Manohar Lal Khattar assigned as union housing & urban affairs minister

13 Jun 2024 CW Team

The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry is mandated to execute various projects, including the PM Awas Yojana, Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), and the Central Vista redevelopment plan. The Central Vista redevelopment, the nation's power corridor, includes a new Parliament building, a common central secretariat, revamping the three-km Rajpath from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate, new offices and residences for the prime minister, and a new vice-president enclave.

Inducted into the Union Cabinet on Sunday, the BJP veteran is set to begin his new role as a parliamentarian and Union Minister. Khattar joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a permanent member in 1977 and remained with it for 17 years before joining the BJP in 1994. In 2014, he became an MLA and was appointed chief minister of Haryana by the BJP. Ten years later, in March 2024, he was replaced by Nayab Singh Saini.

Contesting his first Lok Sabha polls from Karnal, Khattar defeated Congress's Divyanshu Budhiraja by a margin of over 2.35 million votes. Khattar is considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, having worked with him in the 1990s within the party organization. A lifelong bachelor, Khattar has worked for nearly 40 years as an RSS pracharak. His family, of agricultural background, migrated to Haryana from Pakistan post-Partition and settled in Nindana, Rohtak district, where he was born in 1954.

In 2014, when the BJP formed the government in Haryana for the first time, Khattar became the state's first non-Jat chief minister in nearly two decades, breaking the Jat community's longstanding political dominance. Regarding the party's move to appoint Nayab Saini as Haryana's CM in March this year, Khattar stated that the decision was not sudden and that he had suggested Saini's name to Modi more than a year ago. (Source: ET Infra)

Manohar Lal Khattar has been appointed the Housing and Urban Affairs Minister in the new Union Cabinet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. The 70-year-old former Haryana chief minister replaces Hardeep Singh Puri, who retains the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry. The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry is mandated to execute various projects, including the PM Awas Yojana, Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), and the Central Vista redevelopment plan. The Central Vista redevelopment, the nation's power corridor, includes a new Parliament building, a common central secretariat, revamping the three-km Rajpath from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate, new offices and residences for the prime minister, and a new vice-president enclave. Inducted into the Union Cabinet on Sunday, the BJP veteran is set to begin his new role as a parliamentarian and Union Minister. Khattar joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a permanent member in 1977 and remained with it for 17 years before joining the BJP in 1994. In 2014, he became an MLA and was appointed chief minister of Haryana by the BJP. Ten years later, in March 2024, he was replaced by Nayab Singh Saini. Contesting his first Lok Sabha polls from Karnal, Khattar defeated Congress's Divyanshu Budhiraja by a margin of over 2.35 million votes. Khattar is considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, having worked with him in the 1990s within the party organization. A lifelong bachelor, Khattar has worked for nearly 40 years as an RSS pracharak. His family, of agricultural background, migrated to Haryana from Pakistan post-Partition and settled in Nindana, Rohtak district, where he was born in 1954. In 2014, when the BJP formed the government in Haryana for the first time, Khattar became the state's first non-Jat chief minister in nearly two decades, breaking the Jat community's longstanding political dominance. Regarding the party's move to appoint Nayab Saini as Haryana's CM in March this year, Khattar stated that the decision was not sudden and that he had suggested Saini's name to Modi more than a year ago. (Source: ET Infra)

Infrastructure Urban

06 Apr 2026

InsideFPV Delivers ₹10 Crore Kamikaze Drone Order Under MoD’s EPR Route

InsideFPV, a Surat-based drone technology manufacturer, has successfully executed a ₹10 crore defence contract to supply indigenous kamikaze drones under the Ministry of Defence’s Emergency Procurement Route (EPR). The company completed the delivery of hundreds of FPV kamikaze drone platforms within a rapid two-month timeframe, highlighting its ability to meet urgent military procurement timelines.The supply orders were fulfilled under the emergency procurement mechanism, which is aimed at fast-tracking acquisitions for immediate operational needs. InsideFPV’s quick execution reflects it..

Infrastructure Energy

06 Apr 2026

Vedanta Resources Secures Fitch Upgrade to ‘BB-’, Best Rating Since 2015

Vedanta Resources Limited (VRL), a global player in metals, oil & gas, critical minerals, power and technology, has received a credit rating upgrade from Fitch Ratings, marking its strongest bond rating in over a decade.Fitch has raised Vedanta Resources’ Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to ‘BB-’ from ‘B+’, while maintaining a Stable Outlook. The agency also upgraded VRL’s senior unsecured rating, along with the ratings of US dollar-denominated bonds issued by Vedanta Resources Finance II Plc and guaranteed by VRL, to ‘BB-’.The upgrade represents Vedan..

Real Estate

06 Apr 2026

NAREDCO NextGen NCR Chapter Launched

The NAREDCO NextGen NCR Chapter was recently launched at Excelerate 2026 in Mumbai, marking a key step towards integrating emerging real estate leaders from the National Capital Region with the national platform. The initiative aims to promote sustainable and responsible urban development through collaboration and knowledge exchange.The event brought together young developers, entrepreneurs, and professionals from across NCR, including Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Bhiwadi, and Meerut. Discussions focused on urban development, finance, sustainability, innovation, and policy, emphasisi..