Infrastructure

Govt to audit roads, buildings to ensure no cost-escalation: CM Sukhu

The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to conduct a construction audit of roads and buildings to ensure there is no cost escalation after administrative approvals, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said during Question Hour on Thursday. An enormous increase has been witnessed in the cost of construction of roads and buildings during the past five years and a construction audit would help arrest such cost-escalation, he said in the Assembly. Sukhu added that the state was passing through a financial crisis and accused the previous BJP government of opening institutions indiscriminately during the election year. "It would have been better if the previous BJP government had provided sufficient funds for the Mandi Degree College instead of opening more colleges," he added. Replying to a question from Anil Sharma of the BJP, Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh said the construction of buildings of Mandi Degree College would be completed during this year. He added there ha

HLL Infra Tech Services reports 58% jump in profit to Rs 27.76 cr in FY23

HLL Infra Tech Services Ltd (HITES) has reported a 58 per cent jump in net profit to Rs 27.76 crore in 2022-23 compared to Rs 17.6 crore in FY22 on higher revenue from the infrastructure division, the Health Ministry said on Thursday. The total turnover of the central public sector undertaking under the Health Ministry jumped by 19 per cent to Rs 361.38 crores in 2022-23 against Rs 303.40 crores in 2021-22. These significantly positive results were achieved largely due to the infrastructure development business which saw the completion of the new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Bhatinda, Gorakhpur and Guwahati and upgradation of multiple projects during the last fiscal year, the ministry said in a statement. HLL Lifecare Limited (HLL) is a 50-year-old CPSE under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the statement said. With the objective to specifically focus on the Construction and Procurement business in the healthcare sector, HITES was raised on 3rd April

India has built a world-class digital public infrastructure, says IMF

The IMF paper said that a set of enabling policies in the financial and telecommunications sector also supported the uptake of India Stack

Core sector output slows to 3-month low of 6% in Feb, crude production dips

Six of eight key infrastructure industries report sequential deceleration

Capital expenditure of states shows improvement as year comes to a close

The biggest improvement year-on-year (YoY) has been by Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka

Improving school infrastructure top priority of Delhi government: Atishi

Delhi Education Minister Atishi on Friday asserted that improving school infrastructure is a top priority for the Kejriwal government, adding that creating a favourable learning atmosphere is crucial to overall development of children. The education minister inspected an under-construction school in Sangam Vihar on Friday, Delhi government officials informed. This magnificent school with 88 classrooms is being constructed by the Kejriwal government to address the educational needs of thousands of children in the area, the government said in a statement. During her visit, Education Minister Atishi directed the officials to follow the checklist strictly and complete the construction work of the school by June, so that classes can begin there in July. The new four-storey school in Sangam Vihar has been divided into three blocks that have 88 classrooms in total along with facilities of state-of-the-art labs, libraries, staff rooms, a principal office and a playground. Along with these

5,642 warehouse projects completed under WIF scheme so far, says Govt

Around 5,642 warehousing projects have been completed under the Warehouse Infrastructure Fund (WIF) scheme so far, Parliament was informed on Friday. Under the Warehouse Infrastructure Fund (WIF) scheme, under the Ministry of Finance, about Rs 9,393.68 crore funds have been sanctioned till December 2022 for establishment of 7,953 warehouse projects spread across 21 states, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. The estimated storage capacity on completion of these projects will be 9.32 million tonnes, he said. Out of which, the cumulative disbursement of WIF loan till December 2022 was Rs 8,357 crore, as against the sanctions. "As on date, 5,642 projects have been completed," the Minister said. Apart from the WIF scheme, Tomar said the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) scheme of the Ministry of Agriculture facilitates medium-long-term debt financing for investment in viable projects relating to post-harvest management infrastructur

Govt took steps for building academic institutions infra: Jitendra Singh

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Thursday said the Government of India has taken several steps for building research infrastructure in our academic and research institutions.In a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today, Jitendra Singh said that a significant enabling policy framework has been put in place for promoting research in the country. Some of the targeted Programmes include: Fund for Improvement of S & T Infrastructure (FIST) in University departments and Higher Educational Institutions; Promotion of University Research and Scientific Excellence (PURSE) for pro-actively support for strengthening the R & D base of the performing Universities; Sophisticated Analytical Instrument Facilities (SAIF) to provide the facilities of sophisticated analytical instruments to the researchers in general and specially from the institutions which do not have access to such instruments to pursue R & D activities.The Minister added that these facilities provide adequate ...

