Digidukan Secures ₹2 Crore Angel Funding to Power 60-Minute Construction Procurement Across Tier-2 and Tier-3 India

The Investment will support Digidukan’s technology, product expansion, and growth across Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets

Digidukan a B2B quick-commerce platform built for construction-material retailers, has raised ₹2 crore in angel funding from Vinay Gupta and Shubham Gupta, Directors at United Plywood Group, one of Rajasthan’s established construction-material businesses. The company is using technology to bring a 60-minute delivery model to construction procurement, enabling retailers to order materials on demand instead of tying up capital in excess inventory or waiting on fragmented supplier networks.
Vinay Gupta, Director, United Plywood Group, said: “Over decades in the building-material industry, I have seen that the real constraint is rarely demand; it is the inefficiency between demand and availability. Fragmented procurement, excess inventory, and inconsistent supply have constrained retailers for years. Digidukan is addressing this structural gap at its core.”
Lakshya Agarwal, Co-founder, Digidukan, said: "We did not buy this stack; we built it while we were already delivering. The next step is handing that intelligence to the shopkeeper, so Digidukan stops being a place they order from and starts being the system that tells him what to order. We are building a technology company that happens to deliver building materials in under an hour."

From 60-minute delivery to intelligent procurement

Founded by Lakshya Agarwal and Kshitij S. Rungta, Digidukan combines construction-retail expertise with technology to modernise procurement. Lakshya leads the technology and data layer, using demand and purchase patterns to make procurement smarter, while Kshitij focuses on execution intelligence, ensuring inventory and fulfilment translate those insights into reliable, 60-minute delivery.
The company is now building towards a larger vision: moving from simply fulfilling retailer orders to helping retailers anticipate what to stock and when, using data to make construction procurement faster, more predictable and less inventory-intensive.
The company’s early traction reflects strong, repeat-led adoption among its retailer base, with monthly GMV growing 8x compared with the beginning of the year. Digidukan has achieved an approximately 90% repeat customer rate, while delivering nearly 5,000 orders to date, with an average order value of over ₹9,000. The combination of repeat purchases and rising order volumes points to growing reliance on the platform for recurring construction-material procurement.
The ₹2 crore will be used to strengthen Digidukan’s technology and product capabilities, expand into additional categories and support higher order volumes. The company will also deepen its presence across Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets, with a focus on making construction-material procurement faster, more predictable and less inventory-intensive.
The investment comes at a time when construction retail remains one of India’s large but largely offline supply chains. Retailers continue to manage multiple suppliers, uncertain availability and inventory-led purchasing, often keeping significant working capital locked in stock simply to avoid losing a sale. Digidukan is building an alternative through a technology-led procurement platform where retailers can discover, order and receive construction materials when they need them, while demand and inventory signals help make the supply chain more responsive.

About Digidukan

Digidukan is a B2B quick-commerce platform built exclusively for construction material retailers. Founded by Lakshya Agarwal and Kshitij S. Rungta, the company enables retailers to procure construction materials on demand, improving inventory efficiency and working capital while simplifying procurement through technology. With a focus on Tier-2 and Tier-3 India, Digidukan is modernizing the construction retail supply chain and helping retailers grow with greater speed, agility, and efficiency.
Website: https://digidukan.shop/about
Media Queries:
Sakhi Bhatt | +91 7303625706 | sakhi@themediamanifest.com

U.S. Nuclear Fleet Runs on 93% Imported Uranium as Fuel Demand Hits 41 Million Pounds

93% of uranium used in U.S. nuclear reactors in 2026 was imported, with total fuel loading reaching about 41 million pounds — highlighting America’s heavy reliance on foreign supply despite rising domestic production.

U.S. nuclear plants loaded 40.9 million pounds of uranium into reactor cores in 2025 — a 15% decline from the 48.1 million pounds added in 2024.

The report comes in a month after Australia-India signed uranium pact ensuring long-term uranium exports from Australia exclusively for peaceful energy purposes, helping India target 100 GW nuclear capacity by 2047.

United States operates the world’s largest nuclear power fleet, with 96 reactors across 57 plants in 28 states, generating about 19% of U.S. electricity and one‑third of its carbon‑free power.

Notably, the U.S. accounts for ~30% of global nuclear electricity generation, making it the largest producer worldwide. Nuclear energy remains America’s largest single source of low-carbon electricity, surpassing wind and solar combined.

U.S. Nuclear Fuel Supply Snapshot (2026)

• Foreign-sourced uranium: 93% of reactor fuel requirements were met through imports.
• Total uranium purchased for fuel loading: 41 million pounds U₃O₈ equivalent.
• Domestic production: Only ~1 million pounds produced in Q1 2026, spread across six facilities in Wyoming, Texas, and Utah.
• Global share: The U.S. holds just 2.5% of global uranium resources and contributes 0.4% of global production.

