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1. Delhi Police arrest social activist Medha Patkar in 24-year-old defamation case  The Indian Express
2. Medha patkar arrested in defamation case after Delhi court issues non-bailable warrant  Times of India
3. Medha Patkar withdraws plea against conviction in VK Saxena defamation case from Delhi High Court  Bar and Bench
4. Activist Medha Patkar arrested, produced in court  ThePrint
5. Activist Medha Patkar arrested in 23-year-old defamation case filed by Delhi L-G Saxena  The New Indian Express

1. Advantage India as Pakistan puts Simla Agreement on hold: 3 big moves New Delhi can make  Firstpost
2. Identify All Pakistanis In India, Send Them Back: Amit Shah To Chief Ministers  NDTV
3. Pahalgam attack: Will India suspending Indus Waters Treaty affect Pakistan?  BBC
4. 1800 Pak nationals staying in U.P. have to return home  Hindustan Times
5. India-Pakistan relations post Pahalgam terror attack: A timeline  The Hindu

1. ‘We are condemned’: Kashmiri tourism pays the price of Pahalgam killings  Al Jazeera
2. Pahalgam terrorist attack: Bengal tourists recently back from Kashmir, feel sad for its people too  The Hindu
3. Refund, alternate destinations, credit notes: How tour operators in Gujarat are coping as tourists rush to cancel Kashmir trip  The Indian Express
4. Srinagar airport handled 110 flights, over 14,000 passengers on Thursday; airfares reduced notably: Govt  Greater Kashmir
5. Terrorism and tourism can’t go hand-in-hand: Tour operators  Times of India

1. ‘We thought gunshots were to scare birds’: How Bengaluru techie Bharath Bhushan's wife escaped Pahalgam t  Times of India
2. Why Were There No Soldiers At Pahalgam, Asks Opposition. Centre Answers  NDTV
3. Hafiz Saeed Linked To Pahalgam Terror Attack That Killed 26, Sparks Diplomatic Fallout  Zee News
4. 'Put Pakistan on the edge, then strike decisively': Ex-army general warns India against rushing into war post Pahalgam  Business Today
5. Failed to anticipate Pahalgam terror attack: MHA, IB at all-party meet  Times of India

1. Aamir Khan skips Andaz Apna Apna re-release screening, 'badly affected' by Pahalgam attack: ‘Was in no state to go’  Hindustan Times
2. After Pahalgam Attack, Aamir Khan Skips Andaz Apna Apna Re-release Screening: "Was In No State..."  NDTV
3. Aamir Khan skips 'Andaz Apna Apna' screening due to terror attack in Pahalgam: 'I'm badly affected...no state to go'  Times of India
4. Aamir Khan skips ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ screening after Pahalgam attack, says he was ‘badly affected’  The Hindu
5. Aamir Khan on skipping Andaz Apna Apna special screening in light of Pahalgam terror attack: ‘I was in no state to go’  The Indian Express

1. Trump poised to offer Saudi Arabia over $100bn arms package: sources  Geo.tv
2. US to offer Saudi Arabia $100bn weapons deal as Trump visit planned: Report  Al Jazeera
3. Trump poised to offer Saudis over $100 billion weapons package, sources tell Reuters  The Times of Israel
4. Exclusive: Trump poised to offer Saudi Arabia over $100 billion arms package, sources say  Reuters
5. Trump to offer Saudi Arabia $100 billion arms deal during May visit: Reports  The Indian Express

1. Virat Kohli's cheeky shade at RCB's home horrors after long-awaited first win in Bengaluru: 'The first challenge was...'  Hindustan Times
2. Spin choke at Chinnaswamy: RCB's newest chapter in defying the norm  Cricbuzz.com
3. Virat Kohli lets loose, charges into dugout mid-match as Josh Hazlewood’s ice-cold 19th over floors RR  Hindustan Times
4. RCB finally get the 'monkey off their back' as RR's season continues to go nowhere  ESPNcricinfo
5. IPL Points Table 2025, Orange Cap, Purple Cap after RCB vs RR: Bengaluru jump to 3rd; Virat Kohli 2nd in most runs list  The Indian Express

