Sea6 Energy, a technology pioneer in the Blue Economy, has launched the world's first large-scale mechanized tropical seaweed farm off Ekas, on the island of Lombok, Indonesia. The one-square-kilometer seaweed farm marks a significant milestone in establishing the scalability of sustainable tropical seaweed cultivation for the production of large industrial applications such as biofertilizers, bioplastics, and the continued research and development of renewable chemicals and fuels.

Author and philanthropist Sudha Murty has been nominated to the Rajya Sabha by President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on March 8 via social media platform X.

PM Modi expressed his delight at Murty's nomination to the Upper House, emphasising the significant role it plays in showcasing 'Nari Shakti' or Women Power. Sudha Murty's nomination, disclosed by Prime Minister Modi, coincides with the celebration of International Women's Day.

"I am delighted that the President of India has nominated Sudha Murty Ji to the Rajya Sabha. Sudha Ji's contributions to diverse fields including social work, philanthropy, and education have been immense and inspiring. Her presence in the Rajya Sabha is a powerful testament to our 'Nari Shakti,' exemplifying the strength and potential of women in shaping our nation's destiny. Wishing her a fruitful Parliamentary tenure," stated the Prime Minister in his post.

Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Friday will launch a national cooperative database to foster a cooperative-centric economic model.

Mr. Shah will also release the 'National Cooperative Database 2023: A Report', according to an official statement on Thursday.

To fulfill Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of 'Sahakar se Samriddhi', it is another important initiative of the cooperation ministry.

Panama has officially ratified the International Solar Alliance (ISA), marking its entry as the 97th member nation. The information was divulged by Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs.

In a post on X, Randhir Jaiswal @MEAIndia tweets, "Panama becomes the 97th member to ratify the ISA. Panama handed over the Instrument of @isolaralliance Ratification, during the meeting of Ambassador Yasiel Burillo of Panama to India, with Joint Secretary (Economic Diplomacy) @Abhishekifs in New Delhi today."

Panama's commitment to sustainable energy was underscored as Ambassador Yasiel Burillo presented the Instrument of Ratification to Joint Secretary (Economic Diplomacy) Abhishekifs during a meeting in New Delhi today.

This formal act solidifies Panama's pledge to collaborate within the framework of the ISA, joining other nations in the pursuit of harnessing solar energy for a greener future.

The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu graced and addressed the first convocation of Central Sanskrit University in New Delhi today (March 7, 2024).

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that the feeling of pride towards Indian culture is the basis of our national consciousness. Realizing the rich culture of our country awakens a sense of pride. The heritage of our culture is preserved in the Sanskrit language. Therefore, spreading the cultural awareness available in Sanskrit language is a service to the nation.

The President said that Sanskrit language has woven the diversity of our vast land into a thread of unity. Many Indian languages have been strengthened by the vocabulary of Sanskrit and those languages are flourishing in different regions and states. It is not only the language of God but it is also the language of people.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Bank Indonesia (BI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Mumbai on Thursday for establishing a framework to promote the use of local currencies viz. the Indian Rupee (INR) and the Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) for cross-border transactions. The MoU was signed by the Governor of Reserve Bank of India Mr. Shaktikanta Das and the Governor of Bank Indonesia Mr. Perry Warjiyo. This collaboration marks a key milestone in strengthening bilateral cooperation between RBI and BI.

In a press release issued on Thursday, the RBI said the MoU on establishing a framework for cooperation in the area of cross-border transactions in local currencies between India and Indonesia, aims to promote the use of INR and IDR bilaterally. It said this will eventually contribute to promoting trade between India and Indonesia as well as deepen financial integration and strengthen the long historical, cultural and economic relations between India and Indonesia.

The RBI said the MoU covers all current account transactions, permissible capital account transactions and any other economic and financial transactions as agreed upon by both countries.

Marking a significant step in bolstering bilateral cooperation between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG), the USCG Ship Bertholf reached Port Blair on March 7, 2024, for joint exercise with the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), the Defense Ministry informed on Thursday.

Codenamed "Sea Defenders-2024," the joint exercise is scheduled to take place on March 9-10, 2024, off the coast of Port Blair, the official release said.

World's largest literary festival-'Sahityotsav' by Sahitya Akademi will be held from the 11th to 16th of March. The festival commemorating 70 years of Sahitya Akademi will witness the participation of more than a hundred renowned writers and scholars. Sahitya Akademi, Secretary, Dr K. Sreenivasrao said that over 190 sessions and more than 175 languages of the country will also be represented during the festival.

The highlight of the festival will be the presentation ceremony of the Sahitya Akademi Awards 2023, which will be held on the 12th of March in New Delhi’s Kamani Auditorium. The Chief Guest of the Awards Presentation Ceremony will be Pratibha Rai, the distinguished Odia writer. The Samvatsar lecture will be delivered by renowned Urdu writer and lyricist Gulzar on the 13th of March at the Meghdoot open theatre.

Multilingual Poetry reading and short story reading, Yuva Sahiti, Asmita, Purvottari, Panel Discussions on Bhakti Literature of India, Children's literature in India, Idea of India, Importance of Mother tongues, Tribal Poets’ and Writers' Meet, Novels of Future, Theatre as a Cultural Expression will be some of the key highlights of the festival.

Badminton Association of India on Thursday announced a cash incentive of over INR 1.12 crore to the players and support staff for their success in major international tournaments including the Asian Games, Badminton Asia Team Championship and the BWF World Junior Championships.

The women’s team that won the historic Badminton Asia Team Championship (BATC) crown last month will get INR 35 lakh, 2022 Asian Games gold medallist men’s doubles combination of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are awarded INR 12 lakh, 2022 Asian Games men’s singles bronze medallist HS Prannoy will receive INR 5 lakh while the men’s team that bagged the 2022 Asian Games silver for the first time will collectively get a prize sum of INR 40 lakh.

The BAI has also rewarded 2023 BWF World Championships bronze medallist Ayush Shetty (INR 1 lakh), Badminton Asia Junior U-15 boys singles champion Bornil Aakash Changmai (INR2 lakh), U-17 girls singles silver medallist Tanvi Sharma (INR 1 lakh) and U-15 boys singles bronze medallist Jagsher Singh Khangurra (INR 50,000).

Goa was awarded 'The Best Destination of the Year' by the Pacific Area Travel Writers' Association at the ITB Berlin Convention, which culminated on Thursday, for promoting the concept of regenerative tourism.
Hailing the feat, Goa Tourism Secretary Sanjeev Ahuja said such prestigious awards encourage the state to provide better facilities for tourists.

"I am very happy Goa has received this award. We have been working on improving our facilities in various ways. Goa has given focus on improving tourism facilities and also promoting local festivals, culture and cuisines by involving local communities," Ahuja said.

"Goa is famous for the beaches. But we are going beyond the beaches," he asserted.
The ITB Berlin Convention took place between March 5 and 7 at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds with the motto 'Pioneer the Transition in Travel and Tourism Together'.