-The Hindu Public private partnership (PPP) is the only way out, Ministry tells parliamentary panel New Delhi: Even with an annual capital expenditure of about ?1.6 lakh crore for the Railways — which is the highest-ever — it will take decades to complete the sanctioned projects, the Ministry of Railways told a parliamentary panel on Monday, adding that public private partnership (PPP) is the only way out. The Ministry told the Standing Committee...

-Hindustan Times It has also exempted projects with a proposed capacity expansion up to 40% from the requirement of public consultations, with certain riders. In a move that could turn out to be a bonanza for the mining and infrastructure sectors, the environment ministry is considering a number of relaxations in the environment impact assessment (EIA) process that is carried out for development projects, including mining, before they are given the go-ahead. In...

-Livemint.com An effective mass transit system for India’s large urban agglomerations can flourish only with adequate financing of buses, metros, and suburban rail Among the several services that haven’t been able to keep up with the exponential growth of Indian cities is public transportation. As transit is integral to living in cities, residents have resorted to purchasing private vehicles to get around, adding to an already-severe congestion crisis in our cities. The solution...

-The Hindu Business Line Lowering the exchange rate to boost exports, a grant-based stimulus for auto sector and reviving stalled power projects will help The slowdown in the Indian economy is far steeper than what most observers had expected. The government has announced a set of measures for revival. It has also indicated that more are in the pipeline. For this to have become necessary within weeks of the presentation of the...

-Newsclick.in Allowing 100% FDI in coal mining is raising apprehensions that foreign companies will now ‘plunder’ mineral resources for commercial purposes for sale in the open market. The Narendra Modi government’s decision to allow 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in coal mining has been opposed by the Left on the ground it would enable multinational mining companies to “plunder” the country’s mineral resources. Those supporting the move, however, argue that foreign investment in...