Increases in vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks threaten years of progress, warn WHO, UNICEF, Gavi  ANI NewsView Full coverage on Google News

In an era marked by market volatility and global uncertainty, Pawan Bharaddia, Co-founder and CIO of Equitree Capital, has managed to deliver exceptional returns through disciplined investing.Under his leadership, the PMS scheme ‘Emerging Opportunities’ turned a Rs 1 crore investment in April FY25 into Rs 1.38 crore by year-end—an impressive 38% return.In this edition of ETMarkets PMS Talk, Bharaddia shares the investment philosophy, stock-picking framework, and sectoral tailwinds that are powering consistent wealth creation for his investors. Edited Excerpts –Q)Your PMS scheme ‘Emerging Opportunities’ has ranked second in FY25 and has consistently delivered strong returns over the 3–5-year period. What’s been the secret sauce behind this sustained outperformance?A) The foundation of our outperformance lies in disciplined, long-term investing in high-growth businesses. What’s critical to highlight is that the returns have primarily been driven by the earnings compounding, not multiple expansion. In other words, profits have done the heavy lifting—not sentiment-driven rerating.It’s interesting that we have delivered 52% CAGR over the last 5 years and a large part of our return has come from the underlying business performance itself.This is evidenced by the fact that the portfolio today trades at 13.5x FY26E earnings, with most of our holdings below their 10-year median PE. The valuation hasn’t expanded; the earnings have.Our approach is clear: identify fundamentally sound, scalable businesses early, build meaningful positions, and hold through the growth curve. This long-term orientation, combined with valuation discipline, has underpinned our consistent outperformance.Q) Despite volatility, your portfolio delivered 38.26% CAGR and outperformed BSE 500 TRI by over 32% in FY25. Which sectors or themes fueled this rally?A) We have strategically positioned our portfolio around three key structural themes: manufacturing, engineering, and infra ancillary sectors. Our approach has always been to seek businesses benefiting from strong operational leverage.This includes those successfully gaining market share, launching disruptive products, or carving out profitable niches within global value chains.For example, some of our portfolio companies have successfully developed and commercialised innovations such as solar-powered agricultural equipment and advanced railway safety technologies.Additionally, we've supported firms who are focused on import substitution and those integrating deeply into global trade dynamics. Collectively, these themes and tailwinds have significantly contributed to the portfolio’s outstanding performance as these companies scale meaningfully. Q) If an investor had deployed ₹1 crore in April FY25, what would it be worth today?A) Simply put, Rs 1 crore invested at the start of FY25 would have appreciated to approximately Rs 1.38 crore by year-end—leading to a compelling 38% return. To provide context, during the same period, the broader benchmarks significantly lagged as:● BSE 500 TRI grew to Rs 1.06 crore● NSE Smallcap Index similarly grew to Rs 1.06 croreThe point is not only superior returns, but also that our returns have been built on fundamental, earnings-driven performance, not transient market momentum or narratives. Q) Your portfolio corrected only ~8% over the last six months. How did you manage downside risk while still staying aggressive on returns?A) Three distinct elements underpinned our resilience:● Earnings Strength: Our portfolio companies consistently delivered solid results, posting a median year-on-year profit growth of approximately 19% in the first nine months of FY25, contrasting starkly with broader market weakness.● Valuation Discipline: Our holdings were strategically positioned near their historical valuation averages, avoiding valuation bubbles and limiting downside exposure.● Cash as a Strategic Lever: We aren’t compulsive investors. We understand that Small Caps inherently are volatile and practice staggered investing to leverage this volatility to our advantage irrespective of market conditions. In this case, for the new funds that we got over the last 6 months, we were holding around 60–70% in cash which helped us to contain the fall over the last 6 months. Likewise, we also tapered off some of our holdings to generate some cash for our existing investors which has also come in handy to contain the fall. We’ve since been deploying this cash prudently as the market corrections have given a fantastic opportunity.Risk management is deeply embedded in Equitree’s DNA - it’s instilled in how we pick, size, and scale our positions.Q) What’s your stock-picking framework?A) Our investment methodology is strictly bottom-up, anchored by deep business understanding and high conviction in management's integrity, ability, and executional track record.We typically invest in businesses with at least two decades of operational history, providing substantial insight into management behaviour, capital allocation strategies, and execution capabilities—essential aspects to minimise risks and avoid surprises.We conduct thorough due diligence involving detailed shop-floor visits, extensive management and mid-management engagements, competitive benchmarking, and granular financial analysis. Additionally, we strongly favour businesses with healthy internal cash flows, minimal leverage, and proven sustainability. To illustrate, barring just one exception, none of our 15 portfolio companies have raised fresh external capital in recent years.Our selection framework revolves around four core pillars: Growth Visibility, Reasonable Valuation, Management Quality, and Robust Cash Flow Generation. Q) Small & Midcaps saw major sell-offs post-September. What’s your view heading into FY26?A) While the valuations have been corrected, eventually markets will only look at growth. The opportunity lies in ground-level investing, not thematic sweeping.We continue to see considerable earnings