The Indian Army contingent departed, for 6th edition of India- Japan Joint Military Exercise DHARMA GUARDIAN. The exercise is scheduled to be conducted in East Fuji Manoeuvre Training area of Japan from 24th February to 9th March 2025. Exercise DHARMA GUARDIAN is an annual event conducted alternatively in India and Japan.
Last edition of the same exercise was conducted in Rajasthan in February- March 2024.
The Indian contingent comprising 120 personnel will be represented mainly by troops from a battalion of the MADRAS Regiment along with troops from others arms and services. The Japan Ground Self Defence Force (JGSDF) contingent, also comprising similar strength,
also comprising similar strength, will be represented by 34th Infantry Regiment.
Aim of the exercise is to enhance interoperability between the two forces while undertaking joint urban warfare and counter-terrorism operations under UN mandate. The exercise will focus on high degree of physical fitness, joint planning and joint tactical drills.
In a historic milestone for India, Desh Ka Prakriti Parikshan Abhiyaan achieved an unprecedented five Guinness World Records, highlighting the nation’s dedication to holistic healthcare and the growing global recognition of Ayurveda. The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM), with the support of the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India,
concluded the closing ceremony marking the completion of the first phase of the ‘desh Ka Prakriti Parikshan Abhiyaan’ at Mumbai.
Five Guinness World Records:
1. The most pledges received for a health campaign in one week: with 6,004,912 pledges, surpassing the minimum requirement of 14,571, setting a new global benchmark as there was no previous record holder.
2. The most pledges received for a health campaign in one month: with 13,892,976 pledges, surpassing the previous record of 58,284 pledges held by Cigna & CMB Life Insurance Company Limited (China) in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
3. The most pledges received for a health campaign: overall with 13,892,976 pledges, surpassing the previous record of 569,057 pledges held by Zifi FDC Limited (India).
4. The largest online photo album of people displaying a digital certificate: with 62,525 photos, breaking the previous record of 29,068 photos held by Accenture Solutions Private Limited (India).
5. The largest online video album of people saying the same sentence: with 12,798 videos, surpassing the previous record of 8,992 videos held by Ghe Bharari, Rahul Kulkarni, and Neelam Edlabadkar (India).
The Guinness World Records adjudicator, Mr. Richard Williams Stenning officially announced the successful completion of all five records.
Former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Shaktikanta Das has been appointed Principal Secretary II to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to a notification issued by the Secretariat of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
Mr. Das served as the Governor of the RBI from 2018-2023,
a crucial period for the Indian economy along with the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. His appointment is being seen as the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) bolstering its financial management expertise in the uncertain geo-economic situation prevailing currently.
A Tamil Nadu cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1980 batch,
Mr. Das will work alongside current Principal Secretary I, P.K. Mishra, who will continue in his post.
Changes in the PMO at this level have been rare under Mr. Modi, with former Principal Secretary I, Nripendra Misra, retiring from that post only after he had served a whole term from 2014-2019.
Mr. P.K. Mishra has been serving as Additional Principal Secretary between 2014-19, and after Mr. Nripendra Misra’s superannuation, as Principal Secretary I.
A 20-year-old college student from India has won the Memory League World Championship. This online competition involves competing against each other, and challenges include memorising the order of 80 random numbers.
According to the Memory League website, Vishvaa Rajakumar is ranked No.1 with a score of 5,000.
He is a student of Puducherry-based ManakulaVinayagar Institute of Technology.
Rajakumar, who memorised 80 numbers in 13.50 seconds and 30 images in 8.40 seconds.
Sunil Bharti Mittal, founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises, was awarded the Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) medal at a special investiture ceremony held at the British High Commissioner's residence in New Delhi.
This honor follows the announcement in 2024 that His Majesty The King had graciously conferred the Honorary Knighthood
upon Mittal for his significant contributions to UK-India business relations, as stated by the British High Commission in New Delhi.
The KBE is one of the highest honors awarded to foreign nationals in recognition of exceptional contributions to various fields, and Mittal’s leadership has undoubtedly had a profound impact on India-UK relations.
The Reserve Bank said it has imposed a penalty of Rs 39 lakh on Citibank N.A. for non-compliance with directions pertaining to large exposures framework and delay in furnishing of credit information to CICs. In a statement, the RBI said the statutory inspection for Supervisory Evaluation of the bank was conducted with reference to its financial position on March 31, 2023.
Based on supervisory findings of non-compliance with RBI directions and related correspondence in that regard, a notice was issued to Citibank N.A. advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed on it for its failure to comply with the said RBI directions.
The RBI also imposed a penalty of Rs 1.50 lakh on JM Financial Home Loans Limited for non-compliance with certain provisions of the 'Non-Banking Financial Company - Housing Finance Company (Reserve Bank) Directions, 2021'.
A penalty of Rs 6.20 lakh has also been imposed on Asirvad Micro Finance Limited for non-compliance with certain provisions.
An Indian biologist and wildlife conservationist has been named by Time Magazine among this year's 'Women of the Year' in a list that honours "extraordinary leaders" working toward a better, more equal world.
Purnima Devi Barman, 45 is the only Indian woman on Time's Women of the Year 2025 list released.
The list of 13 women also includes actor Nicole Kidman and Gisele Pelicot of France who was drugged by her husband and raped by over 70 different men and who became a global icon in the campaign against sexual violence.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the guest of honour at Mauritius' National Day celebrations, his Mauritian counterpart Navin Ramgoolam has announced, calling it a testimony of the close bilateral ties.
Mauritius commemorates its National Day on March 12th every year. The day marks the anniversary of Mauritius's independence from British rule in 1968.
Addressing the National Assembly, Mauritian Prime Minister Ramgoolam said it is indeed a singular privilege for our country to host such a distinguished personality despite his very tight schedule.
President Droupadi Murmu attended Mauritius' National Day celebrations last year 2024 as the chief guest.
Coal India subsidiary South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), under the guidance of the Ministry of Coal, is accelerating efforts to enhance safe and sustainable coal evacuation from its mines through First Mile Connectivity (FMC) projects.
In a significant milestone, SECL's Dipka Megaproject successfully commenced operations by loading the first coal rake from its newly built Rapid Loading System and Silos 3 & 4 on 21st February 2025, marking a major step in boosting eco-friendly and efficient coal transportation.
The newly commissioned Dipka CHP-Silo FMC project has an annual coal evacuation capacity of 25 million tons, significantly improving the dispatch efficiency of the megaproject.
Before the commissioning of the new silo, Dipka relied on a Merry-Go-Round (MGR) dispatch system with a capacity of 15 MTPA.
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has published the latest edition of the Compendium of Datasets and Registries in India, 2024, a key initiative aimed at strengthening data accessibility and informed decision-making. As part of the ongoing modernization of the National Statistical System,
this compendium ensures that government data is easily accessible for policymakers, researchers, academicians, students, analysts, businesses, and the general public.
This comprehensive resource consolidates metadata for approximately 270 datasets and registries sourced from 40 Ministries and Departments of the Government of India, covering sectors,
such as agriculture, health, education, labor, rural development, tourism, social justice, banking, and more. By serving as a one-stop reference, the compendium enables users to explore the availability, scope, and accessibility of government datasets effortlessly.
