A sigh of Covid relief: Toll and HAM projects may benefit

In FY2021, the Government of India announced various liquidity measures under ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ financial package. Soon after, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI, rated CARE AAA and Stable) followed the suit by announcing slew of measures for the road sector in a bid to boost liquidity for roads  developers against the backdrop of Covid 19 pandemic and resurrect investor confidence. These measures have been extended on a time-to-time basis by NHAI. On 1 July 2021, NHAI proposed to MoRTH to continue the benefits till 30 September 2021 in addition to grant of extension of time (EoT) under Covid-II. 

In CARE Ratings’ view, if the proposal is accepted, the likely extension of relief measures shall augur well for the road  developers of under-construction Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) projects primarily in terms of EoT for completion and additional time for achieving financial closure. Presently, the road developers or sponsors are entitled to these benefits under the Atmanirbhar Bharat package announced in FY2021. The proposed grant of extension of concession period for  operational toll road projects is in alignment with the existing provisions of Concession Agreement. On an overall basis, in CARE Ratings’ opinion such extension in concession period for toll projects shall be limited to about 20 days. 

Mineral Auction Rules Amended To Speed Mine Operationalisation

The Ministry of Mines notified the Mineral (Auction) Second Amendment Rules, 2026 on 30 March 2026 to accelerate operationalisation of mines and improve ease of doing business in the mining sector. The amendment follows a prior change to the Mineral (Auction) Rules, 2015 effected on 17 October 2025 that introduced intermediary timelines between issuance of a letter of intent (LoI) and execution of the mining lease. The 2025 change provided that one per cent of performance security would be appropriated for each month of delay by the preferred bidder and introduced incentives for early operatio..

Indian Railways Strengthens Telecom And AI Safety Systems

Indian Railways strengthened its telecom and digital infrastructure during 2025-26 with the aim of improving safety, operational efficiency and the passenger experience. The programme promoted modernisation through advanced technologies, robust communication systems and passenger-centric solutions. These measures were presented as part of a drive to build a digitally integrated rail ecosystem. A key development was the enhancement of the Internet Protocol Multi-Protocol Label Switching (IP MPLS) backbone, commissioned at 1,396 stations to meet bandwidth needs of mission-critical applications. ..

NHAI Holds Workshop on Litigation Management and Coordination

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) organised a day-long workshop in New Delhi to strengthen capacity and interdepartmental synergy for faster execution of national highway projects. The event was held under Mission Karmayogi – Sadhana Saptah, an initiative of the Government of India to enhance governance through capacity building and improved processes. The workshop focused on structured and solution oriented deliberations to address implementation constraints. The session was chaired by the NHAI chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav and brought together senior officials from NHAI, the M..