Development Watch – Week #2 Dec’25

Development News

---

24 lakh households adopt rooftop solar

According to a government release, the PM Surya Ghar scheme, approved in February 2024, aims to bring rooftop solar to one crore homes. As of December 2025, around 23.9 lakh households have already installed these systems, generating 7 GW of clean power. The National Solar Mission has also supported large solar parks, rooftop systems, and hybrid projects, taking India closer to its long-term energy goals. Solar power now stands at 129 GW, while the overall non-fossil capacity has crossed 259 GW as of October 2025. This means more than half of India’s total installed power now comes from clean sources. India’s path toward clean energy is guided by the Panchamrit framework announced at COP26. It outlines the country’s targets for 2030, including 500 GW of non-fossil electricity capacity and a 45 per cent cut in carbon intensity.

Suzlon to launch AI-enabled smart blades

Suzlon Energy, India’s largest wind turbine manufacturer, will commission three new AI-enabled smart blade factories to digitally upgrade its nationwide manufacturing footprint, The move will take Suzlon’s total number of facilities to 20, marking one of the company’s most ambitious expansion phases in decades. Two factories will come up in Gujarat and Karnataka, both key wind corridors, while the third location will be finalised shortly. The factories will integrate automation, robotics, digital workflow systems, and advanced monitoring tools to raise blade quality, improve productivity, and enhance safety. Suzlon’s existing 15 plants will also be upgraded under a multi-year smart factory programme aimed at modernising the full value chain. The company earmarks about ₹550 crore annually for capital expenditure, part of which will fund the new factories. Suzlon currently services nearly one-third of India’s operational 50-GW fleet, giving it one of the deepest maintenance networks.

Welspun invests Rs. 550 Cr for Pune logistics park

Warehousing and industrial real estate platform Welspun One has picked up a land parcel spread over 46 acres notified by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) in Pune’s Talegaon to develop a 1.2-million-sq-ft logistics park with an investment of Rs 550 crore. the Maharashtra government’s nodal agency responsible for planning and developing industrial infrastructure in the state has allotted the land parcel through a 95-year lease agreement. The masterplan includes four planned buildings ranging from 1 lakh sq ft to 3.5 lakh sq ft, with flexibility for both high-throughput logistics players and industrial users with large-format space requirements. The park will cater to occupiers from high-growth sectors including third party logistics (3PL), e-commerce, fast moving consumer goods, automotive, engineering, and manufacturing.

Legal status for Digital Land records in Maharashtra

The Maharashtra government’s move to grant full legal status to digitally signed land records, including 7/12 extracts, 8-A extracts and property cards, is expected to significantly reduce title-related lending risks and improve capital allocation in India’s most valuable real-estate market. This eliminates the need for physical signatures or stamps by local revenue officials and makes digitally downloaded records from the Mahabhumi portal legally acceptable across banks, courts, registration offices, government departments, and private institutions. The policy shift will shorten the land-verification cycle that often delays mortgage creation, home-loan approvals, project financing decisions, land aggregation, and joint development negotiations.

Indigo restored full network of operations

After days of disruptions that affected several passengers, IndiGo on Monday said it is operating over 1,800 flights across its network, reconnecting all stations that it serves. The airline said its operations have stabilized with a 91 per cent on-time performance, marking a recovery from the previous week’s schedule issues. the airline said it has optimized its operations to ensure minimal cancellations, all of which were informed to customers in advance. The release noted that IndiGo’s on-time performance improved from about 75 per cent previously to 90 per cent on Monday, and the number of flights increased from roughly 1,650 to more than 1,800. The network coverage, as per the airline, has been fully restored.

HD Hyundai to set up shipyard in Tamil Nadu

South Korean shipbuilding major HD Hyundai on Sunday announced that it is setting up its first shipyard in India in Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in the presence of Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, industries minister TRB Rajaa and senior leadership from HD Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering (KSOE). The investment amount was not disclosed. HD Hyundai was in talks with other states like Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat for this project, but the scales tipped in favour of Tamil Nadu owing to the state’s strong policy roadmap and thriving heavy engineering ecosystem for a project of this scale. This year HD Hyundai reached a milestone by delivering a cumulative total of 5,000 vessels since the company’s founding — a record rarely matched in global shipbuilding. HD Hyundai also operates shipyards in Vietnam, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia.

Rural healthcare budget 2026 highlights

The Union Budget for 2025–26 had marked a significant shift in the government’s approach to public health, signalling a clear intent to strengthen India’s healthcare architecture and broaden the country’s social protection frameworks. India’s Healthcare Budget is the annual financial allocation by the Union Government for public health services. It covers funding for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Department of Health Research. It allocates resources to major schemes like Ayushman Bharat (insurance and wellness centers), the National Health Mission (NHM) (maternal/child health and disease control), medical education, infrastructure upgrades, and disease surveillance. Its aim is to improve medical access and promote universal health coverage.