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Accelerating the rollout of plug-and-play industrial parks, improving logistics infrastructure, and targeted skilling are essential for boosting India’s manufacturing output and self-reliance, according to real estate consultancy Cushman & Wakefield.In its latest report, Elevating India’s Manufacturing Resilience: Charting the Path to Self-Reliance, based on responses from 94 senior decision-makers across India’s manufacturing and logistics sectors, the consultancy outlines how industry and policy alignment is unlocking capacity, especially for MSMEs.“India’s manufacturing sector is undergoing a structural shift. Our findings indicate a strong alignment between infrastructure investment, policy clarity, and industry intent,” said Gautam Saraf, Executive Managing Director, Mumbai & New Business at Cushman & Wakefield, PTI quoted.Saraf said 88% of manufacturers surveyed are scaling up due to improved infrastructure, and 95% cite better logistics access thanks to government-backed initiatives. However, sustaining this momentum will require “addressing deep-rooted cost and capacity gaps, especially in logistics, integrated facilities, and MSME productivity.”The report flags four core challenges: high logistics cost, warehousing capacity shortfall, low value addition, and skill gaps. It recommends a five-pronged strategy—accelerating plug-and-play industrial parks, redefining MSME thresholds to foster scale, fast-tracking multimodal logistics parks, boosting skill development, and digitising MSME export support.“Plug-and-play industrial parks, multimodal logistics networks, and improved land aggregation frameworks are not just enablers, they are essential levers for converting policy momentum into production-ready outcomes,” Saraf said.Abhishek Bhutani, Managing Director, Logistics & Industrial Services India and Head – Gujarat, Cushman & Wakefield said, “Pre-approved, infrastructure-ready zones are helping reduce time-to-market, lower upfront capex, and mitigate operational risks—especially for MSMEs looking to scale.”He added that success for companies expanding into new regions will depend on access to integrated ecosystems combining logistics, skilled labour, and multimodal connectivity, PTI reported.

Jasprit Bumrah at nets on Day 2. (Pic credit: Sahil Malhotra/TimesofIndia.com)

TimesofIndia.com in Birmingham: Star pacer Jasprit Bumrah returned to training on Saturday as Team India’s second day of preparations for the Edgbaston Test shifted the spotlight firmly onto bowling. After skipping Friday’s opening session, Bumrah’s presence in the nets drew keen attention, especially with doubts still lingering over his availability for the second Test against England.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Trailing 0-1 in the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy after a five-wicket defeat at Headingley, India hit the ground running on Friday. While the full squad turned up for practice, Bumrah and fellow pacer Prasidh Krishna stayed away from active drills, sparking speculation about their readiness for the Birmingham Test.Saturday, however, offered a much-needed boost to India’s pace arsenal. Bumrah, Prasidh, and Mohammed Siraj all bowled at the nets, with Siraj following up on his batting work from Day 1. Their return to bowling brought renewed intensity to India’s preparations, as the team looks to bounce back in Birmingham.

Among the batters, Sai Sudharsan – the debutant from the Headingley Test – was the first to take guard in the nets on Day 2. Notably absent from Saturday’s training were skipper Shubman Gill, vice-captain Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. All four had batted extensively on Friday, with Gill and Pant spending long stints in the nets.

While Bumrah’s return is a positive sign, his inclusion in the Edgbaston XI remains uncertain. The 31-year-old bowled 44 taxing overs in the series opener and is slated to feature in only three of the five Tests as part of a workload management strategy. Head coach Gautam Gambhir, after the Headingley loss, reiterated that the decision on Bumrah’s participation will be made on a match-to-match basis, regardless of the series scoreline.With bowling now at the heart of India’s practice, the team will hope their spearheads are battle-ready as they eye a series-levelling win at Edgbaston.

Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Ltd, will begin operations in two new coal mines in Odisha’s Talcher coalfield area by FY 2029-30, adding 35 million tonnes (MT) to its reserves, a senior company official said on Friday.“We are going to start operation of the Subhadra coal mine having a reserve of 25 MT in Talcher area by the end of financial year 2025-26,” MCL Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) Uday A Kaole said during a media interaction in Sambalpur. The Balabhadra coal mine, with a capacity of 10 MT, is expected to be operational by FY 2029-30, he added, quoted PTI.At present, MCL operates 18 coal mines in Odisha’s Angul, Sundargarh and Jharsuguda districts. Of these, three are underground mines and 15 are open-cast, the agency reported. The operational mines in Angul include Jagannath, Bhubaneswari, Bharatpur, Hingula, Lingaraj, Kaniha and Talcher (UG). Subhadra and Balabhadra will be added to this list.To improve transparency, MCL has installed CCTVs in 98% of its operational areas. The remaining 2% will be covered soon, the CMD said. “We are also using artificial intelligence (AI) for real-time tracking of coal transportation vehicles which are GPS enabled,” Kaole added.He said MCL has a coal reserve of 35 MT, ensuring steady supplies for power generation. In FY 2024-25, MCL produced 225 MT of coal, registering 9% growth over the previous year. Total coal dispatch stood at 210 MT, reflecting a 6% increase, the report said.“98 per cent of our total coal production is being done through eco-friendly surface mines, which is highest in the country,” Kaole said.The company has set a net zero carbon emission target for FY 2029. To support this transition, it plans to invest Rs 17,900 crore in renewable energy projects including solar, wind and pumped storage power plants across Odisha, another official added.MCL has set a coal production target of 239 MT for FY 2025-26, with an aim to raise output to 300 MT by FY 2029-30.