The Ministry of Ayush has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The MoU aims to promote Ayush-based preventive healthcare, wellness, yoga, stress management, and overall well-being among CISF personnel and their families.
Under the terms of the MoU, the Ministry of Ayush will extend technical support, develop wellness modules, and provide expert guidance through its institutions and research councils. CISF, on the other hand, will facilitate the implementation of these initiatives across its units and establishments.
A report titled “Realizing the Export Potential of India’s Sports Equipment Manufacturing Sector” was formally launched today, outlining India’s ambition to emerge as a global hub for sports goods manufacturing and exports.
The report focuses exclusively on the sports equipment manufacturing segment, a sector with significant untapped export potential.
The Prime Minister released over Rs. 18,640 crore as the 22nd instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme from Guwahati, Assam, on March 13, 2026.
Over 9.32 crore farmers have received financial assistance under this instalment. 2.15 crore of these are women farmers.
More than Rs. 4.27 lakh crore has been disbursed since its launch, making PM-KISAN one of the world’s largest DBT initiatives.
The scheme is implemented through Aadhaar-based authentication and digitised land records, ensuring transparent and efficient direct benefit transfer to verified beneficiaries.
The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) is a centrally sponsored scheme launched on 24 February 2019 to provide assured income support to landholding farmer families with cultivable land nationwide.
Under the scheme, each eligible farmer family receives annual financial assistance of Rs. 6,000, disbursed in three equal instalments of Rs. 2,000 through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism into Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the ‘Small Hydro Power (SHP) Development Scheme for the period FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31’ with an outlay of Rs.2584.60 crore for installation of Small Hydro Power (SHP) Projects of an approximate capacity of 1500 MW.
The scheme will support small hydro projects (between 1-25 MW capacity) to come up in different states and will especially benefit hilly and North Eastern states with high potential for such projects.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojna (BHAVYA), with an allocation of Rs.33,660 crore for developing 100 plug-and-play industrial parks across the country.
The scheme aims to develop world-class industrial infrastructure, unlocking manufacturing potential and driving India’s growth story.
The scheme will deliver plug-and-play industrial ecosystems, enabling industries to move from intent to production with speed and certainty. With pre-approved land, ready infrastructure, and integrated services, BHAVYA will significantly reduce entry barriers for investors.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved Minimum Support Price (MSP) funding of Rs.1,718.56 crore to the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) for the cotton season 2023–24. This funding aims to provide direct price support to cotton farmers across the country.
During the 2023–24 cotton season, the area under cultivation was estimated at 114.47 lakh hectares, with production pegged at 325.22 lakh bales, accounting for nearly 25% of global cotton output. The Government of India fixes the MSP for seed cotton (kapas) based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
The Government has designated the Cotton Corporation of India as the central nodal agency for undertaking MSP operations in cotton. CCI procures all Fair Average Quality (FAQ) cotton from farmers without any quantitative ceiling, whenever market prices fall below MSP levels, thereby providing an assured safety net to farmers.
As part of its preparedness, CCI has established a robust procurement network across all 11 major cotton-growing States, with over 508 procurement centres operational in 152 districts, ensuring seamless and accessible procurement for farmers.
Further, CCI has undertaken several technology-driven and farmer-centric initiatives to enhance the efficiency and transparency of MSP operations. These include disseminating MSP-related information, implementing the Bale Identification and Traceability System (BITS), and launching the “Cott-Ally” mobile app, which enables better outreach and service delivery to farmers.
In a significant step towards deepening structural reforms in rural drinking water governance, a Reform‑Linked Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) 2.0 was signed today with the State of Uttar Pradesh, marking the State’s formal entry into the reform‑linked implementation framework of the Mission.
Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 was approved by the Union Cabinet on 10 March 2026.
The reform‑linked MoU mandates a Gram Panchayat‑led, service‑based and community‑centered model of rural water governance. As a key condition of MoU, completed piped water supply schemes shall be formally handed over to Gram Panchayats/ VWSCs and community through “Jal Arpan” process.
The MoU also provisioned to operationalize the Decision Support System (DSS) platform developed by DDWS as a digital planning platform at District and GP levels for source sustainability, integrated with Sujalam Bharat and national water datasets.
The extension of Jal Jeevan Mission till December 2028, with enhanced outlay.
The hill area around the historic Kalinjar Fort in Banda district has been declared a National Geo-Heritage Site by the Geological Survey of India (GSI). The recognition highlights the region’s rare geological formation known as the Eparchaean Unconformity, which records a long gap in Earth’s geological history.
The site was inaugurated by Rajinder Kumar, additional director general and head of GSI’s Northern Region, who said the rocks found in the Kalinjar area represent geological events that occurred billions of years apart.
