Page 23 - Infrastructure

Indus Towers' macro tower installations grow by 6.3% to reach 200,000 units

Telecom infrastructure major Indus Towers on Friday said its macro tower installations grew by 6.3 per cent year-on-year to achieve the milestone of 2 lakh units across all 22 telecom circles in India as of date. The company had reported an installed tower base of 1,98,284 at the end of the June 2023 quarter. "Indus Towers Limited, India's largest telecom tower company and one of the largest in the world, announces reaching a milestone of 200,000 macro towers spread across all 22 telecom circles in India as on date," the company said in a statement. Macro towers are used for providing mobile phone coverage to large areas. "As operators accelerate their 5G rollouts and drive network expansion, Indus Towers is actively matching their pace to seize the burgeoning growth opportunities and establish enduring value for the long term with sustainability at its core," Indus Towers MD and CEO Prachur Sah said. The company shared that macro towers installation grew at the rate of 6.3 per ce

Railways aim to save 200k litres diesel a day by electrifying pit lines

A senior government official said that the railways will substitute fossil fuels with grid electrification at all 411 maintenance pits by December 2023

Bringing Gati and Shakti to development

The planning of the ambitious energy corridor of Indian Railways, for instance, has been done completely on the Gati Shakti principles

Modi government significantly enhancing border infrastructure: S Jaishankar

The Modi government has significantly enhanced border infrastructure in the last nine years, including along the frontier with China, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday. In an interaction with a group of journalists, he said infrastructure push along the Northern border is going to determine India's response to national security challenges. Jaishankar said India is boosting connectivity with Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. The external affairs minister said India is in talks with Bhutan for a rail link between that country and Assam.

Centre suggests public servants to use Gati Shakti approach to plan infra

The centre has suggested public servants in states to use PM Gati Shakti approach for planning modern infrastructure specially in districts, an official statement said on Saturday. The approach and use of the PM Gati Shakti was discussed during a web-based seminar hosted by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on August 4. Secretary, DPIIT, Rajesh Kumar Singh laid emphasis on crucial need for the administrators and public servants to understand the concept and uses of PM Gati Shakti approach in building world class infrastructure for the country. More than 250 participants with senior most officers from 27 Central Training Institutes (CTIs) and about 34 State Administrative Training Institutes (ATIs) participated in the webinar. "Detail Route Survey done by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas used to take 6-9 months to prepare 46 reports. However, with the NMP through electronic Detailed Route Survey (eDRS), the reports are now created in a few

DPIIT hosts Vietnamese delegation to promote bilateral cooperation in Infra

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has hosted a delegation from Vietnam to promote bilateral cooperation in the infrastructure and logistics sector, an official statement said on Wednesday. The five-day visit of the delegation from July 31 to August 4 is a follow-up to an Indian delegation's visit in March. Around 80 participants, including Vietnamese delegates from various logistics and supply chain companies and associations, had fruitful discussions on both days, the DPIIT said. A direct shipping route between India and Vietnam is a potential area of interest for both sides, it said, adding, investment opportunities in industrial parks and greenfield industrial smart cities such as Dholera Special Investment Region can be explored by Vietnamese businesses. "Investment opportunities in modernisation and monetisation of infrastructure at 85 locations in Tier-I and Tier-II cities under public-private partnership mode, could be explored by the ...

SBI's infra bond response likely to lure lenders into tapping mkt: Bankers

Earlier in the day, the SBI accepted bids worth 100 billion rupees for 15-year bonds at a coupon of 7.54%

Focus on four 'Is' to make India a developed nation by 2047: Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said the focus of the government is on four Is -- infrastructure, investment, innovation and inclusiveness -- to make India a developed nation by 2047. She said India has necessary wherewithal to meet the goal set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Besides several investor-friendly reforms undertaken by the government, she said, India has a very vibrant young population and the emphasis on skilling them to suit the requirement of the economy would yield dividend. With the aim to build India a developed country by 2047, she said "the emphasis has been on four different issues (Is). We are looking at infrastructure (first I) in a very big way. In the last 3 to 5 years, consistently, the public expenditure for infrastructure building has been ramped up significantly and it will reach Rs 10 lakh crore in 2023-24." With infrastructure comes investment (second I), she said, adding that emphasis on investment will promote greater participation

