Ministry Pushes for Planned Peri-Urban Growth Before 16th Finance Panel

06 Nov 2024 CW Team

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is expected to propose a focus on the planned development of peri-urban areas to tap into Sixteenth Finance Commission grants. This move aims to discourage haphazard growth and illegal constructions in the outskirts of cities.

To shape its recommendations, the ministry has formed sub-groups to address key areas such as political intervention, administrative reforms, and financial resources. The recommendations will be submitted to the commission, which was formed on December 31, 2023, and is chaired by former Niti Aayog vice chairman Arvind Panagariya. The commission's final report is expected by October 2025, and its recommendations will cover the period from 2026-27 to 2031-32.

The ministry’s focus on peri-urban areas marks a shift from the Fifteenth Finance Commission’s focus on urban reforms in larger cities. "We want to incentivise states to plan urbanisation in peri-urban areas, preventing organic, unstructured growth," a senior official stated.

The Five-member Finance Commission is also expected to recommend strategies for enhancing the revenue of urban local bodies, which will be critical in ensuring sustainable urban development. The Fifteenth Finance Commission had allocated ?1.21 lakh crore for urban bodies between 2021 and 2026, with different grant categories based on city population.

As the ministry looks toward involving planning bodies more effectively, reforms to break down top-heavy state structures will likely be crucial. By incentivising change, officials believe these bodies will be better equipped to address the complexities of urbanisation.

Infrastructure Transport

01 Jun 2026

MMRDA advances 250 m on Orange Gate–Marine Drive tunnel

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has completed 250 m of underground tunnelling for the Orange Gate–Marine Drive Urban Road Tunnel using India’s largest slurry shield tunnel boring machine (TBM) deployed for an urban road project.The project involves twin tunnels extending over 7 km beneath critical transport corridors, including Central Railway, Western Railway and Metro Line 3. The work requires high-precision engineering to navigate densely developed urban infrastructure.Once completed, the tunnel is expected to reduce travel time between Orange Gate and Marin..

Hindustan Zinc Pays Rs 188.46 Billion in FY26

Hindustan Zinc contributed Rs 188.46 billion to the public exchequer in FY 2025-26, according to its 9th Tax Transparency Report. The contribution, equivalent to 46 per cent of the company’s revenue, included direct and indirect taxes, government royalties, dividends to the Government of India, withholding taxes and other statutory levies.The company’s five-year cumulative contribution to the exchequer stood at Rs 915.72 billion. In FY26, Hindustan Zinc reported revenue of Rs 408.44 billion, EBITDA of Rs 221.62 billion and profit after tax of Rs 138.32 billion. It also achieved its highest..

World of Concrete India 2026 Opens in Mumbai

Informa Markets in India will host the 12th edition of World of Concrete India 2026 from 3–5 June 2026 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai. The specialised B2B exhibition will bring together manufacturers, suppliers, contractors, developers, architects, consultants, infrastructure companies, project leaders and government stakeholders.The event is expected to feature over 350 brands and more than 18,000 trade professionals. It will cover concrete and cement, dry mortar, precast technologies, formwork, construction chemicals, industrial and commercial flooring, scaffolding, safety solutio..