In a significant boost to India’s agricultural exports, a consignment of 30 metric tons (MT) of GI-tagged jaggery from Muzaffarnagar, a region renowned for its high-quality sugarcane, was flagged off for export to Bangladesh. The flag-off ceremony, organized by the Basmati Export Development Foundation (BEDF) under the aegis of APEDA, took place on January 30, 2025.
This initiative marks the beginning of direct exports of jaggery from western Uttar Pradesh to Bangladesh through Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs). Speaking on the occasion, MLA, Shamli, Shri Prasanna Chaudhary highlighted the superior quality of jaggery produced in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli,
which is in high demand in international markets. He thanked APEDA for its constant support in facilitating the export and emphasized the importance of State Government support in maintaining quality standards for global competitiveness.
The Brijnandan Agro Farmer Producer Company (FPC), formed in 2023, has 545 members, including two women directors.
In a significant step towards enhancing India’s floriculture export potential, particularly from the North Eastern Region (NER), the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), in collaboration with the Department of Horticulture, Government of Mizoram, successfully facilitated the flagging off of the first consignment of Anthurium flowers
from Aizawl, Mizoram, to Singapore. The event, held in a hybrid (phygital) format, took place on February 26, 2025.
The consignment, comprising 1,024 Anthurium cut flowers (weighing 70 kg) packed in 50 corrugated boxes, was exported by IVC Agrovet Pvt. Ltd. from Aizawl, Mizoram, to Singapore via Kolkata.
The flowers were sourced from the Zo Anthurium Growers Cooperative Society, Aizawl, Mizoram, and imported by Veg Pro Singapore Pte. Ltd., marking a milestone in region’s floriculture export journey.
Anthurium is one of the most important flowers cultivated in Mizoram, playing a vital role in driving local economic activity, particularly benefiting farmers, including women.
The flower’s cultivation has been a source of livelihood and empowerment for local communities. Mizoram also organizes the annual “Anthurium Festival,” which promotes tourism and highlights the flower’s beauty and ornamental value.
The first-ever export of Anthurium flowers from Mizoram to Singapore follows the success of the International Conclave cum Buyer-Seller Meet
(IBSM) organized by APEDA in collaboration with the Government of Mizoram on December 6, 2024, in Aizawl. The IBSM witnessed participation from nine international buyers from countries such as Singapore, UAE, Nepal, Jordan, Oman, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Ethiopia, along with 24 domestic exporters.
In the early hours of 21 Mar 25, the Indian Navy successfully carried out a critical Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) operation from MV Heilan Star, a Panama-flagged bulk carrier, located about 230 nautical miles West of Goa. On the night of 20/21 Mar 25, the Indian Coast Guard's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre(MRCC) at Mumbai informed the Indian Navy of four crew members
In the early hours of 21 Mar 25, the Indian Navy successfully carried out a critical Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) operation from MV Heilan Star, a Panama-flagged bulk carrier, located about 230 nautical miles West of Goa. On the night of 20/21 Mar 25, the Indian Coast Guard's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre(MRCC) at Mumbai informed the Indian Navy of four crew members
members of MV Heilan Star having sustained severe burn injuries and requiring immediate advanced medical care. Responding swiftly, the Navy diverted two ships, INS Vikrant and Deepak, from their ongoing deployment to render aid. At first light on 21 Mar 25, a Seaking helicopter from Vikrant carried out a challenging winching operation,
to evacuate three injured crew - two Chinese and one Indonesian nationals, from MV Heilan Star. The fourth crew had, sadly, already succumbed to injuries. The rescued crew were immediately flown to INS Hansa, Goa, from where they transferred to a civil hospital for further medical care.This operation underscores the Indian Navy's and the Indian Coast Guard’s unwavering
commitment to life-saving efforts and swift response to humanitarian assistance, despite challenging circumstances, even beyond national maritime boundaries.
In a significant move to enhance disaster resilience and emergency communication, Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the Telecom R&D centre of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India, has signed an agreement with Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) for the development of a,
“Generative AI-Enhanced Chatbot for Customer Support in Disaster Early Warning and Emergency Communication”.
This initiative aligns with the broader vision of enabling automated and reliable communication services and strengthening India's disaster preparedness infrastructure.
The AI-powered chatbot will provide real-time multilingual assistance to disaster managers, first responders, and affected communities by leveraging advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP), Text-to-Speech (TTS), Speech-to-Text (STT), and Image Processing techniques.
It will integrate with 3GPP-compliant emergency communication protocols to ensure seamless coordination during crises. Additionally, the solution will be fully on-premise, ensuring cybersecurity compliance, data privacy, and high availability for mission-critical applications.
