Sahara India has signed an MoU with the Ministry of Housing and Public Works (MOPW) of Bangladesh Government for a satellite township project.

Sahara Matribhumi Unnayan Corporation, a newly formed Bangladesh based company of Sahara India will conceptualize, design and plan a new city near Dhaka, i.e. Notun Dhaka (New Dhaka) and will build affordable housing for low income groups with Housing Finance support for majority applicants. The newly formed company will also conceptualize, design and plan various integrated satellite townships under the MOPW of the Government of Bangladesh. Also, the company intends to venture into the Power and Healthcare sector and other welfare programs in Bangladesh at later stages.

This apart, GVK Group, another infrastructure conglomerate, received environmental clearance from the Queensland government in Australia for its Alpha coal and rail project. The company has set aside $10 billion (approx Rs.56,000 crore) project. With this approval, the Group's Alpha Project is now the only Galilee Basin proponent with an approved Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The project is being run by Hancock Coal, in which 79 per cent is owned by GVK and 21 per cent by Gina Rinehart. "The latest milestone paves the way for us to complete financing and secure final mining approvals for the Alpha Project in the second half of 2012. The coordinator-general's report is a major step in finalising the regulatory requirements and enables us to fast track the completion of key construction and operations contracts." Said GVK Reddy, CMD, GVK Group

The three mines - Alpha, Alpha West and Kevin's Corner are known to have total resources of eight billion tonne of thermal coal in addition to the rail and port facilities. The Alpha Coal Project consists of a 30 million tpa mine, a 495-km standard gauge railway and a terminal and two berths at Abbot Point catering to at least 60 million tpa of thermal coal destined for Asian markets. Meanwhile, CIL in collaboration with the Limpopo Government will jointly indentify, explore and develop coal mines in South Africa. As per the MoU signed between the two, CIL will be required to set up a subsidiary in South Africa. In 2011, the Limpopo Government had approached CIL, requesting it to form a JV with one of its public sector firms for acquiring coal mines there. The JV will be between the public firm of Limpopo and a subsidiary of CIL. In this JV, CIL will have majority share while the public enterprise of Limpopo will have at least 26 per cent stake. CIL has put together a war-chest of Rs.6,000 crore for acquisition of mines overseas.