Infra development vital to boosting GDP growth
Going by most conservative estimates, India is set to grow 7.3 per cent in FY24, which is significantly higher than projections made by the likes of IMF. Importantly, India is scripting this growth while facing global headwinds and disruptions such as climate change, hostile geopolitics and conflicts. Also, the government is looking at doubling GDP over the next seven years.

KEC International secures new orders worth Rs 816 crore
KEC International Ltd, a global infrastructure EPC company on Wednesday announced that it has secured new orders worth Rs 816 crore across its various businesses.

Blackstone to invest $2 bn annually in India with primary focus on infra

“Blackstone continues to escalate its investments and perceives an opportunity to enhance the value of its PE assets by $25 billion over time, allocating $17 billion to new investments and $7.5 billion to value creation across its current portfolio companies,” said Jonathan Gray, president and chief operating officer of Blackstone, during a media round-table held here on Wednesday.

JK Cement with right growth mix is a buy after shares fall
ET Intelligence Group: The stock of JK Cement, a mid-tier company in the sector, has fallen by nearly 3% over the past month amid lower cement prices. It has underperformed the ET Cement index, which has gained 0.8% during the period. The stock looks attractive at the current level given the company's strong presence in the central, northern, and western regions, low debt, low-cost structure, better return ratios compared with the mid-tier peers and expectations of a demand uptick after the elections.

Weak cement prices steal Dalmia Bharat's thunder
Dalmia Bharat Ltd is in a tight spot, thanks to the steep correction in cement prices lately in the eastern and southern regions. While prices have dropped across markets, the excess capacity in these two regions has meant a sharper drop vis-à-vis all-India average.

NHAI spends record INR 2.07 lakh cr in 2023-24, builds 6,644 km of roads
The National Highways Authority of India spent a record INR 2,07,000 crore in construction of national highways in 2023-24, the highest ever capital expenditure so far, and a jump of 20% compared to INR 1,73,000 crore spent in 2022-23 and INR 1,72,000 crore in 2021-22.

NHAI rolls back toll tax hike following Election Commission’s directive amid Lok Sabha polls
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has hit the brakes on its decision to raise the toll tax across India, starting April 1, following the instructions from the Election Commission of India (ECI), The Indian Express reported.

Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project gains momentum with land allocation, details here
The Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP) achieved a significant milestone on Tuesday as the South Western Railway allocated 114.472 acres of land for Corridor-4, spanning from Heelalige to Rajanukunte within the city, according to sources.

Odisha’s Paradip Port Authority outperforms, becomes India’s premier cargo-handling port! Know all about future expansion plans and more
In a remarkable feat, the Paradip Port Authority (PPA) has become the country’s highest cargo-handling major port. The port surpassed Deendayal Port, Kandla, with a remarkable cargo throughput of 145.38 MMT in FY 2023-24. What can be considered as a historic achievement, the Paradip Port Authority exhibited a growth of 7.4% on a year-on-year basis.

Kamarajar port to become ‘Cape’ compliant
The Kamarajar port at Ennore in North Chennai will become Cape compliant - to handle large Capesize ships - by investing ₹325 crore in the dredging project this fiscal. For this, the Kamarajar Port Ltd (KPL), a subsidiary of the Chennai Port Authority (CPA), will dredge the port’s berth to 18 m draft from the present 16 m to attract such large size vessels.