Is India ready for the AI revolution? The rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, from generative AI tools to sophisticated machine learning algorithms, are transforming industries across the nation. From fintech's burgeoning use of AI-powered fraud detection to the agricultural sector's embrace of precision farming technologies, the impact is undeniable. This week saw a major breakthrough in indigenous 5G technology development, signaling India's growing prowess in the global tech landscape. But alongside this progress comes the crucial discussion surrounding data privacy, cybersecurity, and the ethical implications of AI deployment. How will India navigate these challenges and harness the transformative power of technology for inclusive growth? Explore the latest developments in Indian tech, from the rise of digital payments to the burgeoning startup ecosystem, and discover how innovation is shaping the nation's future. Stay informed with Abtak.com – your gateway to understanding the tech revolution reshaping India.
Pune: Travel on major highways connecting Pune will become costlier from April 1, as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has announced a three per cent increase in toll rates. The new rates will apply to key routes, including Pune-Kolhapur, Pune-Solapur and Pune-Nashik. From the same date, toll collection will also become fully cashless. Commuters will no longer be able to pay in cash at toll plazas. Payments will be accepted only through FASTag and UPI. Authorities said this step has been taken to make toll collection faster and more transparent. Vehicle owners have been advised to ensure that their FASTag is active before starting their journey. The annual hike in toll rates is part of NHAI's standard revision. With the latest increase, daily commuters and transport operators are expected to see a rise in travel costs. Officials said the revised rates and cashless system aim to improve efficiency at toll plazas, but commuters are likely to feel the impact of higher travel costs from April 1.
Chennai: Hours before Union home minister Amit Shah was to arrive in Madurai, Thuglak editor and an associate of Shah, S Gurumurthy on Saturday met PMK founder S Ramadoss. The PMK leader, however, ruled out the possibility of meeting Amit Shah during his two-day visit to Tamil Nadu.Gurumurthy met Ramadoss for the second time amid reported tension within PMK regarding alliance strategies and insistence by Anbumani Ramadoss to remain party president. The hour-long meeting took place at the T Nagar residence of A K Vijay Mahesh, son of former Union minister and PMK leader A K Moorthy, sources sai ...Read More >
New Delhi: State-owned NHAI on Friday said it has strengthened the process for reporting 'loose FASTag' for blacklisting users to ensure smooth tolling operations. In view of upcoming initiatives like the annual pass system and multi-lane free flow (MLFF) tolling, it is critical to address this issue to ensure FASTag authenticity and system reliability, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said in a statement. "To ensure smooth tolling operations and strengthen reporting of 'loose FASTags', NHAI has further streamlined its policy for the Toll Collecting Agencies and Concessionaires ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday searched six premises in connection with a case of money laundering against Anil Ambani and R-ADAG entities.Sources said the searches were a part of the investigation into overseas remittances by Reliance Infrastructure, allegedly in violation of certain regulations of Foreign Exchange Management Act (Fema).In a statement, Reliance Infrastructure said Tuesday's searches were related to matters dating back to 2010, when the company had awarded an EPC c ...Read More >
The Supreme Court on Monday sought replies from NHAI and the Road Transport Ministry over the Phalodi road accident in Rajasthan that killed 15 people, directing them to survey the area and report on highway conditions within two weeks. The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the National Highways Authority of India and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in a suo motu case in connection with an accident in Rajasthan's Phalodi area that claimed 15 lives. A bench of Justices J ...Read More >
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], March 31 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh's Town and Country Planning Minister, Rajesh Dharmani, on Tuesday said that the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government has rolled back the recent entry tax hike, including the increase on five-seater passenger vehicles, due to public objections. The increase in commercial passenger vehicles registered with Himachal Pradesh has also been rolled back. "The Chief Minister has already announced in the House that the hike has been withdrawn. The increase in entry tax on five-seater passenger vehicles was being objected to, and it ...Read More >
New Delhi: Vehicle owners may soon get a new and easier way to pay tolls in India. The government is planning to introduce a FASTag Annual Pass that will allow unlimited travel on national highways and expressways. This was reported by the Times of India on May 24. The new system is being considered by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). If introduced, the FASTag Annual Pass will cost Rs 3,000 per year. With this one-time payment, users can travel freely across highways without paying toll charges each time. This move is expected to make road travel smoother and more afforda ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], May 2 : The daily toll collection through FASTag system achieved a historic milestone on April ... New Delhi [India], May 2 : The daily toll collection through FASTag system achieved a historic milestone on April 29, reaching an all-time high collection of Rs 193.15 crore, with 1.16 crore transactions recorded in a single day, said the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Tuesday. Since FASTag was mandated by the government in February 2021, the number of toll plazas under the FASTag programme has increased from 770 to 1,228, including 339 state toll plazas. With a p ...Read More >
Mumbai, September 30, 2025 - Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure Limited issued a statement on Tuesday addressing media reports about a survey conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) at its premises. The company clarified that the survey pertains to a 15-year-old matter involving the JR Toll Road (Jaipur-Ringus Highway) project. In a filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange, under Regulation 30 of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 ("Listing Regulations"), Relia ...Read More >
