Latest news with #Thyroxin
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Railway Ministry permanently closes Rs 402-cr Mathura-Vrindavan rail conversion project
The Railway Ministry has permanently closed its ambitious project for the conversion of the Mathura-Vrindavan railway line from metre gauge to broad gauge at an estimated cost of Rs 402 crore, terming it "uneconomical". The North Central Railway (NCR) zone, which has jurisdiction over the Mathura-Virndavan section, had mooted a proposal a few months ago to terminate it permanently due to opposition from locals. "The Proposal of North Central Railway regarding closure of the aforementioned uneconomical branch line of North Central Railway has been examined by the (Railway) Board. Accordingly, Competent Authority has approved permanent closure of Mathura Vrindavan section of Agra Division of North Central Railway," the Railway Ministry said in a letter dated June 6, addressed to the General Manager of the NCR zone. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Experte warnt: beachte das, wenn du Thyroxin nimmst Mission Schilddruese Mehr erfahren Undo It further said the decision has been taken with the concurrence of the Finance Directorate of the Ministry of Railways and asked the zone to initiate necessary action. Railway officials associated with the project said the work on the rail link between the two cities started about two years ago and a significant amount of time and money had been spent on laying of tracks from both sides, Mathura as well as Vrindavan. Live Events A section of experts also said the cancellation of the project posed a question mark on the Railways' foresight and planning and may cause a significant financial loss. The Railway Board had sanctioned the conversion of the metre gauge rail line between Mathura and Vrindavan to broad gauge in 2017-18 at an estimated cost of Rs 402 crore. A contract costing Rs 191 crore was awarded to a company, ISC, in February 2023, following which dismantling of the existing track and the process of laying the new track was started on March 31, 2023. The contractor was supposed to finish the work in two years by March 30, 2025. Another contract costing Rs 38 crore for the construction of the station building at Krishna Janmabhoomi and Vrindavan, including platforms and foot-over bridges, was awarded to HOG Projects in May 2023. The metre gauge track, constructed by the Britishers more than 100 years ago, was in operation with a one-coach rail bus that operated twice a day till early 2023. The service was stopped for the construction of the broad gauge. The gauge conversion work was started from Vrindavan but local residents raised objections when the work began from the Mathura side in June 2023. The railway officials said the locals used to cross the track easily as the metre gauge was at the ground level and the speed of the rail bus was also slow. According to officials, the new track was supposed to be constructed on an embankment. The locals objected to it, saying they would find it inconvenient to cross the track easily as they used to do earlier. On September 1, 2023, a meeting was held between senior officials, including those from the NCR zone, Mathura district magistrate, municipal commissioner, protesting residents and their representatives among others. The majority of the residents demanded the construction of a road on the railway land instead of a broad gauge rail line .
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Markets in wait-and-watch mode amid global crosswinds: Punita Kumar Sinha
"People are taking a relook at markets given the RBI cut. So, for the moment things seem to be fairly stable and macro conditions are benign. But one never knows given the global situation what could come next," says Punita Kumar Sinha , Pacific Paradigm Advisors. So much is happening globally. You have US versus China trade talks that are going on. Internally within the US we have seen some softening in job reports. You have Musk versus Trump that is going on. Where do we really begin talking about all of these and give us a sense of amid all of this that is happening, where does India stand right now? Punita Kumar Sinha: Well, first of all, India stands in a good place because we have the least amount of risk compared to some of the other countries amongst the large economies, especially being on President Trump's radar for tariffs and some other issues, immigration, etc. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Experte warnt: beachte das, wenn du Thyroxin nimmst Mission Schilddruese Mehr erfahren Undo So, I mean, the data is mixed. There are positives and then there are negatives. So, the positives, we are beginning to see for India is that obviously rate cuts and plenty of liquidity has been injected by the RBI, the monsoons are good which will help the rural economy, the trade talks are sort of not looking that harsh for India at the moment or at least it is not on the radar as much as some other countries, and the geopolitical situation seems to have calmed down, so that is on the positive front. On the negative side, economic data is still mixed. The economy still needs to show sign of further strengthening. The RBI rate cuts now mean that potentially since the stance is now neutral, that there may not be any further cuts or further liquidity injections for the remainder of the year and then, another negative is that geopolitics could become an issue again and the trade discussions could again come into the forefront for India as well. And the other negative is that valuations are