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ADB reviews progress on ML-I rail upgradation | The Express Tribune
Ground-breaking of Karachi-Rohri section set for July 2026; upgradation of ML-I urged
The Railways Division submitted the ML-I project summary to ECNEC without arranging finances from the Public Sector Development Programme, China, or any other international financial institution. Photo: AFP
ISLAMABAD:
A delegation of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), led by Director General Leah Gutierrez, on Friday called on Federal Minister for Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi to review progress on the upgradation of Main Line-I (ML-I), Pakistan Railways’ most critical infrastructure project.
During the meeting, detailed discussions were held on the scope, financing and implementation strategy of the ML-I upgradation, according to a news release.
Officials briefed the meeting that ML-I serves as the backbone of Pakistan Railways, facilitating nearly 80% of passenger traffic and around 90% of freight movement across the country.
In view of the current condition of railway infrastructure, participants underscored the urgent need to upgrade ML-I to ensure safe, efficient and reliable rail operations.
The project is expected to significantly enhance connectivity, reduce travel time and strengthen Pakistan’s logistics and trade capacity.
Hanif Abbasi described ML-I as a key project for the national economy, saying its modernisation would play a vital role in promoting economic growth, improving regional connectivity and ensuring sustainable transport.
The ADB delegation reaffirmed its continued cooperation and confidence in the progress of the ML-I project and expressed its commitment to supporting Pakistan Railways in its reform and modernisation efforts.
Both sides also agreed that the ground-breaking ceremony of the ML-I Karachi-to-Rohri section would be held in July 2026, marking a major milestone in the execution of the project.
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LPG crisis: No respite for restaurants yet – The Times of India
MUMBAI/BENGALURU: The restaurant industry is struggling to run regular operations due to the meagre supplies of LPG cylinders . With the govt’s move to hike commercial LPG allocation to up to 70%, it will take some time before the measure actually translates into sustained supply, executives said. “Supply is still hugely limited and erratic. A feeling of uncertainty looms large,” said Anurag Katriar, founder at Indigo Hospitality. The key question is how quickly this revised allocation will translate into on-ground availability, said Pradeep Shetty, vice-president at Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI).A walk along Indiranagar’s 12th Main, known for its cluster of independent restaurants, reflects the strain. “It is all hand-to-mouth at this point,” said Nikhil Gupta, who runs brands including The Pizza Bakery and Paris Panini . The move doesn’t directly help the restaurant sector which is still getting 20%-30% of LPG supplies, said Sagar Daryani, co-founder & CEO at Wow! Momo Foods and president at National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI). State-wise, the supply situation varies with some such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan restricting allocation for restaurants, hurting the sector , Daryani said.
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Asda boss rejects profiteering claims as petrol price tops 150p
Motorists are facing higher fuel prices ahead of Easter break due to the conflict in the Middle East, the RAC says.
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E-cheques coming soon? RBI unveils Payments Vision 2028, plans wider oversight of digital players – The Times of India
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday unveiled its ‘Payments Vision 2028’ document, outlining a roadmap that includes exploring electronic cheques, expanding regulatory oversight to digital platforms, and strengthening safeguards in the fast-growing payments ecosystem, PTI reported.The central bank said it will examine the introduction of e-cheques to combine the advantages of paper instruments with the speed and reliability of digital payments. “To leverage the unique benefits of paper-based instruments and the speed and reliability of electronic payments, and cater to new business use cases, the introduction of electronic cheques in India shall be explored,” the RBI said.Alongside, the RBI is considering widening the regulatory ambit to include entities such as e-commerce marketplaces and centralised platforms that play a growing role in facilitating digital transactions.“In addition, e-commerce marketplaces and centralized platforms have been assuming significant responsibilities that could have implications on the orderly functioning of the payments ecosystem. These aspects shall be examined in detail and, if required, the scope of direct regulations shall be extended to cover such entities,” the document said.The vision document also proposes allowing users to enable or disable transactions across digital payment modes, similar to controls available for card transactions.To address fraud risks, the RBI is exploring a “shared responsibility framework” under which both the issuing bank and the beneficiary bank would share liability in cases of unauthorised digital transactions.The central bank also plans to review cheque design and security features, introduce a Domestic Legal Entity Identifier (DLEI) framework for better transaction traceability, and bring in a Cyber Key Risk Indicators (KRI) framework for non-bank payment system operators.Other initiatives include exploring white-label solutions in the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS), developing interoperability in the Trade Receivables e-Discounting System (TReDS), and introducing a ‘Payments Switching Service’ to ease customer migration across platforms.The RBI said it will also review the cross-border payments ecosystem to improve efficiency and streamline authorisation processes, alongside publishing periodic reports on global and domestic payment trends.Additionally, the central bank aims to enhance access to payment data and reimagine the card payments ecosystem by promoting secure tokenisation, improved transparency in pricing, and greater choice for users and merchants.
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