The 97th Academy Awards was held on March 2, 2025, celebrating filmmaking. Hosted by Conan O'Brien, the ceremony honoured films that captivated audiences worldwide, from epic blockbusters to intimate dramas. Let's look at the highlights of the event which marked a memorable night in Hollywood.
Sean Baker was awarded Best Director for 'Anora', which make it his third Oscar win. Adrien Broday secured his second oscar for best actor for his powerful performance in "The Brutalist" directed by Brady Corbet. Mikey Madison won best actress for her role in "Anora".
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, approved the Vibrant Villages Programme -II (VVP-II) as a Central Sector Scheme (100% Centre funding), furthering its commitment for the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047 for ‘Safe, Secured & Vibrant land borders’.
With a total outlay of Rs.6,839 crore, the programme shall be implemented in select strategic villages in the States/UTs of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, J&K (UT), Ladakh (UT), Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal till the FY 2028-29.
The programme emphasizes enhancing vibrancy in these villages by organizing activities including fairs & festivals, awareness camps, celebration of National days, regular visits by Ministers, senior Government officers from Central and State/UT Government & night stays in such villages.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved Four projects of Ministry of Railways with total cost of Rs. 18,658 crore (approx.). The Four projects covering 15 Districts in 3 States i.e., Maharashtra, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 1247 Kms.
With these projects 19 New Stations will be constructed, enhancing connectivity to Two Aspirational Districts (Gadchiroli and Rajnandgaon). Multi-tracking project will enhance connectivity to approx. 3350 villages and about 47.25 lakh population. The capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic of magnitude 88.77 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum).
The Protection of Interest in Aircraft Objects Bill, 2025, introduced by Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Ram Mohan Naidu, was passed in Lok Sabha on 03 March, following its earlier acceptance in the Rajya Sabha. With both Houses having cleared the legislation, this marks the 2nd major aviation reform passed under the leadership of Civil Aviation MinisterShri Ram Mohan Naidu
The Bill builds on the framework of the Cape Town Convention of 2001, which aimed to simplify and standardize international leasing agreements. India formally adopted this convention in 2008, but gaps in legal enforcement led to higher leasing costs—typically 8 to 10 percent higher than other nations.
With plans to generate 2.5 crore liters of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) by 2025 and transition over 100 airports to renewable energy, India is making a strong push toward greener aviation. The sector also faces a growing demand for trained pilots—estimated at 30,000 to 34,000 over the next 10 to 15 years.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi participated in the 6th BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Summit hosted by Thailand, the current chair. The theme of the Summit was – “BIMSTEC: Prosperous, Resilient and Open”.
Prime Minister announced several India-led initiatives towards institution and capacity building in BIMSTEC. These include setting up of BIMSTEC Centres of Excellence in India on Disaster Management, Sustainable Maritime Transport, Traditional Medicine, and Research and Training in Agriculture.
He also offered a pilot study by India to assess regional needs in Digital Public Infrastructure and a capacity building programme for cancer care in the region. Calling for greater regional economic integration, Prime Minister offered to establish BIMSTEC Chamber of Commerce and to organize BIMSTEC Business Summit every year in India.
India would be hosting a BIMSTEC Athletics Meet this year and the first BIMSTEC Games in 2027 when the group celebrates its 30th anniversary. It would also host a BIMSTEC Traditional Music Festival. To bring the youths of the region closer, Prime Minister announced a Young Leaders' Summit, a Hackathon and a Young Professional Visitors programme.
Union Minister of Jal Shakti Shri C.R. Patil launched a new website of Ministry of Jal Shakti (Department of Water Resources, RD & GR) in Digital Brand Identity Manual (DBIM) format with objective to align to cohesive digital ecosystem across all Ministries/Department today at Shram Shakti Bhavan, New Delhi.
The upgraded website is among the first few government platforms to be successfully onboarded& revamped in full compliance with the latest DBIM and Guidelines for Indian Government Websites (GIGW) 3.0.
Union Minister of Jal Shakti Shri C.R. Patil launched Web based Reservoir Storage Monitoring System (RSMS) Portal today at New Delhi. Central Water Commission monitors Live Storage Capacity of 161 important reservoirs of country an issues weekly bulletin on every Thursday.
The total live storage capacity of these reservoirs at FRL is 182.375 BCM which is about 70.74% of the total live storage capacity estimated to have been created in the country. This Bulletin is sent to PMO, Niti Aayog, MoJS, MOP, MOA&FW, IMD, Disaster Management Authorities and all concerned states as well as uploaded on CWC web site.
The present system involves manual generation of various Graphs, Charts and Tables etc. for inclusion in the bulletin. However, in the new portal all required data analysis and generating maps, tables, graphs etc. including issuing the final bulletin shall be done automatically by clicking the button(s) once the data is entered in the portal.
If required, any person can also download the bulletin from the portal. Today i.e. 3.4.2025, first bulletin of Financial Year 2025-26 has been issued with the launch of Web based Reservoir Storage Monitoring System (RSMS) Portal by Union Minister of Jal Shakti.
