Page 4 - Infrastructure

India, Nepal ink pact for 5 projects under ₹39 crore grant assistance

India and Nepal on Monday signed an agreement to implement five "high-impact" development projects related to education and health in the Himalayan nation under an Indian grant assistance of NRs 390 million, according to an official statement. The Embassy of India and Nepal's Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration and Project Implementing Agencies signed Memorandums of Understanding, the Indian mission here said in a statement. The five "High Impact Community Development Projects" include the construction of various school buildings in the Madhesh and Sudurpashchim provinces. It also includes the construction of a five-bed hospital building in the Gandaki province, the press release said. The construction of these facilities will help provide better education and health facilities to the people in Nepal, it said. As close neighbours, India and Nepal share wide-ranging and multi-sectoral cooperation," said the statement, adding that the projects' implementation refle

FinMin looks to widen infrastructure plans for capital expenditure push

Experts say that, given the higher capital spending by the Centre in April-May of FY26, there is room to raise the capex target beyond the budgeted ₹11.2 trillion

CM Siddaramaiah announces ₹32.25 cr for Kabini dam restoration work

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday offered baagina' (a traditional offering) to the Kabini River and said Rs 32.25 crore had been approved for the dam's renovation, along with a slew of irrigation and development projects for the region. Speaking to reporters, Siddaramaiah said he offers oblations to the Kabini River every year, which irrigates over 1.13 lakh acres of agricultural land. He recalled that the dam across the river was built 51 years ago and said the government has now taken up its strengthening and modernisation. "A sum of Rs 32.25 crore has been approved for the renovation work," he said, adding that there are also plans to develop a garden similar to the iconic Brindavan Gardens near the KRS dam. Proposals have also been submitted for the modernisation of the Taraka Reservoir canal and other irrigation systems around Kabini in H D Kote taluk. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who was also present, said dam repair works across the state would be ...

Govt starts work on Auto Mission Plan to make India global industry leader

The government has initiated the formulation of the Automotive Mission Plan 2047 (AMP 2047), a strategic road map aligned with the 'Viksit Bharat @2047' vision to establish India as a global automotive leader, focusing on innovation and sustainability, the Ministry of Heavy Industries said on Thursday. Sub-committees for AMP 2047 have held a meeting to outline objectives and framework and targets for sectoral growth, exports and industry advancement, to help increase India's share in global automotive trade. Seven sub-committees, comprising experts from government, industry, and academia, will guide the development of a comprehensive plan targeting milestones for 2030, 2037, and 2047. "The vision for 2047 is not an aspiration but a strategic road map backed by concrete targets for sector growth, exports, and industry advancement. We must think beyond specific technologies or companies and focus on India's global standing in 2047, aiming to increase our share in global automotive tra

Cost overruns in infra projects may have hit ₹2.89 trillion in June 2025

The combined original cost across all sectors stood at ₹26.86 trillion while the anticipated costs now touch ₹29.75 trillion - an 11 per cent jump

Gujarat bridge collapse: Toll rises to 18, four engineers suspended

The death toll in the Mahisagar river bridge collapse in Gujarat's Vadodara district reached 18, officials said on Thursday while adding that the search-and-rescue operation at the site has been halted for the night. It will resume on Friday morning as two persons are still missing, they informed. Several vehicles plunged into the Mahisagar river after a segment of the four-decade-old bridge, connecting Anand and Vadodara districts, collapsed near Gambhira village close to Padra town on Wednesday morning. The incident had taken place at 7am. "The death toll in the bridge collapse incident has reached 18 with the recovery of one more dead body on Thursday night. Two persons are still missing. The rescue operation has been stopped due to high tide and will resume on Friday morning," said Vadodara Collector Anil Dhameliya. The search-and-rescue operation was carried out through the day by at least 10 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force .

Build to last: Maintaining structures is as critical as building them

But the tragedy is not an exception. Last year, the government admitted that 42 major and minor bridges collapsed in the past five years

Free power, subsidised rail transport fail to benefit the poor meaningfully

But the problems remain at the distribution end, where state-owned distribution companies or discoms dominate

'Needs huge investment': Delhi HC declines plea for virtual CIC hearings

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to direct the Central Information Commission (CIC) to conduct virtual hearings underscoring "huge infrastructural investment". The bench's remarks came on a petition field by journalists who sought to attend the proceedings of the CIC through the physical and virtual modes. A division bench comprising Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Anish Dayal directed them to approach the CIC with regards to physical hearing, noting that there was already an order by the commission in that regard. On the point of virtual hearing, the bench told the petitioners to move the Supreme Court where the issue relating to such facility before the commission was pending. "It is not as easy as you people perhaps trying to portray. There are issues which has prevented many high courts from going online. Online hearings are permissible but online streaming is not permissible. There are issues which must be realised by the members of the general public. It is n

