Daily News - Monday, 30 June 2025

Pakistan, Afghanistan no longer part of World Bank’s South Asia region; Johannes Zutt to be new head (mint)

⁠The World Bank has reclassified Pakistan and Afghanistan under its Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, citing alignment with internal management practices and oversight of its lending arms, IBRD and IDA. This shift leaves the South Asia region with six countries and comes amid India’s continued push to curb multilateral funding to Pakistan, which it accuses of diverting aid toward military use, including opposing a recent $2.4 billion IMF package. The World Bank has also appointed Dutch national Johannes Zutt as the new Vice President for South Asia, with his term starting July 1 and his base in India.

⁠'Digi Yatra to expand to 41 airports this yr' (mint)

Digi Yatra, the paperless airport entry app, aims to expand its presence from 24 to over 41 airports by the end of 2025, riding on a user base of over 14 million and 25,000–30,000 daily new enrollments. The app has supported over 60 million journeys so far and is preparing to integrate e-passport services, which will allow foreign nationals to access the system for domestic travel within India. Talks are underway with the International Civil Aviation Organization to securely verify e-passport data, though extending the service to international flights remains complex due to multi-agency coordination. 

⁠India shows progress on SDG, challenges remain (The Economic Times)

India has made notable progress on several Sustainable Development Goals, with poverty levels dropping to 14.96% in 2019–21 from 24.85% in 2015–16, and social protection coverage expanding sharply to 64.3% of the population in 2025, up from just 22% in 2016. Health and welfare indicators also improved, including a fall in the maternal mortality ratio to 93 per lakh live births and a decline in rural and urban Gini coefficients to 0.237 and 0.284 respectively, indicating reduced inequality. However, concerns remain with FDI as a share of GNI hitting a low of 0.5% in 2024–25, over half of non-agricultural workers lacking social security, and manufacturing’s share in GDP slipping to 15.7%.

⁠Dharavi redevelopment project plans to host India’s next prime business district (The Economic Times)

The Dharavi Redevelopment Project, led by the Adani Group, will transform part of the 600-acre slum into a modern commercial business district featuring Grade-A offices, retail, hotels, and co-working spaces, aiming to triple Dharavi’s current economic output. This commercial zone, carved from non-residential land, is expected to formalise over 12,000 existing businesses and attract new corporate tenants, creating long-term revenue streams to support the ₹96,000 crore project. The development also includes housing for over a million residents, upgraded infrastructure, and integrated transport, positioning Dharavi as a self-sustaining urban and economic hub. 

Mahindra sharpens focus on scalable growth businesses (The Economic Times)

Mahindra Group is streamlining its strategy to focus on high-potential businesses that can grow fivefold by FY30, leveraging global supply chain shifts away from China and India’s rising credibility as a manufacturing hub. Key areas of investment include scaling renewable energy capacity from 1.5 GWp to 7.0 GWp, expanding rural and MSME finance, boosting EV exports, and doubling resort inventory to 10,000 keys. With sharp capital allocation and a digital-first approach across businesses, the group aims to turn global disruption into a long-term growth opportunity through disciplined execution.