The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has introduced two major simplifications in its claim settlement process, aimed at enhancing the Ease of Living for EPF members and improving the Ease of Doing Business for employers. These reforms will streamline claim approvals, reduce documentation hassles, and minimize rejection-related grievances.
No need to upload cheque leaf or passbook image: -
In a major relief for EPF members, EPFO has eliminated the requirement of uploading a cheque leaf or an attested bank passbook while filing online claims.
The removal of this step will immediately benefit around 6 crore EPF members. It eliminates claim rejections due to unreadable or poor-quality uploads.
No employer approval needed for bank account seeding: - to further streamline the process, EPFO has removed the need for employer approval after bank verification for seeding bank account details with UAN.
The Union Government has disbursed the Fifteenth Finance Commission (XV-FC) grants to Rural Local Bodies (RLBs)/ Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in five States viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland and Punjab during the financial year 2024–25. These grants, allocated in two installments per financial year, are released by the Ministry of Finance.
Utilization of Grants: Untied Grants: These grants empower RLBs/PRIs to address location-specific needs under the 29 Subjects listed in the Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution, excluding salaries and establishment costs.
Tied Grants: These funds must be utilized for:
(a) Sanitation and maintenance of ODF (Open Defecation Free) status, including household waste management, human excreta, and fecal sludge treatment.
(b) Drinking water supply, rainwater harvesting, and water recycling.
The timely release of XV-FC grants reaffirms the Union Government’s commitment to strengthening local gov.
In a significant move towards enhancing passenger experience by returning the lost/missing mobile phones, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has successfully onboarded with the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal of the Department of Telecommunication. This initiative follows the success of a pilot program in the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR).
Operation Amanat of RPF, aimed at the sole objective of returning the valuables to its rightful owners, have yielded impressive results, with RPF successfully recovering misplaced or left behind items worth ₹84.03 crores between January 2024 and February 2025 returning them to more than 1.15 lakh grateful passengers.
In May 2024, RPF began a pilot project in Northeast Frontier Railway to actively utilize the CEIR portal and to study its utility for RPF. This experiment resulted in successful recovery of numerous lost mobile phones and apprehension of individuals involved in mobile theft.
The Lok Sabha passed the Coastal Shipping Bill, 2024, paving the way for a dedicated legal framework for coastal trade as the maritime sector aims to provide a economical, reliable and sustainable mode of transportation as it decongest road and rail network.
With its manifold forward looking provisions, the bill provides a future ready legal framework while upgrading the dated provision of earlier legislations like Merchant Shipping Act, 1958. The Coastal Shipping Bill aligns local aspirations with national goals, and provides a framework for the next 25 years of coastal economic growth under the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047
Key provisions include the removal of the general trading license requirement for Indian ships (Clause 3), reducing compliance burdens and enhancing ease of doing business. Foreign vessels can engage in coastal trade only under a license issued by the Director General of Shipping (Clause 4), with conditions that support Indian shipbuilding and employment for seafarers.
The Coastal Shipping Bill, 2024 builds on key reforms, including prioritised berthing, green clearance channels, and GST reduction on bunker fuel. Coastal cargo traffic has surged 119% in the last decade, from 74 million tonnes in 2014-15 to 162 million tonnes in 2023-24, with a target of 230 million tonnes by 2030.
Under Clause 8(3), a committee—comprising representatives from major ports, State Maritime Boards, and experts—will draft the National Coastal and Inland Shipping Strategic Plan. This guarantees States a direct role in shaping strategy, routes, and regulations.
On 8 December 2005, the General Assembly declared that 4 April of each year shall be observed as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. In 2025, the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action will be commemorated under the theme 'Safe Futures Start Here.'
From 9 to 11 April 2025, the United Nations Mine Action Service and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining will co-host the 28th International Meeting of Mine Action National Directors and United Nations Advisers (NDM-UN28). This in-person meeting will bring together mine action leaders and experts to network and exchange views on pressing issues.
Banking Laws Amendment Bill, moved my Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, was passed by the Rajya Sabha, set to bring significant changes to banking regulations. This bill was passed in the Lok Sabha in the Winter Session, that is December of last year. It seeks to improve governance standards and ensure consistency in banks' reporting to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
Among its key provisions, the Bill allows depositors to nominate up to four individuals for their bank accounts or fixed deposits, replacing the current single-nominee system.'The move aims to simplify fund distribution after the death of an account holder, a problem which arose during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Bill permits depositors to opt for either simultaneous nomination, where nominees are assigned specific percentage shares, or successive nomination, where nominees inherit in a predefined order. This change is expected to make fund access smoother for families while also reducing procedural delays.
Other significant reforms in the Bill include redefining substantial interest for bank directorships by raising the threshold from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 2 crore, a figure unchanged for nearly six decades. It also grants banks greater freedom in deciding the remuneration for statutory auditors and modifies regulatory reporting deadlines to the 15th and last day of every month.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman moved the Bill further to amend the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, the State Bank of India Act, 1955, the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1970 and the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1980, for consideration and passing.
