Bisleri International Pvt. Ltd. has announced a strategic partnership by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) under their 'Adopt a Heritage 2.0 Programme'. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was formally signed by Zulfeqar Ali, Director of ASI, Ministry of Culture, and Angelo George, CEO of Bisleri International.
The MoU was then exchanged between Yadubir Singh Rawat, Director General of ASI, and George. This association marks a crucial step towards combining heritage conservation with sustainable water management.
The partnership will be taken under Archaeological Survey of India's 'Adopt a Heritage 2.0 Programme' and Bisleri's CSR initiative 'Nayi Umeed' and,
start with adoption of four historic water bodies namely Chand Baori in Abhaneri, Baori at Neemrana, Padma and Rani Talabs at Ranthambore Fort and Budha Budhi Pond at Kalinjar Fort. These historically significant water bodies will undergo extensive efforts, including desilting, cleaning, ecological revival, and landscaping.
The rejuvenation project will be implemented in phases, ensuring minimal disruption while prioritizing the integrity of these historical sites. Additionally, informative signages will be installed to enhance both tourism and local community engagement.
Through this partnership, Bisleri aims to make a lasting impact on India's heritage sites,
ensuring they remain preserved for centuries to come. This initiative also marks the company's ongoing efforts to engage in social responsibility projects that align with environmental and cultural conservation goals.
With a legacy of over 54 years, Bisleri International Pvt. Ltd. has grown to become one of the largest premium beverage businesses in India.
Capital markets regulator Sebi has imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh on Axis Securities for flouting stock brokers rules as well as other regulatory norms.
The penalty has to be paid by the brokerage firm within 45 days, the regulator said in an order.
Sebi found that Axis Securities failed to follow regulatory procedures in several areas,
including reporting discrepancies and improper handling of client funds.
The market regulator found that Axis Securities had inconsistencies in its enhanced supervision reporting to stock exchanges and in stock statements compared to actual holdings in depository accounts.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) also observed that Axis Securities also did not settle clients' funds and securities as per preference obtained from the clients and also failed to provide retention statements with account details.
Additionally, the brokerage firm passed on penalties imposed by stock exchanges on it for short collection of upfront/non upfront margin to its clients, Sebi said.
The markets watchdog noted that the brokerage firm had transferred securities of clients with credit balances to a "client unpaid securities account" and did not properly address customer grievances.
India’s central bank plans to inject $10 billion through a foreign exchange swap as it ramps up efforts to tackle a cash crunch in the banking system.
The three-year swap auction will be held on Feb. 28, the Reserve Bank of India said.
The swap entails the central bank purchasing dollars from banks against the rupee while contracting to sell the greenback at a future date.
When the central bank buys dollars, it injects an equivalent quantum of rupee liquidity.
This is the second such swap in recent weeks as the monetary authority tries to curb a liquidity deficit in the banking system that currently stands at around two trillion rupees. Late last month(JAN), it injected $5 billion via a six-month foreign-exchange swap.
The forex swap is in addition to open market bond purchases as well as longer-term variable repo auctions which the central bank has been deploying to add cash in the banking system.
Renowned Odissi dancer Mayadhar Raut (92) died on February 22, 2025 at his Delhi home.
The Padma Shri awardee, born on July 6, 1933 in Odisha, is considered the "Father of Odissi dance", having steered the revival of Odissi in 1950s with Shastra-based knowledge.
Raut was a founding member of Kala Vikas Kendra in Cuttack in 1952; it was the first institute in India where Odissi was taught.
Along with his colleagues, he founded Jayantika Association in 1959, to work on the codification and development of Odissi dance and provide it with classical frameworks and built its vocabulary, incorporating basic sciences of 'Abhinaya'.
Raut is credited to have introduced 'Sanchari Bhava', 'Mudra Viniyoga', and 'Rasa Theory' in the study of Odissi.
He was also the first guru to choreograph Gitagovinda Ashtapadis with Shringara Rasa, including compositions like Pashyati Dishi Dishi, Priya Charu Shile and Sakhi.
From 1970 to 1995, Raut headed the Odissi department at Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra.
