Business
PM Modi Likely To Launch New Trains Linking Aizawl With Delhi, Kolkata And Guwahati
Guwahati/Aizawl: After the expected inauguration of the Bairabi–Sairang new railway project on September 13 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian Railways is set to introduce three pairs of new train services connecting the Mizoram capital Aizawl with the national capital, Guwahati and Kolkata, officials said on Thursday.
The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said that Indian Railways is pleased to announce the introduction of three new pairs of train services from the newly built Sairang station in Aizawl.
A senior Mizoram government official said that the Prime Minister accompanied by state Chief Minister Lalduhoma and a few Central Ministers would flag off the three new trains after the inauguration of the Bairabi–Sairang new railway project on Saturday.
The NFR CPRO said that these trains would greatly enhance rail connectivity between the state capital of Mizoram with important destinations across the country.
The inaugural runs of all three pairs of trains will take place on September 13 (Saturday), followed by the commencement of regular services on the notified dates.
The three trains are Sairang-Anand Vihar (Delhi) Rajdhani Express (weekly), Kolkata-Sairang-Kolkata Express (tri-weekly) and Guwahati-Sairang-Guwahati Express (daily).
The Sairang-Anand Vihar Rajdhani Express will run via Badarpur junction, Guwahati, New Jalpaiguri, Malda Town, Bhagalpur during its journeys while the Sairang-Kolkata Express (tri-weekly) trains will run via Badarpur junction, Guwahati, Goalpara Town, Golakganj, New Jalpaiguri, Malda Town to reach its destinations in Kolkata.
The details of stoppages and timings of these trains are available at IRCTC website and are also being notified in social media platforms of Northeast Frontier Railway, Sharma said and requested the passengers to verify the details before undertaking their journey.
The 51.38 km Bairabi (near Assam’s Hailakandi district)-Sairang (near Aizawl city) railway project will make Aizawl the fourth capital city in the Northeast region to be connected by railways after Guwahati, Agartala and Itanagar.
Senior officials of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), led by General Manager (Construction) Arun Kumar Chaudhary, are making hectic preparations to give final touches to the railway project and arrangements for the inauguration.
Union Ministers and senior officials of several ministries, including the Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Tribal Affairs, Road Transport and Highways, would be present at the events.
The NFR CPRO earlier said that the 51.38-km-long Bairabi-Sairang new line railway project is considered an engineering marvel of Indian Railways, built at an estimated cost of Rs 8,071 crore.
The project consists of 48 tunnels, 55 major bridges and 87 minor bridges and includes tunnels with a total length of 12,853 metres, with the longest tunnel (Tunnel No. 3) spanning about two km.
The height of bridge number 196 is 114 metres, which is 42 metres taller than the Qutub Minar, the CPRO added.
The project also includes five Road Over Bridges and six Road Under Bridges. This new line project also includes construction of four new stations — Hortoki, Kawnpui, Mualkhang and Sairang.
Despite the challenging terrain, the NFR has accomplished remarkable work in extending rail connectivity to Aizawl, overcoming significant geographical and engineering hurdles to make this long-awaited project a reality, CPRO Sharma said.
Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on September 9 held a meeting with senior officials to review preparations for the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the Bairabi–Sairang new railway project on September 13.
An official of the Chief Minister’s Office said that the Prime Minister would also likely address a public gathering at the Assam Rifles ground on September 13 and the public meeting would be organised in connection with the inauguration of the Bairabi–Sairang new railway project.
However, the Prime Minister’s final schedule of Mizoram visit has not yet been announced by the PMO.
From Aizawl, the Prime Minister is likely to visit Manipur capital Imphal and tribal inhabited Churachandpur and address the gatherings in both the places.
Security and other necessary arrangements are in full swing both in Imphal and Churachandpur.