RITES, IRFC sign pact to work in transport infrastructure sector

Engineering firm RITES on Thursday said it has signed a pact with the Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) to explore possibilities of collaborating in the railway eco-system and transport infrastructure sector. In a statement, RITES said it will offer consultancy and advisory services and assist in ascertaining the financial & technical viability of projects, while IRFC will provide financial services to projects/ institutions that have got backwards and forward linkages with the Railways. "RITES Ltd signs a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) to explore avenues of mutual collaboration in the railway eco-system and the transport infrastructure sector," it said. RITES Ltd Chief Strategy Officer Manobendra Ghoshal said RITES' consultancy prowess and IRFC's financial expertise will stimulate mega and critical projects and drive sustainable growth in the transport infrastructure sector. The strategic partnership, through knowledge ...

Ajmera Realty & Infra Q1 consolidated net profit rises 82% to Rs 21 crore

Ajmera Realty & Infra India reported an 82 per cent increase in consolidated net profit to Rs 21.07 crore in the June quarter. Its net profit stood at Rs 11.57 crore in the year-ago period, the company said. Ajmera Realty's total income rose to Rs 117.57 crore in the first quarter of the current fiscal, up from Rs 55.12 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year, according to a regulatory filing on Tuesday. Sales bookings dropped 44 per cent to Rs 225 crore in the June quarter from Rs 400 crore in the year-ago period. Ajmera Realty & Infra has presence mainly in Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Morgan Stanley lifts US growth forecast on expectation of infra investment

Economists at Morgan Stanley now expect U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP) to grow 1.3% on average in 2023, from an earlier forecast of a 0.6% rise

Bangladesh to launch 3 major infrastructures with Indian aid in September

Bangladesh is set to launch three major infrastructure projects, including a power plant, under India's financial assistance in September, a senior official said on Tuesday after the Indian High Commissioner here called on the country's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pranay Verma called on Prime Minister Hasina at her Ganobhaban official residence and discussed issues such as the Taka-Rupee exchange system between Bangladesh and India, connectivity, and ongoing projects under the Indian Line of Credits and grants. During the meeting, both the Bangladesh prime minister and the Indian envoy expressed satisfaction over the state of the bilateral relations, Bangladesh premier's press secretary Ihsanul Karim said. Sheikh Hasina wished India will raise voice, particularly for the Global South alongside the entire world, during the upcoming G20 Summit in New Delhi, Karim said. A spokesman at Bangladesh premier's office said Verma informed Hasina that two .

FM suggests AIIB to use innovative financing ways to address infra needs

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday suggested the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to use innovative financing ways to better address infrastructure needs of member countries. Sitharaman met Jin Liqun, President, AIIB, in Gandhinagar on the sidelines of the 3rd G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors #G20FMCBG meeting and discussed the role of #MDBs, including @AIIB_Official in addressing the current global developmental challenges. "While discussing issues of relevance to India and @AIIB_Official, FM Smt. @nsitharaman suggested that @AIIB_Official should further use innovative financing and financing instruments so as to better address the #infrastructure requirements of member countries," the finance ministry tweeted. While appreciating AIIB's support for #G20India Presidency, the minister highlighted the need for #MDB reforms and the importance of coordination and collaboration among #MDBs. "Being the Governor of second largest shareholder of ...

