Patil Charts Next Steps For Ganga Rejuvenation Drive

26 Jun 2025 CW Team

Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Patil has used the fifteenth meeting of the Empowered Task Force on Ganga conservation to set sharper, technology-led targets for a “cleaner, future-proof” river. Reviewing progress under the Namami Gange programme, he praised the faster rollout of infrastructure—ten projects in Bihar alone since the last review—and noted that tighter financial controls at the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) have cut paperwork, solved tax disputes and adopted insurance surety bonds to ease contractors’ cash flow.

To lock in gains, NMCG has drafted two field protocols: one to keep every drain’s effluent at zero untreated discharge, the other to preserve existing interception-and-diversion structures. Patil ordered District Ganga Committees to oversee the rules and maintain “constant vigilance”.

On treatment plants, the Minister insisted that safety drills and third-party audits become routine. Premier institutes such as IIT-BHU’s SLCR and IIT-Delhi’s Centre of Excellence will test performance, while NMCG’s online dashboard will track outputs in real time.

The meeting also launched two science-based initiatives: Riverathon 1.0, a national hackathon with Amity University on LiDAR-guided floodplain mapping, biodiversity and disaster tools; and eight “Status and Trends” booklets that chart the ecological health of major Ganga tributaries from the Ramganga to the Sone, produced with the Wildlife Institute of India.

Senior officials from the power, tourism, urban affairs and environment ministries, along with representatives from Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Bihar, pledged co-ordinated action on resource adequacy, transmission clearances and forest permissions to ensure that the river’s revival stays on course.

Infrastructure Urban

05 Nov 2025

TBO Tek Q2 Profit Climbs 12%, Revenue Surges 26% YoY

TBO Tek Limited one of the world’s largest travel distribution platforms, reported a solid performance for Q2 FY26 with a 26 per cent year-on-year increase in revenue to Rs 5.68 billion, reflecting broad-based growth and improving profitability.The company recorded a Gross Transaction Value (GTV) of Rs 8,901 crore, up 12 per cent YoY, driven by strong performance across Europe, MEA, and APAC regions. Adjusted EBITDA before acquisition-related costs stood at Rs 1.04 billion, up 16 per cent YoY, translating into an 18.32 per cent margin compared to 16.56 per cent in Q1 FY26. Profit after tax r..

Northern Graphite, Rain Carbon Secure R&D Grant for Greener Battery Materials

Northern Graphite Corporation and Rain Carbon Canada Inc, a subsidiary of Rain Carbon Inc, have jointly received up to C$860,000 (€530,000) in funding under the Canada–Germany Collaborative Industrial Research and Development Programme to develop sustainable battery anode materials.The two-year, C$2.2 million project aims to transform natural graphite processing by-products into high-performance, battery-grade anode material (BAM). Supported by the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Programme (NRC IRAP) and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs a..

Antony Waste Q2 Revenue Jumps 16%; Subsidiary Wins Rs 3,200 Cr WtE Projects

Antony Waste Handling Cell Limited (AWHCL), a leading player in India’s municipal solid waste management sector, announced a 16 per cent year-on-year increase in total operating revenue to Rs 2.33 billion for Q2 FY26. The growth was driven by higher waste volumes, escalated contracts, and strong operational execution.EBITDA rose 18 per cent to Rs 570 million, with margins steady at 21.6 per cent, while profit after tax stood at Rs 173 million, up 13 per cent YoY. Revenue from Municipal Solid Waste Collection and Transportation (MSW C&T) reached Rs 1.605 billion, and MSW Processing re..