6-lane ring road in Odisha for Rs 8,307 crore gets Cabinet nod
The 6-lane ring road will start from Tangi and end at Rameshwar on NH-16. It will bypass cities like Khordha, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, which see heavy traffic.
NH-16 is part of the Golden Quadrilateral project and runs along the eastern coast connecting Kolkata and Chennai. Officials said since the NH passes through congested cities like Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, the ring road project was conceived to divert heavy commercial traffic away from these cities and enhance the efficiency of freight movement.
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Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Indian Express
6-lane ring road in Odisha for Rs 8,307 crore gets Cabinet nod
The Union Cabinet Tuesday approved the construction of a 6-lane 111-km access-controlled ring road, also called Bhubaneswar Bypass, in Odisha. The project will be implemented on Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM), a variant of Public-Private partnership, at a cost of `8,307 crore. The 6-lane ring road will start from Tangi and end at Rameshwar on NH-16. It will bypass cities like Khordha, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, which see heavy traffic. NH-16 is part of the Golden Quadrilateral project and runs along the eastern coast connecting Kolkata and Chennai. Officials said since the NH passes through congested cities like Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, the ring road project was conceived to divert heavy commercial traffic away from these cities and enhance the efficiency of freight movement.
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
Centre to introduce law to prohibit real money gaming firms, official says
The Union Cabinet on Tuesday (August 19, 2025) approved a Bill to effectively prohibit real money games (RMGs) online, a multi-billion dollar industry that counts fantasy sports platforms such as Dream11 and card game apps, including PokerBaazi. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 is now headed to Parliament and is likely to be tabled on Wednesday. The move was not telegraphed in any public way by the government before the Cabinet approved it, with no draft Bill circulated by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, as has been done for a number of notifications and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. A copy of the Bill viewed by The Hindu lays out a broad definition for 'online money gaming,' targeting a vast swath of RMGs in one fell swoop. Under this definition, 'depositing money or other stakes in expectation of winning which entails monetary and other enrichment in return of money or other stakes' comes under online money gaming, and is prohibited. Industry associations representing RMG firms did not have a comment to offer on the proposal and indicated that they would respond formally when the Bill is released upon its tabling in Parliament. The firms maintain extensive contacts with government officials and have resisted the government's previous attempts to regulate them. For instance, in the months leading up to the GST Council's decision to increase the tax applicable on RMG deposits, the industry registered its opposition on multiple fronts. At the State level, industry bodies and individual firms have successfully obtained stays on bans on their operation, such as in Karnataka. Those legal victories rested on a critical distinction between games of skill and games of chance, with only the latter being recognised by courts as gambling, which is a State subject in the Constitution. Now, that distinction may present an existential threat instead of a lifeline to the industry, as online gaming has been brought under the administrative authority of the IT Ministry, which will enforce this prohibition. Under a 2023 amendment to the IT Rules, 2021, the government sought to bring the industry under self-regulation, with oversight by an independent committee to address complaints. However, no self-regulatory bodies (SRBs) were approved by the government under that amendment, with officials questioning proposed SRBs' independence from the firms they were supposed to be overseeing. The Bill creates a carve-out for the e-sports industry, essentially allowing video game tournaments that collect entry fees to continue doing so without falling afoul of the RMG prohibition.
NDTV
7 hours ago
- NDTV
Cabinet Approves Airport At Kota-Bundi In Rajasthan For Rs 1,507 Crore
New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Tuesday cleared a proposal to set up a new airport at Kota-Bundi in Rajasthan at an estimated cost of Rs 1,507 crore. The airport, to be completed in two years, will have an annual passenger handling capacity of 2 million and 1,089 acres (around 440.06 hectares) of land is being provided free of cost by the Rajasthan government for the project. Briefing the media after the Cabinet meeting, Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the greenfield airport project at Kota-Bundi will be funded by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) through its internal accruals. Kota-Bundi constituency is represented by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the proposal for developing a green field airport at Kota-Bundi at an estimated cost of Rs 1,507 crore, according to an official release. The state government has transferred 440.06 hectares of land to AAI for the airport, which will be suitable for the operation of narrow-body Airbus A321-type aircraft. "The project includes construction of a terminal building spanning an area of 20,000 sqm capable of handling 1,000 Peak Hour Passengers (PHP) with annual capacity of 2 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA), Runway 11/29 of dimensions 3200m x 45m, Apron with 07 parking bays for A321 type aircraft, two Link Taxiways, ATC cum Technical Block, Fire Station, car park and allied works," the release said. Vaishnaw said the airport will significantly improve regional connectivity and promote the local economy. AAI will fund the project through its internal accruals and is expected to be completed in 24 months. The new airport will be coming up around 23 kilometres away from the existing airport, Vaishnaw said. According to the release, the existing Kota airport is owned by AAI but cannot be developed for commercial operations due to inadequate land availability and urbanisation around the airport. The existing airport has a "runway (08/26) of dimensions 1220 m x 38 m, suitable for Code 'B' aircraft (such as DO-228), and an apron capable of accommodating two such aircraft. The terminal building spans an area of 400 sqm and is capable of handling 50 passengers during peak hours," it added. Kota, situated on the banks of the Chambal River, is recognised as Rajasthan's industrial capital and is also known as the educational coaching hub of the country. "Kota's prominence in educational and industrial sectors makes the Greenfield Airport a critical infrastructure project, aimed at addressing the anticipated traffic growth in the region," the release said. In the last 11 years, Vaishnaw said the number of operational airports in the country has more than doubled to 162 in 2025 from 74 in 2014. Also, the number of air passengers has increased to 41.2 crore this year from 16.8 crore in 2014, he added.