Network Planning Group under PM Gati Shakti prog approves 6 infra projects

The Network Planning Group (NPG) under the PM Gati Shakti initiative has approved six infrastructure projects related to renewable energy, road and railways, an official statement said on Wednesday. On October 13 last year, the PM Gati Shakti - National Master Plan was launched with an aim to develop integrated infrastructure to reduce logistics costs. All logistics and connectivity infrastructure projects, entailing an investment of over Rs 500 crore, are routed through the NPG. "The NPG under PM Gati Shakti at its 45th session examined and recommended 6 Infrastructure projects," the commerce and industry ministry said, adding that these projects will be developed in tandem with the PM Gati Shakti principles using the integrated and holistic approach. One of the projects include an inter-state transmission system for renewable energy projects in Ladakh; Kanpur Anwarganj - Mandhana elevated railway track; doubling of Ajmer - Chittaurgarh railway line of 178.28 km and construction o

Parl panel flags poor fund usage by PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infra Mission

The PM-Ayushman Bharat Health infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) has turned out to be a major laggard in the financial year 2022-23 based on the expenditure of the fund allocated to the scheme, a parliamentary committee has observed. In its 144th report tabled in the Lok Sabha on Monday, the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare highlighted that the department has been able to utilise just about 20 per cent of its budget estimates allocation. It said 2021-22 is the second year of the implementation of the PM-ABHIM scheme. "Considering that the scheme has a fixed timeline for completion, the committee is surprised that the activities under the scheme have not moved beyond nascent stages of implementation," the report said. The committee in its report stated that the scheme was allocated Rs 690.00 crore in budget estimates 2022-23, which was reduced to Rs 378.27 crore in the revised estimated 2023-24. Again out of this reduced budget, the ..

India can achieve energy independence by 2047, says US Energy Dept study

India can achieve energy independence by 2047, when it celebrates 100 years of independence, according to a study by the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The study titled "Pathways to Atmanirbhar Bharat" also notes India's energy infrastructure needs an investment of USD3 trillion in the coming decades. It determined that achieving energy independence will generate significant economic, environmental, and energy benefits for India which include USD2.5 trillion in consumer savings through 2047, reducing fossil fuel import expenditure by 90 per cent or USD240 billion per year, enhancing India's industrial competitiveness globally, and enabling its net-zero commitment ahead of schedule. "India's energy infrastructure requires a USD3 trillion investment in the coming decades, and our study finds that prioritizing new energy assets that are cost-effective and clean is crucial for long-term financial sustainability," said Berkeley Lab staff scientist and ..

156 critical infra-gaps identified for intervention under PM Gati Shakti

As many as 156 critical infrastructure gaps to ports and for movement of bulk commodities such as coal, cement, fertilizers and foodgrains, have been identified for intervention under the PM Gati Shakti initiative, an official statement said on Saturday. The PM Gati Shakti programme was launched by the government on 13th October 2021. So far, 44 Network Planning Group meetings held at the central level, wherein 66 major infrastructure projects worth Rs Rs 5 lakh crore, have been evaluated, the commerce and industry ministry said. The Network Planning Group (NPG) is constituted under the initiative. "156 critical infrastructure gaps to ports and for movement of bulk commodities such as coal, cement, fertilizers and foodgrains, have been identified for intervention," it said. To facilitate wider adoption of the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, a series of regional workshops are being organized across all states/UTs. These workshops aim to bring more vigour and build synergy amo

Wholesale credit to grow at 9-11% in FY23-30 period: CRISIL report

9% of infrastructure, industrial capex is for green projects and number is rising, says agency

Dhami attends meet chaired by Rajnath to boost infra on northern borders

At the meeting, the Uttarakhand chief minister said the Pithoragarh airport would be developed by the Indian Air Force

National highway construction in February at 42 km/day, highest in FY23

National highway development near FY22 levels, but likely to miss target

Gaps in commitment, actual investment by China, says Nepal PM Dahal

Nepal's imports from China fell to $1.84 billion in 2022 from $2.38 billion a year ago, while exports totalled $5.39 million, down from $8.37 million in the same period, official data showed

PM Modi stresses the need to reorient skill infrastructure system

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday stressed the need to reorient the skill infrastructure system according to the needs of Lord Vishwakarma

94% expenditure marked for road, bridge, infra projects in MMRDA budget

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority's budget for fiscal 2023-24 was presented by Metropolitan Commissioner SVR Srinivas on Friday, with 94 per cent of expenditure earmarked for road and bridge projects, public transport and other infrastructure development works. As per an MMRDA release, the total estimated receipt is Rs.23,689.77 crores, including a loan from the Maharashtra government, while the total estimated expenditure is Rs. 28,704.98 crore, leaving a deficit of Rs 5,014.41 crore. It was presented in the MMRDA's 15th meeting in the presence of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis. Srinivas also presented a revised budget of MMRDA for 2022-23 with estimated total revenue of Rs.14,535.39 crore and total expenditure estimated at Rs.15,452.98 crores. Both the budgets were approved in the meeting, the release informed. "Out of total estimated expenditure for 2023-24, 94 per cent, or Rs.27,079.69 crore, will be spent on Road and Bridge ...

After weak Q3 show, concerns seem to be built into Indus Towers stock price

Discounted Cash Flow valuations estimates of analysts are between Rs 170-190 per share

Sufficient infra to fight rising respiratory infections: West Bengal govt

Several districts in West Bengal have been witnessing a surge in cases of children suffering from Acute Respiratory Illness (ARI), the hospital authorities informed