[649 graders sold in August]

On August 28, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and two other departments jointly introduced new policies, requiring the orderly advancement of raising the presale threshold to the completion of the main building structure, full supervision of presale funds, and a "new-old boundary" for existing home sales, marking a historic transformation in the commercial housing sales system. Industry experts interviewed by Securities Times reporters believe that this reform precisely echoes the central government's positioning for real estate work of "controlling growth, destocking, and optimizing supply." It will reshape the cash flow timing of real estate development. The past high-turnover model of "land acquisition—construction start—presale—land reacquisition" is no longer sustainable. The chain reactions in supply, inventory, and the competitive landscape are unfolding from this point, and the operating logic of real estate is being systematically reshaped.

The Indian government will fund around USD12 million of a USD22 million pilot project to build India's first fully hydrogen-based direct reduced iron (DRI) plant, aimed at cutting steel-sector carbon emissions. Led by CSIR with IMMT, the project targets completion by August 2029, focusing on adapting hydrogen-DRI technology to India's low-grade hematite ore — a tougher challenge than the higher-grade magnetite used in global projects. Unlike private players experimenting with partial hydrogen use, this plant will run on 100% hydrogen via a vertical shaft furnace. For now, green hydrogen costs around USD5/kg (needs to fall to USD1/kg for viability), keeping green steel approximately USD200/tonne costlier than conventional steel.