Development Watch – Week #3 Sept ’24

Development News

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Rural broadband project lags over glitches

BharatNet, formerly known as National Optic Fibre Network (NOFN) aims to provide broadband connectivity across rural India but faces delays and increased costs. Equipment worth crores is poorly stored in village Panchayat buildings. The government plans improvements and expansions, including connecting an additional 47,000 grams Panchayats in Phase 3. Changes include better network architecture and upgraded technology, for reliable service. Project hardware and supporting power infrastructure meant for one of the world’s biggest rural broadband projects are stuck in Panchayat buildings across India’s villages. Costs for BharatNet has surged from initial Rs. 20,100 crores to 42,068 Crores. As many as 21 entities have submitted bids for 3rd phase tender, including state-run Telecom Consultants India, ITI and domestic optical fibre cable makers such as HFCL, STL, Polycab and Pratap Technocrats.

Torrent Power commits RE investment of Rs. 64,000 Crores

Torrent Power Ltd. has committed over Rs. 64,000 Crores to renewable energy projects at RE-Invest 2024 in Gandhinagar. The investment aims to generate employment for 26,000 people. The company plans to achieve 10 GW of installed renewable energy capacity by 2030 and set up a green ammonia production facility. The company has submitted two “Shapath Patras” to the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy at the 4th edition of RE-Invest. Torrent Power is aiming to achieve 10 Gigawatts of installed RE capacity by 2030, with an investment of Rs. 57,000 Crores. This investment will generate direct and indirect employment for around 25,000 people. Torrent Power has signed an MoU with Government of Gujarat for the execution of a GW solar, wind or solar-wind hybrid project at Dwarka District in Gujarat.

Nearly 50pc of public infrastructure not prepared for disaster management

A survey by CBRE reveals that nearly 50 per cent of public infrastructure in India is unprepared for disaster management. The findings, released at the Infrastructure Management Conference 2024, highlight the need for improved risk management to address increasing natural and man-made disasters, which threaten the economy and sustainable development. On Wednesday, real estate consultant CBRE said as per its survey on select infrastructure assets on risk management parameters. Vulnerability of disasters is further exacerbated by a confluence of factors, including unplanned urbanization, development within high-risk zones, environmental degradation, climate change, and geological hazards.

FM reviews capex plan of Railways Ministry

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reviewed the Railways Ministry’s capex plan, emphasizing safety and commuter convenience. She urged officials to expedite the implementation of the Kavach system and convert 40,000 rail bogies to Vande Bharat standards. The meeting is part of a series focusing on significant capex outlays in the Union Budget. MoR officials informed the Minister that Kavach-related works are currently in progress in over 3000RKm (route km) on the Delhi-Howrah and Delhi-Mumbai sections.

India to be a global aviation manufacture hub

Union minister K. Rammohan Naidu announced efforts to make India a global aviation hub and start manufacturing aircraft. Speaking at the Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Civil Aviation, he highlighted infrastructure, integration, and innovation as key growth elements. The number of operational airports in India has grown significantly since 2014. Strategic investments in infrastructure and collaboration amongst the regional stakeholders is critical to achieving sustainable growth across the sector. India is one of the world’s fastest growing civil aviation markets and the fleet size of domestic carriers has increased to around 800 from 400 in 2014 while the number of domestic passengers climbed from 67 million to 152 million during the same period.

Two mega shipbuilding parks to come up by 2030

India plans to establish two operational Mega shipbuilding parks by 2030, aiming for a share of the $100 billion global market. The parks will be located on both the East and West coasts, with basic infrastructure provided by the government and critical equipment by private players. This initiative will enhance domestic shipbuilding capabilities and create jobs. The immediate target is to have four Mega shipbuilding parks with two each on the East and West coast. Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh are showing positive signs. Under the proposed plan, basic infrastructure such as roads, land development, and utilities like power and water will be developed by the government, while critical equipment such as cranes, machines for lifting and cutting, besides dry dock making, and manpower will be provided by the private player.

BRO & IOCL to discuss Road Infra in NE India

BRO and IOCL are collaborating to meet the significant oil and bitumen requirements for road projects in Northeast India. Despite logistical challenges, both organizations aim to ensure timely completion of critical infrastructure. A recent coordination meet focused on improving supply lines and resolving issues for uninterrupted project execution. ADGBR (East) noted that IOCL supplies 70-80% of BRO’s requirements for primary oil products and bitumen, playing a key role in the timely completion of critical road infrastructure in the Northeastern region. Last year alone, IOCL supplied over 84% of the High-Speed Diesel (HSD) required for the projects in the region and over 51% of the bitumen products.

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