Co-hosted by the Government of India and UN Women, a Ministerial Roundtable was organised along the sidelines of the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women on 12th March, 2025 at UN Headquarters in New York. The Roundtable spotlighted the critical importance of digital and financial inclusion to women’s empowerment and leadership.
The event provided a global platform for experience sharing on emerging issues and strategies to implement the 12 critical areas of concern in the Beijing Platform for Action, through two Ministerial Roundtables on interconnected themes of: “Digital Public Infrastructure to accelerate women-led development ” and “Financing inclusion – Criticality of Core Resources.”
The roundtable witnessed active participation from Ministers from Indonesia, Morocco, Australia, Panama, and Qatar, who shared their respective nations’ experiences and perspectives on advancing women’s rights.
The India-Bangladesh Naval Exercise Bongosagar 2025 and Coordinated Patrol was conducted in Bay of Bengal this week. The exercise saw participation of INS Ranvir from Indian Navy and BNS Abu Ubaidah from Bangladesh Navy. The exercise enhanced interoperability between the two navies, facilitating collaborative responses to shared maritime security challenges.
The exercise involved a range of complex operations encompassing surface firing, tactical manoeuvres, underway replenishment, Visit- Board-Search- Seizure (VBSS) cross boarding, communication drills, quiz for Ops team and Junior officers on professional topics and steam past.
The 1st Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting on Agriculture was held between India and Chile on 12th March 2025 in virtualmode. The meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Ajeet Kumar Sahu, Joint Secretary (IC), Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfares and Mr. Gabriel Layseca, Director of the Department of International Affairs, Bureau of Agricultural Studies and Policies (ODEPA).
Both countries, with their rich experience in agriculture, have the potential to complement each other in boosting agricultural productivity, promoting rural development, and improving farmers' welfare.
The 353rd Governing Body meeting of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is being held in Geneva, Switzerland, from March 10 to March 20, 2025. The meeting brings together the tripartite constituents of ILO i.e. representatives from governments, workers, and employers, to discuss crucial matters relating to the world of work and the governance of ILO.
India extended its support to ILO on the organization of the UN led Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, Qatar later this year, as it aims at reinforcing the social dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Social Development.
India’s inspiring progress in promoting social justice and development was highlighted, as India has doubled its social protection coverage to 48.8 percent, increasing the average global social protection coverage by over 5 percent.
On March 14, 2025, ISRO successfully conducted the flight acceptance hot testing of the cryogenic engine identified for the sixth operational mission of LVM3 launch vehicle (LVM-M6) at ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC), Mahendragiri. Cryogenic engines for every mission undergo hot testing as part of its acceptance for the flight.
Hot tests for the indigenous cryogenic engine (CE20)used in the Cryogenic Upper Stage of LVM3 were so far performed at the High-Altitude Test (HAT) facility at IPRC, where vacuum conditions are simulated with complex installations, limiting the maximum hot test duration to 25s.
In the current test, the engine was tested for a longer duration of 100s for the first time using an innovative Nozzle Protection System under non-vacuum conditions. This test method significantly reduces the setup time and effort required for the flight acceptance testing of a cryogenic engine, which in turn helps faster delivery of cryogenic stages for space missions.
SpaceX and NASA have launched a mission to bring back US astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station (ISS), where they have been stranded for nine months. The lift-off took place last night with a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon spacecraft on the Crew-10 mission.
The mission also launched four crew members to the ISS: NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos wcosmonaut Kirill Peskov to the International Space Station.
Tata Communications today announced the appointment of N Ganapathy Subramaniam (NGS) as the chairman of the board of directors of the company. His appointment is effective March 14, 2025. NGS has been part of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the IT major, for 40 years. He stepped down from TCS in May 2024 as the chief operating officer and executive director.
India will be the world's third-largest economy by 2028 as it becomes the world's most sought-after consumer market and gains share in global output, driven by macro stability influenced policy and better infrastructure, Morgan Stanley said. In 2028, India will overtake Germany as its economy will expand to $5.7 trillion.
From a $3.5 trillion economy in 2023, the Indian economy is projected to expand to $4.7 trillion in 2026, which will make it the fourth largest in the world behind the US, China and Germany. According to Morgan Stanley, India was the 12th largest economy in the world in 1990, slipped to 13th position in 2000 before rising to 9th rank in 2020 and 5th in 2023.
It projects three scenarios for India's growth - Bear - where the economy expands to $6.6 trillion by 2035 from $3.65 trillion in 2025, Base - where it grows to $8.8 trillion and Bull - where the size balloons to $10.3 trillion. Morgan Stanley expected inflation will be 4.3 per cent year-on-year in FY2026-27, lower than 4.9 per cent in FY2025.
Consumer price index (CPI) or retail inflation is likely to undershoot the Reserve Bank's target in the January-March 2025 quarter, opening more policy space for easing the policy rate, Bank of Baroda said. India's retail inflation significantly improved in February 2025, as the year-on-year Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate stood at 3.61 percent.
The retail inflation print fell below 4 per cent in February for the first time in six months, mainly due to a decline in vegetable prices. The sharp decline in inflation in February, particularly in food categories, was largely attributed to falling prices in key items like vegetables, eggs, meat and fish, pulses, and milk products.
Yes Bank on Friday announced the launch of its Goods and Services Tax (GST) payment facility, strengthening its digital banking offers. The facility enables corporates and sole proprietor businesses to meet their tax obligations securely in lesser time using the bank's Retail and Corporate Internet Banking platforms, as well as any of its extensive branch network.
Taxpayers, through this integration, can now generate GST challans on the official GST portal (www.gst.gov.in) and pay GST by either selecting Yes Bank NetBanking for instant online payments, ensuring real-time confirmations and downloadable e-challans or select ‘Over the Counter’ payment option for tax payments across the Bank’s extensive branch network.
Continuing its leadership in the gold loan sector, Muthoot Finance has surpassed ₹1 lakh crore in gold loan AUM as of March 14, 2025. The achievement comes amid a strong demand for gold loans, as credit availability from other sources, including fintech lending, unsecured loans, and microfinance, has moderated in recent months, said a press release.
The company also reported a 33 per cent rise in net profit in Q3 FY25 to ₹1,363 crore, while net interest income surged 42.8 per cent to ₹2,721.4 crore. It has strengthened its customer base by adding 1.37 million new customers in the last nine months.
Infibeam Avenues Ltd’s flagship payment gateway brand, CCAvenue, has partnered with The Sutex Co-operative Bank Ltd to help bolster the bank’s net banking facility. The new collaboration will enable Sutex Co-operative Bank Ltd to route secure direct debit digital payments to its merchants, including multi-currency payments, simplifying transactions.
The Sutex Co-operative Bank was initially founded with the noble purpose of helping Surat Textile Market shopkeepers with banking facilities and assisting them in starting and managing their businesses, the release added.
World Consumer Rights Day, observed annually on March 15, serves as an essential reminder of the need to uphold consumer rights and protection. The day is an opportunity to promote the basic rights of all consumers and encourage those rights to be respected and protected. World Consumer Rights Day was first observed in 1983.
The theme for World Consumer Rights Day 2025 is, ‘A Just Transition to Sustainable Lifestyles.’ As India observes World Consumer Rights Day 2025, the focus remains on ensuring a safer, more transparent, and consumer-friendly economy.