Delhi air pollution: SC asks NHAI, MCD to consider temporary closure or relocation of border toll plazas within one week New Delhi, Dec 17 (UNI) Taking serious note of the worsening air pollution levels in the Delhi-NCR region, the Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a series of directions to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to urgently examine the feasibility of temporarily closing or relocating toll plazas situated at the borders of the national capital to ease chronic traffic congestion. ...Read More >
New Delhi, Oct 3 (UNI) To enhance transparency and provide 'ease of commuting' to the National Highway users, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will install project information signboards with 'Quick Response (QR) Codes' along the stretches to provide relevant project specific information and emergency helpline numbers to commuters. The vertical QR Code signboards will display project-specific details such as the National Highway number, highway chainage, project length, construction or maintenance timelines, and contact information for the highway patrol, toll manager, project mana ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: The government has approved shifting of Gurgaon's Kherki Daula toll plaza on the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway (NH-48) to Pachgaon, a place beyond Manesar, paving the way for easy commute for lakhs of office goers.When the plaza is moved to Pachgaon, over 15 kilometres from Gurgaon, commuters travelling between Delhi and Manesar also won't have to pay toll. Locals have been demanding its removal since 2014.TOI has learnt that Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari has approved the plan, and to ensure the new spot doesn't see any congestion, the National Highways Au ...Read More >
New Delhi: In a joint operation, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency (ISA) have eliminated As'ad Abu Sharaiya, a senior leader of the Mujahideen terrorist organization in Gaza, and another terrorist, Mahmoud Muhammad Hamid Kuhail. According to the IDF, Abu Sharaiya was directly involved in the October 7, 2023, massacre, infiltrating Kibbutz Nir Oz, and was responsible for the abduction and murder of several Israeli citizens, including Shiri, Ariel, Kfir Bibas, and Nattapong Pinta. He also played a role in recruiting operatives for terror attacks against Israel and I ...Read More >
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], March 31 (ANI): The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, on Tuesday indicated that the state government may restore the earlier system of collecting entry fee separately, amid the ongoing controversy over the issue. Making a statement in the Assembly, the Chief Minister said that the government had earlier integrated multiple charges, including toll tax, with FASTag for convenience, but is now considering reverting to the previous system. Also Read | Agra Viral Video Case: 48 Obscene Clips of Minors Surface on Social Media, Probe Orde ...Read More >
New Delhi: Toll collections grew 14% to a record ₹82,900.16 crore in the just-ended fiscal year, underscoring addition of new toll roads, accelerated economic activity, and roll out of the new annual FASTag facility. Tolls worth ₹72,930.83 crore were collected in FY25. The volume of FASTag transactions rose 5.7% to nearly 4.45 billion in FY26 from 4.21 billion in the year before, showed National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) data tracked by the National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) and accessed by ET. In March, total toll collections from commercial vehicles climbed to ₹7,193 cror ...Read More >
New Delhi: Road users across India will no longer be able to pay toll fees in cash from April 1 as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) shifts to a fully digital payment system. In a major step towards modernising highway travel, NHAI will implement a complete ban on cash payments at toll plazas across the country. From April 1, commuters will have to pay toll charges only through digital modes such as FASTag or UPI. The move is aimed at improving efficiency and bringing more transparency to toll collection on national highways and expressways. Officials believe that a fully digit ...Read More >
New Delhi, October 18: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has announced changes in train timings on the occasion of Diwali. On Sunday, October 19, metro services on the Pink, Magenta and Grey Lines will begin an hour earlier than usual, starting at 6:00 AM instead of 7:00 AM, DMRC announced on X. For Diwali day, Monday, October 20, the last metro trains from all terminal stations, including those on the Airport Express Line, will depart at 10:00 PM. Services throughout the day will operate as per the regular timetable. DMRC shared the update via a post on Saturday, urging passengers to p ...Read More >
Delhi Air Pollution: On the issue of air quality, the apex court orally remarked that steps taken so far by authorities to control pollution in Delhi-NCR have been a "total failure." Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up authorities over persistent civic and environmental challenges in the Delhi-NCR region, flagging both traffic congestion at toll plazas and rising air pollution as areas of serious concern. In a significant observation on traffic snarls, the apex court issued a notice to the Nat ...Read More >
The NHAI said it has already mobilised ₹28,307 crore through a mix of Public and Private Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) and the Toll-Operate-Transfer (TOT) model The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is on track to meet the Centre's budgeted target of ₹30,000 crore for asset monetisation in the current financial year, it said. It has already mobilised ₹28,307 crore through a mix of Public and Private Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) and the Toll-Operate-Transfer ...Read More >
New Delhi: In line with Central government orders, 19 toll plazas on Hyderabad's Outer Ring Road (ORR) will now accept payments through QR codes to reduce reliance on cash transactions. In a major step towards modernising highway travel, NHAI is implementing a complete ban on cash payments at toll plazas across the country. From April 1, commuters will have to pay toll charges only through digital modes such as FASTag or UPI. The move is aimed at improving efficiency and bringing more transparency to toll collection on national highways and expressways. Officials believe that a fully digita ...Read More >
