World Day for Safety and Health at Work is being observed today globally. This day focuses on preventing work-related accidents and diseases, raising awareness, and fostering a positive safety culture.
In 2003, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) began to observe this day in order to stress the prevention of accidents and diseases at work.
The theme for this year focuses on “good psychosocial working environments, which is a pathway to thriving workers and strong organisations”. The theme highlights preventing psychosocial risks like stress, burnout, and harassment.
Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman delivered the keynote address at the 38th Foundation Day Programme of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), in Mumbai.
Smt. Sitharaman also digitally launched SEBI's nationwide investor awareness initiative 'Mission Jagrook' on the occasion.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today appealed all financial regulator to work together for easing KYC process for common citizens. Finance Minister said, it is the shared responsibility of all stakeholders to ensure that no citizen has to repeat the same verification journey across multiple financial products and platforms.
Finance Minister warned that, a single successful cyberattack on a major exchange, depository, clearing corporation, or large broker could disrupt markets at national scale, erase wealth, and shake public confidence in ways that take years to rebuild.
In order to avoid these disruptions, she urged SEBI and all regulated Entities to remain exceptionally vigilant. She added that, SEBI should invest very substantially in public awareness, through campaigns on every major platform in regional languages, and through rapid-response takedown mechanisms for fraudulent content impersonating public officials.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will implement its reporting framework for over-the-counter (OTC) foreign exchange (FX) derivative contracts involving the rupee in phases from July 1, 2027 onwards, while retaining most of the provisions set out in its draft directions for Authorised Dealer Category-I (AD Cat-I) banks.
The phased timeline follows feedback from market participants that sought more time to meet reporting thresholds.
Banks will now be required to ensure that reported transactions account for at least 70 per cent, 80 per cent and 90 per cent of the notional value of such contracts over a staggered period.
The directions require AD Cat-I banks to report OTC foreign exchange derivative contracts involving the rupee, including those undertaken globally by their offshore related parties, to the trade repository of the Clearing Corporation of India Ltd (CCIL).
The feedback highlighted operational challenges in capturing and reporting transactions undertaken by related entities across jurisdictions. The RBI did not accept this, saying the requirement is aimed at improving transparency and enabling price discovery in the foreign exchange market, and noted that some standalone primary dealers already comply with similar norms.
The norm defines ‘related party’ in line with equivalent accounting standards, excluding associates. The feedback had proposed limiting the scope to AD Cat-I banks and their offshore branches, which the RBI did not accept, saying the exclusion of associates already narrows the definition.
The RBI accepted feedback seeking clarity on the scope of transactions. It stated that both deliverable and non-deliverable OTC foreign exchange derivative contracts involving the rupee will be covered under the framework.
Indian fintech firm One MobiKwik Systems said that its group has received approval from the Reserve Bank of India for a non-banking financial company (NBFC) licence.
The licence will allow MobiKwik to launch a lending arm, Mobikwik Financial Services, expanding its regulated credit offering.
Shares of the company rose 14 per cent after the annoucement.
One MobiKwik Systems operates a digital wallet and has expanded into the distribution of financial products, including credit and investments.
The NBFC licence will also enable MobiKwik to roll out lending products faster and improve margins by bringing credit operations in-house, the company said.
The unit will offer secured and unsecured loans to consumers and small businesses, with a focus on underserved markets.
The company said non-bank lending operations will begin after it receives a certificate of registration from the central bank on fulfilment of certain conditions.
Credit card spending in March surged to a three-month high of ₹2.19 trillion on the back of year-end financial transactions, according to the latest data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
In the financial year 2025-26 (FY26) spending rose by 11.98 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to ₹23.62 trillion from nearly ₹21.09 trillion in FY25.
After dropping to the lowest level in FY26 in February, card spend increased by 23.81 per cent month-on-month (MoM) from ₹1.77 trillion.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the National Biodiversity Authority have launched a five-year project to strengthen grassroots biodiversity governance in Tamil Nadu and Meghalaya. The project will be implemented from 2025 to 2030 with a grant of over 4.88 million US dollars.
