Union minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday launched a scheme for providing industry apprenticeship opportunities to fresh graduates.

The Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skills (SHREYAS) is a programme basket comprising the initiatives of three central ministries, including the HRD, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Javadekar said.

"The education with skills is the need of the hour and the SHREYAS will be a major effort in this direction to make our degree students more skilled, capable, employable and aligned to the needs of our economy so that they contribute to country's progress and also obtain gainful employment," he said.

"The education with skills is the need of the hour and the SHREYAS will be a major effort in this direction to make our degree students more skilled, capable, employable and aligned to the needs of our economy so that they contribute to country's progress and also obtain gainful employment," he said.

Southern Coast Railway will be a new zone of the Indian Railways. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal told this to reporters in New Delhi yesterday. This new 18th railway zone of the country will be headquartered at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. The new zone will comprise the existing Guntakal, Guntur and Vijayawada divisions that currently fall under the South Central Railway.Mr. Goyal said the South Central Railway will then consist of the Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Nanded divisions.

The cost of creating infrastructure for a new zone, according to an internal assessment of the Railways, is more than 205 crore rupees. 

The Indian Railways' operations are currently divided into 17 zones, which are further sub-divided into divisions, each having a divisional headquarter. There are a total of 73 divisions at present.

In 2002-2003, seven new zones and eight new divisions were created.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will confer the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes for Science and Technology to the awardess in New Delhi today. The award will be conferred for the years 2016, 2017 and 2018. Mr Modi will also address the gathering on the occassion. 

The Prize is named after the founder Director of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dr. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar. The Prize is given each year to recognize outstanding Indian work in various disciplines of Science and Technology.

The United States, Britain and France have asked the United Nations Security Council to blacklist Masood Azhar, the head of Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). 

The three countries, in a proposal, have asked the sanctions committee of the 15-member Council to subject Azhar to an arms embargo, global travel ban and asset freeze. 

The committee operates by consensus and members have until 13th of next month to raise objections if any. 

New Delhi also demanded immediate and safe return of an Indian Air Force pilot who is in the custody of Pakistan following an aerial engagement by air forces of the two countries. It has been made clear to Pakistan that no harm comes to the Indian defence personnel.

Earlier, India foiled Pakistan's attempt to target its military installations and shot down one Pakistan Air Force fighter aircraft. Briefing media in New Delhi, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, after India's air strikes in Balakot, Pakistan responded this morning by using its Air Force but due to India's high state of readiness and ness, the attempts were foiled successfully. 

He said the Pakistani aircraft was seen by ground forces falling from the sky on the Pakistan side. The spokesman said, in this engagement, the country, unfortunately, lost one MiG 21 and one Indian Air Force pilot is in Pakistan's custody.

New Delhi has lodged a strong protest with Islamabad at the unprovoked act of aggression, including violation of air space by the Pakistan Air Force and targeting of Indian military posts. The External Affairs Ministry, said in a statement, yesterday that the Acting High Commissioner of Pakistan was summoned and a strong protest was lodged. 

It said Pakistan's act was in contrast to India's non-military anti-terror pre-emptive strike at a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) camp at Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It was conveyed that India reserves the right to take firm and decisive action to protect its national security, sovereignty and territorial integrity against any act of aggression or cross-border terrorism.

India said it is unfortunate that Pakistan has acted with aggression instead of fulfilling its international obligation and bilateral commitment to take credible action against terrorist entities and individuals operating from its soil. India demanded that Pakistan take immediate and verifiable action against terrorism. 

A dossier was handed over to Islamabad with specific details of JeM complicity in Pulwama terror attack and the presence of its camps and leadership in Pakistan.

Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday launched the PRANAM Commission, a panel set up to look after the issues concerning a Bill brought in for protection of parents of state government employees.

The Parents Responsibility and Norms for Accountability and Monitoring (PRANAM) Bill, stated to be the first-of its-kind Bill in the country, is an effort to protect elderly parents of government employees in their times of need, Sonowal said.

"We have ensured that no state government employee can ignore their elderly parents and unmarried differently abled siblings. The PRANAM Bill is an effort from the state government to protect them and give them financial security," the chief minister said.

He, however, said it would be better if this Bill did not require to be implemented.

India’s gold rush at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Delhi continued on day 4 when the pair of Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary bagged a gold in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team. The teenage sensations claimed top spot with a total of 483.4 points, which was almost 5 points ahead of the Chinese pair that finished in second place with 477.7. The duo had already equalled the world record in the event during the qualifying stages with a score of 778 points.

However, they bettered their performance in the finals of 10m air pistol mixed team event to emerge as the winners while comprehensively beating their Chinese counterparts. In the qualification rounds, Bhaker scored 385 while Chaudhary got 393 to equal the world record score of 778. They were the only Indian pair to make it to the final after Heena Sidhu (384) and Abhishek Verma (386) fell short of the five-team final as they finished ninth with a score 770.

In the 10m air rifle final also, no Indian could reach the final. Anjum Moudgil and Ravi Kumar marginally missed the five-team final after coming seventh with a score 836.3. Meanwhile, Apurvi Chandela (the Gold medallist in the individual event) and partner Deepak Kumar were placed 25th with a score of 831.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on February 26 said that Allahabad Bank, Corporation Bank and Dhanlaxmi Bank have been taken out of the Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework.

In a statement, RBI said the Board for Financial Supervision (BFS) reviewed the performance of banks under PCA and noted that the government has infused fresh capital on February 21 into various banks including some of the banks currently under the PCA framework.

"Of these banks, the Board for Financial Supervision (BFS) noted that Allahabad Bank and Corporation Bank had received Rs 6896 crore and Rs 9086 crore respectively. This has shored up their capital funds and also increased their loan loss provision to ensure that the PCA parameters were complied with," RBI said.

The release noted that the two banks made the necessary disclosures to the Stock Exchange and after the infusion of capital, the CRAR, CET1, Net NPA and Leverage Ratios are no longer in breach of the PCA thresholds.

The 49-year-old, who was charged in October, admitted failing to co-operate with an investigation and "concealing, tampering with or destroying evidence".

It is part of a wider investigation into corruption in Sri Lankan cricket.

Jayasuriya, who retired in 2012, is a former chairman of selectors.

"This conviction under the code demonstrates the importance of participants in cricket co-operating with investigations," said Alex Marshall, general manager of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) anti-corruption unit.

"Compelling participants to co-operate under the code is a vital weapon in our efforts to rid our sport of corruptors. These rules are essential to maintain the integrity of our sport."

Jayasuriya was player of the tournament when Sri Lanka won the World Cup in 1996 and he scored 21 centuries and took 323 wickets in 445 one-day internationals.

He also averaged 40.07 runs in 110 Test matches.

The former government minister retired from international cricket in 2011, but continued playing Twenty20 matches until 2012.