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 14 (ANI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday wrote to Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, requesting to reschedule the foundation laying ceremony for the Shivamogga National Highway project, which is scheduled to be held today. He said that he was not consulted before the finalisation of the project dedication and foundation ceremony on July 14, despite his name being included in the draft invitation card. I have not been intimated about this programme in advance, and an inauguration programme of various developmental sch ...Read More >
New Delhi: The govt has approved shifting of Gurgaon's Kherki Daula toll plaza on the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway (NH-48) to Pachgaon, a place beyond Manesar, paving the way for easy commute for lakhs of office goers.When the plaza is moved to Pachgaon, over 15 kms from Gurgaon, commuters travelling between Delhi and Manesar also won't have to pay toll. Locals have been demanding its removal since 2014.TOI has learnt that Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari has approved the plan, and to ensure the new spot doesn't see any congestion, the National Highways Authority of In ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 11 (ANI): The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has further strengthened its policy to immediately report and blacklist loost FASTags, commonly known as tag-in-hand to ensure smooth tolling operations, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways said in a release. With the move, the authority has further streamlined its policy for the Toll Collecting Agencies and Concessionaires to immediately report loose FASTags. In view of upcoming initiatives like the Annual Pass System and Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling, it is critical to address this issue to ensure ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], December 17 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday orally observed that the measures taken by authorities so far have been a "total failure" in effectively curbing rising levels of air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region. A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant remarked that any meaningful reduction in pollution would require broader, long-term planning rather than ad hoc responses. With respect to various petitions highlighting the inadequacy of recent measures aimed at protecting children, such as the Delhi government's directives to shut schools or allow them to f ...Read More >
Chennai, July 9 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Madras High Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a plea by the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation seeking modification of its July 8 order that prohibited TNSTC buses from using four toll plazas in the state's southern part over unpaid dues amounting to Rs 276 crore. Justice N. Anand Venkatesh allowed the urgent listing of the case for Thursday after Additional Advocate General (AAG) J. Ravindran made an urgent mention. The AAG informed the court that discussions would be held with the State Transport Department to find a resolution to the mounting arrea ...Read More >
Bandikui Expressway: The Bandikui-Jaipur Expressway trial run has officially started, offering a major boost to Delhi-Jaipur travel. The newly built 66.91 km access-controlled expressway is a key connector between Jaipur and the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. During the initial 10-day trial phase, the route will be toll-free for all eligible vehicles. With a speed limit of 120 km/h, the expressway is expected to cut travel time between Delhi and Jaipur to just 2.5 to 3 hours, down from the current 5-6 hours. The new route significantly eases traffic and congestion on NH-48, the traditional Delhi-Ja ...Read More >
New Delhi, July 11: To ensure smooth tolling operations and strengthen reporting of 'Loose FASTags', the NHAI on Friday said it has further streamlined its policy for the toll collecting agencies and concessionaires to immediately report and blacklist 'loose FASTags' -- also commonly called "tag-in-hand". In view of upcoming initiatives like the Annual Pass System and Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling, it is critical to address this issue to ensure FASTag authenticity and system reliability, said the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in a statement. Toll Rates: Government Slashes Toll ...Read More >
New Delhi, Nov 17 (PTI) Shares of IRB Infrastructure Developers on Monday climbed 4 per cent after the company bagged a package toll-operate and transfer (TOT) project from NHAI in Uttar Pradesh for Rs 9,270 crore. The company's stock rose 3.78 per cent to close at Rs 44.53 apiece on the BSE. On the NSE, it went up by 3.12 per cent to settle at Rs 44.30 per piece. In the intraday session, the scrip of the company jumped 7.04 per cent and 6.96 per cent to hit a high of Rs 45.93 and 45.95 per share, on the BSE and NSE, respectively. In volume terms, 9.8 crore equity shares of IRB Infrastruct ...Read More >
Surat: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has begun repairs on highways in South Gujarat as pressure mounted and people protested. In Valsad district, repairs are being conducted at several points on National Highway 48. The Valsad district collector recently issued a notification ordering the registration of a criminal case against the agency hired to repair NH48 in case of injuries or deaths due to the poor condition of the road. The agency was given 10 days to finish repairs. "We have begun repair work at various locations on national highways in South Gujarat, including NH48. ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Taking a serious note of the severe air pollution levels in Delhi-NCR, the Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a slew of directions and asked the NHAI and the MCD to consider either temporary closing or relocating the nine toll plazas of the civic body at borders of the national capital to ease usual massive traffic congestion. The top court described the pollution crisis as an "annual feature" and called for pragmatic and practical solutions to tackle the menace and modified its own interim order of August 12 and permitted the authorities to take coercive action against older vehicl ...Read More >
The government has garnered Rs 1,42,758 crore through asset monetisation up to FY25, with a projected Rs 30,000 crore for the current fiscal year, utilising methods like ToT, InvIT, and securitization. Additionally, the Cashless Treatment of Road Accident Victims Scheme, initiated in March 2024, has treated 4,971 victims and is now implemented nationwide, offering coverage up to Rs 1.5 lakh. The government has raised Rs 1,42,758 crore through different modes of asset monetisation up to FY25, Par ...Read More >