Union Minister Shri Sarbananda Sonowal launched a series of major initiatives of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) aimed at modernising India’s maritime infrastructure, strengthening its global trade presence, and to promote sustainability. These initiatives were launched during a stakeholder meeting in Mumbai,
to discuss on various possibilities from the major announcements made in the Union Budget for the maritime sector.
Union Minister Shri Sarbananda Sonowal launched the ‘One Nation-One Port Process (ONOP)’ an initiative to standardise and streamline operations across India’s major ports.
The step aims at removing inconsistencies in documentation and processes that led to inefficiencies, increased costs, and operational delays.
Shri Sarbananda Sonowal also launched Sagar Ankalan — the Logistics Port Performance Index (LPPI) for FY 2023-24, as a significant step towards enhancing efficiency and global competitiveness in India’s maritime sector.
Shri Sarbananda Sonowal also launched Bharat Global Ports Consortium to Strengthen global trade by expanding India’s maritime reach and enhance global trade resilience; and MAITRI logo (Master Application for International Trade and Regulatory Interface) with an aim to streamline trade processes, reduce bureaucratic redundancies and expedite clearances,
reinforcing India’s commitment to ease of doing business.
The Union Minister also launched the National Centre of Excellence in Green Port and Shipping (NCoEGPS) website. It is a significant milestone in advancing sustainability in the maritime sector. This platform will offer insights and best practices for green port and shipping operations,
focusing on carbon footprint reduction, cleaner fuels, and eco-friendly port management to drive a more sustainable future.
The Union Minister also announced the India Maritime Week to be held from 27th to 31st of October, 2025 in Mumbai with a view to celebrate country’s ‘Maritime Virasat’ and ‘Maritime Vikaas’ ,
a bi-annual global maritime gathering that will be one of the largest in the world. The week will host 4th edition of Global Maritime India Summit (GMIS), 2nd edition of Sagarmanthan among others. At the India Maritime Week, ‘representation from 100 countries and 100,000 delegates are expected to participate’, Sonowal said.
Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, inaugurated ‘Bharat Calling Conference 2025’ organized by IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Mumbai. The Union Minister was the keynote speaker in the conference on the theme ‘Path to Viksit Bharat 2047: Pioneering Prosperity for All’.
The conference highlights how India stands at the forefront of global economic growth, offering unparalleled opportunities for investment across diverse sectors.
With a robust and resilient economy, a large and dynamic consumer market and a Government committed to fostering business-friendly policies, India is poised to become one of world’s leading investment destination.
National Science Day is celebrated every year on 28th February to commemorate the discovery of the ‘Raman Effect’ made by the eminent physicist Sir C.V. Raman while working in the laboratory of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata. For this discovery, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1930.
On National Science Day, theme-based science communication activities are carried out all over the country. The first celebration took place on February 28, 1987, marking the beginning of a tradition that continues to inspire generations. The theme for this year is "Empowering Indian Youth for Global Leadership in Science & Innovation for VIKSIT BHARAT."
The 112th meeting of the Executive Committee (EC) of the Central Board of Trustees, EPF, was chaired by Ms. Sumita Dawra, Secretary (Ministry of Labour and Employment), at the EPFO Head Office in New Delhi on February 25, 2025. Shri Ramesh Krishnamurthi, CPFC, along with other senior officials from the Ministry of Labour and Employment and,
and representatives of employers and employees, also attended the meeting. Key agenda items discussed included:
Adoption of the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) for EPFO Officers and Staff.
Updates on the Centralized Pension Payment System (CPPS)
Centralized IT-Enabled System (CITES 2.01) & EPFO 3.0
Pension on Higher Wages (PoHW)
EPFO reaffirmed its commitment to digital transformation and member-centric reforms, ensuring faster claim settlements, seamless pension disbursements, and improved service delivery for its members. EC decided to meet again within a month to review progress.
Muthoot Finance said it has received approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to open 115 new branches.
The central bank also instructed Muthoot Finance to ensure adequate security arrangements and proper storage facilities for gold jewellery, including safe deposit vaults, in compliance with existing regulations.
The gold loan-focused NBFC reported a nearly 26% year-on-year (YoY) growth in its net profit for the third quarter ended December at Rs 1,389.18 crore, compared to the Rs 1,103.52 crore profit reported in Q3 of the previous financial year.
Muthoot Finance reported its highest-ever consolidated loan assets under management (AUM) at Rs 1.11 lakh crore as of December 31, 2024. During the quarter, gold loan assets increased by Rs 6,800 crore, while consolidated loan AUM grew by 7% sequentially and 34% YoY to Rs 1,11,308 crore.
