As I write this, our Prime Minister is already in the UAE, making his second trip in less than three years, to accelerate the infrastructure thrust that the two countries have agreed upon.

In a massive infrastructure boost to Gujarat, the Indian mass-transit operator Metro Link Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad (MEGA) Company Limited has awarded an order of approximately Rs 579 crore to the consortium of Siemens Limited India and Siemens AG, Germany for electrification of the 39.2-kilometer Metro Express Link in Ahmedabad.

Swedish provider of sustainable Internet infrastructure Flexenclosure is establishing a second production facility in western Sweden to manage the increasing global demand for its prefabricated eCentre data centres.

Despite a raft of policy facilitations, domestic airlines are flying into two major headwinds – crippling infrastructure constraints at major airports, and an uptick in fuel prices – which could mean growth in domestic air passenger traffic may have peaked out for the medium term.

The recent notification of bidding guidelines by the Government of India for the award of wind power projects is a positive development for the sector. The guidelines address some of the key concerns for the sector pertaining to off-taker’s credit profile, grid curtailment and termination payments.

With huge infrastructure projects underway in Maharashtra, the state government is looking at restructuring its funding model so that bankers who are willing to fund projects will be covered by the government. This will form part of the agreement that they sign with the developers.

CG Tollway Private Ltd., a wholly-owned Subsidiary and a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of IRB Infrastructure Developers Ltd., has received Appointed Date from NHAI for its Chittorgarh to Gulabpura six laning Highway Project.

If the Indian economy needs to sustain its growth momentum in the coming decade, developing world-class infrastructure facilities is of paramount importance. Traditionally in India, a significant portion of debt requirement for financing infrastructure has been met by borrowing from domestic banks.

Until recently, we used to talk about the cost of funds being too high and, as you are aware, some infrastructure projects have a long gestation period. There is a period of construction and then there are cost overruns and delays.