The proposal would extend local sourcing requirements across the entire solar manufacturing chain, reinforcing earlier rules that already require the use of locally assembled solar panels in state-run projects.

Under current regulations, companies must use domestically produced solar panels, though key upstream components such as cells, wafers, ingots and polysilicon can still be imported. The new proposal seeks to close that gap by mandating local production of critical inputs.

India has already directed firms to use domestically manufactured solar cells starting June 2026, marking a phased approach toward building a fully integrated domestic supply chain.

Major energy firms including Waaree Energies, Tata Power and Indosol Solar have announced plans to invest billions of rupees to expand manufacturing capacity, aligning with policy signals favoring local production.

The push comes as India targets 500 gigawatts of non-fossil fuel-based power capacity by 2030, a goal that requires rapid scaling of solar installations alongside domestic industrial capability.

India currently depends heavily on China for imports of key solar components, including cells, wafers, ingots and polysilicon. The proposed mandate is expected to reduce that dependence while strengthening domestic manufacturing resilience.

The policy reflects a broader strategy to secure supply chains and support local industry as global competition in renewable energy technologies intensifies.

Decades ago, that stretch of land was not a lake but part of the sprawling Bishrampur open-cast coal mineone of many that powered India’s industrial rise.

Today, it is part of Kenapara Eco Park, a reclaimed landscape where paddle boats glide over deep green water and a floating restaurant serves visitors on weekends.

Rajak’s life mirrors this transformation. Once promised a job in the mine after giving up his land, he says he was denied work due to a disability. Now, he guards the same site no longer a source of coal, but of cautious hope.

“At least I am earning something here now,” he says.A second life for exhausted landIndia, the world’s second-largest coal producer and consumer, is confronting a new reality: hundreds of mines are reaching the end of their productive life. In response, authorities and state-run firms are turning to land reclamation and adaptive reuse to transform these sites into sustainable economic zones.

The Bishrampur mine, spread across 1,472 hectares, produced over 38 million tonnes of coal between 1961 and 2018. When reserves ran dry, its vast pits some naturally filled with rainwater over time offered an unexpected opportunity.

Instead of leaving behind barren scars, local authorities, with support from South Eastern Coalfields Ltd, a subsidiary of Coal India Ltd, began converting the site into a tourism hub.

Boating facilities, cottages, a floating restaurant, and green spaces gradually replaced extraction machinery and dust. What was once an industrial void is now a modest but growing attraction, drawing around 150 visitors on weekends.

At the heart of this transformation are women from the Shiv Shakti Mahila Gram Sangathan, a self-help group that manages key operations at the eco park. For many of them, the shift is not just economic but deeply personal.

“In the village, most women are only housewives. Our movements were restricted,” says Anjani Singh, a boat operator. “Working here, meeting officials and people gave us confidence.”Their work rowing boats, managing visitors, running the floating restaurant has reshaped how they are seen in their community.

No longer identified solely by family roles, they are now known for their work.Savita Gupta, who runs the floating eatery, describes her journey as transformative.

Once confined to domestic responsibilities, she now serves tourists, manages supplies, and earns an income. “I hope my daughter will learn from my life and think about becoming an independent woman,” she says.

The group’s leader, Pooja Sahu, adds that the change is as much about identity as it is about livelihood. “We wanted to be known by our own names,” she says.

The eco park is only one part of a broader regeneration effort. Nearby, a pisciculture project has turned the lake into a source of fish production, supplying local markets and creating additional income streams.

A 40-hectare solar park, generating 12 megawatts of power, employs local residents, including young technicians like Pawan Kumar, who now earns a steady monthly income.

Reforestation efforts are also underway. Hundreds of hectares have been planted with trees such as sheesham and mango, slowly restoring ecological balance to land once stripped bare.

Together, these initiatives represent a multi-pronged approach: tourism, renewable energy, agriculture, and forestry all layered onto a former mining landscape.Fragile gainsYet, the revival is far from secure.

The women who operate the boats say they bear much of the financial burden themselves, paying monthly fees and covering maintenance costs. Infrastructure remains patchy, and promotional efforts are limited.

A nightly light show, once a key attraction, has been non-functional for months due to technical issues. Visitor numbers fluctuate, and without sustained investment, growth remains uncertain.

Officials from SECL have recently visited the site the first such inspection in years but concrete plans for expansion or maintenance have yet to be detailed.“Currently, it is managed by the district authority,” said an SECL official, adding that improvements are under consideration.

For locals, the concern is that without consistent support, the project could stagnate another chapter in a long history of promises tied to the land.

As night deepens over Kenapara, Rajak continues his patrol, the beam of his torch tracing slow arcs across the water. The quiet is punctuated only by the creak of boats and distant voices.

He has seen this land through its many phases farmland, mine, and now a tentative experiment in renewal. Each transformation has brought both opportunity and loss.“I’ve seen how things end here,” he says.

“This time, let it not end.”His words capture the delicate balance of India’s mine-to-eco-park model. It is a story of resilience and reinvention, but also of unfinished transitions.

The lakes may be calm, the trees slowly returning, and the boats moving again but beneath the surface lies a deeper question: can these reclaimed landscapes truly sustain the communities that once depended on coal?

For now, the answer drifts somewhere between the past and the promise of what these waters might yet become.

The Taliban said at least 400 people were killed and 250 injured in the strike, which it said hit a drug rehabilitation hospital, while Pakistan rejected the claim, saying it targeted military installations and “terrorist support infrastructure.

Pakistan had long been a key backer of the Taliban, supporting its emergence in the 1990s as part of a broader strategy to secure “strategic depth” in its rivalry with India.

