< Back Highways to offer green energy charging infra to promote e-mobility 10 Jan 2024 The Centre is planning to develop 6,000 km of e-highways by 2030. These include the Golden Quadrilateral, the North and South, and East and West Corridors. In 2023, only 83,000 units of electric vehicles (EVs) sold against the target of 100,000 due to inadequate charging infrastructure and concerns regarding the range of the vehicles. To reverse this scenario, the central government plans to power the longest Indian highways with green energy charging infrastructure. These include the Golden Quadrilateral, connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai; the North and South Corridor running from Srinagar to Kanyakumari; and the East and West Corridor connecting Silchar (Assam) and Porbandar (Gujarat). The longest e-highway operational in Berlin, Germany, runs 109 km. The government plans to replace the old 800,000 diesel buses with electric buses by 2030, under the Vision 2030: PM Public Transport Sewa. It will reduce logistics costs, pollution levels, and carbon emissions per the COP28 guidelines. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will award this project to private companies on the Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) model. Previous Next

< Back Cab hailing from Bengaluru airport to become costlier 4 Jun 2024 Currently, Uber charges ₹187 per trip, Ola charges ₹172, and BluSmart ₹218. These airport fees will increase by 30-40% in a few weeks. Airports charge ride-hailing apps a fee for using the airport infrastructure, which is passed on to passengers. Ola, Uber, and BluSmart’s agreements with Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) are set for renewal, and the airport operator is expected to hike this fee by up to 40% in the next few weeks. The agreement gives ride-hailing apps dedicated pick-up zones and free parking for a period. The airport fee is negotiated based on the number of rides a company makes. Up to 75% of rides from Bengaluru airport are taken by Ola, BluSmart, and Uber. The rest are taken by inDrive, Shoffr, and others without an agreement with BIAL. Mega Cabs, Carzonrent, WTI Cabs, and Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation have concessionaire agreements with BIAL. Following protests from drivers and passengers, BIAL recently scrapped the new pricing policy charging commercial and private drivers a fee to enter the airport premises. Previous Next

< Back CG Semi to roll out first Made-in-India chip soon 30 Aug 2025 IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurated CG Semi’s pilot OSAT facility in Sanand on Thursday. CG Semi’s Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test plant in Sanand, Gujarat, is India’s first end-to-end facility. Built in collaboration with Renesas Electronics and Stars Microelectronics with a 6.8% and 0.9% stake. The ₹7,600 crore project comprises two units: the pilot unit G1 and the larger commercial plant G2. The ₹600 crore G1 unit employs around 200 staff. It was inaugurated on August 28th and began production on the same day. It will produce 0.5 million chips daily. The ₹7,000 crore G2 will employ around 1,000 people. Together, the two units could produce around 15 million chips daily or 4.7 billion annually within five years. Micron, Tata, and Kaynes are also developing their semiconductor plants in Sanand. Micron’s should be ready by January 2026. The India Semiconductor Mission approved 10 units, of which four are in Gujarat, 2 in Odisha, and one each in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, and Assam. Check out my new book, THE BLACK FLAMES , on Amazon Kindle. Previous Next

< Back Singapore’s real estate major to invest ₹45,000 crore in India 4 Sept 2024 CapitalLand Investment (CLI) announced plans to increase its funds under management (FUM) in India by more than double by 2028. Singapore’s leading real estate enterprise, CapitalLand Investment, announced on August 28th its plans to more than double its investment in India by 2028. It will invest ₹45,000 crore in India in the next four years. This aligns with its goal of reaching $200 billion in FUM worldwide by 2028. Currently, CLI has around $7.4 billion (₹45,880 crores) invested in India. This is expected to cross ₹90,280 crores by 2028. The announcement came on the occasion of CLI’s 30th anniversary in India and when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Singapore to strengthen the two nations' strategic and bilateral relations. CLI began its journey in India 30 years ago with the launch of its first IT park, the International Tech Park Bangalore (ITPB), in association with Ascendas. India is one of CLI’s fastest-growing markets, and the company has witnessed its investments triple in the past seven years. Previous Next