The Income Tax Department has introduced an online self-help tool to assist taxpayers in understanding the changes proposed in the Income Tax Bill 2025. This tool, available on the official income tax department's website, allows taxpayers to compare the provisions of the new bill with those of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
The comparison tool enables taxpayers to choose a specific section from the current Income Tax Act using a dropdown menu. Upon selection, the corresponding clause from the new Income Tax Bill will be displayed on the right-hand side. To enhance clarity, the mapping can also be presented in a table format.
The New Income Tax Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on February 13, 2025, with the objective of simplifying the complex Income Tax Act of 1961. Over the years, the Act has undergone numerous modifications, with annual updates through the Union Budget.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a contract with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bengaluru for the procurement of 149 Software Defined Radios for the Indian Coast Guard at a total cost of Rs 1220.12 crore under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category, the Ministry said.
As per the ministry release, these state-of-the-art radios will enable secure and reliable information sharing, collaboration, and situational awareness through high-speed data and secure voice communication.
The project is a strategic step toward bolstering the Coast Guard's operational capabilities and supporting the Government of India's Blue Economy objectives by,
reinforcing maritime security.
Aligning with the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, the contract will enhance the country's manufacturing capabilities for advanced military-grade communication systems, generating employment opportunities and fostering expertise development, it further mentioned.
India will host the 12th Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum in Asia and the Pacific. The Forum will take place at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur on 3-5 March 2025. The event will centre on the theme of "Realizing Circular Societies Towards Achieving SDGs and Carbon Neutrality in Asia-Pacific.
The Forum will host an international ‘3R trade and technology exhibition’, providing a platform for over 40 Indian and Japanese businesses and start-ups to showcase best practices, ideas and solutions that support circularity and 3R principles while encouraging cross-learning.
Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal informed that ‘Waste-to-wealth initiatives by NGOs and Self-help Groups across India will also be showcased at the Forum promoting sustainability-driven entrepreneurship and community engagement.
Launched by UNCRD in 2009, the Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum aims to provide strategic policy inputs to government authorities ,
in the Asia-Pacific region for mainstreaming 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) and circularity and serve as a platform for disseminating and sharing best practices in 3R. The last Forum was hosted in 2023 by Cambodia. India has previously hosted the Forum in 2018, when the 8th edition was held in Indore.
The 12th Regional Forum is being spearheaded by the Swachh Bharat Mission- Urban of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in collaboration with Japan’s Ministry of the Environment, UN ESCAP, UNCRD, UNDSDG, and UNDESA, with support from the Government of Rajasthan.
Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI), a Navratna CPSU under the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Madhya Pradesh for setting up 200 MW Solar Project in Dhar under the CPSU Scheme and a 1000 MWh Battery Storage Project in the state.
The MoU was signed at the two-day Global Investors Summit 2025 ongoing at Bhopal from 24th to 25th February 2025.
The 200 MW Solar Project is part of a 500 MW Agreement which was executed in 2023 with MP Power Management Company Limited (MPPMCL) for a period of 25 years under which SECI will supply the electricity to the state.
Prakriti 2025 (Promoting Resilience, Awareness, Knowledge, and Resources for Integrating Transformational Initiatives), the international conference on carbon markets, was organised in New Delhi. The conference aimed to promote resilience, awareness, knowledge, and resources for integrating transformational climate initiatives.
Prakriti 2025 provided a high-level platform for national and international experts, policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, and practitioners to engage in discussions and exchange ideas on the global carbon market’s current trends, challenges, and future directions.
The International Conference on Carbon Markets – PRAKRITI 2025, organized by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the Ministry of Power, brought together global leaders and experts from various sectors to discuss and explore innovative approaches in addressing climate change through carbon markets.
Indian squash player Saurav Ghosal clinched the PSA Challenger title at the Octane Sydney Classic, in Australia. He defeated Abdelrahman Nassar of Egypt in straight games 3-0 in the final clash.
Ghosal registered two straight game victories against Kijan Sultana of Malta and Minwoo Lee of South Korea in the first and second rounds, respectively.