Relations initially appeared strong after the Taliban returned to power in 2021, with then-prime minister Imran Khan welcoming the development. However, ties deteriorated as Islamabad accused Kabul of failing to curb militant groups operating from Afghan territory.

Pakistan says leaders and fighters of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan are based in Afghanistan and have intensified attacks inside Pakistan. It also accuses Afghan territory of being used by Baloch insurgents.

Violence linked to these groups has risen steadily since 2022, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, contributing to mounting pressure on Islamabad to act.

The Taliban deny providing safe haven to militants targeting Pakistan and counter that Islamabad harbours fighters linked to Islamic State, Pakistan rejects.

The latest strike follows weeks of intensifying clashes, including Pakistani air and ground operations targeting Taliban positions and infrastructure along the border. Officials said those actions came after attacks by Afghan forces on Pakistani border posts.

Pakistan’s defence minister has described the situation as amounting to an “open war,” reflecting the scale of the confrontation.Earlier attempts to stabilise the situation, including a ceasefire mediated by Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, have failed to hold.

Repeated border clashes, closures and disruptions to trade have further strained ties between the neighbours, signalling a breakdown in what was once a closely aligned relationship.

The assurance was conveyed after recent conversations between S. Jaishankar, India’s foreign minister, and his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi, according to the Indian source, who declined to be identified because they were not authorised to speak publicly.

India, the world’s third-largest oil consumer, depends on the Strait of Hormuz for roughly 40% of its crude imports, making the security of shipping routes a key concern amid regional tensions.

India’s foreign ministry confirmed that the two foreign ministers had held three conversations in recent days. The most recent discussion focused on maritime safety and the protection of India’s energy supply lines.

“Beyond that, it would be premature for me to say anything,” foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a weekly press briefing.

In a statement following the talks, Iran’s foreign ministry said the United States should be held responsible for the “insecure situation and problems arising for shipping in the Persian Gulf,” but neither side publicly mentioned any agreement on safe passage for Indian vessels.

On Thursday the Suezmax tanker Shenlong, carrying Saudi crude oil, arrived at a port in Mumbai after transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to shipping data from the London Stock Exchange Group.

The Liberia-flagged vessel was the first crude tanker to reach India from the Middle East since fighting involving Iran, the United States and Israel erupted in late February. The cargo was purchased by state-run Bharat Petroleum Corporation, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.

The Indian source added that two other foreign-flagged tankers believed to be carrying oil bound for India had also recently crossed the strait.

India said on Wednesday that 28 Indian-flagged vessels were operating west and east of the Strait of Hormuz, carrying a total of 778 Indian sailors.

Authorities, shipping companies and recruitment agencies are coordinating with Indian embassies and local authorities to ensure the safety of seafarers, the petroleum ministry said.

India has also given safe harbour to 183 Iranian sailors after a vessel docked in the country following the outbreak of the conflict. New Delhi had allowed three Iranian ships returning from a naval exercise in the Bay of Bengal to dock; one of the vessels was later sunk by a U.S. submarine in international waters, while another sought assistance from Sri Lanka.

Mumbai, March 10 – India ordered tighter controls on natural gas and cooking gas supplies on Tuesday after import disruptions linked to the Middle East war affected shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, prompting warnings from restaurant groups that the curbs could force widespread closures.

The Ministry of Petroleum said the ongoing conflict in the Middle East had disrupted liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a key energy corridor for global trade. The government said the restrictions were aimed at ensuring equitable distribution of gas supplies and maintaining availability for priority sectors.

India, the world’s most populous country, is the fourth-largest buyer of LNG and the second-largest importer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), widely used as cooking fuel in households and commercial kitchens. Much of the country’s LNG and LPG imports originate from Middle Eastern producers.

Under the new directive, LNG supplies will be prioritised for households, the transport sector and LPG production. Other industries including fertiliser plants and tea producers will receive between 70% and 80% of their consumption requirements, subject to operational availability.

To offset the supply shortfall, the government said gas allocations to petrochemical facilities and power plants would be partially or fully curtailed.

Several Indian industries have already reported supply reductions. Ceramics and tile manufacturers said gas curbs could affect production as energy costs and availability tighten.

Restaurant and hospitality groups said a separate order issued on Monday prioritising LPG for domestic households had already begun affecting commercial users.

The National Restaurant Association of India said LPG suppliers across the country had signalled that deliveries to eateries could be halted following the order.

“The restaurant industry is predominantly dependent on commercial LPG for its operations,” the association said in a statement, adding that supply disruptions could trigger widespread closures.

PC Rao, head of a hotel industry association in Bengaluru, said the situation had become critical as stocks ran low across smaller establishments.

“Supply of gas has been hit and many of the smaller establishments only have one to two days of stock left,” Rao told AFP.

Larger restaurants and hotels may have up to about 10 days of reserves remaining, he said, adding that many businesses were considering limiting menus or adjusting operations to manage dwindling supplies.

The official declined to confirm the total value of the agreement. Details regarding the number of missiles or delivery timelines were not immediately disclosed.

Indonesian authorities confirmed that an agreement had been reached with India for the supersonic cruise missile system, but provided few additional specifics on the scope of the procurement.

Requests for comment sent to BrahMos Aerospace and India’s Ministry of Defence (India) were not immediately answered.

The missile system secured its first foreign export contract in 2022 with the Philippines, a Southeast Asian neighbour of Indonesia. That agreement marked a milestone for India’s defence exports and established the BrahMos system as a product available to overseas buyers.

The BrahMos missile, jointly developed by India and Russia, is designed as a supersonic cruise missile capable of being launched from land, sea or air platforms.