Indian batter Shreyas Iyer achieved the accolade of the ICC Men's Player of the Month Award for March 2025, surpassing competitors Jacob Duffy and Rachin Ravindra from New Zealand, as per a report from ICC.

Iyer emerged as the top run-scorer for India with 243 runs, contributing significantly to India's success in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai and Pakistan. Iyer's receipt of this award signified that India has claimed it consecutively, with Shubman Gill winning the accolade for February.

Iyer played an integral part in India's 2025 Champions Trophy journey, serving an important function in the middle-order. His exceptional stroke-play helped India navigate the middle overs, and his ability to stabilize the innings while establishing important partnerships was crucial in leading his team to a triumphant campaign.

Udaipur, Rajasthan – In an extraordinary milestone for global medical science, a 17-centimeter long intramedullary spinal cord tumor was successfully removed from a 21-year-old woman at Paras Health Hospital, Udaipur. This rare and highly complex surgery has now earned a place in the International Book of Records as the “Longest Spinal Ependymoma Removed from the Upper Spine.”

The groundbreaking surgery was led by renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Ajeet Singh, celebrated across the country for his expertise, precision, and unwavering dedication to patient care. The tumor stretched from the second cervical vertebra (C2) down to the fifth thoracic vertebra (T5), affecting nearly one-third of the spinal cord – a highly sensitive and life-critical area.

D. Nageshwar Reddy, chairman of AIG Hospitals, has been honoured with the ‘Legends of Endoscopy’ award by a community of Japanese gastroenterologists. The recognition comes as an acknowledgment of his contributions to the advancement of Gastrointestinal (GI) Endoscopy.

The award was presented during the Tokyo Live Global Endoscopy 2025 event, held at SHOWA Medical University Koto Toyosu Hospital in Tokyo, where Dr. Reddy also performed live demonstrations of complex endoscopic procedures, said a release.

Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi visited Vajra Corps headquarters in Jalandhar and interacted with veterans, felicitating four distinguished ex-servicemen with ‘Veteran Achievers Award’. This recognition honoured their contributions to society, youth empowerment and nation-building.

Among them was Col Jagdeep Singh (retd), a wheelchair-bound battle casualty who has secured Rs 76 crore in dues for more than 1,300 veer naris and veterans. He has also enabled jobs for 23 families of bravehearts.

Commander Gurcharan Singh (retd), a 1971 war veteran, was honoured for supporting the community by resolving decade-old financial cases and securing lifelong Red Cross aid for the families of bravehearts.

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio today launched the Nagaland Solar Mission, aimed at accelerating the adoption of residential rooftop solar power systems across the state. The initiative aligns with the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, and seeks to make clean energy more accessible and affordable to households. The launch event was held at the Chief Minister’s Office, Secretariat in Kohima, in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Y. Patton, Minister for Power K G Kenye, Chief Secretary J. Alam, and other senior state officials.

Taking to social media, Chief Minister Rio said, the State Government will supplement Government of India subsidy by providing additional State subsidies.Under the scheme, beneficiaries will receive up to 96 percent subsidy for systems up to 2 kilowatt and 85 percent for systems up to 3 kilowatt, making solar installations significantly more affordable for residents. He added, an allocation of 10 crore rupees has been made for the Mission in the FY 2025-26. Mr Rio said, this marks a significant step towards advancing green energy, reducing electricity costs, promoting environmental conservation. The Chief Minister said, the initiative reflects the state government’s commitment to building a sustainable & energy-efficient future.

Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd (TPREL) has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with NTPC Ltd to develop a 200 MW clean power project.

"With this project, its total renewable utility capacity has reached 10.9 GW," TPREL, a Tata Power subsidiary, said in a statement on Monday.

The Firm and Dispatchable Renewable Energy (FDRE) project, spread across multiple locations in India, is set to be completed within 24 months and is expected to generate approximately 1,300 million units (MUs) of electricity annually, TPREL said.

The project will mitigate over 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year. The project was won by TPREL based on competitive bidding and would consist of solar, wind and BESS (battery energy storage system) technologies.

In Chess, world number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway clinched the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam 2025 in Paris, France, yesterday. He defeated American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura with a 1.5-0.5 match victory. With this, Carlsen won the 2 lakh US Dollars, followed by Nakamura, who won 1 lakh 40 thousand US Dollars. Moreover, Italian-American Fabiano Caruana crushed German Grandmaster Vincent Keymer in the battle of third place and took 1 lakh US Dollars, along with a spot in the Las Vegas Grand Slam.

Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi defeated Maxime Vacxhier-Lagrave of France by 1.5-0.5 points and bagged fifth spot with 50 thousand US Dollar prize money. Arjun will be in action next from the 17th of April at the Grenke Freestyle Open.

Chief Minister OF Telangana, Revanth Reddy, formally launched the Bhu Bharathi revenue portal in Hyderabad last evening. The portal is aimed at strengthening land security and bringing transparency to land records in the state. Addressing the officials on the occasion, Mr. Reddy said the Bhu Bharathi portal will provide permanent solutions to land issues through a dispute-free revenue policy. Mr Reddy also said the Bhudhar card would be issued to the landowners, which will have all the information related to the land.

The Bhu Bharathi revenue portal has been rolled out on a pilot basis in four mandals – Khammam, Mulugu, Kodangal, and Kamareddy blocks in the state. Mandal Revenue Officers (MROs) will visit every revenue village in these mandals to resolve all pending land-related issues by May 1. From then on, one block in each district will be selected for a similar exercise. The same will be expanded to the rest of the state from June 2nd.

The Consumer Affairs Ministry has framed draft rules for gas meters under the Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011, which make it mandatory for all gas meters used for domestic, commercial, and industrial purposes to undergo testing, verification and stamping prior to their use in trade and commerce. “The re-verification of these gas meters is also prescribed under the rules to ensure their correctness when these are in use,” the Centre said in a press release here on Monday.

The Ministry said the primary objective of these new rules was to ensure accuracy, transparency, and reliability in the measurement of gas. “Verified and stamped gas meters will prevent overcharging or under-measurement, reduce disputes and provide guaranteed protection to consumers against faulty or manipulated devices. Consumers stand to benefit directly through fair billing, improved energy efficiency and reduced maintenance costs arising from standardised and compliant equipment,” the government release said.

Himachal Pradesh is celebrating its 78th Foundation Day today. On April 15, 1948, the state was formed by merging 30 small and large princely states. Since then, April 15 has been observed every year as ‘Himachal Day’. This year, the state-level main event is being held at Killar, the headquarters of the remote and tribal Pangi Valley in Chamba district. The event will be presided over by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. For the first time, the state-level Himachal Day celebration is taking place in Pangi Valley, generating great enthusiasm among the local residents. On this occasion, vibrant cultural programs showcasing the state’s rich heritage will also be presented.