New Delhi, Nov 27: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday lauded India’s Generation Z for their confidence and capacity building.

Speaking via video conferencing at the inauguration of the Infinity Campus of Indian space startup Skyroot and unveiling its first orbital rocket, Vikram-I, PM Modi praised the country’s Gen Z for their positive mindset and creativity.

“Our youth, our Gen Z, are developing solutions to challenges in every sector. Young innovators around the world can find inspiration from the confidence of India’s Gen Z,” PM Modi said.

“The capacity building, positive mindset, and creativity of India’s Gen Z can set a global benchmark for Gen Z across the world,” he said.

Emphasising that India’s youth always place national interest above all and make the best use of every opportunity, PM Modi remarked that when the government opened the space sector, the country’s youth, especially the Gen-Z generation, came forward to take full advantage of it.

He highlighted that today more than 300 space startups are giving new hope to India’s space future, and noted that most of these startups began with small teams — sometimes two people, sometimes five, sometimes in a small rented room — with limited resources but with determination to reach new heights.

“This spirit has given birth to the private space revolution in India,” said the Prime Minister. He noted that Gen-Z engineers, designers, coders, and scientists are creating new technologies, whether in propulsion systems, composite materials, rocket stages, or satellite platforms.

PM Modi stressed that India’s youth are working in areas that were unimaginable just a few years ago.

He remarked that India’s private space talent is establishing a distinct identity across the world and added that today, for global investors, India’s space sector is becoming an attractive destination.

The Prime Minister remarked that the changes being witnessed in the space sector are part of the broader startup revolution taking place in India.

“Over the past decade, a new wave of startups has emerged across diverse sectors such as fintech, agri tech, health tech, climate tech, edu tech, and defense tech, with India’s youth, particularly the Gen-Z generation, providing innovative solutions in every field,” PM Modi said.

PM Modi emphasised that “India has now become the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem”.

There was a time when startups were confined to a few big cities, but today they are emerging from small towns and villages as well, the Prime Minister said, underlining that the country now has more than 1.5 lakh registered startups, with many of them having achieved unicorn status.

“India is no longer confined to apps and services but is now advancing rapidly towards deep-tech, manufacturing, and hardware innovation,” said the Prime Minister, thanking Gen-Z.

Mumbai, Nov 27: Indian stock markets continued their strong momentum on Thursday, with both the Sensex and Nifty hitting new record highs.

Investors remained optimistic as hopes of interest rate cuts in the US and India grew stronger, while steady buying by foreign investors further boosted sentiment across sectors.

The Nifty climbed to a fresh all-time high of 26,306.95, surpassing its previous record of 26,277.35 touched on September 27, 2024.

The Sensex also crossed a major milestone, moving past the 86,000 mark for the first time to reach 86,026.18.

Among the top performers in the Nifty50 pack were Bajaj Finance, Shriram Finance, Asian Paints, Bajaj Finserv and Larsen & Toubro, all gaining up to 2 percent.

These stocks helped support the market’s upward move. Foreign portfolio investors maintained their buying momentum, turning net buyers for the second consecutive session on Wednesday.

They invested Rs 4,778.03 crore in Indian equities, following an inflow of Rs 785.32 crore on Tuesday. This consistent buying helped keep domestic markets strong.

Market sentiment also stayed positive due to growing expectations that the US Federal Reserve may cut interest rates in December.

The Nifty had already recorded its best trading session in five months on Wednesday, closing at a 14-month high, supported by gains in rate-sensitive sectors ahead of the Reserve Bank of India’s policy meeting next week.

Asian markets were also trading higher, reflecting global optimism. Investors increased their bets that the US Fed will cut rates next month, with the CME FedWatch tool showing the probability rising sharply to around 85 per cent from just 30 percent a week earlier.

Major Asian indices, including South Korea’s Kospi, Japan’s Nikkei 225, Shanghai’s SSE Composite and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, were all in the green.

US markets had also closed higher on Wednesday, adding to the positive global sentiment.

New Delhi, Nov 26: In a major boost for the public transport network in Pune, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved Line 4 (Kharadi–Hadapsar–Swargate–Khadakwasla) and Line 4A (Nal Stop–Warje–Manik Baug) with Rs 9,857.85 crore outlay under Phase 2 of the Pune Metro Rail Project.

According to the Cabinet, this is the second major project approved under Phase-2, following the sanction of Line 2A (Vanaz–Chandani Chowk) and Line 2B (Ramwadi–Wagholi/Vitthalwadi). With this latest approval, Pune Metro’s network will expand beyond the 100-km milestone, a significant step in the city’s journey towards a modern, integrated, and sustainable urban transit system.

Spanning 31.636 km with 28 elevated stations, Line 4 and 4A will connect IT hubs, commercial zones, educational institutions, and residential clusters across East, South, and West Pune.

The project will be completed within five years at an estimated cost of Rs 9,857.85 crore, to be jointly funded by the Centre, the Maharashtra government, and external bilateral/multilateral funding agencies.

These lines are a vital part of Pune’s Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) and will seamlessly integrate with operational and sanctioned corridors at Kharadi Bypass and Nal Stop (Line 2), and Swargate (Line 1).

“They will also provide an interchange at Hadapsar Railway Station and connect with future corridors towards Loni Kalbhor and Saswad Road, ensuring smooth multimodal connectivity across metro, rail, and bus networks,” a Cabinet communique said.

The project will be implemented by the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro), which will carry out all civil, electrical, mechanical, and systems works.

Pre-construction activities such as topographical surveys and detailed design consultancy are already underway, according to the Cabinet.

According to projections, the daily ridership on Line 4 and 4A combined is expected to be 4.09 lakh in 2028, rising to nearly 7 lakh in 2038, 9.63 lakh in 2048, and over 11.7 lakh in 2058.

Of this, the Kharadi–Khadakwasla corridor will account for 3.23 lakh passengers in 2028, growing to 9.33 lakh by 2058, while the Nal Stop–Warje–Manik Baug spur line will rise from 85,555 to 2.41 lakh passengers over the same period.

These projections highlight the significant growth in ridership expected on Line 4 and 4A over the coming decades.

With Line 4 and 4A, Pune will not just get more metro tracks but will also gain a faster, greener, and more connected future. These corridors are designed to give back hours of commuting time, reduce traffic chaos, and provide citizens with a safe, reliable, and affordable alternative.