Himachal suffered losses of about Rs 8,000 crore due to rain: CM Sukhu

Himachal Pradesh has suffered losses of about Rs 8,000 crore as heavy rains wreaked havoc in the hill state, triggering landslides and flash floods and damaging roads and other infrastructure, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Saturday. According to the state emergency response centre, the losses amounted to about Rs 4,000 crore till Friday night and Sukhu had sought an interim relief of Rs 2,000 crore from the Union home ministry. About 70,000 tourists have been evacuated from the state and 15,000 vehicles sent out, while around 500 tourists have voluntarily decided to stay back, Sukhu said in a statement issued here. Some tourists stuck at Kasol, Manikaran and other adjoining areas in Kullu district refused to move out without their vehicles and have decided to stay back for a few more days till the situation normalises and all roads are opened. Due to a heavy landslide near Dunkhara on the Kasol-Bhuntar road, the vehicles could not be moved and the tourists had to tr

Man Infra bags Rs 680-cr contract from JNPT vendor PSA International

Man Infraconstruction has bagged a Rs 680-crore EPC order from Bharat Mumbai Container Terminal to construct the fourth container terminal at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT). Bharat Mumbai Container Terminal is a subsidiary of PSA International, a Singaporean port group. PSA is working with JNPT to develop the second phase of the fourth container terminal, and the contract includes land reclamation and infrastructure development. The contract is to finish the infra work within 30 months, Man Infra, a city-based EPC and realty company, said in a statement. Manan Shah, the managing director of Man Infra, said his company had executed the first phase of infra work for the terminal earlier within 22 months. Publicly-traded Man lnfra has zero debt and had Rs 1,890 crore in revenue from which it earned a net profit of Rs 258.6 crore in FY23. Its EPC division has six decades of experience in ports, residential, commercial & industrial and road segments, and the realty division has ...

Agri ministry asks banks to promote Rs 1 trillion Agriculture Infra Fund

The Agriculture Ministry on Wednesday asked banks to promote Rs 1 lakh crore Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) for creation of necessary infrastructure in the farm sector. The AIF is a financing facility launched on July 8, 2020 for creation of post-harvest management infrastructure and community farm assets. Under this scheme, Rs 1 lakh crore is to be disbursed by financial year 2025-26 and the interest subvention and credit guarantee assistance will be given till the year 2032-33. According to an official statement, Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja on Wednesday launched a new campaign for banks under Agri Infra Fund titled BHARAT (Banks Heralding Accelerated Rural & Agriculture Transformation). "This one month-long campaign (from July 15 to August 15) with a target of Rs 7,200 crore was launched through video conference attended by more than 100 banking executives that included MDs/Chairman, EDs of commercial banks in public and private sector, Regional Rural Banks, Small ..

Ground beneath us is heating up, civil infra not designed for it: Study

The ground beneath us is heating up, giving rise to the phenomenon of "underground climate change" and our civil infrastructure was not designed for it, scientists say. The continuous heat diffusion from buildings and underground transportation, seen in many urban areas around the world, causes the ground to warm at an alarming rate, found to be 0.1 to 2.5 degrees Celsius per decade by researchers. The heating up of ground leads to its deformation that includes both expansion and contraction, causing building foundations and the surrounding ground to move excessively and sometimes develop cracks, thereby impacting structures' long-term performance and durability. "The ground is deforming as a result of temperature variations, and no existing civil structure or infrastructure is designed to withstand these variations," said Northwestern University's Alessandro Rotta Loria, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, and who led the US-based study published in the .

Rushed green nod, poor planning in focus as rains wash away hill roads

Another major concern, according to experts, is the way these projects are awarded

PM Modi offers prayers at Bhadrakali temple in Telangana's Warangal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday offered prayers at the famous Goddess Bhadrakali temple here during his visit to this historic Telangana town to lay the foundation stone for several infrastructure development projects worth around Rs 6,100 crore and address a public meeting. Modi, who was accompanied by Union Tourism Minister and newly-appointed Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy and other leaders, offered prayers at the temple. Earlier in the day, the PM arrived in Hyderabad by a special aircraft and reached Warangal in a chopper. Before leaving for Warangal Modi tweeted: Leaving for Warangal to attend a programme where we will inaugurate or lay the foundation stone for development works worth over Rs. 6100 crores. These works cover different sectors ranging from highways to railways. They will benefit the people of Telangana. Alleging that the NDA government at the Centre has been "anti-Telangana" in the last 9 years, ruling BRS Working President K T Rama Rao had sai

Rajasthan govt to spend Rs 200 crore to ramp up infra in industrial hubs

However, a state-based trade body is not happy with the development being undertaken in industrial areas