Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Manipur on Saturday, September 13. Chief Minister Secretary Puneet Kumar Goyal told in Imphal that this tour will open the way for peace, generality and development in the state. This visit of Prime Minister Modi is happening at a time when he is constantly criticizing the opposition for not going to Manipur. Violence erupted in Manipur two years ago between Kuki and Maetai community. More than 260 people lost their lives in this violent quarrel and thousands of people were displaced.

PM Modi will visit Manipur and Mizoram. He will inaugurate the Bairabi-Giranrang railway line project in Mizoram. They will lay the foundation of development projects worth Rs 7,300 crore from Peace Ground (where Cookie community is high) in Churachandpur in Manipur. At the same time, the Prime Minister will inaugurate infrastructure projects worth Rs 1,200 crore in Maetai -dominated Imphal.

Tight security arrangements
Giving information about Prime Minister Modi’s programs, the Manipur government has installed large billboards in Churachandpur Peace Ground and Kangla Fort Imphal. Special instructions have been issued to the public not to bring things like keys, pens, water bottles, bags, handkerchiefs, umbrellas, lighters, matches.

Apart from this, it has also been advised not to bring children (under 12 years of age) and sick persons to the venue. Air guns in Churachandpur district were already banned. The security system in Imphal and Churachandpur has been completely tightened.

Opposition’s response
Congress MP and former party president Rahul Gandhi welcomed PM Modi’s visit to Manipur. He said, “The problem of Manipur has been going on for a long time, it is good that they are going now.” At the same time, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh targeted the preparations for Modi’s visit. He said that this tour will be only three hours and this will insult the people of Manipur. Jairam Ramesh wrote in the tweet, “This tour shows the lack of sensitivity of the Prime Minister towards the people of Manipur.”

Cement companies earnings: Due to the government’s increasing spending on important infrastructure projects, the first quarter of the current financial year recorded an increase of more than 10 percent in sales of major cement companies. During this time, the income of companies also increased. Cement manufacturers hope that this trend will continue throughout the financial year. Low production costs-As a decline in coal and petcock prices and stable diesel price-has helped to improve the tax-pre-income (EBITDA) of companies. This relief came at a time when cement companies had to face a difficult period in 2024-25.

Government increased infrastructure projects

UltraTech cement sales rose 9.7 percent to 3.68 million tonnes in the June quarter, contributing to India Cements and Kesoram Industries. Ambuja Cements of Adani Group also recorded its highest number of cement sales so far and a quarterly revenue of Rs 10,000 crore. Birla Corporation sales increased by 9.36 percent to 47.9 lakh tonnes, Nuvoko Wistas Corp sales 51 lakh tonnes, and sales quantity of JK Lakshmi cement increased by about 10 percent.

However, some companies faced a decline. The sale of Shri Cement was affected due to geopolitical tension in the northern region. Dalmia India’s sales quantity declined by 5.8 percent to 74 million tonnes. At the same time, due to premature monsoon in Kerala, the sales of Ramco Cements fell by 7 percent.

What do companies have to say?

Companies commented on their results and hoped for better performance. Ambuja Cement CEO Vinod Bhetti said that this increase is based on factors like focus on price, strong sales quantity, improvement in prices and channel engagement. At the same time, Atul Daga, CFO of UltraTech, said that the government capital expenditure program has shown significant improvements in the first two months of the quarter on a low of April-May, 2024. He said that the performance of states like Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra has been better on an annual basis.

The increase in cement prices has also supported the industry. In June 2025, the price of All India average cement increased by 7 percent to Rs 355 per 50 kg bag on an annual basis. According to a report by Ikra, the price increased to Rs 360 per bag due to strong demand in the first quarter of FY 2025-26 and the price hike by companies. Whereas in FY 2024-25 average prices had come down by 7 percent to Rs 340 per bag.

India-china: After a decrease in border tension between India and China, now the central government is considering strengthening the trade relations between the two countries. The policy makers consider it a suitable time to improve India-China economic relations amidst US President Donald Trump’s pressure to reduce tariffs on India.

According to the report of the Indian Express, the government believes that normalizing the business relationship with China will give a clear message to the US and will help in dealing with Trump’s pressure. According to sources, there is a discussion between various departments of the Government of India to give relief in some restrictions on trade and investment with China. These bans were imposed in 2020 after a clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Galwan Valley.

Government can take this big step

Based on the demands from the industrial sector, the government is seriously considering some important proposals. These include steps such as relaxation in visa rules for Chinese citizens, tariffs on Chinese products and reduction in non-tariff barriers and re-allowing some restricted Chinese apps.

Apart from this, it is being planned to release visas for Chinese scholars and to resume air services between India and China. In the field of investment, the Government of India is considering allowing capital flow from Beijing, so that the trade deficit between the two countries can be balanced. According to the current policy, the government’s approval is necessary for investment from countries sharing land border with India.

Strategy to give clear message to America

According to sources, some officials of the Government of India believe that by taking steps towards normalizing trade relations with China, the US can be indicated that India is capable of taking independent decisions about its trade policy. The government wants to show the business restrictions with China and show that it can take policy decisions according to its interests. The Finance Ministry also gave a presentation in favor of relaxing something in trade restrictions at the beginning of this financial year. At the same time, the Ministry of Commerce Ministry is also considering compulsory BIS certification and quality control order (QCOS) on imported products from China.

Decision will be beneficial for small and medium industries

According to a senior official, it has now become necessary to restore business relations, especially in the post -President’s tenure. Long and medium industries had been demanding the removal of trade and non-traditional obstacles for a long time. Apart from this, there is also a discussion on giving some relief in visa rules to allow Chinese technicians and workers working in infrastructure projects to work in India.

China is interested in business restoration

According to sources, China is also keen to re -establish trade relations with India. China has proposed to encourage investment of Chinese companies in the Indian market keeping in mind India’s growing trade deficit. In 2023, the trade deficit between India and China exceeded $ 83 billion. China is mainly exported to primary products from India, while the goods imported from China see a lack of competition in the Indian market, causing this deficit to increase.

Graduate discount will be given slowly

According to a senior official of the Government of India, business restrictions with China may be gradually exempted, allowing Chinese companies to invest in India. However, the government will ensure that Chinese companies participate only in partnership with Indian companies and China’s stake in those projects was minority. This will encourage Chinese investment in India in a controlled manner, which will benefit the Indian market and companies.