Kochi to host national urban transport summit next month
The summit is being organized jointly by Kochi Metro and APAC media.
Green urban transport and net-zero transit pathways, multi-modal mobility and last-mile connectivity, public-private partnership in urban infrastructure, sustainable water based transit and blue mobility, financing sustainable transit systems, transit-oriented developement and urban planning, transport safety, efficiency and passenger experience and gender sensitive mobility solutions would be the major themes to be discussed.
Knowlege sessions, seminars and exhibitions will be held. Around 40 expert speakers will be part of various sessions.
Stay updated with the latest local news from your
city
on
Times of India
(TOI). Check upcoming
bank holidays
,
public holidays
, and current
gold rates
and
silver prices
in your area.
Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with
Raksha Bandhan wishes
,
messages
and
quotes
!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Quietly does it
Times of India's Edit Page team comprises senior journalists with wide-ranging interests who debate and opine on the news and issues of the day. India's best response to Trump's 'daddy diplomacy' is to keep back channels open As Trump's attempts to close in on a peace deal in the Ukraine war gather pace, his personalised foreign policy is turning out to be a double-edged sword. Dubbed 'daddy diplomacy', Trump obviously wants to take credit for every perceived foreign policy win. But that desire also makes him susceptible to manipulation. Just before meeting Putin in Alaska, he declared he wanted a ceasefire. After that meeting, he wanted a peace deal, aligning his views with Putin's. Similarly, some flattery by Pakistan army chief Asim Munir and a Nobel Peace Prize recommendation led Trump to declare that he loves Pakistan. India, for not playing along, is being punished with secondary tariffs for buying Russian oil. According to the Lowy Institute, there are two sides to this phenomenon. First, personalised diplomacy may seem to reap short-term rewards, but it does tend to be counterproductive in the long run. For, diplomacy isn't a one-shot event. It's continuous over the years. Sure, Trump might count the recent Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal as a win for his daddy diplomacy. But having leaders fuse their persona with diplomacy runs the risk of foreign policy unpredictability – they will bail if a process doesn't align with their political goals. That may not be good for the countries themselves. India and US have all the makings of natural allies, and New Delhi can be Washington's best partner in the Indo-Pacific as a hedge against China. But Trump's tariffs are undermining this synergy. Second, Beijing has figured out that if it holds strong and doesn't give into Trump's tariff threats, it can actually turn the tables and win. Stand up to daddy diplomacy and eventually Trump will back down. This is precisely why many in Washington believe Trump is going about countering China the wrong way. Hence, both India-US relations and US efforts to counter China with American allies can do with some quiet diplomacy. New Delhi's best bet is to keep up back channels in Washington to bring the Trump White House around for mutual benefit. When egos get in the way, foreign policy and long-term national interests suffer. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Prices of ACs, larger TVs, dishwashers set to dip 8%
File photo NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Expect a bumper Diwali for consumers as plans to rationalise and reduce GST rates on ACs, televisions (above 32-inch) and dishwashers will see retail prices come down by as much as 7-8%, leading to price cuts from a few thousand rupees to over Rs 10,000 on premium products. The industry said the decision, particularly around Diwali, will result in mega festive sales, something which will also help shrug off any negative sentiments flowing in due to geopolitical concerns, IT slowdown, or US tariffs. The GST cut will easily be one of the steepest consumer price cuts in a segment that has been stagnating for years, especially as incomes of buyers in the entry categories never matched price increments. 'It will be a super Diwali this time around. Expect price cuts of up to 8% across categories,' Manish Sharma, chairman of Panasonic Life Solutions India and South Asia, told TOI . He said that most of the pre-festive sales are likely to shift towards Diwali as consumers will purchase as and when the cuts happen. To Wipe Out Negative Sentiment Currently, the categories of ACs, larger TVs and dishwashers are taxed at 28%, which is now likely to go down to 18% GST rate. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years IC Markets Learn More Undo Sunil Vachani, chairman of Dixon Technologies, which is the country's biggest contract manufacturer, said that the measure will help generate demand and will specially encourage the transition to bigger TVs and other premium products. 'The industry expects that demand for TVs with sizes upwards of 40 inches will go up significantly, which will lead to premiumisation of the category. Also, categories such as ACs and dishwashers still have lower penetration and should get a boost by price cuts as GST rates come down,' Vachani said. Sources said that companies such as Samsung, LG, and Sony have started to ramp up production, specially of premium variants, in view of the expected cut in GST rates. 'With rising temperatures, cooling appliances like ACs are no longer a luxury and have become a necessity. However, the AC penetration levels in India is still low at 910%.GST reduction on ACs can help make it more affordable for the masses and improve the quality of life for many Indians,' said Kamal Nandi, business head (appliances business) at Godrej Enterprises Group. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays , public holidays , current gold rate and silver price .
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
E-com majors ramp up hiring for fest season
. BENGALURU: E-commerce majors Amazon India and Flipkart are expanding their workforce by about 1.5 lakh temporary staff each to handle the surge in orders expected during the upcoming festive season, people aware of the matter said. Amazon on Monday announced that it has created more than 1.5 lakh seasonal job opportunities across its fulfilment centres, sortation hubs and last-mile delivery network. The company said the hires include thousands of women and more than 2,000 persons with disabilities, and that most of them have already joined operations. The additional staff will support its 16 lakh sellers during the peak shopping period. A source familiar with Flipkart's plans told TOI that its seasonal workforce is expected to touch about 1.5 lakh, taking the company's overall supply chain strength to around 3 lakh during the festival period. 'This time, given the GST reforms, expectations point to a bumper festival… In many ways it makes sense to hire for festive expectations. Having these is a competitive advantage in many ways,' the person said. Flipkart did not respond to TOI's queries at the time of publication. During 2024's festival sales, the two e-commerce majors had hired 1-1.5 lakh temporary staffers. Both firms compete for a larger share of consumer spending in what is expected to be a bumper season, helped by an anticipated uptick in discretionary purchases. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays , public holidays , current gold rate and silver price .
