The Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on April 8, 2015, is marking 11 years of success in strengthening India's grassroots entrepreneurs.
This initiative has been designed to bridge the gap in financial accessibility, offering streamlined, easy collateral-free loans up to ₹20 lakh to support small-scale business ventures for non-corporate and non-farm income-generating activities.
Highlighting PMMY’s role in Empowering Millions and Fulfilling the Vision of Inclusive Growth, Union Minister of Finance remarked, “Cumulatively, more than 57.79 crore loans have been sanctioned, amounting to ₹40.07 lakh crore of disbursement. Two-thirds of the loans have been sanctioned to women entrepreneurs.
Shri Tejveer Singh, IAS (PB :1994) assumed charge as Secretary, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals (DCPC), Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
Prior to his appointment as Secretary, DCPC, Shri Tejveer Singh was serving as Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Technical Education and Industrial Training, Government of Punjab.
Shri Singh is a 1994-batch IAS officer from Punjab Cadre has an extensive administrative career. He has held several key assignments in the Government of Punjab, including Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and Secretary to the Chief Minister. He has also served as District Magistrate in various districts.
Smt. Nivedita Shukla Verma, IAS, has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. She will also hold additional charge of Secretary, Department of Pensions and Pensioners’ Welfare.
Narendra Bhooshan, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1992 batch (Uttar Pradesh cadre) assumed the charge of Secretary, Department of Land Resources, under the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India.
Prior to the present assignment, Shri Bhooshan served as Additional Chief Secretary, Energy, Additional Energy and Technical Education, in the Government of Uttar Pradesh. Earlier, he has served in the State Government as Principal Secretary in the Departments of Science & Technology, PWD, Infrastructure, Industry, NRI Affairs, IT and Electronics, et al.
He has also served as Chief Executive Officer of Greater Noida Authority.
At the central level, Shri Bhooshan has previously contributed extensively to key national initiatives. He has served as the Deputy Director General (Joint Secretary equivalent) at the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology.
He also held the positions of Mission Director, National Food Security Management (NFSM), and Joint Secretary in the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation. Furthermore, he has served as OSD to the Minister and Joint Secretary at the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
NSO launches the first ever Annual Survey of Incorporated Services Sector Enterprises (ASISSE) covering incorporated services sector enterprises across India with the reference period being the financial year 2024-25.
The survey is aimed at developing a comprehensive database of the incorporated services sector of the country.
In a landmark development for Andhra Pradesh, the long-pending dream of establishing Amaravati as the State’s capital received a decisive boost after Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Act, 2026.
The move has formally granted legal backing to Amaravati as the capital, marking a significant milestone in the state’s political and administrative journey.
Since Andhra Pradesh’s bifurcation in 2014, the capital issue was mired in disputes, including the 2019 three-capital proposal by Jagan Mohan Reddy’s government.
With legal clarity on its status, Amaravati’s development could accelerate through urban planning and infrastructure investment, potentially boosting governance efficiency.
Bajaj Alternate Investment Management (Bajaj Alts) said it has received regulatory approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to commence portfolio management services (PMS), marking a key milestone in its growth journey.
The approval enables Bajaj Alts to expand its footprint in listed equities. With this, the firm strengthens its positioning as a diversified investment platform, offering solutions across alternative investment funds (AIFs) and PMS, the company said in a press release.
Bajaj Alts’ PMS strategies will be anchored in deep fundamental research and robust risk management frameworks. The business will also leverage technology to enhance transparency and strengthen risk controls, aiming to deliver consistent risk-adjusted returns.
The RBI said it has cancelled the licence of The Shirpur Merchants' Co-operative Bank as the lender does not have adequate capital and earning prospects.
Consequently, the bank ceases to carry on banking business, with effect from the close of business on April 6, 2026, the Reserve Bank said in a statement.
On liquidation, every depositor would be entitled to receive deposit insurance claim amount of his/her deposits up to Rs 5 lakh from Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC).
The RBI said that as per the data submitted by the co-operative bank, about 99.7 per cent of the depositors are entitled to receive full amount of their deposits from DICGC.
