Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) today released the 26th edition of its publication Women and Men in India 2024: Selected Indicators and Data.

The publication offers a comprehensive overview of the gender landscape in India, presenting selected indicators and data across key areas like population, education, health, economic participation, and decision-making, all sourced from various Ministries, Departments and Organizations.

The Publication highlights that primary and higher Secondary levels have consistently high Gender Parity Indez, indicating strong female enrolment. Upper primary and elementary levels saw fluctuations but remained close to parity.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (April 6, 2025) inaugurated the new Pamban rail bridge, which connects Rameswaram Island off the Tamil Nadu coast, with Ramanathapuram in the mainland.

Constructed by the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited at a cost of ₹531 crore, the 2.07-km bridge over the Palk Strait features a 72.5-metre vertical lift span that can be raised to a height of 17 metres, facilitating smooth ship movement underneath while improving rail connectivity.

The Prime Minister described the new bridge, which is India’s first vertical lift sea bridge, as an “engineering wonder” that “brought together technology and tradition”. With the completion of the bridge, a long-pending demand of the people had been fulfilled, he said. “The Pamban rail bridge will support both ease of business and ease of travel. It will have positive effects on the lives of lakhs of people,” he said.

Indian Railways partnered with DMRC to introduce state -of -the -art automatic wheel profile measurement system

This system enables automatic and non-contact measurement of profiles of train wheels for increased safety and efficiency.

DMRC will purchase, supply, installation and commission of four AWPMS units for Indian Railways

Indian Railways has taken a major step towards automation and efficiency in rolling stock maintenance by signing a memorandum with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for the purchase and establishment of automated wheel profile measurement system (AWPMS). The agreement was formally formally entered into at the Rail Bhawan in New Delhi today.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will lead a high-level Indian parliamentary delegation to the 150th assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) to be held in Uzbekistan capital Tashkent from April 5 to 9.

According to an official statement, Birla is slated to address the assembly during a high-level general debate on the theme ‘Parliamentary Action for Social Development and Justice’, highlighting India’s commitment to inclusive governance and equity through legislative mechanisms.

The delegation includes prominent parliamentarians from both Houses, including Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, MPs Bhartruhari Mahtab, Anurag Singh Thakur, Vishnu Dayal Ram, Aparajita Sarangi, Dr Sasmit Patra, Ashok Kumar Mittal, Kiran Choudhry, Lata Wankhede and Bijuli Kalita Medhi.

The Union Cabinet has approved phase two of the Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP) for the comprehensive development of strategic villages along all international land borders, with a total outlay of ₹6,839 crore.

While VVP-I was aimed at villages along the China border, the second phase of the programme will be implemented in select strategic villages in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, until the financial year 2028-29.

The government has said that due to the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme, the sex ratio at birth has increased from 918 in 2014-15 to 930 in 2023-24 at the national level. In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi said the scheme was launched in 2015 to address the declining Child Sex Ratio and related issues of the empowerment of girls and women. She said the scheme focuses on creating mindset and behavioural changes towards the girls by informing, influencing, motivating, engaging, and empowering all stakeholders. The Minister said the gross enrollment ratio of girls in the schools at the secondary level has increased from around 75 per cent in 2014-15 to 78 per cent in 2023-24.

India will launch a pioneering inter-ministerial scientific study to address zoonotic spillover risks at the human- wildlife- environment interface. This unique study will be conducted in select bird sanctuaries and wetlands across Sikkim, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, leveraging the One Health approach to monitor the health of both human populations and migratory bird species. Union Health Ministry said, the comprehensive research project aims to develop a real-time surveillance model to detect and diagnose zoonotic diseases in bird sanctuary workers and nearby residents. The Ministry said, a study at selected bird sanctuaries and wetlands was launched at the Indian Council of Medical Research Headquarters in New Delhi today.
Speaking on the occasion, Director General, ICMR Dr. Rajiv Bahl said, the National One Health Mission exemplifies the government’s commitment to leveraging cutting-edge science in real-world settings to anticipate and mitigate public health risks. He said, by embracing the One Health approach, the government is shifting from reactive responses to proactive preparedness.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted four flight tests of the Army version of the Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) on April 3 and 4, 2025. The tests were carried out at Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off the coast of Odisha.

The operational flight trials were conducted against high-speed aerial targets, with each of the four missiles successfully intercepting and destroying its designated target. The tests covered target interceptions at varying ranges and altitudes - long-range, short-range, high-altitude, and low-altitude - to assess the missile system's full operational capability.

RailTel Corporation of India Ltd, a Navratna PSU under the Ministry of Railways, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Lamrin Tech Skills University, Punjab (LTSU) and the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to develop and implement specialized skill development programs for the railway sector.

According to an official statement, this collaboration aims to bridge the skill gap in Railways and allied sector by offering Post Graduate Diploma/Certification and Industry Sponsored Diploma courses that align with industry requirements. The MoU has been signed in the presence of RailTel CMD Sanjai Kumar, Vice President of NSDC Academy Nitin Kapoor. Dr Sandeep Singh Kaura, Chancellor/LTSU cum Advisor/ NSDC and other senior officials of RailTel, NSDC and LTSU were also present on the occasion.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced an increase in fees for ATM withdrawals, which will take effect from May 1, 2025. Customers will now have to pay Rs 23 per transaction after exhausting their free monthly limit. This is an increase from the current charge of Rs 21 per transaction.

Despite the fee hike, customers will continue to receive a limited number of free ATM transactions every month. According to the RBI guidelines, bank account holders will get:

Five free transactions per month (both financial and non-financial) at ATMs of their own bank.

Three free transactions per month at ATMs of other banks in metro cities.

Five free transactions per month at ATMs of other banks in non-metro areas.

Once customers exceed these limits, they will have to pay Rs 23 per withdrawal.