Centre allocates Rs 85 bn to improve infra in NE

02 Aug 2023 CW Team

The central government has allocated funds worth Rs 8533 crore to complete rail, air and road projects in the North Eastern states to strengthen the connectivity in the region.

A total of 19 railway infrastructure projects, falling fully/partly in North Eastern States, covering a total length of 1909 km at a cost of Rs.81,941 crore have been undertaken and are at different stages of planning/approval/execution. Out of these, 482 km length has been commissioned and an expenditure of Rs.37,713 crore has been incurred up to March 2023.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation launched the regional connectivity scheme (RCS)-UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) on October 21, 2016, to enhance regional connectivity across the country from unserved and under-served regions in the country and make air travel affordable to the masses. Airport at Rupsi, Tezu, Tezpur, Pasighat, Jorhat, Lilabari, Shillong, Pakyong, Itanagar and Dimapur involving 64 routes have been operationalized under UDAN in the North Eastern Region. There were nine operational airports in 2014 in the North Eastern Region. Presently, there are 16 operational airports in the North Eastern Region. Additionally, Advanced Landing Ground at Ziro has also been operationalised. Further, 13 major infrastructure works worth Rs.1543.70 crore is under implementation in the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura.

A total of 261 road projects under different Schemes of MoRTH with a total sanctioned cost of Rs.1,02,594 crore are under implementation through National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (NHIDCL) and State Public Works Departments (PWDs) in the North Eastern States.

Building Material

18 Sep 2025

Ambuja Cements Drags JSW Cement to Court Over ‘Kawach’ Brand

Ambuja Cements, part of the Adani Group, has filed a trademark infringement case against JSW Cement in the Delhi High Court, alleging that its rival copied the ‘Kawach’ brand with its new product ‘Jal Kavach’.Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora issued summons to JSW Cement and its subsidiary, JSW IP Holdings Pvt Ltd, while referring the matter to mediation. Hearings are scheduled to resume on October 15 if no settlement is reached.Ambuja, which registered the ‘Kawach’ trademark in 2019, argues that the term ‘Kavach’—meaning shield—is the distinctive feature of its branding. ..

Bentley Systems Named Innovation Partner of the Year 2025 by Afcons

Bentley Systems, the infrastructure engineering software company, has been recognised by Afcons Infrastructure Limited as its Innovation Partner of the Year 2025 at the Innovation Partners 2025 Felicitation Ceremony in Mumbai. The award acknowledges Bentley’s contribution to Afcons’ engineering digitalisation journey through an enterprise agreement providing access to over 250 Bentley engineering software tools. This adoption has enabled Afcons to accelerate project delivery, standardise digital workflows, and strengthen innovation across its infrastructure portfolio. Among key i..

SBI Sells 13.18% Stake in Yes Bank to Japan’s SMBC

State Bank of India (SBI) has completed the sale of a 13.18 per cent stake in Yes Bank to Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) for over Rs 8,889 crore. The divestment is part of a Rs 13,482 crore deal finalised in May with SMBC and seven private banks.Following the transaction, SBI’s shareholding in Yes Bank stands at 10.8 per cent. The deal, involving 4,134.4 million shares at Rs 21.50 each, is the largest cross-border transaction in the Indian banking sector.SBI Chairman C S Setty described the 2020 RBI-led rescue of Yes Bank as a pioneering public-private partnership, addi..