Hyperloop is an emerging technology and is at nascent stage of development. The technical and safety parameters of Hyperloop are yet to be framed worldwide. Hyperloop is expected to be faster, more energy efficient and sustainable than other transportation modes. As an initiative, Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), a unit under Ministry of Railways, has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IIT/Madras with a funding of Rs.20.89 crores for setting up a Centre of Excellence for Hyperloop technology with the objective of development of sub scale model of Pod, Test Track & Vacuum Tube facility of the futuristic full-scale Hyperloop at IIT/Madras for validation of this technology.

This information was given by the Union Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

The BCCI has announced a cash reward of Rs 58 Crore for Team India after its ICC Champions Trophy 2025 triumph, recognizing the efforts of players, coaching staff, and selectors.

Under Rohit Sharma’s leadership, India dominated the tournament with four convincing wins. It defeated Bangladesh and Pakistan by six wickets each, secured a 44-run victory over New Zealand, and overcame Australia by four wickets in the semifinal before winning the final against New Zealand.

India has won 23 of its last 24 completed matches in ICC men’s limited-overs tournaments. Its only defeat came in the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia, snapping a 10-match winning streak in that tournament.

Capital markets regulator Sebi on Wednesday said it has reduced the minimum investment amount for Zero Coupon Zero Principal (ZCZP) instruments on the Social Stock Exchange from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1,000.

ZCZP are instruments for donating money to non-profit organizations (NPOs) listed on the SSE. The move aims to enhance retail participation in social impact investments.

"Based on recommendations of the Social Stock Exchange Advisory Committee and public comments received in respect of the consultation paper...it is decided to review the existing minimum application size for subscribing to Zero Coupon Zero Principal Instruments from Rs 10,000 to a lower amount i.e. Rs 1,000," Sebi said in a circular.

The Ministry of Ayush launched the first batch of the Rashtriya Karmayogi Jan Seva Programme on Wednesday, aiming to build a more accountable, compassionate, and citizen-centric workforce, according to an official statement. Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary of the Ministry of Ayush, inaugurated the program, which is part of the broader Capacity Building Commission initiative designed to transform the mindset of Central Government employees toward public service.

The Rashtriya Karmayogi Jan Seva Programme emphasizes the spirit of “Seva Bhav” (service) and encourages public servants to view their roles as opportunities to bring meaningful change to people’s lives. It seeks not only to promote service but also to upskill employees, broadening their perspectives on their responsibilities.

Kotecha explained that the program aims to help participants recognise the privileges they hold and inspire them to contribute to the well-being of others through both their professional duties and personal growth. He highlighted the dual focus on service and self-improvement, urging employees to integrate these principles into their work.

Delhi Police has formed district-wise dedicated anti-eve-teasing squads (Shistachar squads) across the national capital to check incidents of harassment and ensure the safety of women in public spaces, officials said on Monday.

According to the police, they have been implementing multiple initiatives to curb crimes against women, including eve teasing, molestation, and other forms of harassment with the objective of fostering a safer public environment. Each district will form at least two squads, which will be supervised by the ACP Crime Against Women cell of the concerned district.

According to a circular by the Delhi Police Commissioner, each squad will comprise an inspector, a sub-inspector, four female officers, five male officers and one personnel from special staff from the anti-auto theft squad for technical assistance.

IDFC FIRST Bank has unveiled Ace Feature on its premium Mobile Banking App, that provides relevant insights and tools to allow investors make an informed Mutual Fund investment decision. This feature aims to empower an individual with 'do-it-yourself' investing, digitally.

The ACE Feature on the IDFC FIRST Bank app provides rich and useful details on more than 2500 Mutual Funds in India. Investors can browse through various fund categories (like Equity, Debt, Tax-Saving, Hybrid, and Index funds) and choose the right need-based fund to build a diversified portfolio.

IDFC FIRST Bank Customers can also access detailed information - like historical fund performance (1Y, 3Y & 5Y), holding patterns (by sectors, companies, and market cap), and expert ratings on each fund (Morningstar Rating).

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), a Fortune Global 500 company, has announced the launch of the 'Emerge' cohort under the BPCL Ankur Fund to support startups in Energy Efficiency and City Gas Distribution (CGD). This reinforces BPCL's contribution towards India's transition to a greener and more efficient energy future through its commitment to fostering sustainability and innovation in the oil and gas sector.

Since its inception in 2016, BPCL through its startup initiative 'Ankur' has supported 30 startups with grants amounting to approximately Rs. 28 crores.

With the launch of the 'Emerge' cohort, BPCL through its 'BPCL Ankur Fund' aims to make investments in startups that have developed a Proof of Concept (PoC)/ prototype/ Minimum Viable Product (MVP), or fully implemented solution in the Oil & Gas sector or any other industry and are now ready to expand into Oil & Gas.

The International Day of Happiness, celebrated on March 20, is a day to promote happiness as a key factor in leading a healthy and disease-free life. Recognized by the United Nations (UN), happiness is considered a fundamental objective of human life. The UN prioritizes the importance of happiness, advocating for governments and international organizations to nurture the conditions that foster happiness, protect human rights, and incorporate well-being and environmental sustainability into policy frameworks, as outlined in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The UN stresses that governments should uphold peace and social order, ensuring efficiency in areas such as taxation, legal systems, and public service delivery to increase citizens’ overall satisfaction. In line with this goal, the UN declared March 20 as the International Day of Happiness in 2012.

Markets regulator Sebi on Wednesday partnered with DigiLocker, a government-backed digital document storage platform, to reduce unclaimed assets in the Indian securities market and enhance investor protection.

The initiative will help investors store and access information on their demat and mutual fund holdings through DigiLocker benefiting investors and their families.

Under this, DigiLocker users can now fetch and store their statement of holdings for shares and mutual fund units from their demat accounts, along with their Consolidated Account Statement (CAS), Sebi said in a circular.

This expands the existing DigiLocker services, which already include bank account statements, insurance policy certificates, and NPS account statements.

The union cabinet on Wednesday approved the incentive scheme for the promotion of low-value BHIM-UPI transactions (P2M) for the financial year 2024-25. The scheme is designed to encourage the adoption of the BHIM-UPI platform among small merchants and aligns with the government’s broader vision of transitioning towards a less-cash economy.

The initiative, with an estimated outlay of Rs 1,500 crore, will be implemented from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025. The focus will be on low-value UPI transactions, specifically those under Rs 2,000, conducted by small merchants.

Under the scheme, small merchants will receive an incentive of 0.15% per transaction for transactions up to Rs 2,000, while large merchants will not be eligible for this incentive. For each quarter, 80% of the admitted claim amount will be disbursed without any conditions. However, the remaining 20% will be contingent upon meeting specific performance criteria. This includes maintaining a technical decline rate of less than 0.75% and ensuring system uptime greater than 99.5%.