On the occasion of World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, the Union Ministry of Ayush in partnership with the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science & Technology marked a significant milestone in integrative healthcare with the formal announcement of a collaborative clinical study titled “Clinical Study on Ayurveda as an Adjunct Therapy for Tuberculosis”.
This Ayush–DBT collaborative initiative reflects our commitment to evidence-based integrative healthcare. By combining Ayurveda with science, we aim to address TB-associated cachexia, strengthen patient outcomes, and contribute meaningfully to India’s goal of TB elimination.”
A key highlight of the event was the exchange of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between BRIC-Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) and CCRAS, formalising institutional collaboration. The MoU was exchanged between Prof. G. Karthikeyan, Executive Director, BRIC-THSTI, and Prof. Vaidya Rabinarayan Acharya, DG, CCRAS.
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a leading air conditioning company to support startups, innovators, and entrepreneurs across the country.
Under this collaboration, DPIIT will work with Blue Star Limited to explore the organisation of innovation challenges under the Bharat Startup Grand Challenge, along with targeted hackathons focused on HVAC, digital technologies, and manufacturing domains.
Startups will have opportunities to participate in structured PoC programmes, with selected entities being considered for pilot deployment and further engagement.
The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, has released the 28th edition of its monthly ‘Secretariat Reforms’ report for February 2026.
There will be no refund for cancellation of train tickets up to eight hours before departure, instead of the existing norm of four hours, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while announcing reforms in the sector.
The new refund rule will take effect between April 1 and 15 this year.
Other refund slabs have also been revised: a cancellation between 24 and eight hours will incur a 50 per cent deduction from the ticket cost. This is currently 12 to four hours.
Similarly, the Railways will deduct 25 per cent of the ticket cost for cancellation between 72 and 24 hours before departure.
A consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group (ABG) has acquired 100 percent equity stake in IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru for a whopping 16,706 crore rupees from its current owner, the United Spirits Limited.
The consortium comprises Aditya Birla Group (ABG), The Times of India Group (Times), Bolt Ventures (Bolt), and Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE (Blackstone).
The transaction includes RCB’s men’s and women’s (WPL) teams.
United Spirits Limited yesterday announced that it has entered into definitive agreements for the sale of the 100 percent equity stake held in its wholly owned subsidiary Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL) to a consortium.
RCSPL owns and operates Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchises that participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and WPL.
Lebron James broke the NBA record for most regular-season games played on Saturday, taking the court for his 1,612th when the Los Angeles Lakers tipped off against the Orlando Magic. He passed the mark of 1,611 that Robert Parish had held since he retired in 1997.
Four-time NBA champion James, 41, had equalled Parish’s tally in stunning fashion, posting a triple-double in the Lakers’ win over the Heat in Miami.
In his unprecedented 23rd season, he already holds a host of NBA records, including points scored, field goals made and field goals attempted and the longest streak of regular-season games with at least 10 points scored –
1,297 – in history.
Including playoff games, James has amassed a total of 1,904 fixtures during his career. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a distant second with 1,797 appearances, while Parish is third on 1,795.
In Squash, top seed and defending champion Anahat Singh won the Women’s Singles title, while Abhay Singh clinched the Men’s Singles at the Indian Open in Mumbai.
In Women’s Singles final, Anahat defeated the second seed Egyptian player Hana Moataz 3-1 to retain her title.
The Indian star remained composed throughout the contest and successfully held off a late challenge from Moataz in the final two games. Ms. Singh delivered a dominant performance across the week-long event, dropping only one game in the entire tournament.
Meanwhile, in an all-Indian Men’s summit clash, Abhay outclassed compatriot Veer Chotrani in straight games, winning 3-Nil in just 32 minutes. Abhay displayed complete control and superior shot-making to seal a convincing victory and claim the men’s singles crown.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has notified a new order under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, aimed at accelerating the development of natural gas supply infrastructure amid disruptions linked to the Middle East crisis.
