Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 25 made a strong case for privatisation of public sector undertakings that he said burdened the taxpayer, and stressed that the government has “no business to be in business”. He said his regime has set a target to monetise 100 PSUs in oil, gas, airports, ports, power, among other areas, which will draw Rs 2.5 trillion of investment. Watch the video for PM Modi’s full speech.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 25 made a strong case for privatisation of public sector undertakings that he said burdened the taxpayer, and stressed that the government has "no business to be in business". He said his regime has set a target to monetise 100 PSUs in oil, gas, airports, ports, power, among other areas, which will draw Rs 2.5 trillion of investment. Watch the video for PM Modi's full speech.

PM Modi on how govt will use funds from privatisation, asset monetisation

IndiGo has launched daily direct flights between Chennai and Penang in Malaysia on Saturday, becoming the 37th international destination for the private airliner.
The new route caters to the growing demand for travel between the two cities, offering both business and leisure travellers a convenient and affordable option, IndiGo said in a statement on Saturday.
"We are extremely pleased to further expand our network into Malaysia with the launch of direct flights from Chennai to Penang, our third destination in Malaysia, alongside Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi. With the inclusion of these flights to Penang, IndiGo will now operate 28 weekly flights to Malaysia from 2 cities in India" IndiGo Head of Global Sales Vinay Malhotra said in a statement.
At the inaugural ceremony, Chennai Airport director C V Deepak handed over the boarding pass to the first passenger on Saturday.
"Your gateway to Malaysia's crown jewel! The inaugural flight (6E1045) of IndiGo from Chennai to Penang was marked 

The new route caters to the growing demand for travel between the two cities, offering both business and leisure travellers a convenient and affordable option

The Andhra Pradesh government and EdTech company PhysicsWallah have signed an agreement to set up a University of Innovation (UoI) at an investment of up to Rs 1,000 crore.
The UoI is set to emerge as the first institute of eminence in the state and aligns with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's aim to provide the state's youth with education in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies.
We are committed to investing up to Rs 1,000 crores by GSV Ventures - US and other investors, the purpose is to create an institution that combines academic learning with industry relevance. The UoI will help learners with the skills they might need in a constantly evolving job market, in an attempt to foster entrepreneurship and innovation, said PhysicsWallah founder and chief executive Alakh Pandey in a press release on Friday.
The UoI will work towards blending academic excellence, innovation, and research, focusing on addressing key challenges in education and ...

The UoI is set to emerge as the first institute of eminence in the state and aligns with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's aim to provide the state's youth with education in AI, other technology

According to Isro, the agreement establishes a framework for cooperative activities in human space exploration and research

Transport Corporation of India on Thursday said its lab set up in collaboration with IIM, Bangalore, has received ISO certification for a digital tool that can track greenhouse gas emissions.
The TCI-IIMB Supply Chain Sustainability Lab at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), founded in collaboration with TCI, has become the first organisation in India to achieve ISO 14083 certification for its groundbreaking digital platform, the Transportation Emissions Measurement Tool (TEMT), it said in a release.
"This certification underscores the platform's ability to accurately quantify and report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from freight transportation activities, helping organisations to measure, manage, and ultimately reduce their transportation-related emissions in line with regulatory requirements and sustainability goals," TCI said.
(TEMT) is a comprehensive online platform designed to measure emissions across all modes of transportation.
In India, the transportation

(TEMT) is a comprehensive online platform designed to measure emissions across all modes of transportation

Uttar Pradesh has recorded the second-highest increase in the combined forest and tree cover in the country with an increase of 559 sqkm, the state government said in a statement.
"UP records the second largest increase in forest and tree cover. Total 559.19 sq km as per the latest ISFR released in Dehradun today," the statement said.
UP's Minister of State (Independent Charge) Forest and Environment, Zoological Garden, Climate Change Arun Kumar Saxena credited Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the increase in the green cover with his directions to all stakeholders to plant trees.
"And because of the collective efforts, we got positive and good results. We ranked second in the country in increasing the combined forest and tree cover, which is a significant achievement. Only Chhattisgarh is ahead of us," Saxena told reporters.
"Our efforts will be to take the state to the number one position," he added.
India's total forest and tree cover has increased by 1,445 sq km since 2021, .

India's total forest and tree cover has increased by 1,445 sq km since 2021, reaching 25.17 per cent of the total geographical area in 2023, according to the latest government data

Delhi's air quality improved to the 'very poor' category on Saturday, with the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 370, officials said.
The national capital's AQI stood at 429 in the 'severe' category on Friday, they said.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.
The maximum temperature in Delhi was recorded at 23.4 degree Celsius, a notch above the season's average, while the minimum temperature settled at 7.6 degrees Celsius, one notch below the season's average, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The city experienced fog in the morning hours, with humidity levels oscillating between100 per cent and 64 per cent, the department said.
The weather office has predicted moderate fog on Sunday with the maximum and minimum temperatures expected to hover around 24 and eight degrees Celsius, respectively.

The weather office has predicted moderate fog on Sunday with the maximum and minimum temperatures expected to hover around 24 and eight degrees Celsius

The GST Council, in its meeting on Saturday, is likely to decide on reducing tax rates on life and health insurance premiums, but a decision on big-ticket rate rationalisation, including a higher tax on sin goods, may be deferred.
The GoM on GST rate rationalisation had proposed rate rejigs in 148 items in its recommendations, but sources said that consensus is needed to be built on some of the tax changes that the panel has suggested and some more time may be needed for that.
The 55th meeting of the GST Council, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and comprising state counterparts, is also likely to deliberate on bringing Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), a major component for airline industry's operation cost, in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) fold.
The GST rate is also proposed to be cut on food delivery platforms like Swiggy and Zomato, to 5 per cent (without input tax credit), from the current 18 per cent (with ITC).
However, the Fitment Committee (comprising tax

Also, the Group of Ministers (GoM) on GST compensation cess is likely to get a six month extension till June, 2025, to submit its report. The compensation cess regime comes to an end in March, 2026

Funds devolved to states under the 15th Finance Commission (2021-2024) is more than what was devolved under the 14th Finance Commission (2015-20), finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Friday.
In a pre-budget meeting with states, Sitharaman remarked that because of healthy macroeconomic environment, buoyancy and efficiency in the tax collections, the devolution has increased.
"The funds devolved to the states in the last 45 months (April 2021 to December 2024) under the 15th Finance Commission is more than what was devolved in 60 months under the 14th Finance Commission (2015-20)," an official statement quoting Sitharaman said.
The Union finance minister also referred to the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI), which was first announced in the Union Budget 2020-21, and acknowledged that it has received a very good response from states.
States have been requesting the Central government to enhance the outlay under the scheme as it is leading

In addition to this, the Union finance minister stated that the Centre has created an additional dispensation under SASCI for the states affected by disaster of a severe nature as assessed by the Inte

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PM Modi on how govt will use funds from privatisation, asset monetisation

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