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India's power planning authority has drawn up a 6.4 trillion rupees ($77 billion) transmission plan to move more than 76 gigawatts of hydroelectric capacity from the Brahmaputra basin by 2047 to meet rising electricity demand, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) said on Monday. In a report released on Monday, the CEA said the plan covers 208 large hydro projects across 12 sub-basins in the northeastern states, with 64.9 GW of potential capacity and an additional 11.1 GW from pumped-storage plants. The Brahmaputra River, which rises in Tibet, China, and flows through India and Bangladesh, holds significant hydro potential in its Indian stretch, particularly in Arunachal Pradesh on the China border. The basin's transboundary nature and proximity to China make water management and infrastructure planning a strategic concern, amid India's fears that a Chinese dam on the Yarlung Zangbo, the river's upper course before it enters India, could cut dry-season flows on the Indian side by up to 85%. The Brahmaputra basin spans parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Sikkim, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland and West Bengal, and holds more than 80% of India's untapped hydro potential, the report said, with Arunachal Pradesh alone accounting for 52.2 GW. Phase one of the plan, running to 2035, will require 1.91 trillion rupees, while phase two will cost 4.52 trillion rupees, according to the CEA. The CEA's plan also includes projects allocated to central public sector utilities such as NHPC , NEEPCO, and SJVN, with some projects already in the pipeline. India aims to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels by having 500 GW of non-fossil power generation capacity by 2030 and becoming net zero by 2070.

A finfluencer recently sparked debate, claiming that Indian mutual funds caused retail investors to miss major rallies in gold, silver, cryptocurrencies, and artificial intelligence (AI) stocks over the past year.The finfluencer said that instead of coming on business news channels and talking about asset allocation, 'Mutual Fund Sahi Hai', and do SIP and buy on the dip, fund managers should be held accountable for the opportunity cost retail investors missed during these rallies.Responding to this, Radhika Gupta, MD and CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund, dismissed the claim as “false”, and said that the mutual fund industry already provides a wide range of options across asset classes and geographies.Gupta said that the mutual fund industry runs gold and silver funds. Many AMCs have had individual funds for a longer period, and Edelweiss Mutual Fund launched a combo product in 2022. The industry also offers broad-based US funds, US Tech funds, China, ASEAN, and EM funds.Also Read | Sectoral and thematic fund inflows fall over 69% in September. Is investor appetite cooling?Gupta added that investors have a wide range of hybrid funds to choose from, including multi-asset allocation funds and FoFs that blend different assets. Mutual funds also offer domestic thematic funds, as well as thematic funds combining domestic and global stocks, such as the Edel Tech Fund.The CEO also mentioned that mutual funds are a financial food court, and investors choose what they want. — iRadhikaGupta (@iRadhikaGupta) Aashish P Sommaiyaa, Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer at WhiteOak Mutual Fund, also called this claim by the influencer false.In response to the finfluencer’s post, Sommaiyaa noted that mutual funds investing in the USA, NASDAQ, or FANG stocks have been around since 2011, and the same applies to gold and silver, albeit introduced later when the market regulator allowed it.Also Read | JioBlackRock Mutual Fund starts unit allotment in its flexi cap fund from October 13, thanks investors for record responseCurrently, no mutual fund is permitted to launch crypto products, and the industry faces RBI restrictions on overseas investments. To provide alternatives, AMCs have created GIFT City vehicles under the LRS, explained the CEO of WhiteOak Capital Mutual Fund.Sommaiyaa also mentioned that further rallies will be in emerging markets, and based on that, mutual funds are already available well in advance.