Coal India recorded record monthly supplies of 70.3 million tons in October

Every young person dreams of a good job and a high salary. However, the growing use of artificial intelligence has led to significant changes in the country's technology sector. The question arises: are traditional professions still earning high pay, or have new types of jobs entered this list? According to published notifications and government data, there are sectors where employees earn hundreds of thousands of rupees monthly, but you might not know about it. Regardless of whether it is the private or public sector, we will look at the highest-paying positions.

The position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is also among the high-paying ones. Media reports claim that the CEO is among the top executives of a company. The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for the business, strategy, and making major decisions in the company. In large corporations, in addition to salary, bonuses, stocks, or other benefits may be provided in this position. Nevertheless, the CEO does not have a fixed state salary; income depends on the size of the company, its results, experience, and appointment conditions.

The medical sector has always been considered one of the most respected and highest-paid. In large private and public hospitals in the country, highly skilled surgeons, cardiologists, and anesthesiologists earn the most. According to media, they can earn from 2 to 10 lakh rupees monthly, and with accumulated experience, their packages can reach millions.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning specialists work on creating AI-based systems, models, and software, and they are also well paid. AI and machine learning specialists can earn up to 1.5 lakh rupees per month, although this is not a fixed amount, and their annual income can increase to 18–72 lakh rupees as they gain experience.

Regarding government positions, the highest salary in India is paid to the Chief Justice. The Chief Justice of the country receives a fixed salary of about 2.80 lakh rupees, while other judges receive about 2.50 lakh rupees per month. This list also includes IAS and IPS representatives, who, including all allowances and additional benefits, can earn about 2.50 lakh rupees monthly.

According to a private study, the activity of India's private sector expanded in October at the fastest pace in the last four months, driven by an increase in new orders and improved production in the services sector.

The HSBC Flash India Composite Output Index, which tracks the combined output of the manufacturing and services sectors, rose to 56.7 in October from 55.9 in September. This marked the fastest growth rate since June, although the figure remains below the average for 2026.

The Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to 54.9 from 55.1 as job creation in factories slowed down. Meanwhile, the Services PMI Business Activity Index grew to 56.2 from 55.2.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a value below 50 suggests contraction. The composite index has remained above the 50 mark for 63 consecutive months.

Output growth accelerated in both sectors: the industrial output index slightly increased to 57.6 from 57.5. The study noted that improved market conditions and higher volumes of new orders contributed to this growth.

The pace of growth in total new deals accelerated, supported by the fastest growth in international orders in six months. Companies reported increased demand from the US, UK, West Asia, and Bangladesh.

Pranjul Bhandari, HSBC's chief economist for India, stated: 'Private sector activity in manufacturing continued to expand, with output and new order growth remaining generally unchanged compared to the previous month. However, the sustained pace of new order growth hides the fastest growth in export orders since June 2025.'

However, hiring slowed down. According to the survey, employment increased only slightly and at the slowest pace this year. Service firms maintained their headcount without change, ending a nine-month streak of job creation, while manufacturers added staff only marginally.

Work-in-progress inventories decreased for the third time in four months. The study highlighted: 'Although the rate of decline was modest, it was one of the strongest in six and a half years, comparable to August 2021. Furthermore, the latest decrease was one of the sharpest since the global financial crisis.'

Raw material cost inflation fell for the seventh consecutive month to its lowest level in nearly a year. The study reported: 'Weakened growth was observed in both the manufacturing and services sectors. Where input prices rose, higher costs for steel and transportation were mentioned.'

Retail price inflation also slowed to its slowest pace since March 2025, linked to the weakening growth in both sectors. Plant-level costs rose at the gentlest pace in almost four years.

Bhandari added that manufacturers responded by increasing raw material and finished goods inventories. He noted that raw material cost inflation declined, and selling price growth weakened to its weakest in almost four years.

This flash PMI provides an early indicator of final PMI figures for manufacturing, services, and the composite index and is based on approximately 90 percent of monthly survey responses.

Bharat Coal Gasification and Chemicals Ltd (BCGCL), a joint venture between Coal India Ltd (CIL) and BHEL, has commenced earthworks on its Rs 25,000 crore coal gasification project in the state of Odisha. According to Managing Director Piyush Kumar on Thursday, most tenders for the project have already been awarded.

This development is significant in the context of the country's goal to establish 100 million tonnes of coal gasification capacity by 2030 under the National Coal Gasification Mission. The mission aims to convert coal into chemicals and reduce dependence on imports such as methanol, ammonia, urea, and LNG.

Piyush Kumar stated during the Gasification India 2026 event, organized by Mission Energy Foundation, that they are progressing with the joint venture between BHEL and Coal India, which is BCGCL, and expressed delight over the start of earthworks, noting that most tenders have been awarded and construction has begun.

BCGCL, where CIL holds a controlling stake of 51 percent and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) holds the remaining 49 percent, was established to develop a modern project for converting coal into ammonium nitrate.

Kumar clarified that contracts worth approximately Rs 15,000 crore have already been signed, while tenders for the remaining work have yet to be announced. The rest of the project cost includes overheads such as interest, depreciation, and land-related expenses.

He also reported that out of the total amount of Rs 25,000 crore, Rs 15,000 crore has already been allocated to works: Rs 10,000 crore to BHEL, and Rs 5,000 crore to L&T.

The project aims to produce approximately 0.66 million tonnes of technical ammonium nitrate annually through coal gasification and is one of the country's innovative commercial initiatives utilizing domestically developed patented pressurized fluidized bed gasification technology for chemical production.

Furthermore, Kumar noted that the work is divided into four main blocks. BHEL is responsible for the coal gasification and syngas purification packages, while Larsen & Toubro (L&T) handles the ammonia synthesis and ammonium nitrate production packages.

He explained that after purification, the gas will be converted into ammonia, and then the ammonia will become nitric acid and ammonium nitrate. The packages related to ammonia and ammonium nitrate are under L&T's purview.

The project is being implemented in Odisha and has received single-window clearance from the state government's apex body.