News on Indian Economy
Commercial movement through these routes had remained suspended since 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent deterioration in bilateral relations along the India–China border. The reopening marks a cautious revival of local economic exchanges between Indian frontier communities and markets in the Tibet Autonomous Region.
Coal dispatch posted an even stronger performance, rising 17.34% year-on-year to 86.33 MT (provisional), compared with 73.57 MT during the corresponding month last year. The Ministry of Coal attributed the growth to its continued focus on ensuring a stable coal supply and improving operational efficiency across the sector.
The initiative was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day address in August 2025. The government subsequently began advancing offshore exploration programmes in areas including the Andaman Sea and the eastern continental margin.
The 16-coach prototype, designed and manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, began its formal trials on July 29, 2026, in the Kota Division of West Central Railway. The Research Designs and Standards Organisation is conducting the extensive evaluation programme along the Kota–Nagda–Sawai Madhopur corridor.
Its most distinctive project is JAL, a microwave-plasma thruster that uses water as its propellant. Instead of carrying highly toxic chemicals or relying entirely on expensive noble gases, the system is designed to convert water into an electrically energised plasma and expel it at high velocity to manoeuvre a spacecraft.
The new radome has been developed by DRDO’s Research and Development Establishment (Engineers), or R&DE(E), in Pune. Once cleared after flight trials, it is expected to replace the imported radome presently used on the Tejas Mk1A and support the expanding production requirements of the fighter aircraft.
Its modular approach allows customers to select a standard satellite bus, integrate a mission-specific payload, obtain launch and separation hardware, and operate the spacecraft through Dhruva Space’s ground network. This reduces the engineering effort required to build every mission around a new spacecraft architecture.
Hindustan Shipyard Limited delivered the specialised vessel to the Navy at Visakhapatnam on July 30, 2026. Nipun was designed and constructed in accordance with the classification rules of the Indian Register of Shipping.
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is working to add more than 700 million tonnes per annum of port-handling capacity by 2030. At a high-level review chaired by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, officials were directed to accelerate major projects, improve coordination and ensure that critical infrastructure is completed within scheduled timelines.
The Maldives Monetary Authority announced that the service became operational on July 30, 2026, marking an important step in strengthening digital financial connectivity and economic cooperation between the two countries.
