The Indian government has launched the Urban Challenge Fund (UCF) with a total outlay of Rs 1 lakh crore, aiming to leverage private and market finance for urban infrastructure projects by providing state support in capacity building and credit guarantees.
Comptroller and Auditor General of India K Sanjay Murthy highlighted the need for stronger accountability systems to support India's urban transformation and sustainable mobility push at the BRICS Supreme Audit Institutions Leaders' Summit in Bengaluru.
Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced the Centre's readiness to release Rs 6 crore to Mizoram to strengthen its power sector. The announcement came during a meeting with BJP leaders in Aizawl, where issues concerning Mizoram, including pending central funds and housing schemes, were discussed.
Onestruction Inc and DataKaveri Systems have signed an MoU to establish a framework for strategic and technical collaboration in urban and built environment data exchange.
The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister's announcement of four 'Namo Cities' aims to decentralise development and decongest Delhi, but experts warn that the initiative may face execution challenges similar to previous urbanisation plans due to inadequate coordination among NCR states.
The gap between promise and achievement in JNNURM is enormous.
The Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the Trinamool Congress has filed fresh police complaints against dissident leader Ritabrata Banerjee and his associates. The complaints accuse the rebels of illegally using the party's name, symbol, and designations to mislead workers, marking a significant escalation in the month-long internal struggle following the assembly poll defeat.
Bengaluru is at a critical juncture, where its economic model, reliant on attracting and retaining skilled professionals, is directly threatened by a measurable decline in urban quality of life, point out Shishir Gupta and Rishita Sachdeva.
The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is set to explore the use of AI, predictive analytics, and robotic inspection technologies to detect water theft, reduce leakages, and improve operational efficiency across Bengaluru's water distribution network.
The NTA has also confirmed that the upcoming re-examination, scheduled for June 21, 2026, will be conducted entirely free of cost for all previously registered candidates, funded fully through the agency's internal reserves.
If TVK MLAs and ministers are perceived as clean, or demonstrably cleaner than their predecessors, the credibility dividend will be enormous. The voter will feel rewarded, points out Ramesh Menon.
The building suffered extensive damage in the fire, with debris, shattered glass and burnt materials strewn in the vicinity. A large crowd gathered near the site as authorities cordoned off the spot and diverted traffic to facilitate rescue operations.
Sustaining 8 per cent-plus growth rates is necessary if we are to reach high-income status by 2047, points out Amitabh Kant.
A BJP government in Bengal inherits more problems than it might care to admit at its moment of triumph, points out Ramesh Menon
'She was not a yes person. She would tell the truth and her feelings to Indira Gandhi, and Indira Gandhi would value her opinion. The same was the case with Rajiv Gandhi who would value her opinion.'
A combination of security pressure and rehabilitation efforts has significantly weakened Naxalism in India, leading to numerous surrenders and the elimination of key leaders.
Kerala's 2026 assembly election will see a three-cornered contest where religion and communalism have emerged as central themes for the first time, challenging the state's long-celebrated secular fabric.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of presenting a misleading picture of West Bengal's development and employment situation during a rally in Kolkata, alleging that he is acting more as a BJP campaigner than as the Prime Minister.
'That journey across India has changed me forever.'
As many as 2.17 lakh pieces of fake notes of various denominations were detected during 2024-25 compared to 2.23 lakh such notes in the previous year, Parliament was informed on Monday. Of this, highest -- 117,722 pieces -- counterfeit notes of 500 [MG (New) Series] were detected in FY25, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
The Maharashtra legislative assembly passed the 'Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill' aimed at preventing unlawful activities of Left Wing Extremist organizations, focusing on urban Naxalism and passive militancy.
A large-scale international study published in the journal, Molecular Psychiatry, has been tracking over 7 lakh individuals and has shown that 34.6 per cent of mental disorders begin before the age of 14 years, 48.4 per cent before 18 years and 62.5 per cent by the age of 25 years.
'It would have polarised the Marathi-non Marathi divide further. 'Fadnavis had a very clear strategy: Let all Marathi people campaign for us (the BJP), and whatever results we get will be delivered by Marathi people only.'
Developers are entering one of the busiest construction cycles, with the top four firms planning launches worth Rs 1.13 trillion over the near to medium term, even as execution faces pressure from approval delays, labour shortages, rising costs, and contractor capacity limits across the industry.
India's housing finance sector is riding a wave of post-pandemic revival, driven by policy support, digital innovation, and growing demand from younger homebuyers in emerging cities.
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Grameen has the highest unutilised amount (Rs 13,111 crore) compared to any other centrally sponsored scheme.
'There'll be extended periods where things aren't working in your favour. But if you believe in the cause profoundly, then you simply persevere.'
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed officials to declare leopard attacks on humans as a "state disaster" and proposed reclassification of leopards under the Wild Life (Protection) Act to better manage man-eating animals. The decision follows a rise in leopard attacks in the state, particularly in the Pune district.
'The informal sector can grow at a 100 per cent rate -- we have to plan big.'
'A majority of filmmakers cannot truly understand the city because they don't live here,' says Anusha Rizvi, Director, The Great Shamsuddin Family.
'The elimination of terrorists does not imply the neutralisation of terrorism. That terrorist ecosystem continues to thrive in Kashmir.'
'Most pollution boards across the country have unused funds. There is practically no reason why pollution should not be a political priority.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday urged all stakeholders to come together and invest in people for skill development, nurturing talent and promoting innovation which are essential for job creation and boosting the economy. Participating in post-Budget webinar on employment, Modi said the government has provided skill training to 3 crore youth since 2014 and decided to upgrade 1,000 ITIs and set up five centres of excellence.
'The question for the TMC is not whether it can hold its bastions, but whether it can expand effectively into regions where the BJP already possesses a good ecosystem.'
'If all of us (all the 57 Shiv Sena MLAs) stand together we can change the dynamic. We are not afraid of anyone.'
Bessemer Venture Partners has closed $350 million in capital for its second dedicated India fund to back founders in the region, who build enduring companies.
'India needs at least 70,000 to 80,000 eyewear stores; our 2,000 stores are just a drop in the ocean.'
'Bihar's voters' electoral memory is long, and their evaluations are relational; who came to the village, who followed up, who resolved a problem.'
While the capital spending is being maintained at 3.1 per cent of the GDP, a little more would have boosted economic growth even further, suggests Rajiv Memani.
Budget 2025-26 delivers a carefully calibrated strategy-stimulating demand and investment while keeping fiscal discipline intact. In an environment marked by global trade disruptions, and a softening in urban consumption, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has taken a measured approach.