Former World No. 10 Ghosal announced his retirement from the sport in April last year(2024), but he changed his mind earlier this year and decided to give the game another shot.
Indian cricketer Virat Kohli has created history as he became the quickest batter to score 14,000 runs in One-Day Internationals during the ICC Champions Trophy clash against Pakistan in Dubai. Kohli is the quickest ever to the milestone, having completed his 14,000 ODI runs in 287 innings.
Kohli is now only the third batter in ODI cricket to have scored 14,000 runs, after the legendary Indian Sachin Tendulkar and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara. Kohli already holds the record for scoring the most ODI centuries (50).
Kohli had gone past former captain Mohammad Azharuddin’s record of most catches by any Indian fielder when he took his 157th catch.
Azharuddin had taken 156 catches for India between 1985 and 2000.
The All-India Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourers (CPI-AL) for January this year eased to 4.61 per cent as compared to 7.52 per cent in the same month the previous year2024. According to the data released by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Rural Labourers (CPI-RL) eased to 4.73 percent for January 2025 as compared to 7.37 percent in corresponding of 2024.
The data showed that sub-indices including Pan, Supari, Fuel and Light, Clothing, Bedding, and Footwear and miscellaneous registered marginal rise, while Food witnessed decline during January as compared to the previous month, for both agricultural and rural labourers.
Reserve Bank has been conducting Financial Literacy Week (FLW) every year since 2016 to promote financial literacy. Governor Shri Sanjay Malhotra launched the tenth edition of Financial Literacy Week (FLW) 2025 and the theme for the current year is Financial Literacy: Women’s Prosperity".
The FLW 2025 will be observed between February 24 and 28, 2025.
Speaking at the launch, the Governor, Shri Malhotra underlined the need for empowering women to enhance their participation in driving inclusive and sustained economic growth of our country. He urged banks to use all available channels to continue to promote financial literacy, particularly among women.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has, by an order dated February 18, 2025, imposed a monetary penalty of Rs. 50,000/- (Rupees Fifty thousand only) on The Gulbarga and Yadgir District Co-operative Central Bank Ltd., Karnataka (the bank) for non-compliance with certain directions issued by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD),
in exercise of powers conferred under Section 27(3) read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (BR Act) on ‘Offsite Surveillance System-Revision of Due dates for Submission of OSS/FMS Returns’. This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers conferred on RBI under the provisions of Section 47A(1)(c) read with Sections 46(4)(i) and 56 of the BR Act.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has, by an order dated February 18, 2025, imposed a monetary penalty of Rs. 50,000/- (Rupees Fifty Thousand only) on The Guntur District Co-operative Central Bank Ltd., Andhra Pradesh (the bank) for contravention of provisions of Section 31 read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (BR Act).
Reserve Bank of India on February 13, 2025 had imposed All Inclusive Directions (AID) on New India Co-operative Bank Limited, Mumbai and the bank was directed not to allow withdrawal of any amount from savings bank or current accounts or any other account of a depositor.
The Reserve Bank subsequently superseded the bank’s Board and appointed an Administrator and a Committee of Advisors (CoA) as announced on Feb,14, 2025.
The Reserve Bank, after reviewing the bank’s liquidity position in consultation with the Administrator, has decided to allow a deposit withdrawal of upto Rs. 25,000 per depositor, with effect from Feb 27, 2025.
With above relaxation more than 50 per cent of the total depositors will be able to withdraw their entire balances and the remaining depositors can draw upto Rs. 25,000 from their deposit accounts.
The depositors may use the branch as well as ATM channel of the bank for this withdrawal, however, aggregate amount that can be withdrawn will be ₹25,000 per depositor or the balance available in their account whichever is lower.
Basis a review, the Reserve Bank has also reconstituted the Committee of Advisors (CoA) to the Administrator effective, from February 25, 2025.
The CoA shall now consists of-
Shri Ravindra Sapra, former General Manager, State Bank of India
Shri Ravindra Tukaram Chavan, former Deputy CGM, Saraswat Co-operative Bank Ltd.
Shri Anand M Golas, Chartered Accountant
There is no change in the Administrator (Shri Shreekant).
