Days after a bridge in Mumbai collapsed on a railway track, the railways yesterday launched its first consolidated Bridge Management System (IR-BMS), a web-enabled IT application to store data on its 1.5 lakh bridges. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal yesterday launched BMS for "meaningful assimilation, analysis and dissemination of information related to various activities" about its bridges, a statement from the national transporter said.

The web-based platform will show the bridge master data, works data, information regarding inspection/monitoring and maintenance of the bridges and other essentials.

Goyal at the launch, also felicitated artists whose work at seven railway stations across the country won them the top prize in the national transporter's in-house station beautification contest.

This innovative competition was organised among zonal railways in December 2017.

NEW DELHI: India’s industrial growth slowed to a seven-month low in May while consumer inflation breached the central bank’s forecast for the first half of the fiscal year, marking twin setbacks for an economy that’s otherwise seen picking up pace this year. To be sure, experts see factory output recovering from here and inflation having peaked. Nevertheless, the key policy rate will likely be raised next month, they said.

Industrial production growth was 3.2% in May, down from 4.7% in the previous month, data released by the government showed. 

The simultaneously released Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed a hardening in retail inflation to 5% in June from 4.87% in the previous month, on the back of buoyant oil and housing prices. This suggests the Reserve Bank of India may raise interest rates in the policy review next month even though experts feel inflation may have peaked. 

“June inflation number is the likely peak we have seen in this fiscal year. Subsequent prints are expected to average below 4.5%,” said Shubhada Rao, group president and chief economist, Yes Bank. 

The Indian Army on Thursday joined hands with the State bank of India (SBI) on the Defence Salary Package, which will include free personal accident death and total disability cover. “A number of additional facilities have been incorporated in the revised Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which includes free personal accident death cover, free permanent total disability cover and other accidental benefits to the deceased soldier and family.

“This MoU will benefit a large number of serving and retired Army personnel who have their accounts with the SBI,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement. The first MoU between SBI and the Indian Army was signed in 2011 and was renewed in February 2015.

The renewed MoU will be valid till January 3, 2019.

18-year-old Indian runner Hima Das created history on Thursday by becoming the first-ever Indian woman to win an athletics gold on the international stage.

Hailing from Assam’s Nagaon distrist, Hima finished on top of the podium in the women’s 400m event at the IAAF World U20 Championship, clocking 51.46 seconds. This though was still not her personal best.

51.13 is her fastest timed 400m run, a feat she accomplished only recently at the National Inter State Championships in Guwahati. It is now also the Indian U20 national record.

India’s first private sector unit for manufacturing unmanned air vehicles (UAV) and light bullet proof vehicles (LBPV) will be set up by DCM Shriram Industries Group on the campus of Shriram Rayons in Kota.

Shriram Rayons, a company of DCM Shriram Industries Group, manufactures rayon tyrecord in Kota for last 54 years.

“The company on July 5 this year obtained a licence from the centre to manufacture two defence products namely UAV and LBPV,” claimed Vinod Kumar Jaitley, the senior vice president and plant head, Shriram Rayons told HT.

“The UAV and LBPV have been indigenously designed and developed by the DCM Shriram Industries Group,” Jaitley said, adding that Shriram Rayons’ Kota unit, spread in 11 acres, will be the country’s first private sector company to manufacture UAVs and LBPVs. “Total 3000 LBPVs and 500 UAVs will be manufactured annually once the plant is set up and starts its manufacturing,” he said.

Taipei: India bagged three silver medals and a bronze to finish joint third with Iran in the Asia Cup World Ranking Tournament Stage 3 in Taipei on Tuesday.

LONDON: India was today formally announced as the 69th shareholder of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), paving the way for more joint investment with Indian companies across the bank's regions of operation.

The Indian government had applied for EBRD membership in December 2017.

The EBRD board of governors, which represents all the existing shareholders, voted unanimously in favour of the country's application in March 2018, with the entire membership process completed this week.

"We are very proud and happy to welcome India to our Bank.This day opens a new chapter in our relations, allowing us to build further on already very close ties," said EBRD's Indian-origin president Suma Chakrabarti.

India takes a shareholding in the EBRD but it will not be a recipient of EBRD financing.

In the lead up to the membership, the EBRD held its inaugural business forum in Mumbai last month.

British Prime Minister Theresa May will publish details of her long-awaited Brexit plan today to restart talks with the EU, after facing down a revolt by eurosceptic ministers that could still unseat her.

In a policy paper, the government will outline proposals to allow Britain to maintain close economic and security ties with the European Union even after it leaves the bloc in March.

"It is a vision that respects the result of the referendum (vote to leave), and delivers a principled and practical Brexit," Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said in the foreword.

New Delhi: State-run telecom firm BSNL on Wednesday unveiled first internet telephony service in the country that will allow users to dial any telephone number in India through its mobile app Wings’. Now BSNL customers will be able to make calls using the company’s mobile app Wings to any phone number in the country. Before this, phone calls on mobile apps was possible within users of a particular app and not on telephone numbers.

“In present competitive environment, increase in market share by BSNL is laudable. I congratulate BSNL management for internet telephony which will enable consumers to make call without SIM,” Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha said, after inaugurating the BSNL service.

India was ranked 57th in the latest Global Innovation Index (GII) rankings released in New York on Tuesday. India was ranked 60th in the year 2017 which shows that it has been constantly climbing up its GII rankings since 2015.

According to reports, India has maintained its top place in the central and South Asia region and has consistently moved up the global ranking from 81st in 2015 to 57th in the year 2018. The country has climbed for the third year in a row, as it was ranked 66th in the year 2016.

On the global front, Switzerland maintained its number one position in the Global Innovation Index rankings. Other countries that fell in the top 10 list were Netherlands, Sweden, the UK, the US, Finland, Denmark, and Germany.

China, scored the rank 17th rank this year, which is an upgrade from the previous 44th rank in 2017.