GHMC To Raise Money Through Bonds
Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will be the next city to raise money through bonds, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Friday.
The housing and urban affairs minister said many more cities had plans to raise money through this route. It was not a "big deal" to tap funds through bonds, provided the city was managed well and had a good credit rating, he said. "I am familiar with Hyderabad. A (state) minister told me that they are well on the way to raising Rs 1,000 crore (through municipal bonds)," Puri told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) had in June raised Rs 200 crore by selling 10-year bonds, becoming the first civic body to tap money through this route in 14 years. At the event, the Union minister said the purpose of raising money through bonds was to strengthen the financial position of cities.
About the Narendra Modi government's flagship Smart City Mission, he said the impact of projects undertaken under the scheme would be visible by mid next year. He also pitched for improving the "walking and cycling" infrastructure, saying "we need to move the people, not the cars". Puri said the Centre will present Smart City awards in June next year to cities which have performed well in implementing the projects under the scheme.
PTI
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A woman was killed and four other civilians were injured in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district as the Pakistan army intensified artillery fire across the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir, officials said, adding that a large number of houses have also been damaged in the cross-border shelling.
Reports state that a Pakistani shell struck the vehicle the woman was traveling in, resulting in her death. The woman was identified as Nargis Bashir, and some of her family members had boarded a vehicle to flee from the Razarwani village in Uri that was hit by the mortar and artillery shells from Pakistan.
In an attempt to educate and make people aware about the consequences of war amid Pakistan's continuous firing in the border states, the Delhi government did a mock drill to test air raid sirens installed at the Public Works Department (PWD) at ITO and asked people to not react out of panic.
District Magistrate (Central) G. Sudhakar also urged people to remain calm and not be alarmed when they hear the sirens.
At least twice, sirens sounded during the drill, which started at 3 pm.
PWD Minister Parvesh Verma said 40-50 more such sirens will be installed across the national capital, each of which will cover an area of 8 km.
Residents present in Rajouri along the Line of Control have started moving to safer areas after heavy cross-border shelling and attempted drone and missile attacks last night by Pakistan. All drone and missile attacks were intercepted and foiled by India's air defence system.
#WATCH | J&K | Residents of Rajouri living along the LOC have started moving to safer areas after heavy cross-border shelling and attempted drone and missile attacks last night by Pakistan.
— ANI (@ANI) May 9, 2025
All drone and missile attacks were intercepted by India's air defence system and foiled,… pic.twitter.com/XITK0CsejT
Pakistan has claimed that its Economic Affairs Division account on social media has been hacked and called the post where it appealed for more loans from the international community owing to losses from Operation Sindoor "fake."
In a post on X, Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Fact Checker shared a picture of the post and mentioned that it was "fake." Additionally, it asserted that the account had undergone hacking.
A missile-like object is found deep inside the Dal Lake after loud explosions were heard on Saturday morning in Srinagar, which is a major tourist attraction. The defense ministry also confirms that Pakistan has intruded into Srinagar's airspace in a press release.
Since the early hours of Saturday morning (10th May), Srinagar has been rocked with multiple explosions, and now electricity is taken off in various places across Kashmir. The reason for this is yet to be determined, as reports indicate multiple places in Kashmir have lost power. The Indian Army released a statement after the press briefing, where they mentioned that they have attacked and neutralized multiple terrorist launchpads in a coordinated fire assault, razing them to cinders.