now, after the markets have rallied the valuations are not that great once again. So, it is kind of a balance between the positives and negatives. And given that, the markets could be choppy, rangebound, but we could have some good months and maybe not so good months depending on data and news flow. So, I think the momentum is there right now. People are taking a relook at markets given the RBI cut. So, for the moment things seem to be fairly stable and macro conditions are benign. But one never knows given the global situation what could come next. Live Events So, let us address that big overhang, the taco trade which is currently playing out and all eyes are on London, what is going to happen between US and China? I mean, even though US says that they are willing to actually remove restriction on some of their tech exports in exchange for China easing their limits on rare earth minerals, but how do you think that is going to really pan out because it seems like both parties are willing to negotiate, but it is literally like who is going to bell the cat first. Punita Kumar Sinha: Well, it is in no one's interest to have an adverse outcome. So, I am hopeful that there will be some negotiation that will be positive for both, otherwise the outcome could be negative and the markets are not pricing in a big negative outcome. The markets are pricing in a neutral to positive outcome, which is why the markets are being strong across the board, whether it is US, whether it is Chinese markets, Asian markets, emerging markets . So, I think that is the risk as well that the markets are not pricing in a bad scenario. Just wanted to have your take on the Indian markets valuation per se because I remember almost a month back when we interacted with you, you were of the view that the Indian market valuations are still not very cheap, but given all the fundamental triggers you just highlighted, now do they look reasonable and what is your overall take? Punita Kumar Sinha: No, I mean I think they are still on the high side because the markets have rallied but, of course, India has underperformed some of the other emerging markets, particularly Latin America and some of the other Asian countries and also India has underperformed Europe. So, relative valuations compared to some of these other markets has improved. But if you look at versus its own history, Indian market valuations are not cheap and we are still trading over 20 times multiples and while growth would start picking up particularly on the rural side with the rate cuts and a better monsoon, so there could be some better numbers coming on the denominator, but I still do not think that the valuations are that attractive relative to its own history, they are not cheap, I mean they are neutral to high.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Andhra Pradesh plans cash reward for having more children, says CM Chandrababu Naidu
Andhra Pradesh is planning to offer financial incentives to families with more children, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said, as part of a wider strategy to address declining fertility rates in the state. The move marks a shift from the state's earlier policy, which barred individuals with more than two children from contesting local body elections. Bigger families may receive higher financial support 'I am looking at giving financial incentives by taking a family as a unit. The bigger families may get higher incentives,' Naidu told The Times of India in an interview ahead of completing one year in office on June 12. The Chief Minister said this was part of a broader 'investment in human capital' plan. Naidu added that the new approach would be linked to his 'Zero Poverty' initiative. 'As part of the 'Zero Poverty' initiative, I have already rolled out an interesting model in which wealthier people will adopt poor families. This will not only bridge income disparities, but also ensure welfare of the entire family,' he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Experte warnt: beachte das, wenn du Thyroxin nimmst Mission Schilddruese Mehr erfahren Undo Fertility rate concerns push policy shift The Chief Minister said that the current demographic trends in Andhra Pradesh were concerning. 'Fertility rates in Andhra Pradesh need to increase. At the present rate, AP will face serious problems… That is why I am thinking of bigger families,' he said. Naidu said the previous cap on maternity leave for female government employees had been removed. 'It was limited to two times only. We have removed the restrictions,' he said. The state government has also made it mandatory for organisations to provide childcare centres at the workplace. Live Events Welfare linked to child development To support families and children, the state is providing financial assistance directly to students' mothers. 'We give this money directly to the mothers of students,' Naidu said, referring to a Rs 15,000 per child support initiative. He also confirmed that the state government is planning to announce additional financial assistance for couples who have more children. The earlier two-child limit for those contesting panchayat and municipal elections has also been scrapped. Other states exploring similar steps In 2023, Sikkim announced similar incentives to encourage indigenous families to have more children. Mizoram has also encouraged tribal families to increase their family size. Recently, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said the Centre's push for population-based delimitation could force states like Tamil Nadu to revisit their population policies.
