Urban Min emerges as key growth driver along with Highways, Renewables, T&D & Rlys. Over & above SmartCity, now clearing R25,000 cr projects.
Urban ministry gives urban renewal A boost
The ministry of urban development has decided to clear urban renewal projects worth R25,000 crore for the next three years under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation programme. The states have been advised to send in their plans for the next three fiscal years within this month.
Candid admissions: Gadkari says 90% road problems created by Govt. Now Jaitley says “lack of reforms by Govt created huge NPAs in infra”. Jaitley blames lack of reforms for banks’ woes. The finance minister recently said that difficulties faced by banks are a result of successive governments’ inability to bring in reforms, particularly in the power and infrastructure sectors. He is hopeful that the steps being taken including amendment of laws will be able to resolve the situation.
Booster Dose quite appropriate: ET reports “an influential section of govt pushing for an additional R60,000 cr burst of infra spending”.
Giving a fillip to infrastructure spending?
According to media reports, the government is considering a major infusion of funds especially for railways, roads and rural electrification projects. Actual utilisation and unspent balances that have been released to various agencies will be taken into account before allocating more funds.
Charter of Int Solar Alliance, mooted by PM Modi as an international platform, fast taking shape. To be ratified in Marrakech in Nov.
A Charter Of Change
The International Solar Alliance launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Paris in December last year is making great strides in boosting access to efficient solar technology. As the momentum builds towards the ratification and operationalisation of the Paris Agreement, and the amendment of the Montreal Protocol, 2016, India is seen to be playing a key role in the climate change initiative.
Good news from Air India: Lower fuel costs & passenger traffic allow carrier to declare R105 crore operating profit – 1st in 10 yrs.
Air India: Profits Soar The state owned Air India which had an operating loss of R2,636 crore last year has reported an operating profit of R105 crore this year. In 2015-16, the airline carried 18 million passengers, registering a growth of 6.6 %.
Airport Economic Regulatory Authority now plans to rank airports based on passenger amenities & facilities. Can’t wait to see rankings!
Airports To Be Ranked On Customer Friendliness
The new ranking system proposed by the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) aims to assign rankings to airports on a variety of parameters including duration of check-ins, security check, friendliness of airport staff and facilities at the airports for the differently-abled. The objective is to create customer-friendly airports.
Too drastic? Nat Consumer Comm has held that it can arrest officials of real estate firms for failure to deliver flats/refunds in time.
NCC Gets Tough On Defaulting Real Estate Developers
The National Consumer Commission (NCC) bench cited Sections 25 and 27 of the Consumer Protection Act, which empower a district consumer forum, a state consumer commission as well as the NCC to either order for attachment of properties of defaulters, or exercise its power as a judicial magistrate to seek their arrest. A person can be jailed for up to three years by a consumer forum under Section 27 for failing to comply with its orders.
Vinayak Chatterjee is Chairman of Feedback Infra
His Twitter handle: @Infra_VinayakCh
A weekly compilation of the author’s tweets—
with a brief backgrounder—in the infra space, by Adite Banerjie
