The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved change in guidelines on investments from countries sharing land border with India (LBCs).
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today has approved declaration of Madurai Airport, Tamil Nadu, as an International Airport.
Madurai Airport, located in the Temple City of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, is one of the oldest airports in the State.
It serves as a crucial gateway to Southern Tamil Nadu and plays a pivotal role in promoting tourism and pilgrimage, thereby contributing to the overall growth of the region.
Elevating Madurai Airport to International Status would enhance regional connectivity, promote trade, and drive economic development in the region.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved Ministry of Jal Shakti’s proposal to restructure and reorient the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) from infrastructure creation to a service delivery, supported by drinking water governance and institutional ecosystem for sustainable rural piped potable water supply.
For restructuring JJM focussing on structural reforms, Cabinet has approved enhancement of total outlay to Rs. 8.69 lakh crore with total central assistance of Rs. 3.59 lakh crore enhancing from Rs. 2.08 lakh crore approved in 2019-20 i.e. additional central share of Rs. 1.51 lakh crore.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, today has approved 02 (Two) projects of Ministry of Railways with total cost of Rs. 4,474 crore (approx.). These projects include:
Sainthia – Pakur 4th line
Santragachi – Kharagpur 4th line
The 02 (Two) projects covering 05 Districts across the states of West Bengal and Jharkhand will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 192 Kms.
The approved multi-tracking project will enhance connectivity to approx. 5,652 villages, which are having a population of about 147 lakhs.
The proposed capacity enhancement will improve rail connectivity to several prominent tourist destinations across the country, including Bolpur-Shantiniketan, Nandikeshwari Temple (Shaktipeeth), Tarapith (Shaktipeeth), Patachitra Gram, Dhadika Forest, Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary, Rameshwar Kund, etc.
The PM-KISAN scheme is a central sector scheme launched in February 2019 by the Hon’ble Prime Minister to supplement the financial needs of farmers with cultivable land-holding. Under the scheme, a financial benefit of Rs. 6,000/- per year is transferred in three equal instalments, into the Aadhaar seeded bank accounts of farmers through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.
Under the PM-KISAN Scheme, cultivable landholding is primary eligibility criteria to receive benefit of the Scheme subject to certain exclusions relating to higher economic status.
A farmer-centric digital infrastructure has ensured the benefits of the scheme reach all the farmers across the country without involvement of any intermediaries.
Maintaining absolute transparency in registering and verifying beneficiaries, the Government of India has disbursed over Rs. 4.09 lakh Cr. through 21 installments since inception of the Scheme. The Farmer ID has been made mandatory for only new registrations under PM-KISAN in 19 States where farmer registry work has been commenced.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has released Second Advance Estimates of production of Major Agricultural Crops (Kharif & Rabi) for the year 2025-26.
Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare and Rural Development, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, while approving and releasing the data on major agricultural crops, stated that under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Central Government is continuously working towards the development of agricultural sectorfor the prosperity of farmers.
Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy jointly conducted four successful in-flight release trials of the indigenous Air Droppable Container ‘ADC-150’ from the P8I aircraft off the coast of Goa between February 21 to March 01, 2026, at different extreme release conditions.
Indigenously designed and developed to deliver 150 kg payload, the Air Droppable Container enhances the naval operational logistics capabilities for providing quick response to naval vessels under distress, needing critical stores/equipment, medical assistance etc. at blue sea deployed far from the coast.
The Naval Science & Technological Laboratory, Visakhapatnam is the nodal laboratory for the activity. Aerial Delivery Research & Development Establishment, Agra has developed the parachute system and Centre for Military Airworthiness & Certification, Bengaluru provided the flight clearance & certification.
Defence Research & Development Laboratory, Hyderabad provided the instrumentation support for the trials.
To meet the requirement of the Indian Navy, the ADC-150 system for the P8I aircraft was developed and qualified in a short timeframe.
Indian Railways has sanctioned a series of key infrastructure and technology upgradation works totalling over Rs. 765 crore to strengthen operations, expand line capacity, and modernise communication systems across critical sections of the network.
The sanctioned projects cover upgradation of electric traction systems on two high-density freight and passenger corridors, and a major expansion of the optical fibre communication backbone across Vadodara and Mumbai Central Divisions of Western Railway.
Pieter Elbers has stepped down as chief executive officer of IndiGo with immediate effect, the airline said, months after the country’s largest carrier faced its worst-ever operational crisis in December 2025.
IndiGo’s parent company InterGlobe Aviation Ltd said Managing Director Rahul Bhatia will temporarily assume management of the airline until a new CEO is appointed.
Elbers took charge of the airline in September 2022 after a long career with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.
Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya today chaired a high level ministerial meeting with New Zealand sports delegation in New Delhi to discuss expanding bilateral cooperation in sports and strengthening collaboration between the sporting ecosystems of the two countries.
The year 2026 marks 100 years of sporting ties between India and New Zealand, tracing back to the historic 1926 Indian Army hockey tour to New Zealand, one of the earliest major sporting engagements between the two nations. Building on this legacy, both countries explored new initiatives to deepen cooperation and strengthen sports diplomacy.
The New Zealand delegation was led by Chris Bishop, Associate Minister for Sport and Recreation, and included Patrick John Rata, New Zealand High Commissioner to India, former international cricketer Ross Taylor, Raelene Castle, CEO of Sport New Zealand, and representatives from Hockey New Zealand, Athletics New Zealand and Paralympics New Zealand.
Both countries agreed to constitute a Joint Working Group to oversee implementation of the cooperation framework, nominate nodal officers and establish a monitoring mechanism with periodic reviews.
The Indian Railways has launched a customised app for women employees to lodge complaints about sexual harassment at the workplace.
Sexual Harassment Incident Notification for Empowerment (SHINE) was made operational on the occasion of the International Women’s Day on March 8, 2026.
This facility would be in addition to the existing internal complaints committee formed in every organisation in compliance with the Visakha guidelines of the Supreme Court in 1997 and Government of India instructions to protect women at workplace issued from time to time. With SHINE, women employees can lodge complaints through the Human Resources Management System (HRMS).
According to railway sources, SHINE also allows reporting incidents or complaints on behalf of outsiders (visitors), contractual staff, students and others who may not have access to the app.
SHINE had been developed to make the mechanism more confidential and to be addressed in an expeditious manner.
Athlete Anant Rana created history by completing the ‘Full Ironman New Zealand’ triathlon held in Taupo, New Zealand in 11 hours and 50 minutes, finishing swimming, cycling and the marathon run.
The Thirty-three-year-old resident of Sonari in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, associated with the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation, completed 3.8 kilometres of swimming, 180 kilometres of cycling and a 42-kilometre run well within the stipulated 17-hour time limit.
He finished the swimming in 1 hour 28 minutes, cycling in 6 hours 19 minutes and the marathon in 3 hours 46 minutes to achieve this feat.
