The CSIR - Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Jammu, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with M/S HAPICO Industries Private Limited on 20 March 2025 to jointly develop novel biopesticides.
This strategic partnership aims to address the detrimental impact of chemical pesticides on human health and the environment.
Given the rich biodiversity of medicinal and aromatic plants, the collaboration seeks to harness their potential for developing innovative and sustainable biopesticide solutions.
The agreement signing ceremony was jointly organized by the RMBD&IST and FMB Divisions, under the overall supervision of Er Abdul Rahim, Head, RMBD&IST Division, and under the CSIR-IIIM, Jammu.
The General Assembly of the United Nations in its resolution 66/281 of 12 July 2012 proclaimed 20 March the International Day of Happiness, recognizing the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world and the importance of their recognition in public policy objectives.
The resolution was initiated by Bhutan, a country which recognized the value of national happiness over national income since the early 1970s and famously adopted the goal of Gross National Happiness over Gross National Product. It also hosted a High Level Meeting on "Happiness and Well-Being: Defining a New Economic Paradigm" during the sixty-sixth session.
The theme for the International Day of Happiness in 2025 is "Caring and Sharing." This theme highlights that lasting happiness comes from caring for each other, feeling connected, and being part of something bigger.
Hydrologist Günter Blöschl, a pioneer of water engineering, has been awarded the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize, according to a statement by the Prize Committee on March 20, 2025.
Blöschl’s comprehensive database and analysis have revolutionised and deepened the global understanding of flood risk reduction and water resource management.
All this has helped advance knowledge of flood risks under climate change on a global scale, as per the statement.
Professor Günter Blöschl is the world’s leading flood hydrologist. He has made groundbreaking contributions to understanding the drivers of increasing flood risks under climate change coupled to the strong influence of regional flood processes.
French Language Day is annually celebrated on March 20, with this year's festivities set to take place on Wednesday. Established by the United Nations in 2010, the day aims to promote the preservation and revitalization of French language and culture. French is widely spoken, with approximately 120 million speakers across 29 countries, alongside their native languages.
Blöschl is a professor at the Vienna University of Technology, the current head of the Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management at the Vienna University of Technology, as well as the Director of the Doctoral Programme of Water Resources Systems at the Vienna University of Technology, that he founded more than 15 years ago,
and part time professor at the University of Bologna.
His research took him to many international locations, including the US and Canada, and he spent two years in Australia.
He has worked alongside previous prize laureates, Taikan Oki and Andrea Rinaldo.
The Stockholm Water Prize is awarded by the Stockholm Water Foundation in cooperation with the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The Prize will be presented to Blöschl by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, official patron of the Prize, during World Water Week in Stockholm in August.
In addition to French Language Day, the United Nations also obseves the International day of Francophonie on 20th March annually. This is day honors the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperative (ACCT), established in 1970 to promote French language and culture globally.
The 2025 theme of the International Day is “60th anniversary of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms Racial of Discrimination (ICERD)”. On December 21, 1965, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) through Resolution 2106 (XX).
The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on the day the police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid "pass laws" in 1960.
UNESCO first adopted 21 March as World Poetry Day during its 30th General Conference in Paris in 1999, with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.
World Poetry Day is the occasion to honour poets, revive oral traditions of poetry recitals, promote the reading, writing and teaching of poetry, foster the convergence between poetry and other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting, and raise the visibility of poetry in the media.
In December 2011, the General Assembly declared 21 March as World Down Syndrome Day (A/RES/66/149). The General Assembly decided, with effect from 2012, to observe World Down Syndrome Day on 21 March each year. The estimated incidence of Down syndrome is between 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 1,100 live births worldwide.
The theme of World Down Syndrome Day 2025 is "Improve Our Support Systems". The theme calls for the development of stronger community support, family and caregiver support, inclusive education systems, advocacy for inclusion in the workplace, and enhanced access to healthcare for individuals with Down syndrome.
The first World Day for Glaciers, declared by the UN in its resolution A/RES/77/158 along with the International Year of Glaciers 2025, encourage us all to act to preserve the vital role of glaciers in sustaining life on Earth for generations to come.
