The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a fuel-tech company to promote innovation and support startups in fuel-tech, manufacturing, and allied sectors.
Under the MoU, the collaboration will focus on providing structured support to startups in manufacturing and deep-tech domains, including co-hosting innovation challenges and hackathons, organising investor connect programmes and skill development initiatives, and facilitating pilot opportunities and market access.
The initiative will also support early-stage innovators from ideation to prototyping and leverage the Startup India platform for wider outreach and participation. Under the collaboration, DPIIT will work with Repos Energy India Private Limited to enhance industry–startup linkages and support the development of technology-driven solutions.
In a significant step towards strengthening skill development and capacity building in India’s construction sector, the National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a leading cement manufacturer.
The MoU was signed by Director General, NCB, Dr L. P. Singh and Head – Technical Services, UltraTech Cement Limited, Er. Rahul Goel at NCB, Ballabgarh.
The partnership will focus on structured training and certification programmes across the country, aimed at capacity building of civil engineers, ready-mix concrete (RMC) professionals, contractors, construction workers, and masons.
The training will cover key areas such as material quality testing, concrete mix proportioning, durability, and sustainable construction practices.
The Oriental Insurance Company Limited (OICL) has crossed ₹20,000 crore in Gross Premium for the FY 2025–2026. The development signifies growing trust of policyholders, intermediaries, and stakeholders in OICL in particular and public sector insurance institutions as a whole.
The achievement aligns with the broader objective of the Government to promote financial inclusion (Insurance for All by 2047) and ensure wider access to risk protection mechanisms.
In recent years, OICL has strengthened its product suite with innovative offerings such as Oriental Sampoorna Swasthya Suraksha, Drone Insurance, Event Insurance and Custom Duty Insurance.
Marking a significant milestone in the shift towards outcome-oriented and service-driven rural water supply, Meghalaya has become the twelfth State to sign a Reform-Linked Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Union Government under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) 2.0.
The key reform measures focus on prompt setup of District Water Sanitation Missions (DWSM) to develop village-level action plans and issue panchayat certifications along with district administrations, heading DWSMs, to oversee implementation and offer swift support.
The Union Minister of Jal Shakti further informed that the Union Cabinet has approved an additional outlay of ₹1.51 lakh crore for the Mission, with around ₹67,300 crore allocated in the Union Budget for 2025–26.
Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti has assumed charge as Chairperson and Mrs. Kiran Umesh Mahalle has assumed charge as Member of the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) with effect from 18.03.2026 & 20.03.2026, respectively.
Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti is a former Member of Parliament and has held several important public offices, including serving as Union Minister of State in the Ministries of Rural Development and Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
Mrs. Kiran Umesh Mahalle is a seasoned public representative with extensive experience in social and organizational work. She has served as Mayor of the Municipal Corporation, Amravati, and has held various important positions in public life.
With a view to strengthen the domestic biopharmaceutical sector and enhance global competitiveness in biologics and biosimilars, the Government has announced the Biopharma SHAKTI scheme with an outlay of ₹10,000 crore over five years with an objective to build a globally competitive domestic ecosystem for biologics and biosimilars to support affordable healthcare in India.
Under the scheme, it is envisaged to enable faster, globally credible approvals by strengthening the CDSCO through creation of a dedicated Scientific Review Cadre of reviewers and specialist positions for advanced fields.
It is also envisaged to expand India’s clinical research footprint by creating a nationally accredited network of 1,000 clinical trial sites under ICMR.
Such initiatives are expected to contribute towards reducing import dependence over time and enhance India’s participation in the global biopharmaceutical market.
The Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, organises the first BRICS Youth Coordination Meeting.
As India assumed the BRICS Chairship for 2026, the meeting formally initiated engagements under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” setting the direction for youth cooperation during the year. The meeting was attended by representatives from all BRICS member countries.
During the meeting, India presented an overview of the BRICS Youth Track 2026, outlining key initiatives including Working Group Meetings, Thematic Engagements, Serve BRICS Volunteering Activities, Youth Development Forum, Youth Council Meeting, Youth Summit and the Youth Ministerial Meeting.
Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah-- popularly known as Balen--has taken the oath as Nepal's prime minister after sweeping the first election since deadly anti-corruption protests toppled the government last year.
Shah is the first Madhesi -- a person of the southern plains bordering India -- in decades to lead the Himalayan nation that is wedged between Asian giants India and China.
The 35-year-old was elected as the leader of the parliamentary party of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, paving his way to become Nepal's youngest elected prime minister. His RSP won 182 seats in the 275-member parliament in the March 5 election. The Nepali Congress party, the country's oldest party, became a distant second group in parliament with just 38 seats.
India’s economy is expected to maintain growth of above 7 per cent in 2026-27 (FY27), supported by strong domestic consumption and investment, even as global growth could slip below 3 per cent amid geopolitical tensions, industry body the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) said.
India’s gross domestic product (GDP) is projected to expand by about 7.6 per cent in FY26 and remain above 7 per cent in the following financial year, despite rising global uncertainties, the industry body said in a statement.
India’s purchasing managers’ index stood at 56.9 for manufacturing and 58.1 for services in February 2026, the highest among major economies, including the United States, China and Germany, the industry body noted.
India has launched Operation Urja Suraksha, a strategic naval mission aimed at safeguarding the country’s critical energy supplies moving through the conflict-prone waters of the Middle East. The operation comes amid heightened tensions in West Asia that have raised concerns about disruptions to global oil and gas shipments.
The operation involves deploying multiple frontline warships to escort or guide merchant vessels carrying energy supplies to India, helping them navigate through potentially hostile waters.
India authorised some state firms including Bharat Heavy Electricals and Steel Authority of India on Friday to procure critical equipment from China, according to a government source and document, after easing restrictions.
Reuters reported last month that India would relax restrictions on buying Chinese equipment imposed after a deadly 2020 border clash, allowing state-run power and coal companies to start limited imports as shortages and project delays mounted. India has since then also eased investment curbs on China.
Under the relaxation of the rules, India's largest state-run power equipment maker Bharat Heavy Electricals can procure 21 types of critical equipment from China, the government order said. A similar authorisation has been given to Steel Authority of India for certain critical components, and for sourcing of coal-gasification equipment by other state-run firms.
