Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman, made headlines on Friday as she virtually launched a series of infrastructure projects collectively worth over Rs 1,000 crore from the national capital.

These projects are poised to significantly enhance various aspects of infrastructure across different sectors.

One of the key highlights of the event was the laying of the foundation stone for the Departmental Residential Complex by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance. Situated in Sector 28 of Faridabad, Haryana, this complex will comprise 198 quarters of Type-II and III, providing essential housing units for officials of the Income Tax Department.

NITI Aayog Member Dr V K Paul today launched the National Birth Defects Awareness Month 2024 at a function in New Delhi. The theme of National Birth Defect Awareness Month 2024 is “Breaking barriers: inclusive support for children with birth defects”. Under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram of the Health Ministry, various activities for nationwide awareness of birth defect prevention, early identification, timely management, and psychosocial impact will take place throughout the month. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Paul said many children have defects from birth and timely intervention can protect them.

On the occasion, Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra emphasized the pivotal role that Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram plays in ensuring that every child has access to preventive healthcare, leaving no one behind. He said the children with birth defects will be screened during the entire month. He urged states to take part in this awareness campaign to provide a better future for the children.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Thursday said that it has certified nearly 150 railway stations across the country as Eat Right Stations. This is part of the food safety authority’s Eat Right movement which focuses on ensuring safe, hygienic and nutritious food options across colleges, institutions, workplaces and even hospitals among others.

“Till date 150 railway stations across the country have been certified as Eat Right Stations, marking a significant milestone in the advancement of the Eat Right India movement, ensuring safe, hygienic and nutritious food options for millions of passengers who traverse the country’s vast railway network,” the official statement added.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), hosted the 1st ‘Blue Talks’ meeting in New Delhi today. The meeting was co-partnered by the Embassy of France and Embassy of Costa Rica in India. More than 50 participants from government, academia and research institutes witnessed the in-person, high level deliberations on matters related to ‘Ocean Health and Governance’.

The meeting was jointly co-chaired by the Secretary, MoES Dr. M. Ravichandran, along with the Ambassador of France to India, Mr. Thierry Mathou, and Costa Rica Chargée d'affaires, Ms. Sofia Salas Monge.

This meeting is a forerunner to the upcoming High-Level Event on Ocean Action (HLEOA) event ‘Immersed in Change’ scheduled to be held on 7th-8th June, 2024 in San Jose, Costa Rica. On a larger perspective, ‘HLEOA’ is a precursor event to gather recommendations and visions for the upcoming United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3).

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted two successful flight tests of the Very Short-Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missile on Feb 28 7 29, 2024.

These were launched from a ground based portable launcher off the coast of Odisha from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur. These tests were carried out against high speed unmanned aerial targets under different interception scenarios.

According to an official statement issued by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) during all the test flights, the targets were intercepted and destroyed by the missiles, meeting the mission objectives.

Union cabinet on Thursday gave its nod for establishment of International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) — coalition of 96 big cat range countries and others — with headquarters in India and approved one-time budgetary support of Rs 150 crore for this purpose for a period of five years from 2023-24 to 2027-28.

It’ll serve as a common platform and a centralized repository of successful practices for conservation of seven big cats namely tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar and puma.

Five of these - tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard and cheetah - are found in India.

rime Minister Narendra Modi and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth today jointly inaugurated several significant projects on Agalega Island via video conferencing. Among these projects were a new airstrip, St. James Jetty, and six community development initiatives.

Speaking at the event, Pravind Jugnauth praised the historic moment, hailing it as a testament to the exemplary partnership between the two nations. He expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Modi for elevating the Mauritius-India relationship and highlighted India's pivotal role in financing the projects. He commended India's consistent support to Mauritius, particularly under Prime Minister Modi's leadership, and lauded India's global influence and leadership.

Amazon Pay, the fintech arm of e-commerce major Amazon India, has received a payment aggregator licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the company said on Monday.

The fintech firm joins a list of companies that the central bank has granted authorisation to operate as payment aggregators (PA) recently.

“We are excited and thankful to receive the final authorisation from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to function as a payment aggregator. We remain committed to simplify lives and fulfill the aspirations of merchants and customers,” an Amazon Pay spokesperson said in response to queries sent by Business Standard.

Union Minister of Women & Child Development Smriti Irani unveiled the logo and website for the Alliance for Global Good – Gender Equity and Equality in a ceremony held on Wednesday. The event witnessed the presence of notable dignitaries including Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

In her address, Smriti Irani highlighted India's pioneering role in advocating for women's emancipation, emphasizing the country's commitment to global welfare. She underscored India's recent success in garnering international support for the alliance during the Davos summit, reflecting the nation's dedication to the principles of collective progress.

A poetry anthology titled “SOLDIER AND WAR POEM: BEST OF NATIONAL POETRY COMPETITION” was released by Commandant, National Defence Academy Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar in Pune today. The poems and paintings featured in this book are a selected collection from the numerous entries received during the National Level Poetry Competition organised as part of the 75 GYC - Glorious Years Celebrations - by the Academy. The competition was aimed at paying tribute to the historical achievements of the National Defence Academy (NDA) and its alumni, reviving nostalgic memories, raising awareness and inspiring the future generations that would pass out from the Academy. The anthology comprising 170 poems and 15 paintings, has been compiled and edited by Dr Pragya Bajpai as a souvenir of the event, to be preserved for posterity. The soft copy version of the book in PDF format shall be shortly available on the official web site of NDA.