In order to foster inclusive education through capacity building initiatives under ‘Project Inclusion’, the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, has signed an MoU with Sri Aurobindo Society (SAS) today in New Delhi.

This collaboration marks a significant step towards achieving the mandate of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, particularly under Sections 16, 17, and 47, which emphasize inclusive education for children with disabilities. The partnership aims to enhance the capabilities of educators, rehabilitation professionals, school counsellors, general teachers and other stakeholders, thereby strengthening the inclusive education ecosystem in the country.

Under the MoU, Sri Aurobindo Society (SAS), through its ‘Rupantar Programme’, will implement ‘Project Inclusion’ via a mobile app and web-based platform. The project will provide training, issue e-certificates upon completion, and promote awareness and innovation in inclusive teaching methods and tools. SAS will also undertake research and development activities for further enhancing the state of inclusive education in the country. Importantly, the project also intends to expand to geographically challenging regions like Leh, as part of the Leh Inclusion Initiative of this Department.

Registration on government portals for Himachal Pradesh’s insurance scheme would now be open quarterly — in March, June, September and December, the government said.

Medical college principals and medical superintendents can now allow HIMCARE cards to be made depending on the severity of diseases of the patients, their financial condition or any other special circumstance, it said.

This was decided given the the importance of HIMCARE cards, especially for poor and needy families, the government said.

The Himachal Pradesh government has also decided to provide free of cost treatment to accident victims in all state-run medical institutions.

In Squash, India’s Anahat Singh clinched the Asian U19 Squash Championship title with a dominant 3-0 victory over Hong Kong China’s Cheung TC in the final. She won in straight games with scores of 11-7, 11-2, 11-8 to secure the gold medal, in Gimcheon, in South Korea, on Saturday.

In the U-17, Aryaveer Dewan made history for India by winning the U17 boys’ title at the Asian Junior Squash Championships, ending the country’s 13-year wait for the crown in this category. Dewan defeated the defending champion Nikhileswar Moganasundharam of Malaysia in straight games. The final score read 11-5, 11-8, 11-3.

Two more Indian players – Ayaan Dhanuka in boys’ U13 and Saanvi Kalanki in girls’ U15 – had to settle for silver medals after losing in their respective finals. Saanvi lost 3-0 to Malaysia’s Jinoreeka Ning group final, while Ayaan lost 3-1 to top-seeded Pakistani player Muhammad Sohail Adnan in the title clash.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi smashed the record for the fastest hundred in Men’s Youth ODIs during the fourth game of a five-match series between England U-19 and India U-19 in Worcester on Saturday.

Suryavanshi reached his century off 52 balls to break the previous record of 53 balls, held by Pakistan’s Kamram Ghulam. The left-hander struck 10 fours and seven sixes during his fiery knock.

He was eventually dismissed for 143 off 78 balls, which included 13 fours and 10 sixes.

Last year, the 14-year-old had stuck the second-fastest hundred in Men’s Youth Tests against Australia U-19 in Chennai. He had reached the three-figure mark off just 56 balls to sit behind only Moeen Ali of England, who had smashed 56-ball ton back in 2005.

Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra continued his exceptional form, winning the inaugural edition of the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025-a World Athletics Gold-level event held at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru yesterday evening.

He secured the title with a best throw of 86.18 metres. Kenya’s Julius Yego finished second with a season-best effort of 84.51 metres, while Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage took third place with a throw of 84.34 metres.

Chopra took the lead in his second attempt with a throw of 82.99 metres, before registering the biggest throw of the evening-86.18 metres-in his third attempt. He recorded a foul on his fourth attempt, followed by 84.07 metres in the fifth, and concluded the event with a throw of 82.22 metres.

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has announced the launch of a new political party in the United States called the America Party, aiming to challenge the two-party system dominated by Republicans and Democrats.

Musk made the announcement yesterday on his social media platform X, accusing both major parties of unchecked government spending and corruption and claiming that the US no longer functions as a democracy but as a unified political machine driven by waste and self-interest.

The move follows a dramatic fallout between Musk and former ally US President Donald Trump.

Although Musk was born outside the US and is ineligible to run for president, he has not disclosed who will lead the new party. It remains unclear whether the America Party has been formally registered with US election authorities.

World No. 1 and reigning Paralympic champion Harvinder Singh delivered a stellar performance at the 2025 Asian Para Archery Championships in Beijing, clinching two gold medals and completing a hat-trick of podium finishes. His efforts helped propel India to second place in the overall medal standings, finishing just behind hosts China.

India wrapped up the competition with a total of nine medals: three gold, three silver, and three bronze. China topped the table with a dominant haul of 10 gold, four silver, and three bronze.

Harvinder began his campaign by setting a new competition record and personal best of 663 points in the recurve men’s qualifying round. He then partnered with Bhawna to secure gold in the recurve open mixed team event, narrowly defeating China’s Zihan Gao and Jun Gan 5-4 (14-8) in a tense shoot-off after Gao missed her shot.

In Boxing, India’s Sakshi Chaudhary has clinched the gold medal in the women’s 54kg category at the World Boxing Cup in Astana today. She defeated USA’s Yoseline Perez with a dominant 5-0 unanimous decision in the final.

World Bank has placed India among world’s Most Equal Societies. According to the World Bank, India’s Gini Index stands at 25.5, making it the fourth most equal country in the world, after the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Belarus. The Gini Index is a simple yet powerful way to understand how income, wealth or consumption is equally distributed across households or individuals in a country.

India falls into the “moderately low” inequality category, which includes Gini scores between 25 and 30. India is only a fraction away from joining the “low inequality” group, which includes countries like the Slovak Republic with a score of 24.1, Slovenia at 24.3, and Belarus at 24.4. Apart from these three, India has a better score than all the other 167 countries for which the World Bank has released data.

India’s score is much lower than China’s 35.7 and far lower than the United States, which stands at 41.8.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday began his historic visit to Argentina by paying respects at the statue of General Jose de San Martin, the country’s revered freedom fighter and national hero, in Buenos Aires.

PM Modi laid a wreath and paid tribute at the San Martin Memorial, marking the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the South American nation in 57 years.

General Jose de San Martin is recognised as the liberator of Argentina, and the monument was created in 1862 by French sculptor Louis Joseph Daumas. It was the first equestrian statue in Buenos Aires.

San Martin led crucial phases of Argentina’s struggle for independence between 1813 and 1818 — defeating Spanish forces at the Battle of San Lorenzo, reorganising the Army of the North, becoming Governor of Cuyo, and creating the Army of the Andes, which he led across the mountains into Chile to liberate the neighbouring country from Spanish rule. He later moved north to help liberate Peru in 1820.