UPI to Introduce 0.4% Fee on Select Merchant Transactions Above ₹2,000 From October 15

UPI merchant payment and digital payments infrastructure in India

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) will introduce a 0.4% merchant discount rate (MDR) on select Person-to-Merchant (P2M) UPI transactions above ₹2,000 from October 15, 2026, under a new framework aimed at supporting the sustainability and resilience of the digital payments ecosystem. The MDR will be borne by merchants and will not be charged […]

NTPC Eyes 244 GW Capacity By 2037, Plans Rs 16.86 Lakh Crore Capex Through FY37

NTPC Korba Super Thermal Power Plant in Chhattisgarh

NTPC’s expansion plan would reshape the scale and composition of one of India’s largest power-generation portfolios, with spending spread across conventional generation, renewables, storage, mining and nuclear power. The programme also raises questions about how the utility intends to balance rising electricity demand, renewable integration, thermal flexibility and financial discipline as its investment cycle accelerates.

India’s First Bullet Train Project Advances: 453 Km Pier Work, 359 Km Viaducts Completed On Mumbai-Ahmedabad Corridor

Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train tunnel construction with tunnel boring machine

The construction of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project is progressing steadily, with significant progress recorded across viaducts, track infrastructure, electrification, bridges and tunnels, according to the latest progress update released by National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL). The 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor, which is India’s first bullet train project, is being implemented […]

Kolkata Metro’s Joka–Esplanade Corridor advances as TBM ‘Divya’ achieves breakthrough at Victoria Station

TBM Divya breakthrough at Victoria Station on Kolkata Metro

New Delhi: In a significant milestone in the construction of the Kolkata Metro’s Joka-Esplanade corridor, Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) ‘Divya’ on Tuesday (11 August) successfully achieved breakthrough at Victoria Metro Station. “The breakthrough took place at around 12:00 hrs in the presence of Shri Prem Sagar Gupta, General Manager, Metro Railway, Kolkata, senior officials of […]

India Turns Mumbai-Ahmedabad Experience Into Standard Blueprint For Seven New Bullet-Train Corridors

India’s first bullet train isn’t running yet, but the country is already planning seven more corridors. Using the engineering, designs and hard-won lessons from the Mumbai-Ahmedabad project, the government wants a single reusable blueprint for nearly 4,000 km of high-speed rail — from Mumbai-Pune to Delhi-Varanasi. The goal: build the next corridors faster, cheaper and increasingly in India.

India’s ₹84,084-Crore Deep-Sea Oil Search: What ‘Samudra Manthan’ Promises and Why Success Is Not Guaranteed

India is placing an ₹84,084-crore bet on the oil and gas beneath its seas. The Samudra Manthan scheme will fund 60 deepwater wells, modern seismic surveys and shared offshore infrastructure, with the government hoping to cut the import bill by ₹1 lakh crore a year. But deep-sea exploration is slow, costly and uncertain — and whether the bet pays off depends entirely on what the drill bit finds.

Beyond Lithium-Ion: How Sodium, Silicon, Sulphur and Iron Are Reshaping the Global Battery Industry

Everyone’s waiting for a single battery to replace lithium-ion. It isn’t coming — and that’s the point. Sodium-ion cells are reaching factory floors, solid-state batteries are on the road, and labs are reporting 600 Wh/kg lithium-metal cells. Beyond lithium-ion, the battery industry is splitting by purpose: the cell that suits a family car is the wrong one for a cargo aircraft or a power grid. The future isn’t one miracle battery, but a division of labour.