National

New Delhi [India], August 8: Some came in buses, others in travellers. A few arrived in pressed uniforms, while many were dressed in their everyday attire. But by the end of the day, all 13,150 students who walked into ICMR labs across India left with something new: a spark. A thought. Maybe even a plan. SHINE – short for Science, Health & Innovation for Nextgen Explorers – wasn’t a loud campaign. It didn’t flood headlines or break the internet. But in labs from Delhi to Dibrugarh, it gave teenagers across 16 states and union territories something that no textbook could:…

New Delhi [India], August 6: If you were anywhere near Parliament on 6 August, you could feel it. Not the usual bustle alone, but that slightly charged air that comes when something off-script is about to happen. And it did. By evening, both Houses had signed off on two big maritime bills in the span of a single day, a first for the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. In the Lok Sabha, the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024, cruised through. A fresh, sleeker rulebook meant to replace the hefty 1958 Act that’s been groaning under amendments for decades.  Meanwhile, across…

Surat (Gujarat) [India], August 5: In a quiet corner of Gujarat’s Surat district, something extraordinary unfolded. Not a festival, not a rally, but a campaign with the power to change lives. For three months, the Agasi branch of Union Bank of India became a beacon of financial empowerment. On July 25, 2025, that campaign reached a stirring culmination. What began as a government directive, the Financial Inclusion Saturation Campaign, turned into a grassroots movement, stitched together with resolve, outreach, and remarkable coordination. Guided by the Ministry of Finance and powered by Union Bank’s local and regional leadership, the campaign didn’t…

New Delhi [India], August 5: It wasn’t a flashy affair. No sky banners, no roaring applause. Just two leaders, one from Delhi, the other from Manila, walking down a diplomatic path with quiet confidence and something more, mutual respect. The Philippines’ President arrived in India, but it didn’t feel like a routine trip. Something about it was different. You could sense it from the body language, the tone of the statements, even the cultural nods, “Mabuhay,” said the Indian PM, with a smile that didn’t feel rehearsed. This year, both countries complete 75 years of formal diplomatic relations. That’s a…

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 4: The recently signed India–UK Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Mr. Keir Starmer, marks a transformative milestone in strengthening economic and trade ties between the two countries.  The Agreement offers 100% duty-free market access for Indian exports to the UK, covering 99% of the UK’s tariff lines, thereby unlocking new opportunities for several sectors, particularly Technical Textiles.   Bhadresh Dodhia, Immediate Past Chairman of MATEXIL (Manmade Fibre and Technical Textiles Export Promotion Council), who was part of the High-Powered Business…

New Delhi [India], August 1: In a sunlit corridor of a small wellness centre in Varanasi, a mother waits with her son for an Ayurvedic consult. Just outside, a poster announces a free yoga therapy camp, and across the hallway, a homoeopathic OPD is quietly humming with patients. This isn’t a wellness fad or some boutique retreat. It’s government healthcare, AYUSH, and it’s growing faster than most people realise. For decades, India’s traditional medicine systems, Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy, were treated like side notes in a healthcare textbook dominated by modern allopathy. But the tide has turned. Backed…

New Delhi [India], July 30: If you’d walked into South Block on July 30, you’d have felt the shift, not just in security protocol, but in purpose. India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), two nations bound by trade, trust, and tradition, decided to up the ante on their defence ties. And this time, it wasn’t just another handshake; it was a blueprint for the future. At the 13th edition of the India-UAE Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC), held for the first time at the Secretary level in New Delhi, the mood was unmistakably forward-looking. India’s Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh…

New Delhi [India], July 29: The National Conclave on “Role of CSR in Mission Viksit Bharat by 2047” and Indian Achievers’ Awards 2025 were held at Le Méridien, New Delhi, on 15th July. Organised by Indian Achievers’ Forum, a pioneer in recognising achievements since 2000, the summit in this 25th year, honoured eminent individuals and organisations working towards the Mission Viksit Bharat by 2047.” The chief guest of the event was Hon’ble Union Minister of Road Transport and Highway Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari. The Guests of Honour were Smt. Rekha Sharma, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), Smt. Smita Wagh, Hon’ble…

New Delhi [India], July 28: It’s now every day that a government scheme transforms rural India. Since its launch in 2016, the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) has done exactly that, lighting up over 10 crore homes with the blue flame of clean cooking. From being just a policy document, PMUY has now become a social shift, especially for women from low-income and remote households. And yet, for all its early success, a newer challenge emerged: sustained usage. Today, the Government of India is doubling down, not just on providing LPG connections but on ensuring they’re actually used. With the…

New Delhi [India], July 26: As India marked the 26th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas, a powerful wave of patriotism swept the nation from schools to colleges, offices to parks and memorials across the country. In a landmark initiative, State Bank of India (SBI), the nation’s largest bank and Fitistan- Ek Fit Bharat, India’s largest community-based fitness movement, concluded the 2nd Edition of the SBI Kargil Tiger Hill Challenge with resounding success. The nationwide tribute honoured the 527 bravehearts of the Indian Armed Forces who laid down their lives during the Kargil War in 1999. With an overwhelming 35,000+ participants and active involvement of 17 SBI Circles, the challenge went far beyond being a fitness activity. It became a powerful movement of remembrance, respect, unity and national pride. What began as a symbolic target of…