The initiative aims to empower local communities and institutions by integrating biodiversity conservation into Gram Panchayat Development Plans and promoting innovative financing mechanisms.
The Ministry informed that the project, titled Strengthening Institutional Capacities for Securing Biodiversity Conservation Commitments, is a joint initiative of the Government, the Global Environment Facility and the United Nations Development Programme.
In Tamil Nadu, it will cover the Sathyamangalam landscape, including the Mudumalai and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserves.
In Meghalaya, it will be implemented across the Garo Hills region, covering the Nokrek Biosphere Reserve, Balpakram National Park and Siju Wildlife Sanctuary. The project will focus on two ecologically significant landscapes.
The Ministry said that the initiative aligns with India’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, the global 30×30 biodiversity target, and the country’s climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, while also supporting state vision documents of Tamil Nadu and Meghalaya.
Renowned spiritual leader from Keralam and Head of Narayana Gurukulam, Guru Muni Narayana Prasad, passed away in Thiruvananthapuram this morning. He was 87. A civil engineer by profession, he joined Narayana Gurukulam, a spiritual community dedicated to the vision of Sree Narayana Guru in 1968, and became its head in 1999.
A prolific writer and philosopher, Muni Narayana Prasad authored over 100 books on Indian philosophy. He was the recipient of several prestigious honours, including the Padma Shri and the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award.
Veteran photographer Raghu Rai died today after a two-year-long battle with cancer. He was 83. Born on December 18, 1942, in Jhang (now in Pakistan), Rai became one of the most respected photographers not just in India, but across the world. Rai’s photography is often described as a “visual record” of modern India.
He captured powerful images after the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, one of the worst industrial disasters in history. He received the Padma Shri in 1972 for his powerful photography during the Bangladesh Liberation War. In 1992, he was named “Photographer of the Year” in the US.
In 2019, he won the Académie des Beaux-Arts Photography Award, one of the top international honours in photography. He was also given a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017 by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Chairman, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Dr Samir V Kamat, unveiled the Advanced Armoured Platforms (Tracked and Wheeled) at the premises of the DRDO’s laboratory in Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra.
In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said that the platforms have been developed to meet the emerging operational requirements of the Defence Forces. Both the Tracked and Wheeled platforms have been integrated with indigenously designed advanced features to meet the mobility, firepower and protection requirements.
TATA Advanced Systems Limited and Bharat Forge Limited carried out the manufacturing of the platforms.
In shooting, Indian shooters topped the ISSF Junior World Cup 2026 standings in Cairo with 16 medals: five gold, six silver and five bronze, with two of these coming on the final day.
Hemant Burman won silver in the men’s 50 metre rifle 3 positions event with an impressive score of 351.7, while Kazakhstan’s Oleg Noskov, who set a junior world record of 355.6, won gold. Uzbekistan’s Nikita Sokolov took bronze.
In the mixed trap team event, Zuhair Khan and Addya Katyal clinched bronze, marking India’s first shotgun podium at the Cairo meet. Hungary won gold with a junior world record score. India fielded 71 shooters, the largest contingent among 284 shooters from 25 federations.
The Reserve Bank of India has approved approves reappointment of B Ramesh Babu as MD & CEO of Karur Vysya Bank for third term of two years. This will be effective from July 29, 2026. The RBI approved Babu’s re-appointment on April 24, the bank said in an announcement to the stock exchanges.
He was Ex-Deputy Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer in State Bank of India.
During the period from June 2020 to quarter ended December 2025, KVB has been consistently progressing in terms of growth, profitability and asset quality.
The bank has shown a business growth with compounded annual growth rate of 14 per cent. Return on Assets (ROA) has improved from 0.59 per cent (June 2020 quarter) to 2.05 per cent (December 2025 quarter) and Return on Equity (ROE) has moved from 6.29 per cent (June 2020 quarter) to 20.48 per cent (December 2025 quarter).
Net NPA (non-performing assets) declined from 3.44 per cent to 0.19 per cent during the same period.
Goa is set to create history by hosting the SAFF Women's Championship 2026 for the first time, with the tournament confirmed to run from May 25 to June 7, 2026.
