News Broadcasting
NDTV Profit, ‘Business Standard’ to share content; Govind Ethiraj joins BS as new media editor
MUMBAI: Leading pink daily Business Standard is expanding its Internet activities and is in the process of stitching a content deal with NDTV Profit to leverage existing resources of both the organizations.
As the first step in this game plan, BS has signed on the former corporate editor of CNBC-TV18, Govind Ethiraj, as editor of its new media initiative.
“We are getting into a content sharing arrangement with NDTV Profit, for mutual benefit. The precise contours of this will be worked out, and depends on what works best,” a source in Business Standard (BS) today admitted to Indiantelevision.com.
The BS source pointed out that Ethiraj will be “driving this (initiative) from Business Standard and will also be in charge of BS website’s content operations.”
Indiantelevision.com learns from media industry sources that the BS-NDTV Profit deal is likely to include marketing and other revenue generating activities like organising and promoting off-line events jointly, apart from content sharing.
However, this deal gives rise to tantalising opportunities of expanding the relationship into other areas of mutual benefit like designing TV shows for NDTV Profit, a business news channel launched in 2005.
Though not ruling out the possibilities of expanding the relationship to other segments of the media, the BS source said at this moment such questions are “premature.”
Broadly speaking, Ethiraj’s area of responsibility is likely to cover Internet, TV, mobile telephony, broadband and, of course, television. However, in the immediate to near term it will be Internet that will be his focus areas. This will also include driving content on BS’ Internet activities through fare generated by the newspaper and NDTV Profit.
It is worth noting here that Business Standard Ltd, a Kotak Mahindra group company, has flirted with television production before. In the late 2000s, it produced business programmes for the national broadcaster Doordarshan through its television division BS TV.
Ethiraj earned his stripes at The Economic Times and moved to CNBC TV18 when the television news business was just beginning to create an impact.
It was in 2003 that BS, the subsidiary of Kotak Mahindra, entered into a strategic investment with global publishing house the Financial Times of the United Kingdom, which bought into the daily by picking up a 13.85 per cent equity stake.
News Broadcasting
Induction cooktop demand spikes 30× amid LPG supply concerns
Supply worries linked to West Asia tensions push households and restaurants to turn to electric cooking alternatives
MUMBAI: As geopolitical tensions in West Asia ripple through global energy supply chains, the familiar blue flame in Indian kitchens is facing an unexpected challenger: electricity.
What began as concerns over the availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has quickly evolved into a technology-driven shift in cooking habits. Households across India are increasingly turning to induction cooktops and other electric appliances, initially as a backup but now, for many, a necessity.
A sudden surge in demand
Recent data from quick-commerce and grocery platform BigBasket highlights the scale of the shift. According to Seshu Kumar Tirumala, the company’s chief buying and merchandising officer, demand for induction cooktops has risen dramatically.
“Induction cooktops have seen a significant surge in demand, recording a fivefold jump on 10 March and a thirtyfold spike on 11 March,” Tirumala said.
The increase stands out sharply when compared with broader kitchen appliance trends. Most appliance categories are growing within 10 per cent of their typical demand levels, while induction cooktops have witnessed explosive growth as households rush to secure an alternative cooking option.
Major e-commerce platforms including Amazon and Flipkart have reported rising searches and orders for induction stoves. Quick-commerce apps such as Blinkit and Zepto have also witnessed stock shortages in major metropolitan areas including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
What was once considered a convenient appliance for hostels, small kitchens or occasional use has suddenly become an essential addition in many homes.
A crisis thousands of miles away
The trigger for this shift lies far beyond India’s kitchens.
Escalating conflict in the Middle East has disrupted shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy corridors. Nearly 85 to 90 per cent of India’s LPG imports pass through this narrow waterway, making the country particularly vulnerable to supply disruptions.
The ripple effects have been swift.
India currently meets roughly 60 per cent of its LPG demand through imports, and tightening global supply has already begun to affect domestic availability and prices.
Earlier this month, the price of domestic LPG cylinders increased by Rs 60, while commercial cylinders rose by more than Rs 114.
To discourage panic buying and hoarding, the government has also extended the mandatory waiting period between domestic refill bookings from 21 days to 25 days.
Restaurants feel the pressure
The strain is not limited to households. Restaurants, hotels and roadside eateries are also grappling with supply constraints as commercial LPG availability tightens under restrictions imposed through the Essential Commodities Act.
In cities such as Bengaluru and Chennai, restaurant associations report that commercial LPG availability has dropped by as much as 75 per cent, forcing many establishments to rethink their kitchen operations.
Some restaurants have reduced menu offerings, while others are rapidly installing high-efficiency induction systems, creating hybrid kitchens where electricity now shares the workload with gas.
For smaller eateries and roadside dhabas, the shift is less about sustainability and more about survival.
A potential structural shift
The government has maintained that there is no nationwide LPG crisis and has directed refineries to increase production to stabilise supply.
Nevertheless, the developments of March 2026 may already be triggering a longer-term behavioural shift.
For decades, LPG has been the backbone of cooking in Indian households. However, recent disruptions have highlighted the risks of relying on a single fuel source.
Increasingly, households appear to be hedging against uncertainty by adopting electric cooking options to guard against price volatility and delivery delays.
If the current trend continues, the induction cooktop, once viewed as a niche appliance, could emerge as a quiet symbol of India’s evolving kitchen economy.
