The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Voltas Limited, a Tata Enterprise, to facilitate industry–start-up collaboration in the cooling and smart appliance ecosystem.
The collaboration seeks to engage start-ups working on technologies across areas such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), advanced control systems, power electronics, artificial intelligence and machine learning-based diagnostics, IoT-enabled smart appliances, and digitalisation in manufacturing and service operations.
As part of the initiative, the Startup India initiative under DPIIT and Voltas Limited will explore organising innovation challenges under the Bharat Start-up Grand Challenge and conducting hackathons focused on industry-related problem statements.
The MoU was signed by Director, DPIIT, Dr. Sumeet Kumar Jarangal, and Managing Director, Voltas Limited, Mr. Mukundan Menon.
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has launched its first structured Bug Bounty Programme to further strengthen the security of the Aadhaar system.
The programme allows cybersecurity experts to look for possible weaknesses in some of UIDAI’s key digital platforms.
If they find genuine security gaps and report them responsibly, they will receive rewards based on the seriousness of the issue.
A panel of 20 experienced security researchers and ethical hackers has been selected to take part in the initiative. They will examine UIDAI digital assets such as UIDAI official website, myAadhaar portal and the Secure QR Code application.
The researchers will check these systems for vulnerabilities that fall into categories such as Critical, High, Medium, and Low risk. Depending on the severity of the issue discovered, they will receive appropriate rewards.
UIDAI is running the program in partnership with M/s ComOlho IT Private Limited, a cybersecurity solution provider.
The new Bug Bounty Programme adds another layer of protection by inviting independent experts to help identify any hidden risks. The new initiative is another example of how UIDAI continuously strives to further strengthen and ensure that its platforms remain secure for residents and stakeholders.
To expand the Youth Parliament Programme and to ensure wider participation of students, including from remote and rural areas, the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs has unveiled an upgraded version of the National Youth Parliament Scheme (NYPS) web portal, known as NYPS 2.0.
Unlike the previous version, which was limited to students of recognized educational institutions only, NYPS 2.0 is open to all the educational institutions, groups and even individual citizens across the country. It is open for participation regardless of gender, caste, creed, religion, race, region, place in the country, including rural areas, small institutions etc.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the proposed acquisition by Cube V of the road asset business (es) of DYIPL, DVIPL, DGIPL and DTEHPL.
The proposed combination entails the indirect purchase by Cube Highways and Infrastructure V Pte. Ltd. (Cube V) and Others of the Dinesh Chandra Yamuna Infra Pvt. Ltd. (DYIPL) Business (from DYIPL),
Dinesh Chandra Vaishnodevi Infra Pvt. Ltd (DVIPL) Business (from DVIPL), Dinesh Chandra Giriraj Infra Pvt. Ltd (DGIPL) Business (from DGIPL) and Dineshchandra Trans-Eastern Highways Pvt. Ltd. (DTEHPL) Business (from DTEHPL).
Cube V is registered as a foreign portfolio investor with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) with the aim of operating a world-class portfolio of high-quality highway and transportation infrastructure assets in India. It acquires, operates and manages road assets in India.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the acquisition of a certain stake in Curefit Healthcare Private Limited (Target) by MacRitchie Investments Pte. Ltd. (Acquirer).
The Proposed Combination relates to the additional acquisition of a certain stake by the Acquirer in the Target,
n order to supplement the Target’s capital requirements in the fitness sector
The Acquirer is an investment company and does not engage in any business operation other than holding investments. It is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Temasek Holdings (Private) Limited (Temasek).
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has agreed to release the largest volume of emergency oil reserves in its history amid escalating tensions in the West Asia. According to media reports, the Paris-based agency will make 400 million barrels available from members’ strategic reserves.
IEA member nations currently hold over 1.2 billion barrels of public emergency oil stocks, along with an additional 600 million barrels of industry stocks maintained under government obligation.
Veteran actor-filmmaker Amol Palekar will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META). Th e honour celebrates his immense, decades-long influence as an actor and director who redefined contemporary storytelling across both Indian theatre and cinema.