Key Import Sources

• Canada & Australia: Major suppliers of uranium concentrate.
• Kazakhstan & Uzbekistan: Significant contributors to U.S. imports.
• Russia: Historically a major supplier of enrichment services, though imports have been restricted since 2022–24 legislation banning Russian uranium (with limited exceptions).

Strategic Concerns

• Energy security risk: Heavy reliance on imports exposes the U.S. to geopolitical shocks.
• Policy response: Bipartisan push to rebuild domestic uranium mining, conversion, and enrichment capacity.
• Advanced reactors: Demand for HALEU (High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium) is rising, but U.S. lacks a commercial supply chain.

Comparative Table

Metric	Domestic (U.S.)	Foreign Imports
Uranium production (2026 Q1)	~1 million lbs U₃O₈	~40 million lbs U₃O₈
Share of reactor fuel	~7%	~93%
Major regions	Wyoming, Texas, Utah	Canada, Australia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
Policy outlook	Incentives for mining & enrichment	Reliance continues, Russian imports restricted

Editorial Context for India

• For India’s nuclear ambitions, this U.S. dependency underscores the strategic importance of securing diversified uranium supply chains.
• Australia’s reserves (29% of global) and India’s recent uranium import agreements position New Delhi more securely than Washington in terms of raw fuel access.

Takeaway

• The U.S. nuclear fleet remains critically dependent on foreign uranium, with imports covering nearly all demand.
• Domestic revival efforts are underway but remain modest compared to the scale of imports.

The global nuclear supply chain market in 2026 is valued at over $35 billion annually, with long-term opportunities projected to reach $380 billion by 2050 as emerging economies accelerate nuclear deployment. China and Russia currently dominate supply chain readiness, while the U.S. and allies push to expand exports and advanced reactor technologies.

TCS Unveils Agentic AI Platform to Revolutionize Global Drug Development

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has launched its new agentic AI platform, TCS ADD™ AgentHub, designed to transform drug development by streamlining clinical trials and pharmacovigilance workflows. The platform promises up to 40% efficiency gains in clinical data management, 30% faster study builds, and 30% cost savings in drug safety case processing.

Key Highlights of TCS ADD™ AgentHub

• Role-based AI agents: Each agent has defined responsibilities, oversight, and auditability, ensuring compliance in highly regulated pharma environments.
• Human + AI Operating Model: AI agents are embedded into enterprise workflows, while humans retain governance and decision-making authority.
• Efficiency gains: Up to 40% improvement in clinical data management activities.
• Automation benefits: Metadata-driven automation reduces clinical study build effort by 30%.
• Cost savings: End-to-end safety case processing costs cut by 30%.
• Quality control reduction: AI-powered safety agents reduce manual quality control effort by up to 50%.

Applications in Drug Development

• Clinical Trials: AI agents assist with study design, protocol digitization, clinical data review, and SDTM transformation.
• Pharmacovigilance: Agents handle individual case safety report intake, medical coding, literature analysis, and safety monitoring.
• Drug Safety: Automated workflows for adverse event reporting and compliance with regulatory standards.

Benefits for Pharma Companies

Feature	Impact
Efficiency Gains	40% faster clinical data management
Study Build Automation	30% reduction in effort
Cost Savings	30% lower safety case processing costs
Quality Control	50% less manual effort
Compliance	Built-in auditability and oversight

Challenges & Risks

• Regulatory compliance: Pharma firms must ensure AI outputs meet strict audit and governance standards.
• Integration hurdles: Legacy systems may slow adoption despite streamlined integration.
• Trust & scalability: Ensuring reliability and transparency of AI agents remains critical for industry-wide acceptance.

Strategic Outlook

TCS positions AgentHub as a scalable, audit-ready AI workforce that can accelerate drug development while improving patient safety. By embedding AI agents into pharma workflows, TCS aims to move towards autonomous enterprise functions, where humans and AI collaborate seamlessly.

IndusInd Bank Joins Global PCAF Framework to Advance Carbon Accounting and Strengthen Climate Disclosures

The partnership strengthens the Bank's commitment towards measuring and managing emissions associated with financial activities in support of a low-carbon economy

Mumbai, August 18, 2026: IndusInd Bank, today, announced that it has joined the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF), a global collaboration of financial institutions working to develop and implement a harmonised approach for measuring and disclosing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with financial activities.

As part of its sustainability journey, IndusInd Bank is committed to integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations into its business strategy and risk management processes. Joining PCAF marks an important milestone in the Bank's efforts to enhance transparency, strengthen climate-related disclosures, and establish a robust framework for measuring and managing the carbon footprint associated with its lending and investment portfolio.

PCAF enables financial institutions to assess and disclose the emissions linked to their financial activities, helping them better understand climate-related risks and opportunities while supporting the transition to a more sustainable economy. With more than 750 financial institutions participating globally, PCAF has become the leading framework for Scope 3 Category 15 accounting.

