Despite the Delhi High Court banning e-rickshaws, the Centre is going ahead with plans to regularise their movement, said officials sources in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Rs. 3,000 crore for the North-East alone; fillip to PM’s rural scheme

We will find solution within law to objections raised by foreign firms: Montek

India has ruled out diluting the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act and hoped a solution to the stalemate caused by foreign companies not agreeing to two of its clauses will be found within the framework of the legislation.

Even as hopes rise of a civil nuclear accord with Japan following confirmation that its Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be the chief guest at Republic Day celebrations here, an influential lawmaker

In his first meeting with new Chinese President Xi Jinpeng, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sought a joint mechanism to enable India assess the type of construction activity being carried out in Tibe

Five-nation line may pass through Afghanistan and Pakistan

India has broached the idea of a hydrocarbon pipeline with Kazakhstan that would bring fuel through a five-nation route. India unveiled the concept of the pipeline, which in future could be extended to Russia, during a meeting between External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and his visiting Kazakh counterpart Erlan Idrissov here on Tuesday.

In contrast to China’s unilateral move to construct dams on the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra, India has taken a different route with respect to dams on rivers it shares with Bangladesh.

India and Bangladesh have identified several projects including the controversial Tipaimukh hydel project in which Dhaka could have equity participation. Over time, some portion of the electricity generated by projects on common rivers could accrue to Bangladesh, said official sources.

Tehran posits itself as an attractive transit destination

Seeking closer economic ties, Iran posited itself as an attractive transit destination to other countries and a net provider of energy security at a press conference by top official Saeed Jalili, who is being spoken as a presidential candidate to replace Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his completion of two terms in office. India has been deeply interested in using the Iranian territory as transit route into Afghanistan, Central Asia and Europe. But Mr. Jalili’s stress was more on energy security despite stalled talks on Indian equity participation in the Farzad gasfield and a gas pipeline to run through Pakistan.

Calls conclusion of negotiations on FTA a milestone

After tying up the loose ends of a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA) just before the start of the first-ever India-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit on Indian soil on Thursday, New Delhi sought a deeper engagement with the 10-country bloc in political and security-related areas. Speaking at the plenary session here, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh termed the conclusion of negotiations on an FTA that encompassed investment and services besides goods (which was inked in 2009) a “valuable milestone,” but felt the upgrade of India’s dialogue partner status to strategic partnership should lead to deeper engagements in the political and economic spheres.

Unperturbed by protests against its proposed nuclear power plant in Jaitapur, Maharashtra, the French civil nuclear energy major Areva is now in the closing stages of striking an “early works agreement” with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited.

This agreement, which is actually a series of studies to ensure that the reactor is in conformity with local conditions, is likely to take nine months. “Areva’s discussions with NPCIL are on. We hope to achieve closure as soon as possible. We are eager to start [on the studies] so as to fully define the project,” said diplomatic sources.