Latest news with #RGopalakrishnan
News18
6 days ago
- Automotive
- News18
Indian Railways Rolls Out Battery Swap Stations Across Hyderabad & Secunderabad
Last Updated: These stations allow electric two- and three-wheeler users to quickly replace depleted batteries with fully charged ones. Indian Railways has partnered with Indofast Energy to set up high-tech battery swapping stations at major railway stations in Hyderabad and Secunderabad. This move aims to boost electric vehicle (EV) usage while making urban transport faster and more eco-friendly. How Many Stations Are Ready? So far, 80 swap stations are already live across 25 railway stations — 56 under the Secunderabad division and 24 under Hyderabad. And that's not all. An additional 40 stations will be added in the next three months. Why Is This Important? These battery swapping stations help EV users, especially delivery riders and daily commuters, to quickly switch batteries instead of waiting to charge them. It saves time, removes the fear of running out of power, and supports India's clean energy mission. What Do the Leaders Say? Anant Badjatya, CEO of Indofast Energy, said 'The strong demand we're witnessing underscores the urgent need for accessible and sustainable mobility solutions in our urban centers. We are immensely proud to partner with Indian Railways on this transformative journey and are excited to continue expanding this collaboration to build a greener, more efficient tomorrow, one swift swap at a time." Shri R Gopalakrishnan from South Central Railway, added 'The deployment of battery swapping stations within our premises not only benefits passengers through faster, cleaner last-mile connectivity, but also serves the public by reducing emissions and congestion around station areas. This effort is closely aligned with the Railway Board's policy guidelines on promoting e-mobility at railway stations, showcasing how public-private collaboration can accelerate green mobility across the country". How Will This Help You? If you ride an electric scooter or work in delivery, these stations will make your daily commute easier and faster. No more long charging breaks — just swap and go. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Indian Railways partners Indofast Energy to roll out battery swap stations in Hyderabad, Secunderabad
In a major step towards promoting sustainable mobility, Indian Railways has partnered with Indofast Energy — a joint venture between IndianOil and SUN Mobility — to deploy a network of battery swapping stations across key railway hubs in the Hyderabad and Secunderabad divisions. As part of this initiative, 80 battery swap stations have already been installed across 25 railway stations (56 in Secunderabad and 24 in Hyderabad), with plans to add 40 more stations in the next three months. These facilities aim to support electric two- and three-wheelers, helping ease last-mile connectivity for commuters, delivery partners and ride-sharing operators. The initiative, led by South Central Railway , marks the first-of-its-kind collaboration between Indian Railways and a private partner to deploy EV charging infrastructure within station premises. It also aligns with the Railway Board's policy push to encourage e-mobility at railway stations. Indofast Energy CEO Anant Badjatya said, 'We are immensely proud to partner with Indian Railways on this transformative journey,' he said. Expansion plans Indofast Energy plans to set up over 10,000 swap stations across 40+ cities in the next three years, targeting more than one million EV users. With this collaboration, Indian Railways takes a significant stride toward building a cleaner, more efficient urban transit system. South Central Railway Divisional Manager R Gopalakrishnan added, 'This initiative not only enhances passenger convenience but also reduces emissions and congestion around stations. It showcases how public-private collaboration can accelerate India's green mobility goals.'
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Business Standard
26-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Best of BS Opinion: Stray dogs, trade deals, and a seahorse on a mountain
Some situations feel made for poetry, others for politics. But every now and then, life hands you one that belongs in both — like a seahorse on a mountain. Picture it. A delicate ocean dweller, bobbing midair on a rocky ridge, far from its tide, yet somehow upright, surviving. It shouldn't be there, and yet there it is — like many moments in India currently that shouldn't quite work, but somehow do. A trade deal cracking open new risks. A manager reading a horoscope and a balance sheet. A hungry dog tamed with a roti. Sometimes the most mismatched things are the ones that carry us forward. Let's dive in. Take Ajay Srivastava's column on India's CETA deal with the UK — a daring leap from protectionism to partial liberalisation. India, long a cautious swimmer in global trade, has suddenly landed on high, rocky terrain: opening procurement, slashing tariffs on luxury cars, and inviting foreign firms into its domestic core. Yet like the seahorse, it seems oddly stable. The strategy is bolder, the concessions deeper, but the footing is firm. Whether this altitude helps or harms Indian industry is still unclear, but the view is undeniably different. R Gopalakrishnan offers a cultural counterpoint, reminding us that Indian management, too, has always been a creature of adaptation. Office pujas and astrologically timed board meetings may seem out of place on the global corporate peak, but they coexist with Harvard MBAs and data dashboards. Indian managers, he notes, thrive not by removing ambiguity but by riding it, balancing rituals with results, jugaad with KPIs. No contradiction there, just another seahorse perched on another mountain. Ram Singh looks at inequality and turns the usual narrative on its head. While global discourse frets about the 1 per cent, India's post-tax, post-welfare numbers tell a different tale — inequality is down, and first-generation wealth is rising. Here again, the terrain has shifted. The old economic assumptions aren't holding; the new ones, though strange, may just work. Meanwhile, Shekhar Gupta compares Modi and Indira—not to glorify or vilify either, but to observe how each, in their time, defied gravity. Their nationalism, governance, and use of power sit atop different ideological mountains, yet share that same improbable balancing act. One led with iron fists, the other with digital dashboards — but both stood where few expected them to. And in Kanika Datta's corner, the seahorse metaphor finds its most literal expression. Feeding stray dogs in India. A small act of care has become a societal flashpoint, twisted by ignorance and abandoned by institutions. But feeding strays, as she explains, isn't just charity, it's population control. It is order in chaos. It's a soft hand holding steady on a cliff edge. Just like a seahorse on a mountain. Stay tuned!
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Business Standard
27-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
India needs thousands of innovators like Suhas Patil and Anjan Bose
These are "hidden champions" of strategic research and innovation. They are worthy of emulation within Indian industry, and maybe even a Padma! R Gopalakrishnan Mumbai Listen to This Article I love low-profile builders of technology-led and 'psychological market share' businesses — hidden champions (Hermann Simon, HBS Press). Businesses and organisations should be designed for Deergha Ayush (long life), which connotes that business is a living entity. The metaphor of life appears in my 2017 book A Biography of Innovations — an idea gets 'conceived' (foetus), the idea goes through 'adaptation' (childhood), then a 'prototype' (adolescence), before emerging as a 'product' (young adulthood), which evolves with updates for continued success (maturity) over its life. On a recent trip to the United States (US), I reconnected with two contemporaries from the
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Business Standard
16-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
'Purposeful' deergha ayush: Long life is no virtue for an incapable company
Deergha ayush must be both biological and operating with a deep purpose R Gopalakrishnan Listen to This Article The debate about family-managed versus professional companies is fruitless. The debate is between well-managed and poorly managed companies. The future leader will be a 'professional entrepreneurial manager'. I participated in a panel discussion on 'long-life companies' in the 2024 Drucker Forum in Vienna. One fellow-panelist was Adrian Wooldridge, who writes for Bloomberg and The Economist. Adrian strongly refuted my plea for long-life companies by quoting the Schumpeter creative destruction principle that companies without capability or purpose should be allowed to die, that long life is no virtue for an incapable company. Of course, that is true. Adrian readily accepted the
