Two of the country’s top Maharatna CPSE entities Coal India Limited (CIL) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)formally signed a joint venture agreement (JVA) on 28th February 2024in Delhi for setting up an ammonium nitrate plant through surface coal gasification (SCG) technology route. The plant to come up in Lakhanpur area of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited, Odisha.
The plant to come up in Lakhanpur area of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited, Odisha is planned to produce 2000 tons of ammonium nitrate per day initially. The annual production is slated at 6.60 Lakh tons which requires 1.3 million tonnes (mts) of coal. Ammonium nitrate is a major ingredient in manufacturing of bulk explosives which CIL uses in large quantities in its OC mining.
The General Council of Sangeet Natak Akademi, the National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama, New Delhi, at its meeting held on 21 and 22 February 2024 at New Delhi unanimously elected six eminent personalities in the field of performing arts as Akademi Fellows (Akademi Ratna). The Fellowship of the Akademi is a most prestigious and rare honour, which is restricted to 40.
The Akademi Awards have been conferred since 1952. These honours not only symbolize the highest standard of excellence and achievement, but also recognize sustained individual work and contribution. The honour of Akademi Fellow carries a purse money of Rs.3, 00, 000/- while the Akademi Award carries a purse money of Rs. 1,00,000/-, besides a Tamrapatra and Angavastram.
The General Council also selected ninety-two (92) artists from the field of Music, Dance, Theatre, Traditional/Folk/Tribal Music/Dance/ Theatre, Puppetry and Overall contribution/scholarship in the Performing Arts for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) for the years 2022 & 2023.
Agreement has been made between Ministry of Jal Shakti and academic institutions under the National River Conservation Plan.Through this project, theresponsibility of monitoring and gathering technical knowledge required for the condition assessment and management plan in basin management of Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Cauveri, Narmada and Periyar has been given to 12 inst
Narmada Basin Management — IIT Indore and IIT Gandhinagar
Godavari Basin Management — IIT Hyderabad and NEERI Nagpur
Mahanadi Basin Management — IIT Raipur and IIT Rourkela,
Krishna Basin Management — NIT Warangal and NIT Surathkal,
Cauvery Basin Management — IISc Bangalore and NIT Trichy
Periyar Basin Management — IIT Palakkad and NIT Calicut.
NTPC Green Energy Limited (NGEL), a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC Limited, has signed a Joint venture Agreement with Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited (MAHAGENCO), for development of Renewable Energy Parks in the state of Maharashtra. The company to be set up under the joint venture will develop GW-scale renewable energy parks and undertake projects.
NTPC Group has ambitious plans of attaining 60 GW of renewable energy capacity by the year 2032. Currently, it has 3.4 GW of installed RE capacity and more than 22 GW under pipeline. NTPC is committed to supporting Maharashtra’s and India’s decarbonisation goals.
India ranks 42nd in the International IP Index for 2024, out of 55 countries evaluated. India’s overall score also remained unchanged at 38.64 percent according to the 12th edition of the US Chamber of Commerce’s Global Innovation Policy Center’s International IP Index.
The Index evaluates the IP frameworks of the world's top 55 economies.
While the United States is once again the world leader, there were notable advancements led by Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Nigeria. However, challenges persist, as 27 economies showed no change and eight, including Ecuador, experienced declines due to weak IP enforcement. The IP Index also serves as a compass to guide world leaders on proven methods to champion innovation.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said that it has cancelled the licence of Sumerpur Mercantile Urban Cooperative Bank, Pali (Rajasthan), as the lender does not have adequate capital and earning prospects. The Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Rajasthan, has also been requested to issue an order for winding up the bank and appoint a liquidator, the Reserve Bank of India.
PayU Payments Private Ltd (PayU), which is fintech arm of Global Consumer Internet Group Prosus, has appointed Renu Sud Karnad, a director at HDFC Bank, as chairperson and independent director of the company. The new addition to the PayU Payments’ Board has been done in the form of two Non-Executive Non-Independent Directors, and three Independent Directors, the companysaid
Jana Small Finance Bank received approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to re-appoint Ajay Kanwal as the Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for three years beginning March 21, 2024. His reign will last until March 20, 2027. Janalakshmi Financial Services became Jana Small Finance Bank in March 2018.
Amazon Pay, the fintech branch of e-commerce giant Amazon India, has been granted a payment aggregator license by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the firm announced. The fintech startup has recently joined a list of organisations authorised by the central bank to function as payment aggregators (PA).
This month, the RBI granted final approval for payment aggregator (PA) licences to two fintech firms, Decentro and Juspay, as well as enterprise software-as-a-service provider Zoho.In January, food delivery giant Zomato, as well as fintech businesses Stripe and Tata Pay, were among those who were granted the license. They joined Razorpay, Cashfree Payments, and EnKash.
Reliance's FMCG arm has joined forces with a Sri Lankan beverage powerhouse to introduce the Elephant House brand to India. This move aligns with the oil-to-telecom conglomerate's strategy to ramp up its beverage offerings in a market primarily dominated by Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
Elephant House, owned by Ceylon Cold Stores PLC, is Sri Lanka’s largest listed conglomerate. It is known for its a range of beverages including Necto, Cream Soda, EGB (Ginger Beer), Orange Barley, and Lemonade, among others, all marketed under the Elephant House brand.
Maruti Suzuki India on 27 February said it has inked an initial pact with Union Bank of India for dealer financing solutions. The tie-up enhances the comprehensive inventory funding options for over 4,000 Maruti Suzuki sales outlets across the country, the auto major said in a statement. The company's partnership with Union Bank of India is since 2008.
Rare Disease Day was first observed in 2008 by EURORDIS and the Council of National Alliances to raise awareness about rare diseases. It falls on the last day of February, but in leap years like 2024, it is observed on February 29th. This day aims to shed light on the challenges faced by individuals and families affected by rare diseases.
The theme for 2024, "Share Your Colours," emphasizes collaboration and support.
Bharti Enterprises founder and chairman, Sunil Bharti Mittal has become the first Indian citizen to be awarded Honorary Knighthood, the Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE), by King Charles III for advancing India-UK business relations. It is awarded in an honorary capacity to foreign nationals.
The KBE is among the highest honours conferred by the British Sovereign to civilians.
