India News Highlights, 2 September 2026: Kerala plans India’s first electric truck corridor

Kerala is preparing to give India’s freight transport a cleaner turn with plans to develop the 622-km stretch of National Highway 66 from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram as the country’s first electric truck corridor. The proposed corridor will cover the 622-km NH 66 stretch from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram.

A KSEBL-ICCT study, based on FASTag, GPS, and truck movement data, estimates that the corridor could require 1,939 chargers by 2050, with Kochi, Kozhikode, and Kollam emerging as major charging hubs. The study, released at the India Clean Transport Summit 2026 in Delhi, indicates that an initial charging network with a capacity of 12.5 MW would be needed for electric trucks along the corridor. The investment required at this stage is estimated at Rs 19 crore.

The project is not only about putting up charging stations; it is also about preparing Kerala's electricity network for a future in which more heavy trucks could run on batteries, a KSEB release stated.

The Supreme Court is set to hear today a remission plea filed by life convict Ravindra Pal alias Dara Singh, who is serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor sons in Odisha. In July, the court had directed the Odisha government to decide on Singh’s remission plea within a month.

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is expected to appoint its first full-time CEO at a meeting in Ayodhya today. A search committee shortlisted three candidates from 5,585 applications. The meeting, chaired by the Trust president, will also discuss filling three vacant trustee posts, amendments to the Trust deed, and the appointment of a press spokesperson. The CEO post was created amid increased scrutiny of the Trust’s financial management following an alleged temple donation embezzlement case.