visibility and robust prospects in manufacturing, engineering, infra ancillaries, and certain consumer-oriented sectors. For context, our portfolio companies anticipate 25–30% earnings growth for FY26.Nonetheless, potential global risks - such as shifting trade tariffs and geopolitical developments - could pose challenges. Yet, high-quality businesses positioned in structurally sound sectors are well-placed to emerge as significant wealth creators.Q) Nearly 40% of small caps posted over 20% growth. How do you separate the real winners from the value traps?A) Navigating the small-cap space demands rigorous discipline. Our approach, refined over more than a decade, has enabled us to achieve an 85% hit rate in stock selection, i.e 36 out of 42 companies invested in since 2012 have been successful delivering a minimum CAGR of 30%+ across each of these investments.We employ several stringent criteria to distinguish quality opportunities from value traps:● PEG > PE: A stock's low valuation alone doesn’t signify value. We prioritize PEG ratios under 1, implying that if a stock trades at 30x earnings, it must demonstrate at least 30% earnings growth.● Substance over Stories: We avoid speculative, unproven businesses banking on projected futures. Instead, we focus on proven, sustainably profitable businesses with tangible growth and financial resilience.● Historical Management Patterns: Extensive operating history provides critical insights into management’s historical behaviour and decision-making, helping us anticipate and mitigate hidden risks.Q) You've highlighted manufacturing, engineering, and infrastructure. What tailwinds are driving these sectors?A) Absolutely. These sectors are benefiting from multi-layered, long-duration tailwinds that are both policy-driven and structurally embedded in India’s economic transformation:1. Policy Thrust and Reform Momentum: The government’s Make in India push, along with sector-specific Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes across 14 sectors, has injected fresh capital and incentives into domestic manufacturing. Beyond fiscal support, we're seeing tangible ease-of-doing-business improvements—India jumped from rank 142 in 2014 to 63 in 2020 in the World Bank rankings (before the index was discontinued). Additionally, corporate tax reforms, labor code rationalisation, and digitisation initiatives have created a more conducive environment for formal, organised industrial growth. We are seeing an increased focus on import substitution which is driving opportunities in the manufacturing & engineering sectors.2. Export Upside and Global Realignment: India’s merchandise export market share has grown from 0.9% in 2005 to 1.8% in 2023. Yet, that still pales in comparison to China’s ~14% share—suggesting massive headroom for Indian exporters. Key categories like auto ancillaries, electronics, home textiles, industrial machinery, and chemicals are gaining traction globally. With Western companies diversifying supply chains (China+1, Europe+1), Indian manufacturers are stepping up to fill gaps—especially in precision engineering and components.3. Infra Spending Boom: Infrastructure investment has seen an unprecedented rise, from 1.7% of GDP in FY20 to 3.4% in FY25. The government’s ₹11.11 lakh crore capital outlay in the FY25 Union Budget—the highest ever—covers Railways, Roads, Ports, Defence, Green Energy, and Digital Infrastructure. This not only benefits core infra players but also second- and third-order beneficiaries in materials, logistics, safety systems, and specialised engineering solutions.From our vantage point, these tailwinds are not cyclical—they are structural. What we’re seeing is the foundation of a manufacturing renaissance in India. We’re positioning accordingly, backing companies that are either first movers or category leaders in these domains, with strong balance sheets and execution pedigree. Q) How are global shifts like China+1 and Europe+1 influencing your allocations?A) Europe+1 opportunity is clearly accelerating for Indian manufacturing. Europe is going through de-industrialising—Germany’s manufacturing PMI was below 45 for over 10 straight months in 2023 due to energy shocks and labor shortages post-Ukraine war.A lot of Indian companies are rising to the occasion and leveraging this opportunity. We are already seeing capacity shifting to India, particularly in auto systems, industrial components, and engineering services.China+1 is more selective. The migration is already visible in specialty chemicals (India now has over 12% global share, up from 3% in 2011), electronics, and apparel. Order books of some of our portfolio companies in these sectors are seeing growth of 20–30% YoY, validating the shift.We are continuously on look out for entrepreneurs who have scaled up in terms of their product quality and have got a foot in the door in the global supply chain and have the ability to leverage these opportunities.Q) You’re now deploying cash post-correction. What criteria are guiding your capital deployment?A) We are actively allocating capital into existing high-conviction positions where fundamentals remain intact and valuations have become even more compelling post-correction. Many of these businesses are trading at or below their 10-year median P/E ratios, despite continuing to deliver strong earnings visibility and sectoral tailwinds.While the correction has created pockets of deep value, we are aware of the second-order risks emanating from global tariff re-alignments which will result into potential supply chain bottlenecks, as well as other geopolitical issues linked volatility.As such, our deployment is always staggered, risk-aware, and anchored in long-term fundamentals—never an impulsive call. Our cash levels are now reducing, but we are still keeping enough dry powder to capitalise further if volatility persists. This discipline has historically allowed us to deploy from a position of strength and build positions with favourable asymmetry.(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by experts are their own. These do not represent the views of the Economic Times)