IndusInd Bank has been steadily advancing its sustainable finance agenda by financing renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable infrastructure, and other climate-positive sectors. By adopting the PCAF methodology, the Bank aims to establish a credible baseline for emissions associated with financial activities, identify decarbonization opportunities across sectors, and support customers in their transition towards lower-carbon business models.

ABOUT INDUSIND BANK

IndusInd Bank Limited has been redefining banking for the past 32 years and has been a force for progression and innovation, offering an elevated banking experience for its diverse range of stakeholders, including government entities, PSUs, retail customers, and large corporations. The Bank’s product offerings include microfinance, personal loans, debit/credit cards, SME loans, advanced digital banking facilities, affluent and NRI banking services, vehicle financing, and innovative ESG-linked financial products.

The Bank also caters to the growing Indian diaspora with representative offices in Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. As of June 30, 2026, IndusInd Bank serves around 42 million customers through 3,137 branches/banking outlets and 2,853 ATMs, reaching 1.60 lakh villages across India. IndusInd Bank leverages technology through its 'Digital 2.0' strategy, ensuring multi-channel delivery and a robust digital infrastructure. In each of its unique offerings that include ‘INDIE’ – the one-stop-shop for all things digital banking; innovation and customer centricity remain at the core. IndusInd Bank holds clearing bank status for major stock exchanges BSE and NSE, settlement bank status for NCDEX, and is an empanelled banker for MCX.

RATINGS

Domestic Ratings:

• CARE A1+ for Certificate of Deposits
• CRISIL A1+ for certificate of deposit program / short term FD programme
• CRISIL AA+ for Infrastructure Bonds program/Tier 2 Bonds
• IND AA+ for Issuer Rating by India Ratings and Research
• IND AA+ for Senior bonds program/Tier 2 Bonds by India Ratings and Research

International Rating:

• Ba1 for Senior Unsecured MTN programme by Moody’s Investors Service

Visit us at www.indusind.bank.in

About the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF)

The Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials was launched globally in September 2019. Currently, more than 750 financial institutions have subscribed to the PCAF initiative. PCAF signatories work together to jointly develop the Global GHG Accounting and Reporting Standard for the Financial Industry to measure and disclose the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their financial activities. By doing so, PCAF signatories take an important step to subsequently assess climate-related risks, set climate targets, and develop effective strategies to decarbonize their portfolios.

For more information see https://carbonaccountingfinancials.com/

Media inquiries please contact:

Addie Fairley, Communications Lead, PCAF Secretariat, E: info@carbonaccountingfinancials.com

Anshu Jain, Lead – PR, IndusInd Bank, E: mediarelations@indusind.com

ECMS Boosts India’s Electronics Manufacturing: 106 Projects Approved, ₹69,548 Crore Investment

India’s journey towards electronics self-reliance has gained significant momentum with the Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS), which is driving domestic production of critical components and raw materials.

Following the earlier clearance of 75 applications with investments totaling ₹61,671 crore, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has now sanctioned an additional 31 proposals under the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS), representing a projected investment of ₹6,844 crore.

The approval ceremony, held in New Delhi in collaboration with the Electronic Industries Association of India (ELCINA), was graced by Union Minister for Electronics and IT Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of State Shri Jitin Prasada, MeitY Secretary Shri S. Krishnan, Joint Secretary Shri Sushil Pal, and ELCINA President Shri Sasikumar Gendham.

Expanding Manufacturing Capacity

• 38 plants operational
• 16 projects in advanced construction stages
• Domestic production exceeds demand in key categories:
  • Anode material (~110%)
  • Optical Transceiver-SFP (350%)
  • Relays (200%)

Employment and Economic Impact

• 74,628 direct jobs expected
• 2.5 lakh indirect jobs across 15 states
• Latest 31 approvals will create 9,588 direct jobs
• Additional ₹1,033 crore investment by Wipro for copper-clad laminates

Product Coverage

Category	Products
Sub-assemblies	Camera Module, Display Module, Optical Transceiver-SFP
Components	Connectors, Relays, Transducers, Filters, Capacitors, Coils, Antennas, Enclosures, Speakers & Microphones, Metal Shielding Covers
Supply Chain Products	Anode Material, Rare Earth Permanent Magnets, Acetylene Black, Electrolyte Additives, Metallized Films for Capacitors, Hermetic Terminals
Capital Goods	CNC Machines, Precision Instruments, Automation Systems

Geographic Spread

• Projects distributed across 10 states: Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand

Strategic Significance

ECMS is a cornerstone of India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat vision, ensuring the country develops a deep-rooted electronics ecosystem. By fostering domestic production of critical components and raw materials, India is positioning itself as a global electronics manufacturing hub.

The Electronic Industries Association of India (ELCINA), established in 1967, continues to play a key role in facilitating industry-government collaboration under this scheme.

Key Takeaways

• 106 projects approved under ECMS with ₹69,548 crore investment
• 38 plants operational, 16 nearing completion
• 74,628 direct jobs