The 21st edition of META, established by the Mahindra Group and produced by Teamwork Arts, is set to take place in New Delhi from March 19 to March 25, 2026. The week-long festival will showcase several of the country’s most prominent stage productions, eventually culminating in the prestigious awards ceremony.
By portraying relatable, middle-class characters, Palekar became famous as the “boy-next-door" hero during an era when larger-than-life protagonists usually owned the screen. Films like Chhoti Si Baat, Chitchor, Bhumika, Baaton Baaton Mein, and Gol Maal are still celebrated as some of his most iconic work.
The government has invoked the Essential Commodities Act to regulate the supply of natural gas, prioritising the critical commodity for households and CNG vehicles, as well as for the production of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for shipment.
The order was issued by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG).
The order prioritises the supply of natural gas to the Domestic Piped Natural Gas (D-PNG) supply, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for transport, LPG production, Pipeline compressor fuel, and other essential pipeline operational requirements.
Swashbuckling Indian batter Smriti Mandhana retained the top spot in the latest women’s ODI batting ranking released.
Mandhana was joined by her captain Harmanpreet Kaur who remained static on eighth spot.
However, Jemimah Rodrigues slipped to 12th after India lost the three-match ODI series 0-3 against Australia.
A host of New Zealand’s best white-ball stars were the big winners on the latest update.
Melie Kerr collected four wickets in the opening match of the series and then backed that up with a magnificent seven-wicket haul during the second contest in Dunedin when she became just the seventh player overall to collect seven wickets or more in a women’s ODI.
The fiscal deficit as a percentage of GDP for three financial years till 2024-25 has been revised upwards following the revision in base year for calculation of GDP, the government informed Parliament.
As per the new GDP Series published on February 27, the fiscal deficit as a percentage of GDP works out to be 4.9 per cent for 2024-25, 5.7 per cent for 2023-24, and 6.7 per cent for 2022-23, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
The fiscal deficit was earlier estimated at 4.8 per cent for FY- 25, 5.63 per cent for FY- 24 and 6.4 per cent for FY- 23.
In absolute term, fiscal deficit stood at Rs 15.74 lakh crore in FY- 25, Rs 16.55 lakh crore in FY- 24 and Rs 17.38 lakh crore in FY- 23.
On February 27, 2026, the government released the new series of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimates with 2022-23 as the base year, replacing the previous series with a base year of 2011-12.
With the new 2022-23 base, the Nominal GDP or GDP at Current Prices is estimated at Rs 318.07 lakh crore in 2024-25 and Rs 289.84 lakh crore for 2023-24.
In a step towards reinforcing farmers’ rights, the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPVFRA) formally granted a patent to ‘Nagauri Pan Methi’ (Nagori fenugreek) (Trigonella corniculata L.) under the 'community farmers’ variety' category.
Prasar Bharati-Shared Audio-Visuals for Broadcast and Dissemination (PB-SHABD) was launched in March, 2024 as a shared feed service to provide access to logo free, daily news items across various formats including video, audio, text, and photos to media organizations. Prasar Bharati is pleased to announce that free access to SHABD will remain free till March 2027.
The content provided through PB-SHABD is logo-free, and no credit is required on using content from this platform.
PB-SHABD also offers a Live Feed feature, offering exclusive coverage of live events including events of national importance, investiture ceremonies, as well as various press briefings, all without logo.
The government has increased the minimum waiting period for booking domestic LPG cylinders from 21 days to 25 days in a bid to curb hoarding and black marketing, government sources said on March 9.
According to officials, the move comes after authorities noticed unusual booking patterns among consumers.
According to officials, the move comes after authorities noticed unusual booking patterns among consumers. In several cases, households that earlier booked LPG cylinders roughly once every 55 days had begun placing orders within just 15 days, raising concerns over possible stockpiling and diversion.
India has also accelerated crude oil sourcing from routes outside the Strait of Hormuz to reduce supply risks amid rising geopolitical tensions in West Asia.