GSI has installed a special information board at the site to explain the geological importance of the formation and raise awareness among visitors.
According to the press release, the hill exposes nearly 2.5 billion year old Bundelkhand granite overlain by 1.2 billion year old Kaimur sandstone, making it an important record of Earth’s evolution. Experts said the natural rock formations also played a role in providing strategic defence to ancient rulers who built the fort.
Metropolis by Reliance MET City, Haryana, has become India's first project to receive LEED Platinum Pre-Certification under the LEED for Cities: Plan and Design rating system, as confirmed by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI).
This unique and prestigious distinction places Metropolis amongst a handful of globally planned developments to achieve this recognition.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the world's most widely recognised green building and community certification framework.
The LEED for Cities and Communities: Plan and Design program evaluates large-scale developments at the planning stage, ensuring sustainability principles are embedded across infrastructure, energy, water, mobility, ecology, and livability, from the design stage itself.
Argentina has finalised its decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), following in the footsteps of the United States and formally severing ties with the global health body.
Despite the withdrawal, the government assured that "it will continue to promote international cooperation in health through bilateral agreements and at regional levels, fully safeguarding its sovereignty and its capacity to decide on health policies."
Former ambassador and chairman of the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), Jawed Ashraf was conferred the rank of Commandeur, the third-highest distinction of France's prestigious Legion d'honneur.
The insignia was presented by Thierry Mathou, Ambassador of France to India, in New Delhi, in the presence of India's National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval.
Ashraf said being conferred the Commandeur of the Legion of Honour by France was a great honour, noting he is the eighth Indian to receive it.
It is particularly special because I'm the eighth Indian to receive this honour after JRD Tata, Ratan Tata, Professor Amartya Sen, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Satyajit Ray, Manna Dey, and painter SH Raza.
The rank of Commandeur is one of the highest honours in the Legion d'honneur, France's premier national award, established to recognise outstanding service and contributions.
Ashraf has held several senior diplomatic roles, serving as India's Ambassador to France, Singapore and America's division of MEA.
Atanu Chakraborty on March 18, 2026 tendered his resignation as the Part-time Chairman and Independent Director of HDFC Bank with immediate effect stating “Certain happenings and practices within the bank, that I have observed over last two years, are not in congruence with my personal Values and Ethics.”
Mr Chakraborty had joined the Board of HDFC Bank in May 2021.
The Reserve Bank of India on March 18, 2026, has granted its approval for the appointment of Keki Mistry as an interim Part-time Chairman of the Bank with effect from March 19, 2026, for a period of 3 months.
Manappuram Finance Ltd (MFL) said its subsidiaries -- Asirvad Micro Finance Ltd (AMFL) and Manappuram Home Finance Ltd (MHFL) have received the requisite approvals from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for indirect change in control and management of the respective companies.
This comes in the wake of the proposed investment of about Rs. 4,385 crore in the gold loan company by Bain Capital’s affiliates.
With this, MFL and its subsidiaries are now in receipt of all requisite statutory approvals for Bain Capital’s proposed investment (through affiliates BC Asia Investments XXV Ltd and BC Asia Investments XIV Ltd),
in the Company and acquisition of joint control with the existing promoters, together with the consequent open offer under the SEBI (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers) Regulations, 2011, per the gold loan company’s regulatory filing.
The Punjab Government has launched a new phase of school education reform, ‘Punjab Sikhya Kranti 2.0′, in collaboration with the World Bank to prepare the state’s education system to compete with the best in the world.
The partnership reflects international recognition of the measurable progress Punjab has already achieved in public education reforms.
The Rs. 3,500 crore mission includes Rs. 2,500 crore through World Bank loan assistance and Rs. 1,000 crore from the Punjab Government, making it one of the largest education reform investments in the history of the state.
In the PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 conducted by the Government of India, Punjab ranked number one in classroom learning outcomes, surpassing Kerala and emerging as the national leader.
The initiative will prioritise strengthening foundational learning by ensuring every child achieves foundational skills through structured assessments, improved pedagogy, and targeted academic support.
The General Assembly of the United Nations in its resolution 66/281 of 12 July 2012 proclaimed 20 March the International Day of Happiness, recognizing the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world and the importance of their recognition in public policy objectives.
Governments and international organizations should invest in conditions that support happiness by upholding human rights and incorporating well-being and environmental dimensions into policy frameworks, such as the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
The date of the Day of the French Language was symbolically chosen in reference to March 20, 1970, which marks the creation of the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation (ACCT), which became the International Organisation of the Francophonie (OIF) .
The United Nations Language Days were introduced in 2010 to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity.
The UN celebrates six "Language Days" each year, dedicated to the six official languages of the United Nations, which are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