Divya Singh, a 28-year-old teacher from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, has made history by becoming the first Indian woman and second woman globally to reach the Mount Everest Base Camp (EBC) on a bicycle. Starting her journey from Kathmandu, she successfully reached the base camp at an altitude of 17,560 feet after a gruelling 14-day expedition.
Notably, Singh prepared for this record-breaking feat through rigorous self-training and local practice despite limited resources. Her expedition was flagged off from Vikas Bhavan by Gorakhpur district officials, who later celebrated her success as a significant achievement for women's empowerment in India.
Yes Bank announced that veteran banker Vinay Tonse has assumed charge as its managing director and chief executive officer, signalling the start of a new strategic phase for the lender.
Alongside this, YES Bank plans to sharpen its customer-centric approach by evolving its product suite in line with changing market needs.
In his first statement as CEO, Tonse emphasised a four-pillar strategy — People, Products, Processes, and Technology — as the cornerstone of YES Bank’s next phase of transformation.
YES Bank has a strong foundation and has demonstrated resilience over the last six years.
On World Health Day, global leaders gathered in France for a milestone “One Health Summit”, where the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners announced a new wave of concrete actions to better protect people, animals and the planet from future health crises.
Hosted by France, the Summit marks a major step forward in turning the One Health approach – which recognizes that human health, animal health and the environment are deeply connected – into real-world action. This year’s World Health Day theme, “Together for health. Stand with science,” set the tone for the announcements.
WHO is also assuming the Chairmanship of the Quadripartite collaboration, taking on an enhanced leadership role for coordinated global action alongside FAO, WOAH and UNEP. Under WHO’s Chairmanship, the Quadripartite partnership will prioritize delivering measurable impact at the country level, streamlining governance,
and aligning efforts around a focused set of high-impact priorities, while further strengthening advocacy, norm-setting and evidence generation.
Alongside the Summit, WHO is kicking off its first Global Forum of WHO Collaborating Centres (CCs), taking place on 7–9 April.
Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a text already diluted to remove Gulf states' desired green light to use force to protect the key shipping lane.
The draft resolution prepared by Bahrain and supported by the United States received 11 votes in favor, two against and two abstentions.
The draft resolution prepared by Bahrain and supported by the United States received 11 votes in favor, two against and two abstentions. Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani said Gulf states "regret" the outcome.
Iran has imposed an effective blockade on the critical waterway since the United States and Israel launched the war on February 28, sending ripple effects throughout the global economy.
In 2011, NATO obtained the green light to intervene in Libya when Russia abstained from a vote. Moscow later fumed that this had led to the fall of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
The Union Minister of Textiles Shri Giriraj Singh, released study report on Domestic Demand of Textiles “Market for Textiles and Clothing: National Household Survey 2024” in presence of Smt. Neelam Shami Rao, Secretary (Textiles) and the senior officers of the Ministry of Textiles.
In a significant achievement for India’s maritime sector, the Major Ports under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways have collectively handled 915.17 million tonnes (MT) of cargo during FY 2025–26, surpassing the annual target of 904 MT.
This marks a year-on-year growth of 7.06%, reaffirming the sector’s strong recovery, enhanced efficiency, and sustained growth trajectory.
The performance reflects consistent growth across major ports, with Deendayal Port Authority emerging as the top performer at 160.11 MT, followed by Paradip Port Authority at 156.45 MT,
and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) at 102.01 MT. Other key ports including Visakhapatnam Port Authority, Mumbai Port Authority, Chennai Port Authority, and New Mangalore Port Authority also registered strong performance, contributing significantly to the overall cargo throughput.
and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) at 102.01 MT. Other key ports including Visakhapatnam Port Authority, Mumbai Port Authority, Chennai Port Authority, and New Mangalore Port Authority also registered strong performance, contributing significantly to the overall cargo throughput.
In terms of growth rate, Mormugao Port Authority recorded the highest increase at 15.91%, followed by Kolkata Dock System at 14.28% and JNPA at 10.74%, reflecting improved efficiency and rising cargo volumes.
