The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and Government of Odisha organized a Workshop cum Capacity Building Programme to Boost Agri Products' Exports from Odisha at Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Hall, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Bhubaneswar.

According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the event featured over 10 stalls, represented by Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOS)/Farmer Producer Companies, women agripreneurs, government departments of Odisha, and exporters from across the state. Several GI-tagged and Agri-Products from the state, such as Koraput Kalajeera Rice, Nayagad Kanteimundi, Brinjal, Ganjam Kewda Flower Products, Koraput Coffee, Kandhamal Haldi Powder, Kendrapada Rasabali, Salepur Rasagolla, Khajuri Gud, Dhenkanal Magaji Ladoo, and Mayurbhanja Kai Chutni, were displayed at the University.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Thursday announced that Hubballi Airport in Karnataka has been awarded the Platinum Recognition--the highest level of honour--in the Green Airports Recognition 2025 by Airports Council International (ACI) Asia-Pacific and Middle East.

Hubballi Airport was awarded in the category "Sustainable Energy at Airports" among airports handling less than 6 million passengers per annum, according to a release.

This prestigious honour was declared during the ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East Regional Assembly, Conference and Exhibition held in New Delhi on April 16, and the award was received by Rajesh Nilkanth Shinde, Executive Director (Technical), AAI, on behalf of the Chairman, AAI.

Muttayil Govinda Sankara Narayanan, popularly known as M G S Narayanan, a well-known historian, researcher, and an educator, passed away on Saturday at the age of 92.

He breathed his last at 9.52 am at his residence in Malaparamba, Kozhikode, according to a report in Kerala’s daily Onmanorama.

Narayanan carved out a space for an academic understanding of Kerala’s ancient past through his works. He was the member secretary and chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), according to the report.

India has lifted 171 million people from extreme poverty in the decade between 2011-12 and 2022-23, the World Bank said.

"Over the past decade, India has significantly reduced poverty. Extreme poverty (living on less than $2.15 per day) fell from 16.2 per cent in 2011-12 to 2.3 per cent in 2022-23, lifting 171 million people above this line, the World Bank said in its Poverty & Equity Brief' on India.

It added that rural extreme poverty dropped from 18.4 per cent to 2.8 per cent, and urban from 10.7 per cent to 1.1 per cent, narrowing the rural-urban gap from 7.7 to 1.7 percentage points a 16 per cent annual decline.

Reliance Industries Ltd on Friday named Anant M. Ambani, the youngest son of Chairman Mukesh Ambani, as a whole-time director of the company. Anant M. Ambani, a Brown University graduate, is the youngest non-executive director to be appointed as a whole-time director at Reliance Industries.

The board, acting on the recommendation of the Human Resources, Nomination and Remuneration Committee, approved Anant Ambani’s appointment for a five-year term beginning May 1, 2025, subject to shareholder approval, the company said in a stock exchange filing.

Anant Ambani, who has served as a non-executive director on Reliance’s board, will now take on a more active executive role at India’s most valuable company. Anant Ambani also serves on the boards of several Reliance group companies, including Jio Platforms since March 2020, Reliance Retail Ventures since May 2022, and Reliance New Energy and Reliance New Solar Energy since June 2021. He has also been a board member of Reliance Foundation since September 2022.

World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2025: Every year, people mark World Day for Safety and Health at Work on April 28 to promote workplace safety and foster a healthy work environment in all sectors.

This day was initiated by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2003, aiming to advocate for workplace safety standards and prioritising employee well-being by bringing awareness about work-related casualties and ailments.

This year, it is being observed on Monday, April 28, 2025, under the theme “Revolutionising Health and Safety: The Role of AI and Digitalisation at Work,” which aims to highlight the transformative impact of emerging technologies on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH).

“With India projected to be a global AI powerhouse, empowering its women in this space isn’t just local impact — it’s global transformation.” Kirthiga Reddy, who was once the first employee and Managing Director of Facebook India (now Meta) and later the first female investing partner at the AI-focused over $130B SoftBank’s Vision Fund, is more than sure of what she wants to do with her new platform AI Kiran.

Reddy, now the CEO & co-founder, Verix, a global trust-tech platform, is the brain behind AI Kiran which aims to put Indian women in AI on a global stage, enable connectivity, funding and mentorship. AI Kiran is launching on April 21 in conjunction with UN creativity and innovation day. The timing is crucial , for despite women outnumbering men in STEM courses in India, it is estimated that women account for only 33 per cent of GenAI roles at the junior level in India and this drops to 19 per cent at the senior level.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is carrying out 'Exercise Aakraman' in the central sector with its mainstream fighter aircraft taking part in it, sources said on Thursday.

However, this is a "routine exercise", a source said.

India's frontline fighter jets include Rafales, Su-30s and other aircraft.

Further details are awaited.

The exercise is taking place at a time when the tension between India and Pakistan has gone up after the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.

India’s inland water transport (IWT) sector has achieved a record cargo movement of 145.5 million metric tonnes (MMT) in FY 2024–25—nearly eight times the 18.10 MMT recorded in FY 2013–14. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways announced this milestone on Thursday, attributing the achievement to strategic investments, digital tools, and policy reforms led by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI).

The sector has grown at a CAGR of 20.86% over the last decade, with a 9.34% rise over the previous year alone. Five bulk commodities—coal, iron ore, iron ore fines, sand, and fly ash—accounted for over 68% of the cargo moved. Passenger movement reached 1.61 crore in 2023–24.

Operational National Waterways increased from 5 in 2014 to 29 today, with the navigable length rising from 2,716 km to 4,894 km. Infrastructure investment over the decade touched Rs. 6,434 crore, with key developments including Multi-Modal Terminals, community jetties, floating terminals, and navigational locks.

In a major push towards strengthening global partnerships in critical mineral research, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (CSIR-IMMT), under the Ministry of Science & Technology, has signed two Joint Declarations of Intent (JDIs) with leading Russian institutions.

The strategic agreements were signed with the State Research and Design Institute of the Rare Metal Industry (JSC Giredmet), affiliated with the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation, Rosatom, and the National University of Science and Technology (NUST MISIS), Moscow. These partnerships are aimed at enhancing collaboration in advanced mineral processing and sustainable resource development.

Dr. Ramanuj Narayan, Director of CSIR-IMMT, signed both JDIs—one with Dr. Andrei I. Golinei, Director, Chemical Technology Unit, JSC Rosatom Science, and the other with Dr. Michael R. Filonov, Vice-Rector, NUST MISIS. The initiatives are being coordinated by Dr. Kali Sanjay, Chief Scientist and Head of Business Development, CSIR-IMMT, in close cooperation with Dr. Konstantin V. Ivanovskikh, Deputy Director for Science and Innovation, Giredmet JSC, and Dr. Korotchenko Natalia, Director, MISIS Information and Marketing Centre.