The Natural Gas and Petroleum Products Distribution (Through Laying, Building, Operation and Expansion of Pipelines and Other Facilities) Order establishes a time-bound framework for laying and expanding pipelines across the country.
The move is intended to address delays in approvals and challenges related to land access, which have historically slowed infrastructure rollout.
The order seeks to facilitate the expansion of piped natural gas (PNG) networks, improve last-mile connectivity and promote the use of cleaner fuels across households, transport and industrial segments.
The ministry said the reform aligns with India’s broader objective of transitioning towards a gas-based economy while strengthening energy security.
Key features include a transparent regulatory framework, operational flexibility for companies and consumer-centric service delivery.
S&P Global Ratings raised India's GDP growth forecast for the next fiscal to 7.1 per cent, with private consumption, investment and exports being key drivers, but said that the conflict in the Middle East could strain the fiscal position due to higher energy prices arising from the conflict.
In its latest quarterly Asia-Pacific economic commentary, S&P Global Ratings said risks from renewed geopolitical tensions and persistent trade-related uncertainties could affect India through fluctuations in commodity prices, trade volumes, and capital flows.
The 2025-26 growth has been revised upwards by 0.4 percentage points to 7.6 per cent, and by 0.2 percentage points to 7.1 per cent for 2026-27 fiscal.
S&P expects inflation to rise to 4.3 per cent in fiscal 2027 as it normalises from low levels.
Higher crude prices will likely widen the trade deficit, but a healthy surplus in services trade should help contain the current account deficit.
Overall, S&P expects the central bank to hold rates steady and maintain a neutral stance, it said.
Goldman Sachs has pared its growth estimate for India for 2026, while forecasting a 50 basis points hike in policy rates as the South Asian economy contends with sharp depreciation in its currency.
Goldman forecasts the Indian economy will grow by 5.9 per cent in calendar year 2026 compared to its pre-Iran war forecast of 7 per cent, it said in a report.
The Wall Street bank had cut its growth forecast for the South Asian economy to 6.5 per cent on March 13.
The fresh cut in growth estimate by Goldman's analysts follows a change in their assumptions on oil prices and the period of disruption to supplies. Elevated crude prices are a key foreign exchange, inflation and fiscal risk for net energy importer India.
Outward remittances under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reduced by 3.19 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in January 2026 to $2.68 billion owing to moderation in remittances across segments except for certain overseas investments. In January 2025, the remittances under the scheme stood at $2.77 billion.
24 March is World Tuberculosis Day.
Each year we commemorate World TB Day to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of tuberculosis (TB) and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic.
The theme for World Tuberculosis Day on March 24, 2026, is "Yes! We can end TB! Led by countries. Powered by people.". According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this theme emphasizes the urgent need for high-level political leadership, increased investment, and the crucial role of community-driven efforts to turn the tide against the epidemic.
Each year, on 24 March, the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims is observed.
This annual observance pays tribute to the memory of Monsignor Óscar Arnulfo Romero, who was murdered on 24 March 1980.
Monsignor Romero was actively engaged in denouncing violations of the human rights of the most vulnerable individuals in El Salvador.
The right to the truth is often invoked in the context of gross violations of human rights and grave breaches of humanitarian law.
In 2006, the United Nations General Assembly, through resolution 61/19, recognized that “the slave trade and slavery are among the worst violations of human rights in the history of humanity, bearing in mind particularly their scale and duration” and designated 25 March 2007,
as the International Day for the Commemoration of the Two-hundredth Anniversary of the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The following year, through resolution 62/122, it designated 25 March as an annual International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, beginning in 2008.
The International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members is observed annually on 25 March by the United Nations.
The first resolution on staff security was adopted by the UN Security Council in September 1993.
The International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members is marked each year on the anniversary of the abduction of Alec Collett, a former journalist who was working for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) when he was abducted by armed gunman in 1985.
