India has sent humanitarian assistance to Botswana in the wake of floods in the country. External Affairs Ministry said in a social media post that the first tranche of around 10 tons of assistance comprising essential medicines, surgical supplies, mosquito nets, and water purifiers was dispatched for Botswana.

Meanwhile, humanitarian assistance has also been sent to Kiribati to help strengthen the healthcare system of the country. A consignment of 6-bedded container-based Dialysis Units departed from Mundra Port for Tarawa, Kiribati yesterday.

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) was conducted on March 22, 2025, at the Head Office located in New Delhi.

The Elections were held successfully for the post of Chairman and Governing Council members. After following due procedure the results were declared and Ashok Singh Thakur was elected as Chairman for 3 years, a release said.

INTACH is India's premier heritage conservation organisation formally constituted on 27th January 1984. It is a nationally registered Society under the Societies Registration Act (1860).

The Centre has withdrawn the 20 percent duty on onion exports, effective from 1st April. According to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, this will ensure remunerative prices to farmers while maintaining the affordability of onions to the consumers at a crucial juncture. It added that both mandi and retail prices have softened following the expected arrival of rabi crops in good quantities.

As per the estimates, higher production of crops during the rabi season, including onions, is expected to further ease the market prices in the coming months. The export duty of 20 percent had been in place from 13th September last year to ensure domestic availability.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is considering a key relaxation on the issuance of employee stock ownership plans (Esops) to founders of startups planning to go public.

According to a consultation paper released on Thursday, Sebi may allow founders, identified as promoters or part of the promoter group, to hold or exercise Esop benefits granted one year before the company’s initial public offering (IPO) plan.

Currently, Esops are reserved for employees, and the Companies (Share Capital and Debentures) Rules, 2014, prohibit their issuance to promoters. However, startups are eligible for certain relaxations.

The existing norms are unclear on whether employees holding Esops who later become promoters can exercise these options. To address this ambiguity, Sebi’s consultation paper proposes changes to the regulations.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports will host the third Central Asian Youth Delegation to India from March 22 to 28, as part of the International Youth Exchange Programme (IYEP). This initiative aims to foster youth collaboration, promote cultural exchange, and strengthen diplomatic ties between India and the five Central Asian nations: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

The youth exchange program is in line with the vision articulated during the India-Central Asia Summit in January 2022, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed an annual youth exchange initiative to enhance mutual understanding and cooperation among young leaders from the region. The delegation, consisting of 100 members, will engage in a variety of activities that include exploring India’s rich historical, educational, and cultural landmarks. The participants will also have opportunities to interact with local youth leaders and key stakeholders, further building bridges between the nations.

Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Dr V Narayanan, said that the organisation is working on a mission to take an Indian to the Moon and bring him back safely. He also said that India will have its own space station by 2035.

He was at Lovely Professional University near Jalandhar as one of the key speakers at the 8th Chhatra Sansad. Dr Narayanan said that Prime Minister, Sh Narendra Modi, has given the guidelines to work on the mission of taking an Indian to the Moon and bringing him back safely, and the ISRO will accomplish this task by 2040. He also spoke about the humble but inspiring journey of the Indian Space Programme, which has many firsts to its credit now, including being the only space organisation to successfully complete a Mars orbit mission in its first attempt and that too by using a single rocket.

On the safe return of NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore after their epic nine-month odyssey in space, Dr Narayanan said he did not sleep as he was watching the entire mission. We have to learn from others for the success of our own missions.

A famous Hindi poet and writer from Chhattisgarh, Vinod Kumar Shukla, has been selected for the Jnanpith award. This award is considered the country’s highest literary honour. This was announced in New Delhi today. Mr Shukla lives in Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh. He was born on January 1, 1947, in Rajnandgaon.

He has been involved in literary writing for about fifty years. His first collection of poems, “Lagbhag Jai Hind”, was published in the year 1971. His novels, “Naukar ki Kameez”, “Khilega to dekhenge” and “Deewar mein ek khidki”, are considered to be the best Hindi novels. Along with this, his collections of stories, “Peed par Kamra” and “Mahavidyalaya”, and his poems, “Woh aadmi chala gaya, naya garam court pehen kar”, “Aakash dharti ko khatakta hai” and “Kavita se lambi kavita”, have become very popular. Mr Shukla has also written books for children. His books have been translated into many languages. Vinod Kumar Shukla has earlier received many awards for his writings. These include the Gajanan Madhav Muktibodh Fellowship, the Raza Award and the Sahitya Akademi Award.

In a significant step toward fostering industry-academia collaboration, the CSIR - Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Jammu, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with M/S HAPICO Industries Private Limited on 20 March 2025 to jointly develop novel biopesticides.

The MoU was formally signed by Dr Zabeer Ahmed, Director, CSIR-IIIM, and Mr. Shabeer Ahmed, Managing Director, HAPICO Industries, in the presence of Dr Asha Chaubey, Senior Principal Scientist & Head, FMB Division; Dr Saurabh Saran, Principal Scientist, FMB; and Dr Love Sharma, Scientist, RMBD&IST.

This strategic partnership aims to address the detrimental impact of chemical pesticides on human health and the environment. Given the rich biodiversity of medicinal and aromatic plants, the collaboration seeks to harness their potential for developing innovative and sustainable biopesticide solutions.

In the midst of heavy borrowings by the Government of Karnataka to meet capital expenditure, the Legislative Assembly passed two Bills to double the salaries of MLAs and MLCs, the Chief Minister and Ministers, and hiked their allowances.

The hikes will cost ₹62 crore annually on the State exchequer.

On March 21, amid pandemonium in the House, the Karnataka Legislatures Salaries, Pensions and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Karnataka Ministers Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2025, were passed. The two Bills significantly hiked all types of allowances, including house rent and tour, for legislators and Ministers.

The Sudanese army on Friday seized full control of the Presidential Palace in Khartoum, Reuters quoted Sudan state TV and military sources as saying.

The development came as the army was conducting search operations in areas around the palace in pursuit of members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Moments later, intermittent gunfire was heard in some central areas of the capital Khartoum.

The takeover of the Presidential Palace is one of the most significant advances in a two-year-old conflict threatening to fracture the country.