Business
UPI transactions hit record Rs 29.53 lakh crore in March; volumes cross 22.6 billion – The Times of India
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions touched a record high in March, with both value and volume hitting new peaks, driven by festive spending and financial year-end activity, according to PTI.Data released by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) showed that UPI transactions totalled Rs 29.53 lakh crore in value during March, up 19 per cent from Rs 24.77 lakh crore in the same month last year.On a month-on-month basis, transaction value rose 10 per cent from Rs 26.84 lakh crore recorded in February.In volume terms, UPI registered 22.64 billion transactions during the month, marking a 24 per cent increase from 18.3 billion transactions a year ago. The volume was 20.39 billion in February.Average daily transactions stood at 730 million, with an average daily value of Rs 95,243 crore, as spending picked up during festivals such as Holi and Eid.“The sustained growth in the digital payment ecosystem in India is an affirmation of the penetration of real-time payment systems in the day-to-day life of the people. UPI processed 22.64 billion transactions worth 29.53 lakh crore in March 2026, marking its emergence as one of the trusted payment systems in the country,” said Anand Kumar Bajaj, MD & CEO of PayNearby.UPI now accounts for around 85 per cent of all digital transactions in India and contributes nearly 50 per cent of global real-time digital payments.The platform is operational in seven countries, including the UAE, Singapore, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, France and Mauritius, with its entry into France marking its first expansion into Europe.NPCI, an initiative of the Reserve Bank of India and the Indian Banks’ Association, operates UPI, enabling real-time peer-to-peer and merchant payments across the country.
But Spencer says his business is being squeezed from every angle – as well as minimum wage, he has had increases in business rates, national insurance, and statutory sick pay. He also expects energy bills to go up because of the war in the Middle East.
Visa Inc. signage on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026.
Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Visa is launching six new tools using artificial intelligence to modernize the process of disputing credit card charges, the company told CNBC exclusively.
The digital payments company said the tools are designed to reduce the costs and frustration of “outdated” dispute processes for multiple entities involved in the payments process: merchants, issuers and acquirers.
“Some of the challenges are these back-office systems are still largely manual,” Andrew Torre, Visa’s president of value-added services, told CNBC. “We really had to think differently about how we approach this at scale.”
In 2025, Torre said, Visa processed more than 103 million charge disputes globally, marking a 35% increase since 2019.
“Our goal is to streamline this as much as possible,” Torre said. “We’d love to be able to see that growth rate come down.”
Visa’s new tools are part of a larger push by major banks and financial institutions to incorporate AI into their businesses — both internally and in consumer-facing applications. JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs have both said they’re already using AI to hire fewer people. BNY spent $3.8 billion on technology in 2025, or about 19% of its revenue.
Visa said three of its six new tools focus on merchants, allowing them to address potential disputes before they escalate, managing disputes with generative AI responses and providing a deeper level of detail on order insights to manage confusion over unfamiliar charges.
For example, Torre said, many disputes are borne out of cardholders not recognizing a specific charge on their statements. With the new tool, Visa will be able to provide further details to financial institutions to show cardholders that data at a deeper level, according to the company.
The other three tools are built for issuers and acquirers, using predictive AI models to aid in case-by-case analysis, analyzing documents for summaries and auto fill and establishing an AI-powered dispute platform to manage the entire process in one location, Visa said.
“We’ll be able to get them insights and data so they can move from being reactive to proactive,” Torre said.
Torre said Visa’s new AI tools are part of a broader host of solutions for consumers, including a subscription manager announced last week that allows cardholders to cancel unnecessary subscriptions directly on the manager.
The automation will save time, money and unnecessary confusion for both parties, he added. Most of the tools will be generally available later this year, the company said.
“We really believe that disputes in this solution makes it much easier to manage and resolve,” Torre said. “We think it has better outcomes for everyone.”
The New Era of Militia Influencers
UPI transactions hit record Rs 29.53 lakh crore in March; volumes cross 22.6 billion – The Times of India
Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce wedding planning comes to life: Details
-
Politics1 week agoAfghanistan announces release of detained US citizen
-
Sports1 week agoBroadcast industry CEO says consolidation is ‘essential’ to compete for NFL soaring media rights prices
-
Entertainment1 week agoUN warns migratory freshwater fish numbers are spiralling
-
Tech1 week agoCan a Home Appliance Fix the Problem of Soft-Plastic Waste?
-
Business1 week agoProperty Play: Home flippers see smallest profits since the Great Recession, real estate data firm says
-
Business1 week agoGold prices soar in Pakistan – SUCH TV
-
Fashion1 week agoICE cotton slips on weaker crude, profit booking
-
Business1 week agoMore women are entering wealth management, but few are in advisory roles, study finds