Linear Projects No Longer Exempted Under EIA Notification

Introduction

On March 17, 2025, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) notified a pivotal amendment to India’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006. This amendment reversed a four-year-long exemption granted to certain excavation activities carried out for linear infrastructure projects, such as roads, pipelines, and transmission lines. The change introduces a new Appendix XIV to the EIA Notification, formally defining “linear projects” and setting out standard operating procedures (SOPs) and safeguards that must be followed when sourcing or borrowing “ordinary earth” for such works. The revised position replaces the controversial Item 6 of Appendix IX, which was introduced via the 2020 amendment and was later struck down by the Supreme Court of India.Continue Reading Linear Projects No Longer Exempted Under EIA Notification

The year 2023 saw 85 public takeovers implemented through the tender offer route under the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers) Regulations, 2011 (Takeover Regulations). The number of takeovers were only slightly below the number of takeovers in CY22 (93 in all). The aggregate transaction size (i.e. the aggregate size of the negotiated deal and tender offer) of takeovers announced in CY23 was ₹274.27 billion, 77% lower than that of the takeovers announced in CY22, which was ₹1,180 billion. Primarily, the deal activity in CY23 was driven by domestic acquirers. Foreigners executed only three deals in this space (including only one deal by a PE player), which was substantially lower than CY22 (being 11 ).Continue Reading Public Takeovers in India: Flashback 2023

ESG and M&A

In recent years, investors and customers alike have been gung-ho about ESG, so much so that it has found its way into day-to-day commercial lingo. The term ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance and refers to three key factors when measuring sustainability and the ethical impact of an investment in a business or company.[1]Continue Reading Interplay between ESG and M&A transactions: Key factors to consider