Arun Lakhani, Chairman and Managing Director, Vishvaraj Infrastructure, says users will pay for drinking water if service providers improve service and engagement levels. Lakhani, whose firm has successfully rolled out the much-acclaimed 'Nagpur 24x7 Water Supply Scheme' in partnership with the French firm Veolia, also feels that the government needs to enunciate a policy on water reuse to make treated water an attractive proposition for the industry.
FlashNews:
IndiGrid to Acquire Gadag Transmission for ₹3.72 Billion
India Launches First All‑Electric Tug at Deendayal Port, Accelerates Green Maritime Shift
Bharatmala Pariyojana Executes 61% of Phase‑I Highway Targets, Boosts Freight Speed and Connectivity
Waaree Tops India’s Solar Module Shipments in Q3 2025, Reinforces Global Competitiveness
AISATS Expands Nationwide, Launches Ground Handling at Cochin Airport with Future‑Ready Tech
TIL Bags ₹2 Billion Orders Across Defence and Logistics, Validates Dual-Sector Strategy
Indian Railways to Roll Out OTP‑Based Tatkal Window Tickets Nationwide to Curb Misuse
Sanchar Saathi Row: Scindia Defends App as Voluntary, Transparent and Consumer‑Protective Amid Privacy Debate
REIAs Issue 67.5 GW Renewable Energy LoAs Since April 2023 with Zero Cancellations: Joshi
Rail Freight Rises 4.2% in November as Steel, Iron Ore and Fertiliser Volumes Surge
NHAI Partners Reliance Jio to Launch Telecom‑Based Safety Alerts on National Highways
Delhi Airport Becomes India’s First Water‑Positive Major Aviation Hub
Civil Aviation Minister Confirms GPS Spoofing at Delhi Airport; Cyber Threats Spread to Major Hubs
India’s Power Capacity Crosses 505,000 MW, Clean Energy Transition Accelerates
Air India Express Launches Twice-Daily Nagpur-Bengaluru Flights, Expands Maharashtra Network
India to Expand Refining Capacity to 309.5 MMTPA by 2030, Accelerates Biofuel and Green Hydrogen Push
Air India Expands China Presence with TAM Group Appointment as Passenger GSA
DFCCIL Trial Run Paves Way for JNPA Link to Western Dedicated Freight Corridor
India Secures Top Vote in IMO Council Re‑Election for 2026-27
Tag: Manish Pant
We can’t shy away from PPPs
PR Jaishankar, Chief General Manager, India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL) says that old models of development financing need a complete overhaul. He feels while development financing still holds relevance, it needs to be viewed in the context of the dynamic needs of the emerging environment.
Affordable housing is now lucrative for real estate majors
The announcement of infra status for the affordable housing segment in the Budget will open up new avenues for developers planning to offer budget housing units and will make it easy and comfortable for them to get finance from lending agencies.
In the HAM of a Dilemma
Just as with PPP projects, HAM contracts too are finding financial closure to be a challenge. Banks, especially, are wary of putting their money on developers with weak financials and lack of adequate experience. Industry insiders, however, beg to differ.
Talks of realty price correction are highly speculative
What´s come as significant positives for the real estate sector are the announcements on affordable homes. One is the government according it infrastructure status, which means projects in that segment will be able to raise finance at a much lower cost.
India is at a very interesting and crucial moment right now
India is at a very interesting and crucial moment right now. The Indian government has stimulated a lot of activity involving infrastructure development such as the Smart Cities programme and the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor.
A Massive Digital Thrust
'India is moving towards becoming a very digital country. You have seen the examples from the money perspective over the past several weeks. Irrespective of which side of the debate you are on, the benefits of digital are going to be across sectors,' emphasises Narendra Bhandari, General Manager, Developer Experience & Evange-lism, Microsoft India. He predicts that this 'Digital' or 'Fourth Industrial Revolution' will transform the infrastructure sector too in an unimaginable manner.
Can’t Wish Away Coal
Benjamin Sporton, Chief Executive of the powerful London-based World Coal Association (WCA), urges India to move over to high-efficiency, low-emission coal-fired power plants, and predicts that there is enough room for all sources of energy in the country's rapidly expanding economy.
We are constrained by our limited dredging capacity
The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) was set up in 1986. Since then till 2008, only five waterways could be declared as National Waterways. Work could be started on only three of them: National Waterway or NW-1 that is the Ganga National Waterway, NW-2 that is the Brahmaputra Waterway and NW-3 comprising the backwaters of Kerala.
All Work, Before Play
When in August this year, India sent its largest ever delegation to the Summer Olympic Games held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, most expected the country to further improve on its performance over the London edition of the games which had been held four years earlier.