< Back Flipkart to launch its quick commerce service despite failed talks with Zepto 19 Apr 2024 Like the failed discussions with Dunzo, its talks with Zepto are unlikely to be revived. Flipkart reduced its delivery timelines and launched same-day deliveries at no extra cost in February. It launched the service in 20 cities, including tier 2 cities like Guwahati and Ludhiana and metros like Bengaluru and Delhi. It also runs Flipkart Quick, a 90-120-minute delivery service for fruits and vegetables in some cities. Zepto and Blinkit are adding new stock-keeping units to cross 10,000 units across India. They are also venturing into eCommerce by tying up with apparel brands like Adidas, Jockey, Manyavar, and Pepe Jeans. Flipkart failed to buy an established quick commerce service like Dunzo and now Zepto. Still, it plans to launch its own service this year by setting up thousands of dark stores nationwide. It will not own any dark stores but rather collaborate with kiranas and entrepreneurs to set them up. It also launched Flipkart UPI last month in collaboration with Axis Bank. Previous Next

< Back Nine dogs to welcome travellers at Mumbai int’l airport 29 Oct 2024 Chhatrapati Shivaji resumed Pawfect Programme, which was suspended during the pandemic. Adani Group’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSIMA), Mumbai, brought back its popular ‘Pawfect’ initiative to make the travel and checking-in process stress-free for travellers. It is CSIMA’s pioneering initiative among Indian airports. Pawfect Life Kennel entered a one-year agreement with CSIMA to provide therapy dogs at the airport. Nine dogs include a rescued Husky, a Lhasa Apso, a Maltese, a Labrador, and a Golden Retriever. Bella, the golden retriever, is a star among the canines. With her warm demeanour and cuddlesome personality, Bella is an expert in engaging with children with special needs and cheering up passengers. They will greet passengers at Terminal 2 Departures and Domestic Level 3 post immigration between 3 pm and 11 pm from Friday to Sunday. These dogs are trained companions specialising in sensing and responding to different moods and offering passengers emotional support and unconditional love to ease their anxiety and bring joy. Previous Next

< Back Dhaka cancels Indian SEZ deal, transfers it to China 31 Jan 2026 China will establish a drone manufacturing and defence industrial facility. Bangladesh has cancelled the long-delayed Indian Economic Zone project in Mirsharai, Chattogram, and reassigned the nearly 850-acre site to China. The decision follows years of stalled progress. India did not approve key overseas tenders despite a 2015 MoU and repeated requests from Dhaka. Only about 1% of allocated funds were utilised. The shift comes amid rising diplomatic tensions and after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s virtual address to Indian media, which reportedly influenced Dhaka’s reassessment of bilateral projects. Bangladesh has since signed a major agreement with China’s state-owned China Electronics Technology Group Corporation International (CETC) to build a UAV assembly plant and transfer related technology, positioning the country as a new drone-manufacturing hub in South Asia. China also signed an agreement in 2025 to supply Bangladesh with 20 J-10CE fighter jets. Their deliveries will begin this year, and Beijing has offered Dhaka extended payment timelines. Check out my new book, THE BLACK FLAMES . A gripping, high-stakes mystery. Previous Next

< Back Tejas fighter plane crashes during Dubai Air Show 21 Nov 2025 The pilot sustained fatal injuries, IAF tweeted. The HAL-made aircraft Tejas crashed while performing during the Dubai Air Show around 2:10 pm local time. A day before, the Indian government discarded social media claims of an oil leakage suffered by Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1 at the Dubai Air Show 2025. Authorities had clarified that the videos trending online showed routine aircraft draining procedures commonly used in humid weather. The liquid being ejected is condensed water, expected to be released from the Environmental Control System (ECS) and the On-Board Oxygen Generating System (OBOGS) as part of standard procedures in humid conditions. Considered a reliable series, this is the second Tejas crash ever. The first was near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, on March 12 th , 2024. Shortly after performing in a tri-services exercise to showcase India’s self-reliance in defence manufacturing, the aircraft went down. The pilot had safely ejected. This year’s Show is celebrating host carrier Emirates’ 40 th anniversary. Check out my new book, THE BLACK FLAMES , on Amazon Kindle. A gripping, high-stakes novel. ⭐⭐⭐⭐.6 stars on Amazon ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ on Goodreads Previous Next

