshi from Food Processing, Debashree Mukherjee from Skill Development, Nivedita S Verma from Chemicals and Petrochemicals and Santosh Kumar Sarangi from New and Renewable Energy.
Ficci’s top leadership will also take the stage, led by president Harsha Vardhan Agarwal, president elect Anant Goenka and vice president Vijay Sankar. Past presidents including Naina Lal Kidwai, Jyotsna Suri and Harshavardhan Neotia will join the dialogue, alongside director general Jyoti Vij and industry voices such as Vipul Tuli of Sembcorp Industries.
The event is expected to set the tone for policy and industry priorities in the year ahead.
eNews
Swiggy sees record orders during India vs New Zealand T20 final
Chicken biryani tops match-day menu as fans order 7,500 times per minute at peak.
MUMBAI: India’s T20 final didn’t just break stumps, it broke Swiggy’s delivery records, proving cricket fans celebrate victories with plates, not just flags. Swiggy, India’s leading on-demand convenience platform, reported a sharp spike in food orders during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final between India and New Zealand. On 8 March 2026, overall orders rose 23.2 per cent year-on-year compared with the same date in 2025, driven by fans turning living rooms into mini stadiums complete with match-day feasts.
Key highlights from the evening:
- Orders during peak match hours (7–10 pm) were 2.1 times higher than pre-match levels.
- The highest order rate hit 7,500 orders per minute at 19:45.
- Chicken biryani reigned supreme as the most-ordered dish, followed by masala dosa, chicken fried rice, garlic breadsticks and paneer butter masala.
While metros such as Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad led volumes, the cricketing fever spread nationwide. Among emerging cities, Thiruvananthapuram, Surat and Rajkot recorded the strongest order growth. Smaller markets including Shillong, Agartala and Port Blair also showed significant appetite, underlining the expanding footprint of quick-commerce food delivery across India.
The surge reflects a growing trend of pairing major sporting events with doorstep delivery, turning big matches into shared, convenient celebrations. In a night where every boundary mattered, Swiggy proved the real MVP might just be the delivery partner who kept the snacks and the vibes flowing without missing a single wicket.
