Business
No toll proposed for 2-wheelers, says Nitin Gadkari amid viral reports
New Delhi, June 26: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, on Thursday dismissed media reports suggesting that two-wheelers will be required to pay tolls on National Highways from July 15.
He called the reports misleading and clarified that no such proposal is under consideration.
Taking to social media platform X, the Union Minister said: “Some media houses are spreading misleading news about toll tax being levied on two-wheelers. No such decision has been proposed.”
“Two-wheelers will continue to be exempt from tolls. Spreading such baseless news without verifying the facts is not responsible journalism. I strongly condemn it,” the Union Minister stated.
The clarification comes after a report claimed that toll payment would soon be made mandatory for two-wheelers at all national highway toll plazas, and that riders would need to equip their vehicles with FASTag.
The report also claimed that violators could face penalties of up to Rs 2,000. This comes just days after Gadkari announced a new annual FASTag pass worth Rs 3,000 for private four-wheelers, aimed at simplifying toll payments and reducing congestion.
Set to launch on August 15, the pass will be valid for one year or 200 trips — whichever comes first — and can be activated via the Rajmarg Yatra app or official websites of the NHAI and the MoRTH.
The government has significantly expanded its highway infrastructure in the last decade, with the total length of national highways increasing from 91,287 km in 2014 to 1,46,204 km in 2024 — a rise of over 60 per cent.
The pace of highway construction has also tripled from 11.6 km/day in 2014 to 34 km/day in 2024.
As of now, 1,366 highway projects covering 32,366 km are under construction across the country, many of which are expected to be completed in phases by FY 2028.
With a 570 per cent increase in the road transport and highways budget over the last decade, the Centre continues to prioritise infrastructure development — but for now, two-wheeler riders can rest assured that tolls are not on the horizon.
Business
Sensex, Nifty open higher on global optimism

Mumbai, Nov 26: Indian share markets opened higher on Wednesday, supported by strong global cues.
The Sensex rose 260 points, or 0.31 per cent, to 84,847, while the Nifty gained 88 points, or 0.34 per cent, to trade at 25,973 during early trading session.
“The Nifty continues to remain range-bound, with resistance placed around 26,000–26,050 and near-term support at 25,750–25,800 ; a zone that may attract accumulation if tested,” analysts said.
“Fresh long positions can be considered once the Nifty convincingly crosses 26,100–26,130, while keeping a close watch on global cues and key technical levels,” market watchers added.
Global markets have been rallying for the third straight day as investors grow optimistic about a possible US Federal Reserve rate cut in December 2025.
This positive sentiment helped lift domestic equities as well.
Several major stocks led the gains on the Sensex, including Tata Motors PV, Trent, Adani Ports, Tata Steel, L&T, Ultratech Cement, Infosys, Maruti Suzuki, ICICI Bank and Tech Mahindra.
On the other hand, Bharti Airtel, Hindustan Unilever, and TCS were the only stocks that declined in early trade.
Broader markets also edged higher. The Nifty MidCap index climbed 0.53 per cent, while the Nifty SmallCap index advanced 0.79 per cent — showing strong interest from investors across the board.
Among sectors, metals were leading the market rally. The Nifty Metal index jumped 1.7 per cent.
PSU banks, IT, financial services, and private banks also saw gains of up to 0.8 per cent, contributing to the overall positive market mood.
Analysts said that the best strategy for retail investors is to refrain from trading and slowly accumulate fairy-valued high quality growth stocks which will be available at attractive valuations due to heightened volatility.
Business
Sensex, Nifty end lower over monthly Futures and Options expiry

Mumbai, Nov 25: Indian stock markets ended in the red on Tuesday as traders reacted to the monthly expiry of Nifty futures and options contracts for the November series.
The Sensex closed 313.7 points lower at 84,587.01, a decline of 0.37 per cent. The Nifty also slipped, ending 74.7 points or 0.29 per cent down at 25,884.8.
“On the Nifty options front for the upcoming weekly expiry on December 2, significant call buildup was recorded at the 26,000 and 26,200 strike levels, while on the put side, notable additions were seen at the 26,000 and 25,500,” experts said.
Among key stocks on the Sensex, Trent, Tata Motors PV, HCLTech, Infosys and Power Grid were the top losers.
On the other hand, Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), State Bank of India (SBI), Tata Steel and Eternal were among the major gainers.
Sector performance was mixed. The Nifty Realty index gained 1.62 per cent, making it the best-performing sector of the day, while Nifty PSU Bank rose 1.44 per cent.
However, Nifty IT fell 0.57 per cent and Nifty Media dropped 0.80 per cent.
Broader markets were more resilient than the frontline indices. The Nifty Midcap 100 index gained 0.36 per cent, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 added 0.19 per cent — showing continued buying interest in mid- and small-cap stocks.
Market experts said the expiry-related volatility and profit booking weighed on benchmarks, while select sectors continued to see fresh inflows ahead of December trading sessions.
“Caution prevailed as investors awaited clarity on a possible rate cut in the upcoming FOMC meeting and progress on the Indo-US trade deal, despite some improving signals,” analysts said.
They added that selling pressure is visible near the 26,000 level, though downside appears limited given strong domestic fundamentals, including a solid earnings outlook for H2.
“PSU banks and real estate stocks outperformed, supported by a strong revival in home loan demand and rising market share for PSU banks,” analysts mentioned.
Business
India’s infrastructure market expected to hit Rs 25 lakh crore by 2030: Report

New Delhi, Nov 25: India is entering a multi-year infra super-cycle, with the Nifty Infrastructure index delivering 2 times returns of the Nifty 50 over the past three years, a report said on Tuesday.
India’s infrastructure equities have evolved from defensive to high‑beta, high‑alpha and could nearly double in market size by 2030 to around Rs 25 lakh crore, the report from Smallcase said.
Analysts said that the growth is driven government spending and private capex revival — helped by PLI schemes, global supply-chain shifts, and manufacturing incentives.
Smallcase estimated that Rs 1 of infrastructure capex delivers roughly Rs 2.5 — Rs 3 of GDP impact.
Markets are likely to maintain a high beta to infrastructure execution; earnings visibility across engineering, construction, industrials, cement, power equipment and logistics remain robust, the report noted.
InvITs growth will be underpinned by predictable, contract-based revenue streams offering pre‑tax yields of about 10–12 per cent and post‑tax returns near 7–9 per cent generally higher than many conventional fixed-income instruments.
The Nifty Infrastructure Index returned 14.5 per cent, 82.8 per cent and 181.2 per cent over the past 1, 3 and 5 years, outperforming the Nifty 50’s 10.5 per cent, 41.5 per cent and 100.3 per cent, the report said.
“Though Infrastructure investment in India Although these assets can experience temporary fluctuations during periods of market uncertainty, their historical volatility of about 10.2 per cent is well below the equity market’s 15.4 per cent, resulting in comparatively steadier performance,” said Abhishek Banerjee, Investment manager on smallcase, and founder of LotusDew.
With a correlation of only 0.42 to equities, infrastructure platforms tend to behave similarly to utilities, producing consistent, inflation-linked income that is largely unaffected by economic swings, he added.
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