News Corp VCCircle, a leading financial data, news and information services group that runs news websites VCCircle.com and Techcircle.in and financial data platform VCCEdge, is launching a new platform called Infracircle. A news and information website, Infracircle will provide exclusive and market-leading reports and analysis on India’s infrastructure sector.
Infrastructure is a key driver in the growth of any country. Estimates suggest that India will require investments of $1 trillion over the next five to seven years to meet the demand from housing and infrastructure that includes smart city projects, infrastructure-linked projects such as airports, railways, urban transport and development of industrial corridors, among others.
Infracircle will work as a key link among various stakeholders of the sector and narrate the new phase of growth in the sector and the economy. As a digital initiative dedicated to the sector, it will be a one-stop platform for infrastructure and policy-related developments, catering to sub-segments such as infrastructure finance, transportation, communications, power, resources and urban development.
InfraCircle will not only provide breaking news but also analysis, opinion pieces and smart infographics. It will help readers track government projects and initiatives as well as contribution of private-sector projects and investments under ‘Progress Indicators’.
Subscribers can avail a free trial offer for a month from the day of the launch, after which the content will go behind the pay wall.
The launch is scheduled to take place on December 15 in New Delhi. Minister for road, transport highways and shipping Nitin Gadkari will be the chief guest at the occasion while railways minister Suresh Prabhu will be the guest of honour. Steel minister Chaudhary Birender Singh and petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan, besides industry captains, will also take part in the event.
The launch will also witness release of a digital report titled ‘India@70’, which tracks India’s infrastructure journey over the past 70 years.
“For a country with 1.25 billion people, there are substantial gaps to be filled and InfraCircle has been conceived with the promise to chase those gaps with our fair and consistent reportage and editorials,†said Nita Kapoor, head-India New Ventures, News Corp and chief executive officer, News Corp VCCircle. “The need for a one-stop platform for infrastructure news was articulated by professionals in the infrastructure space during our various meetings with them. This is what got us to bring InfraCircle to fruition.â€
“A robust infrastructure is the backbone of an economy. Given India's growth imperatives, there is a need for large-scale investments in the building blocks of the Indian economy. What InfraCircle would aim to achieve is to narrate the India story and bring about a global comparison with access to news from other geographies as well through our international media properties,†she added.
The editorial team at Infracircle is to be led by award-winning journalist and its managing editor Utpal Bhaskar. “InfraCircle is different from traditional media platforms as it covers the infrastructure sector and its developments in depth and width, with the rigour of old-school journalism using new-age digital tools,†said Bhaskar. “Exclusive story breaks have traditionally been newspapers’ and television channels’ forte. As a platform, we have pushed that envelope a bit further by consistently breaking exclusive stories along with providing incisive analysis and smart infographics with our readers being the centre of our universe. Also, we do the same for developing stories in real time as we are a digital only platform.â€
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