1. ED detains BluSmart co-founder Puneet Jaggi in connection with Gensol Group case  Hindustan Times
2. BluSmart Co-Founder Puneet Jaggi Detained From Delhi Hotel: Sources  NDTV
3. Gensol Engineering fall another 5%; drop for 12th day  The Economic Times
4. Gensol Engineering case: Now, NFRA joins investigation against promoters  Business Standard
5. Jaggi brothers: How the Gensol founders fell  The Hindu

1. BSF jawan held in Pakistan after crossing border  Hindustan Times
2. BSF jawan detained by Pak Rangers after he accidentally crosses border  Times of India
3. Pakistan Rangers detains BSF jawan, flag meetings held to secure his release  The Hindu
4. Father of BSF jawan detained by Pakistan Rangers, says family anxiously waiting for son's return  Deccan Herald
5. BSF constable crosses border, held by Pakistan  India Today

1. Scientists reveal how THIS weekly habit can fight depression  Times of India
2. Happy sex life, happier you? Study reveals the right frequency that reduces depression risk significantly  Hindustan Times
3. Weekly intimacy may ease depression, new study suggests  Daijiworld
4. How Often Do You Need to Have Sex to Not Be Depressed?  VICE
5. Scientists reveal how many times you should have sex per week to avoid depression  UNILAD