The solution will be integrated with the existing Disaster Management System of NDMA developed by C-DOT to enhance the capability of the platform.
The Ministry of Jal Shakti, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change and the Government of Haryana, is set to launch the much-anticipated Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain - 2025 on 22nd March 2025, World water day. The event, which will take place at the Multipurpose Hall, Tau Devi Lal Stadium, Panchkula, Haryana,
aims to emphasize water conservation and management through community participation and innovative strategies.
Coal India subsidiary, South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) has achieved a significant milestone with its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, ‘SECL Ke Sushrut,’ becoming the first and only CSR scheme of any coal PSU under the Ministry of Coal to be listed on the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) portal of the Government of India.
The DBT initiative, launched by the Government of India, aims to reform the delivery of benefits and subsidies by directly transferring funds to beneficiaries' bank accounts, minimizing leakages, and ensuring effective utilization of resources. At present, the DBT portal features approximately 325 schemes from 55 ministries, covering diverse sectors such as health,
education, agriculture, and social welfare.
Started in 2023, ‘SECL Ke Sushrut’ is a flagship educational initiative under SECL’s CSR programs, designed to provide free medical coaching to 40 students preparing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
The scheme aims to support meritorious and underprivileged students from the coal belt regions of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, equipping them with the necessary resources and guidance to pursue careers in the medical field.
Anuj Kumar Singh, IRSEE (2009), has been appointed as Joint Secretary (Director level) in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Delhi, under the Central Staffing Scheme for a tenure of five years or until further orders. Recommended for Central deputation by the Ministry of Railways, he is to take charge of his new role immediately.
From the 2009 batch, Mr Singh is an Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineer officer. The Ministry of Railways suggested his Central deputation nomination.
With a strong background in the railway sector, Singh brings extensive administrative and technical expertise.
The government has approved the appointment of Rahul Bhave as Managing Director and CEO of financial institution IFCI. Bhave, serving as Deputy Managing Director, has been appointed as MD and CEO for three years from the date of taking over, a government order said.
The appointment has been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), headed by the PM.
The Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) was set up by the government on July 1, 1948, as the first development financial institution in the country.
The finance ministry, in November 2024, in principle approved the 'Consolidation of IFCI Group', which entails the merger/amalgamation of IFCI Ltd and StockHolding Corporation of India Ltd and other group companies.
As per the proposal, StockHolding Corporation of India Ltd, IFCI Factors Ltd, IFCI Infrastructure Development Ltd, and IIDL Realtors Ltd will merge with IFCI Ltd.
Further, StockHolding Services Ltd, IFCI Financial Services Ltd, IFIN Commodities Ltd, and IFIN Credit Ltd will be merged into a single entity, which will be a direct subsidiary of the consolidated listed entity.
India has achieved a momentous milestone in coal production, surpassing one billion tonnes (BT) on March 20, 2025, in the fiscal year 2024-25. This remarkable achievement comes 11 days ahead of last fiscal year's coal production of 997.83 million tonnes (MT), underscoring India’s significant progress in ensuring its energy demands and driving industrial, agricultural,
driving industrial, agricultural, and overall economic growth.
India relies on coal for approximately 55% of its energy mix, and around 74% of the country’s electricity is generated by coal-based power plants. This underscores the critical importance of coal in powering India’s economy and sustaining energy security.
The coal sector’s success is attributed to the tireless efforts of Coal Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), private players, and the dedicated workforce of around 5 lakh mine workers across more than 350 coal mines. These coal miners, who have defied numerous challenges with unmatched dedication, have played a pivotal role in achieving this historic milestone.
World Water Day celebrates water and inspires action to tackle the global water crisis. A core focus of World Water Day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
World Water Day is an annual United Nations Observance – held on 22 March – focusing on the importance of freshwater,
coordinated by UN-Water and led by one or more UN-Water Members and Partners with a related mandate.
The theme of World Water Day 2025 is ‘Glacier Preservation’.
World Water Day, held on 22 March every year since 1993, is an annual United Nations Observance.
HDFC Bank has launched Diplomat or Embassy Fixed Deposit. This fixed deposit is for certain specific customers. The newly fixed deposits follow strict guidelines regarding who can invest in it, tenure of fixed deposits, minimum fixed deposit amounts, renewals, interest rates, and premature withdrawals.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said it has imposed a penalty of Rs 36.28 lakh on Citibank N.A. for contravention of the directions related to reporting of transactions undertaken under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme. In another release, it said penalty of Rs 36.30 lakh has been imposed on IDBI Bank Ltd,
for not undertaking due-diligence while processing the inward remittances from a foreign currency account opened by a constituent.
In both cases, the RBI said the penalties are based on the deficiencies in regulatory compliance and not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the banks with their customers.
