As many as 458 infrastructure projects, each entailing an investment of Rs 150 crore or above, were hit by a cost overrun of more than Rs 5.71 lakh crore in May this year, according to an official report. According to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), which monitors infrastructure projects worth Rs 150 crore and above, out of 1,817 projects, 458 reported cost overruns and 831 projects were delayed.

Stock markets will take cues from trading activity of foreign investors and global trends this week with benchmark equity indices likely to face volatility amid the scheduled monthly derivatives expiry, analysts said. Moreover, factors such as the progress of monsoon and Brent crude oil would also dictate investors’ sentiment during the week. “This week, sector-specific movements are anticipated amid budget-related buzz.

Ambuja Cements’ announcement that it would acquire Hyderabad-based Penna Cement Industries could be the Adani Group company’s first step for wider inorganic expansion, according to analysts.

Finally, some good news for the Indian startup ecosystem. After four consecutive half-year periods of declining funding since 2022, the first half (H1) of 2024 has shown an upward trend compared to the second half (H2) of 2023. According to the India Tech Semi-Annual Funding Report H1 2024 by Tracxn, Indian technology (tech) startups raised $4.1 billion in H1 2024, marking a 4 per cent increase from $3.96 billion in H2 2023.

The Financial Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-India), the national agency responsible for analysing suspicious financial transactions, has received requests from four more offshore crypto exchanges to operate in India again, said a senior government official familiar with the matter. In the beginning of 2024, India had banned nine crypto exchanges – Binance, Kucoin, Huobi, Kraken, Gate.io, Bitstamp, MEXC Global, Bittrex, and Bitfenix – for non-compliance with anti-laundering law in the country.