According to the World Heritage Glaciers: Sentinels of climate change (2022), a report by UNESCO and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), glaciers in one-third of World Heritage glacierized sites are projected to disappear by 2050, regardless of the degree of global temperature increase.
The International Forest Day is celebrated annually on March 21. This year the theme of International Forest Day will focus on "Forest and Food", which highlights the vital role of forests. Forests are the lungs of our earth, absorbing carbon dioxide, releasing oxygen, and sustaining over one third of the biodiversity.
The International Day of Forests was established by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2012. This initiative aims to focus on the vital role of forests in climate regulation, human well-being and biodiversity. Each year, the event follows a specific theme to address current environmental challenges this year.
Every year, March 20 is observed as World Sparrow Day to raise awareness about their dwindling numbers. This day serves as a reminder that even the most common creatures cannot escape extinction.
World Sparrow Day was initiated by "Nature Forever," a bird conservation organization in 2010. The aim was to raise awareness about the declining sparrow population. The event has spread to over 50 countries. The goal is to protect sparrows and stop their decline. In 2012, the house sparrow became Delhi's state bird. Since then, the event has gained global attention.
The Hon’ble Prime Minister of New Zealand, Mr Christopher Luxon, along with RAdm Garin Golding, Chief of Navy, Royal New Zealand Navy (CN-RNZN), visited the latest indigenously built destroyer of the Indian Navy, INS Surat, at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, on 20 Mar 25.
INS Surat, commissioned on 15 Jan 25, is the latest indigenous guided missile destroyer of the Indian Navy. Built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, Mumbai and designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau, the ship is a shining example of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and boasts of an indigenous content of over 75%.
The North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation Ltd. (NEHHDC) under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, has obtained Oeko-Tex certification for eri silk from Germany. Oeko-Tex is a worldwide certification for textiles such as yarns, fabrics, buttons, linens, terry cloth, thread, and other accessory materials.
Obtaining the Oeko-Tex certification is a crucial milestone in enhancing the marketability of eri silk in the global textile industry. The certification ensures international buyers that eri silk meets international safety and quality standards, boosting consumer confidence and facilitating its acceptance in high-end markets.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India, is set to host the third Central Asian Youth Delegation to India from 22nd to 28th March 2025, under the International Youth Exchange Programme (IYEP).
This initiative aims to foster youth collaboration, promote cultural exchange, and strengthen diplomatic ties between India and the five Central Asian nations: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The youth exchange program is in line with the vision articulated during the India-Central Asia Summit in January 2022.
India will host the 11th Asian Swimming Championship at the Naranpura Sports Complex in Ahmedabad. The Swimming Federation of India announced that it has received in-principle approval from both the Gujarat government and Asia Aquatics to organize the championship. The event will take place from October 1 to 15.
The event will take place from October 1 to 15. The championship will feature swimming, diving, artistic swimming, and water polo. Swimmers from Japan and South Korea are expected to compete at the continental meet, marking the event’s first-ever edition in the country. The 10th Asian Age Group Championships in 2019 was the last international swimming event hosted by India.
India's low reliance on external demand is expected to shield the country from US trade policies, Fitch Ratings said Wednesday. While India's economic growth forecast for FY26 is unchanged at 6.5% from the December outlook, the projection for FY27 was revised upwards by 10 basis points to 6.3%.
This fiscal year, India's GDP is anticipated to grow by 6.3%, the global rating agency said. Consumer spending will pick up pace in the coming two fiscals, albeit at a slower pace, it noted. Indian economy gained momentum in the December quarter, expanding 6.2% from a seven-quarter low of 5.6% in the quarter before, led by improved consumer spending.
IDFC FIRST Bank said it has incorporated an “Ace” feature on its mobile banking app that will provide details on more than 2500 mutual funds. This is aimed at promoting ‘do-it-yourself’ investing among its customers.
The private sector bank’s customers can browse through various fund categories (like Equity, Debt, Tax-Saving, Hybrid, and Index funds) and choose the right need-based fund to build a diversified portfolio, per the Bank’s statement.
