(The Pioneer) In the aftermath of the horrific killing of 26 tourists in Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam on April 22, the passenger traffic by air has dropped to roughly 50 per cent at the Srinagar airport. According to the data shared by the Srinagar airport authorities on their official page on X, “4619 passengers landed in Srinagar via 53 flights on April 26, and only 28 passengers arrived there in three additional flights”. Compared to this, over 53000 passengers headed back (between April 22-26) after the attack, which killed 26 tourists and left 17 others wounded. Before the Pahalgam massacre,…
Author: Aruna Sharma
(The Pioneer) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the first World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) in Mumbai on Thursday, a four-day event that will bring together the entire spectrum of the media and entertainment industry. The prime minister is also expected to interact with top leaders of the media and entertainment industry during the summit, which is also aimed at giving a boost to the creator’s economy taking shape across the world. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will also address the inaugural session of the summit, which is expected to witness…
(The Pioneer) In his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to participate in the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign, encouraging everyone to plant a tree in honour of their mothers on the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5, marking the beginning of the campaign’s first year. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath praised the initiative in a post on social media platform X, highlighting the campaign’s significance. He emphasised that ‘New India’ is emerging as a global leader in environmental conservation. In his message, the chief minister wrote: “The ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke…
(The Pioneer) In a major boost to India’s defence and infrastructure capabilities, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday inspected the newly-built 3.5-kilometrelong modern airstrip on the Ganga Expressway in Shahjahanpur. This is the country’s first airstrip where Indian Air Force fighter jets will be able to land and take off both during the day and night. The facility will also serve as a practice ground for fighter planes, significantly strengthening operational readiness. For enhanced security, around 250 CCTV cameras will be installed on both sides of the airstrip to ensure safe movement and enable immediate police action in case of…
(HT) Payments from state-run companies to the exchequer are likely to cross ₹80,000 crore in FY26, an all-time high, two people familiar with the matter said, citing strong contributions from oil and gas, power, and mining. Robust earnings in these sectors, along with a focus on boosting returns from public sector investments, is expected to sustain the growth in dividend inflows. During FY25, Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) dividend collections stood at around ₹74,016.68 crore, despite global headwinds and domestic demand pressures, beating revised estimates of ₹55,000 crore by a huge margin. Sector leaders NTPC Ltd, Powergrid Corporation of India…
(HT) Uttar Pradesh is likely to witness a comfortable power situation in the financial year 2025-26, with a projected annual surplus of 4,391 megawatt (mw) in peak demand and 25,720 million units (MU) in energy availability, according to the Central Electricity Authority’s (CEA) latest Load Generation Balance Report (LGBR). Uttar Pradesh’s peak demand anticipated for the year 2025-26 is the second highest after the 35,081 mw peak demand that Maharashtra has been projected to have during the same year. The anticipated annual peak demand, according to the report, stands at 33,849 mw (in June) while the availability is expected to…
(PIB) The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and Government of Odisha organized a Workshop cum Capacity Building Programme to Boost Agri Products’ Exports from Odisha at Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Hall, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Bhubaneswar on the 25th April, 2025. The event exhibited over 10 stalls represented by Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO)/ Farmer Producer Companies, women agripreneurs, departments of the Government of Odisha and exporters from all across Odisha. Several GI Tagged and Agri-Products from the state such as Koraput Kalajeera Rice, Nayagad Kanteimundi, Brinjal, Ganjam Kewda Flower Products, Koraput Coffee, Kandhamal Haldi Powder,…
(CW) The West Bengal Cabinet has approved a 100 MW capacity expansion of eastern India’s largest solar power plant at Goaltore in West Midnapore, following its recent inauguration by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The plant currently generates 112.5 MW and was developed with support from Germany’s KfW Bank in an 80:20 funding arrangement. Announcing the decision, Irrigation and Waterways Minister Manas Bhunia said the Rs 6.8 billion expansion project will see Rs 4.75 billion contributed by the German partner, with the remaining 30% funded by the state government. He added that the pollution-free project will contribute to local employment generation…
(BS) The biogas sector has received investment commitments of more than Rs 200 crore at renewable energy exhibition RenewX 2025, industry body Indian Biogas Association (IBA) said on Sunday. The three-day expo was held at the Chennai Trade Centre, Nandambakkam from April 23 to 25. The event, organised by Informa Markets, saw investment commitments of Rs 200 crore through various MoUs (memorandum of understandings) in the biogas industry, IBA sid in a statement. RenewX brought together stakeholders from across the bioenergy, solar, wind, energy storage, and management sectors, offering a platform for strategic collaborations and progressive discussions. With a focus…
(Hindu Business Line) “Taking a step towards cultural shaping,” is how public sector miner, Coal India Ltd (CIL) has termed its latest decision of introducing a dress code for its workforce, including its subsidairies. Use of dress code in mines, exploration sites, refineries, fuel stations is common, but at the executive level is something which has been attempted but tough to implement. Though for special occassion most of the entities have their own colour code to be worn. When asked what prompted CIL to opt for it, a senior official told businessline, it was to create a sense of oneness…