Each year on 24 March World commemorate World TB Day to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of TB and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic. The date marks the day in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB, which opened the way towards diagnosing and curing.
This year’s theme, Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver, is a bold call for hope, urgency, and accountability. World leaders at the 2023 UN High-Level Meeting pledged to accelerate efforts to end TB.
Each year, on 24 March, the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims is observed. This annual observance pays tribute to the memory of Monsignor Óscar Arnulfo Romero, who was murdered on 24 March 1980.
On 21 December 2010, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 March as the International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims. The date was chosen because on 24 March 1980, Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero of El Salvador was assassinated, after denouncing violations of human rights.
Every 23 March, the World Meteorological Organization commemorates the coming into force of the Convention establishing the World Meteorological Organization on 23 March 1950. It showcases the essential contribution of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services to the safety and wellbeing of society and is celebrated with activities around the world.
The themes chosen for World Meteorological Day reflect topical weather, climate or water-related issues. The theme for World Meteorological Day 2025 is "Closing the early warning gap together".
The Delhi Legislative Assembly has taken a significant step towards digital governance by signing a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (MoPA), Government of India and Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) for the implementation of the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA).
With this development, Delhi becomes the 28th legislature to sign MoU with the Ministry for implementation of the project, marking a new chapter in its legislative functioning. The NeVA platform is hosted on Meghraj 2.0, India’s cloud infrastructure, ensuring robust scalability, security, and data integrity.
The AGM of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) was held on 22nd March 2025 at the Head Office in New Delhi. The Elections were held successfully for the post of Chairman and Governing Council members. After following due procedure the results were declared and Shri. Ashok Singh Thakur was elected as Chairman for a period of 3 years.
INTACH is India’s premier heritage conservation organisation formally constituted on 27th January, 1984. It is a national registered Society under the Societies Registration Act (1860). The INTACH Charter was adopted in 2004 which serves as a foundation document guiding heritage conservation in India.
The Government of India has withdrawn 20% duty on onion export, effective from 1st April, 2025. A notification to this effect was issued by the Department of Revenue today on the communication of Department of Consumer Affairs.
To ensure domestic availability, the government had taken measures to check export by means of duty, minimum export price (MEP) and even to the extent of export prohibition for almost five months, from 8th December, 2023 till 3rd May, 2024. The export duty of 20% which now stands removed has been in place from 13th September, 2024.
Despite export restriction, the total onion export during FY 2023-24 was 17.17 LMT and FY 2024-25 (till 18th March) was 11.65 LMT. Monthly onion export quantity had picked up from 0.72 LMT in September, 2024 to 1.85 LMT in January, 2025. The modal prices in Lasalgaon and Pimpalgoan on 21st March, 2025 were Rs.1330/qtl and Rs.1325/qtl, respectively.
As per the estimates of Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, rabi production this year at 227 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) is over 18% higher than 192 LMT last year. The rabi onion which accounted for 70-75% of India’s total onion production is crucial for overall availability and stability in prices till the arrival of kharif crop from October/November onward.
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, proudly announced the global resurgence of the traditional Indian Goli Soda, rebranded as Goli Pop Soda.
APEDA facilitated and featured Goli Pop Soda at the International Food & Drink Event (IFE) London 2025, held from 17th-19th March 2025. To commemorate this milestone, APEDA supported the flag-off ceremony organized by ABNN on 4th February 2025, marking the official global launch of Goli Pop Soda.
Vikram Sahu, head of global equity research of Bank of America will take over as the new country executive, India. He will replace Kaku Nakhate, who will complete 15 years as the CEO of Indian operations in June. The appointment will be subject to regulatory approvals.
Sahu will relocate from New York in the second quarter of the calendar year to assume overall leadership of the India franchisee, according to an internal memo issued by Jin Su, president of Asia Pacific.
John Green is best known for young adult novels like The Fault in Our Stars, a best-selling tear-jerker about two teenage cancer patients. Everything Is Tuberculosis is his second nonfiction book. He’s also a video blogger and, with his brother Hank Green, has built a large and devoted following of altruistic fans who call themselves “Nerdfighters.”
Bank of Baroda (BoB) has launched ‘mDigiNext mobile app’ to exclusively cater to the cash management needs of its corporate customers. The bank said the new app will streamline cash management operations and workflows for corporates.
BoB’s dedicated cash management services app offers payment functionalities that help businesses manage their working capital and cash flows, which, in turn, will bring in greater efficiencies and facilitate faster execution and ease of operations, the public sector bank said in a statement.
Further, it will allow accessing to account summaries and mini-statements; viewing a consolidated dashboard of all group entities; and enhanced security with OTP verification and 3-Factor Authentication. The mDigiNext mobile app is currently available on Android and will soon be available on iOS.
The RBI has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs. 36,30,000/- on IDBI Bank Limited in exercise of powers vested in the Reserve Bank under the provisions of Section 11(3) of FEMA, 1999, for not undertaking due diligence while processing the inward remittances from a Foreign Currency Account opened by a constituent, resulting in contravention of Section 10 (4) of FEMA, 1999.
The Reserve Bank of India had issued a Show Cause Notice to the bank, in response to which the bank submitted a written reply and also made oral submissions thereon. After considering the facts of the case and the bank’s reply in the matter, the Reserve Bank of India came to the conclusion that the violations were substantiated and warranted imposition of penalty.
The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs. 36,28,000/- on Citibank N.A. in exercise of powers vested in the Reserve Bank under the provisions of Section 11(3) of FEMA, 1999, for contravention of the directions issued by the Reserve Bank of India related to reporting of transactions undertaken under the Liberalized Remittance Scheme.
The Reserve Bank of India had issued a Show Cause Notice to the bank, in response to which the bank had submitted a written reply and had also made oral submissions during a personal hearing thereon.
The 614th meeting of the Central Board of Directors of Reserve Bank of India was held in Thiruvananthapuram under the Chairmanship of Shri Sanjay Malhotra, Governor.
The Board assessed the emerging global and domestic economic landscape, including the evolving geopolitical and financial market developments and associated challenges. Further, the Board discussed the Reserve Bank’s activities during the current accounting year 2024-25. The Board also approved the Bank’s budget for the accounting year 2025-26.
The Ministry of Coal has launched the 11th round of coal mine auctions for commercial mining on December 05, 2024 marking another significant step in India’s journey towards self-reliance in the coal sector. In the forward auctions, a total of twelve coal mines were successfully auctioned, comprising eight fully explored mines and four partially explored coal mines.
The newly auctioned mines are projected to generate an annual revenue of ~₹3,330 crore (excluding partially explored mines) and attract a capital investment of approximately ₹2,319 crore. Additionally, these mines are expected to create 20,902 employment opportunities, significantly contributing to economic development in coal-bearing regions.
Since the inception of commercial coal mining in 2020, the Ministry of Coal has successfully auctioned a total of 125 coal mines, with a combined production capacity of 273.06 Million Tonnes per year. Production from commercial coal mines have shown significant growth.
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, has successfully exported the first consignment of GI-Tagged Dalle Chilly from Sikkim to the Solomon Islands.
Dalle Chilly, also known as Fire Ball Chilly or Dalle Khursani, is renowned for its intense pungency, bright red color, and high nutritional value. Rich in vitamins A, C, and E, along with potassium, its Scoville Heat Units (SHU) range from 100,000 to 350,000, making it a sought-after spice for both culinary and medicinal applications.
