Buyers line up for O2 Energy; How cannibals came for Kota’s coaching giants
Welcome to Top of the Morning by Mint, your weekday newscast that brings you five major stories from the world of business. It's Tuesday, July 16, 2024. My name is Nelson John. Let's get started:
The Indian market's benchmark indices —Nifty and Sensex—inched up during Monday's trading session to settle at fresh closing highs.
The Indian government is exploring an exciting proposal: getting public sector banks to take equity stakes in state-owned specialized infrastructure financiers. The spotlight is on the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development. This plan is part of a broader effort to supercharge India's infrastructure development, which is already set for a massive investment boost. In fact, the 2024 interim budget has earmarked a hefty 11.1 trillion rupees for capital expenditures, a solid 11.1% jump from last year. Mint’s Mihir Mishra and Shayan Ghosh report on the plan that focuses on increasing the capital base of DFIs to 1 trillion rupees, utilizing contributions from banks with robust capital adequacy ratios.
Macquarie Group, JSW Group, and Actis have thrown their hats in the ring to acquire Gurugram-based renewable energy platform O2 Power. The companies have even signed a non-disclosure agreement. Mint’s economy and policy reporter Utpal Bhaskar reports that the deal, managed by Barclays, is set to potentially value O2 Power at around 1 billion dollars in equity with an enterprise value of about 1.5 billion dollars. O2 Power, counts EQT and Temasek as major investments. The company is eyeing an ambitious expansion to reach a capacity of 5 gigawatts; it’s already close, with a current capacity of 4 gigawatts. The acquisition deal is poised to be a landmark in the renewable energy sector, reflecting growing interest in sustainable investments.
Kota's coaching centres, once the epicentre for competitive exam preparation, are seeing a notable shift in their student base. With new branches opening in cities like Patna, New Delhi, and Latur, these centres are attracting local students who would have traditionally travelled to Kota. This shift is reshaping the coaching landscape, leading to reduced enrollments in Kota itself and impacting the city's once-thriving educational ecosystem. Mint’s Mansi Verma spoke to faculty members across various institutes, including Allen Career Institute. Representatives from Allen highlighted that while Kota is dealing with salary cuts due to fewer students, new centres in other cities are booming.
Did you buy a flat in a stressed real estate project and are now waiting for the possession? Thousands in Delhi-NCR bought units in projects across the region around the turn of the last decade - only to find their investments stuck in limbo. While the Supreme Court intervened in 2019, asking state-owned construction corporation NBCC to take over the construction at Amrapali Group’s Noida projects, involving 38,000 units, the stressed project landscape otherwise looks very rocky. In 2023, the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) reported that about 412,000 residential units, valued at 4.08 trillion rupees, were affected by halted real estate projects across India. Over half of these, approximately 240,000 units, are located in the national capital region. Additionally, more than 100,000 units are in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, with significant numbers also reported in Pune, Bengaluru, and other major cities. In a detailed investigation of the troubled real estate market, Mint's Madhurima Nandy explores the protracted delays that have left many homebuyers waiting for years to receive possession of their homes.
The government is considering a significant investment of 4.5 trillion rupees over the next five years to construct 23.5 million rural homes under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin. The allocation targets 20 million new rural houses in addition to completing 3.5 million homes from the previous phase of the scheme. Mint’s Puja Das reports that the officials have outlined a phased approach, aiming to complete 4 million houses by the end of FY24, 8 million by FY26, and the remainder by FY29. The proposed funding of about 4.5 trillion rupees includes contributions from both the central and state governments, with the central government providing about 2.9 trillion rupees.
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Show notes:
Govt wants its big banks to help their rival–the country’s youngest infra lender
Macquarie, JSW Group, Actis line up to buy O2 Power in $1-billion deal
How the cannibals came for Kota's coaching giants
Bought a flat in a stressed real estate project? Here’s how long you've to wait
Union budget may approve ₹4.5 trillion for rural housing scheme