After Maharashtra, Delhi cuts aviation turbine fuel VAT to 7% to ease airline fuel cost pressure amid West Asia crisis
The Delhi government has reduced the Value Added Tax on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) from 25% to 7% for an initial period of six months, days after Maharashtra announced a similar reduction in the tax on jet fuel. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday, 16 […]
India’s power tariff reform push: CEA calls for transparent DISCOM fixed cost recovery
India’s electricity tariff structure may be headed for a redesign, with a new report flagging a structural mismatch between the fixed costs incurred by power distribution companies and the revenue they recover through fixed charges. The report, prepared by the Central Electricity Authority, has called for a national framework to rationalise electricity fixed charges and […]
Indian Navy opens premier sailing training facility at Bhojtal in Bhopal
The Indian Navy inaugurated its premier Naval Sailing Node at Upper Lake, widely known as Bhojtal, in Bhopal on Sunday, 17 May, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. The inauguration ceremony was presided over by Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of the Naval Staff, in the presence of senior officials from the defence […]
New shoe testing laboratory at NTH Ghaziabad to support India’s footwear manufacturing sector
The National Test House, Northern Region, Ghaziabad, is set to unveil a state-of-the-art Shoe Testing Laboratory to strengthen India’s footwear quality testing infrastructure and support manufacturers, exporters, MSMEs, consumers and regulatory authorities, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs said in a statement on Sunday, 17 May. The laboratory is expected to provide comprehensive, reliable and high-precision […]
Bengaluru-Mumbai Express flagged off as Railways plans Vande Bharat Sleeper service on route
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday, 17 May, virtually flagged off a new express train between Bengaluru and Mumbai, strengthening direct rail connectivity between Karnataka and Maharashtra. The new service, Train No. 16553/54 SMVT Bengaluru-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express, has been introduced on one of the busiest passenger routes connecting south India with Maharashtra. Vaishnaw […]
Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project advances as 350-tonne cutterhead lowered at Vikhroli for underground tunnel work
A 350-tonne cutterhead has been lowered at Vikhroli in Mumbai for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project, marking a key step in the assembly of a Tunnel Boring Machine that will excavate part of the underground section in Maharashtra. The Ministry of Railways said on Sunday, 17 May, that the first cutterhead of the TBM was […]
Delhi aims to flatten Bhalswa and Okhla garbage mountains this year, Ghazipur by 2027-end
Delhi’s long-running battle with its three major garbage mountains has entered another deadline-driven phase, with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi targeting the complete flattening of the Bhalswa and Okhla landfill sites by the end of 2026 and the full remediation of the Ghazipur landfill by the end of 2027. Delhi Mayor Pravesh Wahi said on […]
Tata Electronics, ASML sign pact to advance India’s first commercial semiconductor fab in Dholera
Tata Electronics and ASML have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to advance India’s semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem, with the partnership focused on the establishment and ramp-up of Tata Electronics’ upcoming 300 mm semiconductor fab in Dholera, Gujarat. The agreement was signed on Saturday, 16 May, by Tata Electronics and ASML, one of the world’s leading semiconductor […]
Amit Shah to launch Madhur Dairy Unit-2 in Gandhinagar as Gujarat expands modern cooperative dairy network
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the Madhur Dairy Unit-2 Automatic Milk Processing and Packaging Plant at Dashela in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, on 17 May 2026. The new dairy unit will expand Gujarat’s cooperative dairy infrastructure with modern milk processing, packaging, quality control and value addition capacity. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel, Deputy […]
India pushes deeper BRICS trade integration as intra-bloc trade reaches $1.17 trillion
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal on Saturday, 16 May, said intra-BRICS merchandise trade has reached $1.17 trillion in 2024, highlighting the growing economic significance of the grouping and the scope for deeper trade integration among member countries. Speaking at the 2nd Meeting of the BRICS Contact Group on Trade and Economic Issues (CGETI) in Gandhinagar, Agrawal […]