Govt cuts toll by up to 50% on national highways with bridges, tunnels

The government has reduced the toll rates up to 50 per cent for the sections of National Highways that have structures like tunnels, bridges, flyovers or elevated stretches, a move which will lower travelling cost for motorists. User charges at fee plazas on National Highways are collected as per NH Fee Rules, 2008. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has made amendment to 2008 rules and notified a new method or formula for calculating toll charges. "The rate of fee for use of a section of national highway comprising of structure or structures shall be calculated by adding ten times the length of structure or structures to the length of the section of national highway excluding the length of structure or structures, or five times the total length of section of national highway, whichever is lesser," said the notification dated July 2, 2025. 'Structure' means an independent bridge, tunnel or flyover or elevated highway. To explain the new toll charges, the ministry has cited

Centre to invest ₹2 trillion to transform Jharkhand's infra: Gadkari

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said the Centre is committed to augment Jharkhand's infrastructure, and it would implement projects worth Rs 2 lakh crore in the state. The Union Road Transport and Highways Minister asserted that Jharkhand, which is rich in mineral resources, would see unprecedented growth in the highways sector. "I am committed to bolster Jharkhand's infrastructure. I assure the people of implementing Rs 2 lakh crore-worth national highway projects in the state," he said, while addressing a public meeting. "We have completed Rs 40,000-crore national highway projects in the state. At present, we are implementing highway projects worth Rs 70,000 crore, while projects worth Rs 75,000 crore are in the pipeline," Gadkari said. Strengthening infrastructure was the need of the hour to make India a USD 5-trillion economy in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision, he said. He said the Rs 36,000-crore Varanasi-Ranchi-Kolkata greenfield corridor will be ...

'Stop endless retrofitting': Ex-Delhi chief secy urges urban planning reset

Former Delhi Chief Secretary Shailaja Chandra urged CM Rekha Gupta to show courage, end vote-bank politics, and prioritise long-term urban planning over short-term populist measures

Infosys founder Narayana Murthy visits GIFT City, lauds global potential

Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy on Friday visited Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) and praised its progress and global outlook. He met GIFT City Chairman Hasmukh Adhia, Managing Director and Group CEO Tapan Ray, and International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) Chairman K Rajaraman. Murthy lauded the rapid progress being made and expressed appreciation for the world-class infrastructure and the growing number of international companies establishing operations in GIFT City. He noted that such developments are critical to positioning GIFT City as a global hub for financial and technology services as well as fintech innovation. He also interacted with students from various institutions at GIFT City and encouraged them to aim high. Infosys recently opened a new development centre at GIFT City that will support over 1,000 employees and deliver digital solutions for global BFSI clients across multiple domains.

Strong project pipeline to ensure sales momentum for Prestige Estates

The launches in the last quarter and a strong outlook has resulted in the stock gaining 21 per over the last month and 42 per cent over three months

Reserve Bank of India eases provisioning rules for infrastructure loans

The Reserve Bank of India proposed in May last year that lenders should set aside 5% of the loan value for an infrastructure project being built to cover risks

Karnataka seeks bigger share of central taxes, Rs 1.15 trn for B'luru infra

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday met 16th Finance Commission Chairman Arvind Panagariya, demanding a larger allocation for the state from the central tax pool and Rs 1.15 lakh crore investment to strengthen Bengaluru's infrastructure for the five-year period beginning April 1, 2026. In the meeting, which lasted for more than an hour, Siddaramaiah flagged that there has been a "stark imbalance in fiscal returns" despite Karnataka contributing nearly 8.7 per cent of the national GDP with just 5 per cent of the population and ranking second in the country in GST collections. "The imbalance in fiscal returns is so much that for every rupee Karnataka contributes to union taxes, it receives only 15 paise in return," the CM told reporters after the meeting. Speaking about the discussion, Siddaramaiah said: "The meeting was very cordial and the chairman was very receptive to our demands... We have told them that the tax devolution to states should be done fairly and ...

Governing Council urges NIIF to boost global presence, adopt new strategy

The Finance Ministry has called on NIIF to leverage its sovereign-backed model, diversify funding sources and attract international investors by strengthening its global profile

CM Gupta announces state-of-the-art auditorium in northeast Delhi

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday announced the construction of a state-of-the-art auditorium in northeast Delhi, aiming to boost infrastructure for educational and cultural events in the region, according to a statement. She made the announcement while attending the 61st Annual Day and Sashtipoorthi celebrations of Shyam Lal College as the chief guest. The event was also attended by Member of Parliament Manoj Kumar Tiwari and MLA Jitendra Mahajan, the statement read. To mark the college's milestone, the chief minister planted a sapling near the Ganesh Temple on campus and felicitated students who excelled in academics and other fields, it stated. In her address, Gupta recalled her student days at the University of Delhi and said institutions like Shyam Lal College, once facing several challenges, have now evolved into centres of excellence. She said that a student from Shyam Lal College is now serving as an MLA and, as a former DU student herself, she is now the chief ...

Statsguru: What explains cracks in infrastructure at India's major airports

For the country's major airports, repair & maintenance expenditures declined year-on-year in proportion to their aeronautical revenues in FY24

Ambuja makes 30% of cement used in infra, housing projects in India: CEO

Ambuja Cements, now a key part of the Adani Group, has surpassed 100 MTPA capacity and plans to reach 140 MTPA by FY28, driven primarily by brownfield expansions