The announcement was made at a press conference held at the Secretariat, Porvorim, attended by Sports Authority of Goa Executive Director Shri Ajay Gaude, GFA President Dr. Caitano Fernandes and members of the GFA Executive Committee.
All matches will be played at the PJN Stadium, Fatorda, marking the first time Goa has hosted a SAFF Championship of any kind since the Men's edition in 1999.
Six nations will compete for the title India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Bhutan in what promises to be one of the most high-profile women's football tournaments ever held on Goan soil.
The tournament will be played across five match days May 25, May 28, and May 31 for the group stage, followed by the semi-finals on June 4 and the final on June 7, 2026. Two matches will be played each day, with the first fixture kicking off at 4:00 PM and the second at 7:30 PM.
With an eye on expanding the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s (DMRC) international footprint, Sanjay Jamuar, who holds a vast experience in similar international projects, has been appointed as the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of DMRC’s dedicated global arm — the Delhi Metro International Limited (DMIL).
DMRC is one of the biggest players outside China globally for execution of metro projects and operations. Its dedicated global arm — established with government support to expand DMRC’s presence — is aimed at targeting domestic and international clients, seeking expertise and advisory work.
DMRC had rebranded its subsidiary Delhi Metro Last Mile Services Limited as DMIL on August 25 last year.
According to the DMRC, Jamuar was also the first employee in the O&M department when he joined the corporation in 1998.
Prior to this appointment, Jamuar served as the Managing Director of Keolis India, the Indian arm of the French public transport operator Keolis Group. Keolis India is a Special Purpose Vehicle formed to provide future Operations and Maintenance services for Pune Metro Line 3.
The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India, launched the SMILE–Beggary Survey Mobile Application during the Chintan Shivir with States/UTs held in Chandigarh from 24th to 26th April 2026.
The mobile application has been developed under the SMILE–Beggary Sub-Scheme (Comprehensive Rehabilitation of Persons Engaged in the Act of Begging) to strengthen field-level implementation through real-time data collection and improved monitoring.
The application will enable implementing agencies and district authorities to capture survey data digitally, ensuring accuracy, transparency, and timely reporting.
The launch of the mobile application marks a significant step towards addressing challenges such as delayed and inconsistent data reporting, while enhancing the Ministry’s capacity for real-time monitoring, data analytics, and performance tracking across cities.
Speaking on the occasion, it was highlighted that the initiative aligns with the Government’s vision of achieving a “Bhiksha Vritti Mukt Bharat”. The mobile application will further strengthen the overall monitoring framework of the scheme.
In Maharashtra, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune, recently commissioned a new X-band Doppler Weather Radar at Mahabaleshwar under Mission Mausam. The radar was inaugurated by M. Ravichandran in the presence of senior scientists and officials from IITM and ISRO on 24th of this month.
Installed at an altitude of around 1,400 metres in the Western Ghats, the radar acts as a weather eye in the sky, continuously monitoring atmospheric conditions. It can track rainfall, clouds, storms, fog and strong winds in real time, and is expected to improve short-term weather forecasts of up to three hours for regions including Satara, Pune, Konkan and Mumbai.
On the occasion, IITM also signed an MoU with ISRO’s Space Applications Centre (SAC) to jointly develop improved satellite-based weather products aimed at strengthening forecasts related to climate change, lightning, deep convection and air quality.
The system is expected to support flood and landslide warnings, aviation safety, agriculture advisory, disaster management and water resource planning.
In Jammu and Kashmir, six strategically located border villages in Kathua district have been brought under the Centre’s Vibrant Village Programme-II to strengthen development infrastructure and ensure full saturation of welfare schemes.
The villages including Bobiya, Kadyala, Gajnal, Karol Krishna, Rathua and Gujjar Chak along the International Border, were identified at a meeting chaired by Deputy Commissioner of Kathua Rajesh Sharma.
Emphasizing effective implementation, Mr Sharma directed officials to ensure timely execution of plans through regular monitoring and close inter-departmental coordination. He also stressed community participation and asked departments to conduct field-level verification, identify gaps and ensure last-mile delivery of all flagship schemes.
