As India races toward innovation and infrastructure growth, it’s also witnessing some dramatic developments—from billion-dollar exports and bullet trains to industrial thefts and legal firestorms. Here’s a roundup of six powerful stories shaping the nation’s business and tech landscape in April 2025.
1. Swiggy Caught in Tax Trouble
Swiggy, India’s go-to app for food and grocery delivery, is now facing heat from Maharashtra’s tax authorities. The company received an assessment order amounting to ₹7.59 crore for FY22 from the Office of the Profession Tax Officer in Pune. The issue? Alleged non-compliance with the Maharashtra State Tax on Professions Act. Swiggy reportedly failed to deduct profession tax from its employees’ salaries—something that’s mandatory for all employers in the state. While the company has acknowledged the order in a regulatory filing, the case adds to a growing list of regulatory challenges faced by Indian startups amid stricter financial scrutiny.
Credits: Business Today
2. Eastern India’s Bullet Train Dream
India’s bullet train ambitions are now extending eastward. The Varanasi–Patna–Howrah corridor, spanning 760 kilometers, aims to drastically cut travel time between key towns in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal—from a tiring 10 hours to a brisk 2. This corridor is part of the government’s broader push for high-speed rail, bringing world-class infrastructure to regions often overlooked. The project is expected to transform not just travel, but also trade, tourism, and regional development. With the Western corridor already under construction, Eastern India’s inclusion reflects a more inclusive infrastructure vision.
Credits: The Economic Times
3. India’s Smartphone Export Boom
India has reached a historic milestone: ₹2 lakh crore in smartphone exports in FY24, marking a 54% year-on-year growth. Leading the charge is Apple, with iPhone exports alone contributing ₹1.5 lakh crore to this figure. According to Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, this export surge solidifies India’s status as a global electronics manufacturing powerhouse. Once seen primarily as an assembly line, the country is now an integral player in the international supply chain. This milestone is also a big win for the government’s PLI (Production Linked Incentive) scheme, which has successfully attracted global giants to make in India, for the world.
Credits: Inc 42
4. Kia’s 900 Engines Go Missing
In a stunning revelation, nearly 900 car engines have been stolen from Kia Motors’ Penukonda plant in Andhra Pradesh—over a period of five years! The theft was uncovered only during a March 2025 audit, raising serious questions about internal controls. Kia lodged a formal police complaint, and a full-scale investigation is underway. What’s even more shocking is how such a massive theft went undetected in a state-of-the-art plant. Authorities suspect an insider job, possibly involving tampered inventory systems. This could be one of India’s largest corporate thefts and is likely to spur greater scrutiny of manufacturing security protocols nationwide.
Credits: CNBC TV18
5. BYJU’S CEO Goes Full Tollywood
If startup leadership were a movie, Byju Raveendran’s recent tweet would be its action-packed climax. The embattled BYJU’S founder dropped a fiery post on X (formerly Twitter), announcing an FIR against ex-resolution professional Pankaj Srivastava and executives at EY. His exact words: “I am not a flower; I am the fire that will shatter GLAS,” referring to the US-based lender representative. He accused them of conspiring to illegally transfer control of BYJU’S insolvency process. The tweet, dramatic as it is, highlights the deepening chaos at what was once India’s most celebrated edtech unicorn.
Credits: Times Now
6. A $533 Million Lawsuit in the US
The legal storm surrounding BYJU’S has now crossed international borders. On April 9, 2025, BYJU’S Alpha—its US-based SPV—filed a lawsuit in the Delaware Bankruptcy Court. The suit accuses Byju Raveendran, co-founder Divya Gokulnath, and advisor Anita Kishore of misappropriating $533 million. The funds were allegedly part of a complex scheme to divert loan proceeds. The case marks a new low in BYJU’S spiraling downfall and could have serious legal implications for its leadership abroad. Once hailed as a shining example of India’s edtech revolution, BYJU’S is now a global case study in startup mismanagement and financial controversy.
Credits: The Economic Times
