The UPA government subjected the infrastructure sector to policy paralysis, environment clearance roadblocks and high-intensity redtape. The NDA government fought tooth and nail to bring about an ordinance when all other measures failed to get all parties onboard the Land Acquisition Act. This was necessitated as the methods for acquiring land under the dated Land […]
With the economy gasping for oxygen, in this column we provided an ‘August’ formula for kickstarting growth in the last issue! Fortunately, the FM has heard the cries of anguish and decided to act, with initiatives aimed at generating sales for the auto industry. The construction equipment industry, too, can heave a sigh of relief […]
As the GDP figures of 5.7 per cent appeared in the press, the murmurs began. GST was already making lives difficult for the traders and businessmen, and the ghosts of demonetisation had not completely vanished yet. The evidence of the economy sputtering emboldened the critics and turned the loyalists into skeptics. The government too moved […]
Earlier in May, when I had asked Sajjan Jindal, chief of JSW – the group with the best appetite for capital investment – when the private sector would begin investing, he had replied that we were poised for an imminent renewal in sentiment for private investment. Recently, Ajay Piramal, head of Piramal Group and Shriram […]
In the December quarter, the construction sector took a hit. The average net revenue of 156 firms in the mid and large-sized category, excluding L&T, fell by 9 per cent YoY. Road developers took a hit on account of toll collections, which were suspended for three weeks. Orders across infrastructure sector slid several notches. The […]
Last month, in a swift move at the recommendation of NITI Aayog, the government reversed the misery of construction and infrastructure companies. In this column last month, I had pitched for a resolution to the impasse on matters stuck in arbitration, disputes and appeals. So while the ruling has now provided that the company in […]
NITI Aayog is finally fixing the loose ends with the construction matrix to allow the multiplier effect to breathe its magical effect across the economy. It is putting together a policy to remove hurdles for projects where contractors are locked in arbitration with government agencies so that 75 per cent of the funds would be […]