Paytm has announced a strategic partnership with artificial intelligence (AI) startup Perplexity to integrate AI-driven search capabilities into its app. This collaboration aims to enhance financial literacy and accessibility, enabling users to explore financial topics in regional languages and make well-informed decisions.
With Perplexity’s AI technology, Paytm users can now ask real-time financial questions, receive trusted insights, and navigate complex financial concepts with ease. The integration marks a significant step forward in AI-driven digital finance, offering personalized and seamless access to knowledge.
As AI continues to reshape digital finance, this partnership underscores Paytm’s commitment to leveraging next-gen technology to enhance user experience, promote financial literacy, and drive greater financial inclusion across India.
Founder & CEO of Paytm, Vijay Shekhar Sharma.
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh released the first edition of Ministry of Defence’s bi-annual Hindi magazine ‘Sashakt Bharat’ at South Block, New Delhi on February 27, 2025. The magazine comprises poems on the valour, patriotism and sacrifices of the Armed Forces personnel as well as articles on the policies of the Government written by the personnel of the Ministry,
irrespective of their ranks, showcasing inclusivity and unity in diversity.
The objective of ‘Sashakt Bharat’ magazine is to highlight the creative talent of the employees of MoD and encourage them to carry out their day-to-day activities in Hindi.
In a major development under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Cali Fund for the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits from the use of Digital Sequence Information on Genetic Resources (DSI) — the Cali Fund’– which will receive contributions from private sector entities making commercial use of DSI, launched in Rome in the margins of the second day,
of the resumed session of COP 16 of the CBD at the Headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The Cali Fund will mobilize new streams of funding for biodiversity action worldwide, in support of the three objectives of the CBD: the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components,
and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. Recognizing their role and contributions as custodians of biodiversity, 50 per cent of the resources of the Cali Fund will be allocated to the self-identified needs of indigenous peoples and local communities, including women and youth.
In line with decision 16/2, which Parties to the CBD adopted on 2 November 2024 at COP 16 in Colombia, the Cali Fund will be hosted by the Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTFO) in a partnership between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),
and with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) hosting the Cali Fund Secretariat. A Memorandum of Understanding reflecting this institutional arrangement was signed during the launch ceremony.
About the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
Established in 1992, the CBD is an international treaty for the conservation of biodiversity,
the sustainable use of the components of biodiversity, and the equitable sharing of the benefits derived from the use of genetic resources.
The Cartagena Protocol to the CBD that entered into force in 2003 and currently having 173 Parties aims to safeguard biological diversity from potential risks posed by genetically modified organisms (GMOs) resulting from biotechnology.
Tata AIA Life Insurance has introduced a fund for long-term wealth growth for people planning retirement, it said.
The fund gives policyholders an opportunity to invest in high-growth potential companies that align with the Multicap Momentum Quality 50 Index. Multicap Momentum Quality Index Pension Fund is open for subscription and will close on February 28.
Fund’s features
Long-term capital growth: Invests in high-quality stocks with strong growth momentum.
Smart diversification: Balances exposure across large, mid, and smallcap stocks for optimal returns.
Risk-optimised investing: Uses momentum and quality-based selection to ensure portfolio stability.
Convenient investment options: Available through Tata AIA’s Smart Pension Secure plan.
Tax benefits: Tax savings under section 80CCC and 60 per cent tax-free lump sum at maturity.
Digital accessibility: Online investment available at Tata AIA’s website, Policybazaar, Tata Neu, and PhonePe.
Amazon.com Inc.’s cloud unit has built its first quantum-computing chip, joining a growing roster of technology companies showing off futuristic hardware.
Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Microsoft Corp. in the last two months have announced their own quantum hardware, suggesting that the powerful form of computing — currently relegated to science experiments —
may solve real problems in the coming years. Others say useful quantum computers, which might enable advances in chemistry or health care, are more than a decade away.
Amazon Web Services’ new Ocelot chip, developed by a team working at the California Institute of Technology, comprises two tiny squares of silicon stacked on top of each other.
The name is a play on words, referring to oscillators, which generate periodic electric signals, including in the prototype hardware Amazon developed.
Bits, the foundational units of computing, store information represented by a one or a zero. Quantum computers use quantum bits, or qubits, which reflect the probability of a one or a zero and,
can appear as both simultaneously. That makes quantum computers able to consider more possibilities exponentially faster than a traditional computer.
Each Ocelot chip contains five qubits that store data, circuits for stabilizing them and four additional qubits to detect errors on the data qubits.
