Chandigarh: Heavy rains have lashed Punjab over the past few days, causing floods in several parts of the state. Thousands of acres of agricultural land are damaged. while several houses were washed away in floods.

On Monday, Ludhiana recorded the highest rainfall of 216.70 mm. According to the Met department here, several places in Punjab and Haryana received rain during the 24-hour period ending 8:30 am Monday.

Among other places in Punjab which received rain included Amritsar (24.1 mm), Patiala (80.4 mm), Pathankot (3.6 mm), Bathinda (3 mm), Faridkot (10.2 mm), Gurdaspur (2.7 mm), SBS Nagar (112.7 mm), Mohali (64 mm), Mansa (42 mm) and Rupnagar (82.5 mm).

– Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers and regional rivulets have swollen due to incessant rainfall in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

– Over 1,000 villages have been affected across several districts of the state.

– Villages worst-affected by the floods were in Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Fazilka, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur, and Amritsar districts.

– The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF), and the Border Security Force (BSF) are assisting local administration and the Punjab Police in rescue and relief operations.

– Over 11,000 people have been rescued so far from nine flood-hit districts, including Gurdaspur, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Kapurthala, and Amritsar, reported Akashvani, citing sources

– The Punjab government on Monday announced the closure of all colleges, universities, and polytechnic institutes till September 3.

“Due to continuous heavy rainfall across Punjab since last night, all colleges, universities, and polytechnic institutes will also remain closed till 3rd September 2025 with immediate effect. The responsibility for the well-being of students residing in hostels lies with the respective administrations. Everyone is requested to strictly follow the guidelines issued by local authorities,” Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said in his X post.

– The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for parts of Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh, warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall over several districts on Monday.

– According to the IMD’s Nowcast, heavy rainfall is very likely in several districts of Punjab, including Patiala, Anandpur Sahib, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr, Kapurthala, and Ludhiana.

– Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday spoke to Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and took stock of the flood situation.

– During the telephonic conversations, the governor and the chief minister briefed the home minister about the prevailing situation and the steps taken by the administration for the rescue and relief of the people affected. He assured them of all possible help to deal with the flood, officials said.

– A rain alert has also been issued for several districts of Haryana, including Ambala and Panchkula.

Mumbai: Six minors – three girls and three boys – aged between 12 and 17 have gone missing within just 24 hours between August 27 and 28, officials said on Sunday.

The sudden spate of disappearances has left both parents and the police deeply concerned. Missing complaints have been registered at Shivaji Nagar, Malad, Kurar, and Ghatkopar police stations. Police have registered kidnapping cases against unidentified persons and launched a probe.

So far, no ransom calls have been reported, though officials said all possibilities are being examined, including the likelihood of elopement in a few cases.

To intensify the search, police have circulated photos of the missing children across crowded city areas including railway stations, bus depots, hospitals, and other public places. Special ‘missing squads’ have been activated in all police stations.

Mumbai: Private corporate investment is expected to cross Rs 2.67 lakh crore in 2025–26 from Rs 2.2 lakh crore in 20254-25, aided by robust macroeconomic fundamentals, improved balance sheets, rising capacity utilisation, easy liquidity conditions, infrastructure push, and the 100-basis points policy rate cut starting from February 2025, according to the RBI’s latest monthly bulletin. Private corporate investment remained as one of the vital contributors to India’s long-term growth trajectory.

After a period of subdued activity during the pandemic years, the investment cycle is being rejuvenated by a confluence of supportive factors.In 2024–25, the macroeconomic backdrop is characterised by robust GDP growth, sustained disinflation, and a consequent conducive monetary policy stance, the article states.

Over the past few years, Indian corporates have undergone a phase of balance sheet repair, aided by deleveraging, improved cash flows, and strong profitability across several sectors.

The banking sector’s improved asset quality and abundant liquidity have further enhanced the credit environment, translating into easier access to financing for capacity expansion.Recent trends in high-frequency indicators — such as rising imports of capital goods, improved capacity utilisation, and increased flows in corporate bond markets — signal renewed investment appetite among firms.

Additionally, sector-specific policies, such as the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes, energy transition investments, and digital infrastructure expansion, are incentivising corporates to undertake fresh investments.The domestic economy continues to demonstrate resilience, with real GDP growth of 6.5 per cent in 2024–25, making India the fastest-growing major economy, underpinned by robust domestic demand, and steady progress on public infrastructure investments.

Investment in green field (new) projects accounted for the lion share of about 92 per cent in the total cost of projects financed by banks and financial institutions during 2024-25, in line with the trend seen in the past.

Greenfield investment generally brings new and additional resources and assets to the firms and leads to gross fixed capital formation (GFCF).Higher investment in green filed projects thus points to likely capacity expansion by private corporates going forward, according to the article.

The industry-wise distribution of projects sanctioned during 2024-25 indicates that the infrastructure sector remained the major sector accounting for 50.6 per cent share in the total cost of projects, primarily driven by investment in ‘Power’, followed by ‘Road & bridges’.Beside infrastructure, among the other major industries, chemicals and pesticides, construction, electrical equipment, and metal & metal products also accounted for the sizable share in the total cost of projects.