The wetlands in Kutch in Gujarat and Etah in Uttar Pradesh have been recognised as Ramsar sites, marking the unique ecosystems for conservation under a global framework.
The designation of these two sites under the Ramsar Convention takes the total number of such wetlands in India to 98.
Hundreds of migratory and resident avian species find their home in the two wetlands, apart from being the habitat of chinkara, wolves, caracal, desert cats and desert foxes, besides endangered birds.
The government notified coking coal, a key raw material for the steel sector, as a critical and strategic mineral to accelerate domestic mining and reduce India’s heavy reliance on imports.
The classification, notified through an amendment in the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act , 1957, is expected to speed up approvals and accelerate exploration and mining, including in deep-seated deposits.
Mining of critical minerals is exempt from public consultation requirements and allows the use of degraded forest land for compensatory afforestation.
The amendment follows recommendations of the High-Level Committee on Implementation of Viksit Bharat Goals and policy inputs from NITI Aayog.
India holds an estimated 37.37 billion tonnes of coking coal resources, primarily in Jharkhand, with additional reserves in Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh.
However, around 95 per cent of the steel sector’s coking coal requirement is met through imports, which rose from 51.20 million tonnes in 2020-21 to 57.58 million tonnes in 2024-25, resulting in significant foreign exchange outgo.
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has operationalised a new web-based portal, PAIMANA (Project Assessment, Infrastructure Monitoring & Analytics for Nation-building), for the mandated monitoring of Central Sector Infrastructure Projects worth ₹150 crore and above, replacing the erstwhile OCMS-2006 (Online Computerized Monitoring system).
In line with the principle of “one data, one entry”, PAIMANA is integrated with DPIIT’s Integrated Project Monitoring Portal (IPMP/IIG-PMG) through APIs, enabling automatic data flow of the information reported by Central Ministries/ Departments on IPMP.
This integration has substantially reduced manual data entry, with about 60 per cent of projects on PAIMANA being updated automatically, contributing towards the standardised, and efficient infrastructure project monitoring by the Government of India.
Designed as a UPI-first bank, slice integrates savings, credit, and investments into a single digital experience that mirrors how Indians already transact. Three offerings in particular reflect this approach, addressing long-standing gaps in value, access, and simplicity.
Savings account linked to 100% of the RBI repo rate.
slice has introduced India's first savings account linked to 100% of the RBI repo rate, ensuring customers earn returns aligned with the true cost of money in the economy. Interest is calculated and credited daily, allowing savings to grow in real time rather than through static, below-market rates.
The offering is enabled by slice's digital-first operating model, which keeps costs low and deploys deposits through disciplined lending to generate a healthy spread over the risk-free rate. Customers benefit from transparent returns, no minimum balance requirements, instant liquidity, and full digital access from day one, including UPI for everyday transactions.
As UPI becomes the default payment mode across India, slice is extending credit to where users already transact. The slice UPI credit card allows customers to scan and pay at any UPI-enabled merchant while drawing directly from an approved credit limit, embedding credit into routine payments instead of restricting it to traditional card usage.
Chennai-based fintech firm Paysharp has secured the Reserve Bank of India's Payment Aggregator-Physical (PA-P) licence on 21 January 2026, marking a key milestone in the company's regulatory journey. Earlier, in August 2024, the company had obtained the RBI's Payment Aggregator-Online (PA-O) licence.
With both licences in place, Paysharp is authorised to provide end-to-end payment acceptance services across online and offline channels. The dual approval enables the company to offer a single, compliant platform for digital payment acceptance across in-store, on-the-go and online use cases, in line with RBI regulatory and security requirements.
Paysharp follows a flat-pricing model for merchants, offering an alternative to the percentagebased pricing structure prevalent in the payments industry. The company serves merchants across sectors including government, B2B enterprises, NBFCs and e-commerce.
State-owned Punjab & Sind Bank has received approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to open a branch at the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in GIFT City, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
This marks the bank's strategic entry into global financial services and international banking operations, Punjab & Sind Bank said in a statement.
GIFT City IFSC is India's premier international financial hub, designed to provide a world-class ecosystem for cross-border financial transactions, international trade finance, offshore banking, and capital market activities, it said.
The Ministry of Culture achieved a significant double honour at the Republic Day Parade 2026, with its tableau titled “Vande Mataram - 150 Years Journey” being awarded the First Prize in the category of Best Tableau among Central Ministries and Departments,
while its grand cultural presentation “Vande Mataram: The Eternal Resonance of Bharat” was conferred the Special Prize for its exceptional artistic and thematic excellence.
The award-winning tableau powerfully depicted the 150 year journey of Vande Mataram, tracing its emergence as a song of national awakening and its enduring role in shaping India’s freedom struggle,
unity and civilisational consciousness. Through evocative visuals and symbolism, the tableau highlighted the timeless relevance of the National Song in India’s collective national identity.
With an aim to encourage women-led industrial entrepreneurship, the Andhra Pradesh government on January 29 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with FICCI Ladies Organisation (FICCI-FLO) to develop an exclusive industrial park for women entrepreneurs in the State.
The MoU was signed by Minister for Industries and Commerce, Food Processing T.G. Bharath on behalf of the State government and FICCI-FLO representatives, including national president Poonam Sharma, past national president Ujjwala Singhania and National Governing Body member Mourya Boda.
The nation is paying homage to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, on his 78th death anniversary and Martyrs’ Day today. On this occasion, a Sarva-Dharma Prarthana was organised at Gandhi Samadhi, Rajghat, in New Delhi.
Every year on 30th January, the nation honours the life and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, who was the guiding light of the country’s struggle for independence. The day is also observed as Martyrs’ Day, or Shaheed Diwas, to pay tribute to all freedom fighters and martyrs who laid down their lives for India’s independence and unity.