< Back First electric plane flies passengers 130 km for ₹694 23 Jun 2025 Beta Technologies’ CX300 became the first electric plane to take flight on June 3rd, 2025. Beta Technologies created history on June 3rd when their ALIA CX300, a CTOL (Conventional Take-off and Landing) electric plane, flew from East Hampton to JFK Airport, New York. The plane carried four passengers and a pilot, who reported a quiet cabin ambience without any engine noise. Charging the plane and the 35-minute plane ride cost the company ₹694 ($8), excluding pilot fees. A helicopter ride on this route typically costs over ₹13,000 ($160) for fuel. ALIA CX300 is expected to receive the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval by 2025 end. Fully charging takes less than an hour, and it can fly up to 463 km on a single charge. It can carry up to five passengers and cargo up to 200 cubic feet. Archer Aviation will be the official air taxi partner for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. It is awaiting FAA approval and plans to begin operations by 2026. Never miss another post from SalestorrsNews150. Follow Salestorrs on WhatsApp , LinkedIn , Facebook , X , and Instagram . Previous Next

< Back iPhone assembler Foxconn to invest ₹1,200 crore to set up factory in India 9 Feb 2024 Foxconn is a major supplier to Apple. The setting up of its factory offers crucial support to Apple’s iPhone manufacturing plans in India. Taiwan-based Foxconn Technology announced an investment of ₹1,200 crore to set up another factory in India for its operational needs. Foxconn is the main assembler for Apple’s iPhones and is among the world’s largest contract electronic manufacturers . After Apple’s CEO Tim Cook meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April 2023, Foxconn announced its first investment of $500 million to set up a factory in Telangana. In November 2023, it announced the second $600 million investment in two projects in Karnataka, including a phone casing component plant and a semiconductor manufacturing facility. These investments were made through Foxconn’s subsidiary, Hon Hai Technology India Mega Development. Last month, Foxconn announced a partnership with HCL Group to build a $37.2 million chip packaging and testing facility in India. Apple started manufacturing older and lower-budget iPhones in India in 2017. It started scaling up due to tensions between the US and China. Previous Next

< Back US Department of Justice launches antitrust probes against NVIDIA 7 Aug 2024 In the first probe, the Department of Justice (DOJ) will scrutinise NVIDIA's buyout of Run:ai, and the second probe will evaluate if it abuses its dominant position in AI Chips. In July, US, UK, and EU regulators pledged to “safeguard against tactics that would undermine fair competition” in the AI world. Since then, international regulators have been closely monitoring significant tech acquisitions. That’s why NVIDIA’s $700 million acquisition of the Israeli GPU management startup Run:ai caught the attention of the US regulator. The DOJ is also evaluating NVIDIA’s global dominance in the AI chips market. After receiving several anti-competitive complaints, the regulator is assessing whether NVIDIA misuses its dominance to discourage customers from using its competitors’ products. There have been claims that the AI chip maker overcharges customers for networking equipment if they buy AI chips from its competitors, like AMD and Intel. It may also face French antitrust charges for anti-competitive practices. NVIDIA owns 70 to 95% of the market for chips used to train AI models. In June, it briefly overtook Microsoft as the world’s most valuable company. Previous Next

< Back New fintech startup, Stable Money, focuses on Fixed Deposits via app Ishita Nigam 5 Sept 2023 Offering FDs from ₹1,000 on the app, Stable Money plans to integrate its app with 25 banks by the end of 2023. Fixed Deposits are back. Says the new fintech startup, Stable Money. The Bengaluru-based venture started operations in 2022 and secured $5 million this August from Matrix, Lightspeed, Titan Capital, Mar Shot, Snapdeal founders, and Swiggy Co-founder Sriharsha Majety. Harish Reddy and Saurabh Jain, Stable Money founders, believe FDs are the most stable product for building financial stability and businesses for the masses. They have tied with banks and NBFCs to offer FDs on the app on behalf of these institutions. Customers can create FDs from ₹1,000 on Stable Money. In just 20 days of its launch, the startup claims to have received ₹10 crore worth of investments from over 20,000 customers. The founders plan to focus on getting organic traffic from social media and investment enthusiasts. They will expand to corporate, government, and sovereign gold bonds (SGBs) soon. Currently, Zerodha and Groww also offer FDs as part of their offerings. Previous Next