New Delhi, Oct 7: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal met senior executives of leading US companies in New York to discuss opportunities to expand investment and strengthen trade ties between the two countries, according to an official statement on Wednesday.

Goyal held meetings with senior executives from Blackstone, Neuberger Berman, Estée Lauder Companies, IBM, MetLife, General Atlantic and AIA Group, the Commerce Ministry said in a statement.

In his meetings with Blackstone President and Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Gray and Prakash Melwani, chairman of the company’s international private equity business, the minister discussed expanding the firm’s investments and partnerships in India across key sectors.

Goyal also met Neuberger Berman Chairman and CEO George Walker and members of the firm’s leadership team to discuss opportunities to deepen investment ties and engagement in financial and wealth management services.

With Estée Lauder Companies President and CEO Stéphane de Faverie, he discussed growth opportunities in India, including increased manufacturing and sourcing, as well as the country’s growing beauty and personal care market.

He also met IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna to discuss strengthening the company’s engagement in India and expanding cooperation in artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure, quantum computing and other emerging technologies.

His meeting with MetLife President and CEO Michel A. Khalaf focused on the company’s growth opportunities in India and the expansion of the insurance and financial services sector, according to the ministry.

Apart from that, Goyal also met General Atlantic Chairman and CEO William E. Ford to discuss opportunities to deepen the investment firm’s business engagement with India.

With AIA Group Non-Executive Chairman Mark Tucker, Goyal discussed the company’s engagement in India and opportunities in the insurance and financial services sectors, including India’s goal of achieving “Insurance for All by 2047”, the ministry said.

The meetings covered investment opportunities across financial services, manufacturing, energy, technology and artificial intelligence, and ways to strengthen economic and commercial ties between India and the United States, the ministry said.

Navi Mumbai, Oct 6: Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is strengthening the passenger experience with expanded mobility, transit hospitality and airline support as more flights prepare to shift from capacity-constrained Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai.

The focus of NMIA, one of India’s largest greenfield airports and operated by Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL), on customer comfort also extends to a futuristic digital art programme and experience zone designed to create a more soothing and engaging environment for passengers.

The measures come ahead of the winter flying schedule, which runs from October 25, 2026, to March 27, 2027.

Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation will start electric e-Shivai services from October 7 to Dadar, Borivali and Pune, with fares of Rs 170, Rs 210 and Rs 450, respectively. Children below 12 years of age and women travelling with a National Common Mobility Card will be eligible for half-fare.

‘Chalo’ operates 21 daily services to Marol, Bandra, Dadar and Colaba, while Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport runs seven dedicated airport routes.

Bharat Taxi will begin operations with up to 40 vehicles from October 10. Cityflo, Aarya and Chalo will also operate a complimentary hourly shuttle between NMIA and CSMIA.

The airport’s passenger transport network includes 3,787 app-based taxis, 184 car rentals, 171 autorickshaws and 547 buses.

NMIA is also connected to Panvel, Targhar and Bamandongri suburban railway stations, as well as major road corridors including Atal Setu and the Sion-Panvel Highway.

Inside Terminal 1, AAHL will open an 80-room Swirl Transit Hotel in mid-October, offering four-hour and overnight stays, showers, workstations, Wi-Fi and 24-hour dining.

A 21-room Swirl property is also planned at Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi International Airport (LGBIA) in Guwahati.

TajSATS’ flight kitchen at NMIA serves more than 40 departing flights a day, with capacity for 7,500 meals daily and expansion to 15,000 as demand rises.

It serves domestic and international carriers, provides local meal uplift for international airlines, and adds to the culinary offering for passengers. TajSATS, which has more than four decades of aviation catering experience, also operates the flight kitchen at CSMIA.

Kathmandu, Oct 6: The devastating August floods in Nepal are expected to have a material negative impact on the country’s economic prospects in the short term, the World Bank said on Tuesday as it lowered its economic growth projection for the Himalayan nation.

The global development lender said Nepal’s economic growth is projected to slow to 3.7 per cent in the current fiscal year 2026-27, which began in mid-July, from the 4.2 per cent projected in April, reflecting disruptions to industry and services.

In its report titled Nepal Development Update: Building Back Differently for the Future, released on Tuesday, the World Bank said the August 2026 floods are expected to affect Nepal’s economy through four primary transmission channels: energy, transportation, trade and tourism.

“Agriculture and banking and insurance are also channels through which the economy would be affected, but with relatively lower potential impact,” it said.

According to the bank’s report, energy, particularly hydropower, is the most critical transmission channel. The floods affected 12 hydropower projects, including seven operational projects with a combined capacity of 256.1 MW and five projects under construction with a combined capacity of 395.02 MW, as well as a 25 MW solar facility.

“Damage to transmission infrastructure disrupted an additional 149.6 MW, bringing total affected generation and transmission capacity to approximately 430.7 MW, equivalent to 10.6 per cent of Nepal’s FY26 installed hydropower and solar capacity,” the bank said.

Transportation and trade are other key transmission channels, given the concentration of Nepal’s international and domestic trade along a limited number of corridors, according to the World Bank.

As many as 1,455 people have been confirmed dead and 5,285 remain missing to date following the disaster, which destroyed communities and infrastructure along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river corridors, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

According to the Rapid Disaster Needs Assessment (RDNA) report prepared by a joint technical team of the National Planning Commission and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, the recent floods are estimated to have caused physical damage worth 274.48 billion Nepali rupees (about 1.93 billion US dollars), while overall losses and damages have reached 408.28 billion rupees (about 2.87 billion US dollars).

The preliminary assessment suggests that more than 723 billion rupees will be required for the reconstruction and recovery of affected infrastructure and assets. The Nepali government is now working on a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment involving a more extensive assessment of the damage.

The World Bank said industry is expected to be the main drag on growth, reflecting extensive damage to hydropower, solar energy, electricity transmission and transport infrastructure, which will constrain electricity generation and production and disrupt the movement of goods.

“For instance, it took nearly a year to fully restore generation at the 111 MW Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project, which was severely damaged by the July 8, 2025, Bhotekoshi (Lhende River) flood,” it said.

The same project has once again been badly affected by the August floods.

“This illustrates the potential for flood-related damage to disrupt electricity supply and impose substantial reconstruction costs,” the global development lender said.

“Hydropower construction in areas not directly affected by the flood is expected to continue, although projects could face higher insurance premiums, financing reassessments, and cost overruns,” it added.

“Services are expected to be affected through disruptions to trade, transport, tourism, and financial activity, while agricultural losses are expected to have limited effects on aggregate output but significant impacts on livelihoods in affected areas,” the bank said in the report.

Tourism is expected to face a potentially prolonged impact, reflecting both physical disruptions and heightened perceptions of travel risks, according to the report.

It said more than 200 hotels and restaurants were damaged across the affected districts, while access to major trekking and pilgrimage destinations—including Langtang, Gosaikunda and the Kailash Mansarovar corridor—has been disrupted.

However, economic activity is expected to gradually recover in fiscal year 2027-28 as reconstruction activity begins to gain momentum and damaged infrastructure and productive capacity are progressively restored, the bank said.