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The government has made it simpler and cheaper for various entities to set up a range of infrastructure on Railway land on long-term lease. These including cargo-related enterprises, public utilities, renewable energy projects and even schools.

Railway land can now be used to set up solar plants, sewage and water treatment facilities at Re 1 per square meter per annum for 35 years and hospitals through PPP and schools with Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan for Re 1 per square meter per annum for up to 60 years.

The Union Cabinet Wednesday, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the new land lease policy of Railways, which owns around 4.84 lakh hectares in India of which 0.62 lakh hectare is vacant. This includes land that runs parallel to tracks.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the Punjab and Haryana high court’s order awarding the majority share of the estate of the erstwhile maharaja of Faridkot, Sir Harinder Singh Brar, estimated to be worth ₹20,000 crore, to his daughters –Amrit Kaur and the late Deepinder Kaur – and dissolved the Maharawal Khewaji Trust, which was looking after the properties.

The ruling ends a 30-year fight for the inheritance.

A three-judge bench, comprising chief justice of India (CJI) Uday Umesh Lalit, justice S Ravindra Bhat and justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, upheld the high court’s order: “Having dealt with the challenges raised in the petition, we direct that all reports statements of accounts and other documents, lodged with this court, pursuant to interim directions issued by this court, shall immediately be sent to the trial court (Chandigarh). The Trust shall be entitled to run the charitable Hospital only up to September 30, whereafter all the aspects of management, finance and other control including the need for appointment of a receiver shall be subject to such orders as may be passed by the court executing the decree in the instant matters.”

Can a student insist on exercising his or her “religious right” in an educational institution where certain norms must be followed? That’s what the Supreme Court wanted to know Monday as it began hearing a batch of petitions on the hijab row that rocked Karnataka in January. 

“You may have a religious right, but can you take that right within an educational institution where a uniform is prescribed? You may be entitled to wear the hijab or scarf, can you carry that right within an educational institution that prescribes uniform,” a bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia asked senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, who was representing one of the petitioners in the case.       

Taragiri, third of Indian Navy's stealth frigates under P-17A to be launched on September 11

"The ship will be integrated with a large number of indigenous equipment and machinery sourced from major industrial houses in the country as well as over 100 MSMEs. Indigenization efforts received a renewed thrust with the ‘Make in India' policy," MDL said in a press release.

Taragiri's keel was laid on September 10, 2020 and the delivery is expected by August 2025. Weighing 3510 ton, Taragiri has been designed by Indian Navy's in-house Bureau of Naval Design.

State owned Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) during its recent visit to Argentina has offered indigenous Light Combat Aircraft `Tejas’ Mark IA and 2 seater trainers.  

Sources have confirmed to Financial Express Online: “Argentina will be looking to export from India two variants of the LCA Tejas. First would be its two-seater operational conversion trainer aircraft, akin to what might be with the Indian Air Force (IAF). The second would be the export variant, the LCA Tejas Mark 1A.”

During meetings in Buenos Aires, the executives from HAL met with the Argentinean Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Julio Guardia, on August 31, 2022. Francisco Cafiero, Argentinean Secretary of International Affairs and Daniela Castro, Secretary of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, also held talks with the HAL delegation the same day. On September 1, HAL met with General Guillermo Pereda, Chief of General Staff, Argentine Armed Forces. A meeting followed this up with Brigadier Xavier Julian Issac, the Chief of General Staff, Argentine Air Force.