Development Watch – Week #3 Mar’26

Development News

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Electric power saved Rs. 6,000 Crores for Railways

The Railways has saved Rs 6,000 crore by shifting from diesel to electric energy to run trains. Indian Railways have now become the 2nd largest cargo carrier in the world. In the last 12 years, 35,000 km of Railway Track has been laid, while 27,000 km has been electrified. While staff cost is the biggest expenditure, energy is the 2nd largest.

15 Crore rural households have Jal Jeevan mission tap

More than 15 crore rural homes in India now receive tap water. The Jal Jeevan Mission, launched in 2019, has freed women and children from fetching water. The mission is now extended to December 2028 to cover remaining households. Over 89 percent of schools and 85 percent of Aanganwadi centres also have tap water. Under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0, the Union Cabinet on Tuesday, approved a grant of Rs 1.51 lakh crore to extend the mission till December 2028, which will play an important role in providing water to the remaining households and addressing existing gaps.

Assessing risk before flights in conflict-hit areas

Pilots’ body, Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) India has put forth an important notice directed at pilots, emphasizing the necessity of conducting risk evaluations prior to approaching any conflict zones. As tensions rise in West Asia, it’s vital for pilots to recognize the rapidly shifting landscape of risks. The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) India, in an advisory to all pilots under an Indian licence, said that the pilots must remain aware that the risk environment in conflict-affected areas can change rapidly and without adequate warning. The advisory has come amid the escalating war in West Asia, involving the US, Israel and Iran, which has led to cancellations of a number of flights due to airspace closures since February 28.

Multi-modal logistics parks for ease of doing business

The ministry of road transport and highways has revamped the model concession agreement for multi-modal logistics parks, paving the way for greater role of independent experts. The government is developing 35 multi-modal logistics parks (MMLP) in India. The latest framework outlines key performance indicators for operations to fast-track development of these parks and quicker resolution of disputes between stakeholders. The government is developing 35 Multi Modal Logistics Parks (MMLP) in India at some of the highest freight movement regions in the country through the National Highways Logistics Management (NHLML), a 100% subsidiary of the National Highways Authority of India. The MMLPs are being developed in hub-and-spoke model to improve the country’s freight logistics sector by lowering overall freight costs and time, cutting warehousing costs, reducing vehicular pollution and congestion, improving the tracking and traceability of consignments through infrastructural, procedural, and information technology interventions at various locations. These are being developed through public private partnership on design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) basis.

Impact of War on shipping industry

Global trade faces significant disruption as the war in the Middle East closes the Strait of Hormuz. This vital shipping lane’s closure impacts container transport worldwide. Importers are already seeing increased costs for goods from China. Shipping companies are imposing surcharges due to rising fuel prices and longer routes. This situation revives fears of supply chain collapse. As the war rages into its third week, the effective closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz has upended not just the oil and gas industries but worldwide transport via container ship, the symbol of globalised trade. The Middle East accounted for just 9.8 percent of global container trade last year, according to British maritime consultancy Clarksons. Twenty commercial ships, among which nine oil tankers, have been attacked since the war began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, or have signaled incidents, according to AFP monitoring with British maritime security group UKTMO and other sources.

Achieving target of Rooftop Panel Scheme

Strengthening portal infrastructure and data validation, as well as onboarding power distribution companies, are key to achieving the target of installing rooftop solar systems for one crore households under PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, according to a parliamentary panel report. The scheme, launched in February 2024, aims to benefit one crore households with a saving of Rs 75,000 crore annually by installing solar systems on their rooftops by March 2027. During the last two years, around 23.29 lakh (rooftop solar) installations were achieved against the target of 61 lakh and an 80 per cent of fund utilisation at Rs 22,402.97 crore out of the revised allocation of Rs 28,100 crore, according to the 12th report of the Committee on ‘Demands for Grants (2026-27) of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’ tabled in the Parliament.