Government of India and the Government of Japan on Thursday signed loan agreements worth Yen 191.736 billion for six projects under Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA) to India in the sectors of forest management, water supply, urban transport, aquaculture, biodiversity conservation, and investment promotion, a Ministry of Finance release said.

The six loan agreements signed between the Government of India and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in New Delhi include "Tamil Nadu Investment Promotion Program (Phase 3) (TNIPP-III)" (Yen 36.114 billion), "Project for Capacity Enhancement for Effective Forest Management (Yen 8.280 billion), Project for Construction of Chennai Seawater Desalination Plant (II)" (Yen 52.556 billion), "Delhi Mass Rapid Transport System Project (Phase 4 Additional Corridors) (I)" (Yen 79.726 billion), "Assam State Aquaculture Promotion and Livelihood Improvement Project" (Yen 3.580 billion) and "Punjab Biodiversity and Natural Resources Conservation Project" (Yen 11.480 billion).

The Telangana Transplantation of Human Organs Bill, 2025 was passed in the Legislative Assembly with bipartisan backing, to bring the State’s organ transplantation regulations in line with the Central Act and curb illegal organ trade.

The bill was introduced by Minister for Health C. Damodar Raja Narasimha on Thursday (March 27, 2025) who highlighted the need to replace the existing Telangana Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1995, which was originally enacted in undivided Andhra Pradesh. The 1995 Act, which has been in force in Telangana since its formation, was modeled on the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994, a law enacted by the Parliament of India to regulate organ donation and prevent commercial transactions in human organs.

The government has decided to discontinue the Gold Monetisation Scheme (GMS) starting from Wednesday (March 26, 2025) in view of the evolving market conditions, the Finance Ministry said.

However, the banks may continue their short term gold deposit schemes (1-3 years), the Ministry said in the statement on Tuesday.

Till November 2024, approximately 31,164 kilograms of gold have been mobilised under GMS.

The Gold Monetisation Scheme was announced on September 15, 2015, with the objective to reduce country's reliance on the import of gold in the long run and mobilise gold held by households and institutions in the country to facilitate its use for productive purposes.

The Union Cabinet on March 28 approved a production-linked incentive scheme for passive or non-semiconductor electronics components with an outlay of Rs 22,919 crore, Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.

It is the first scheme that focuses on promoting the manufacturing of passive electronic components.

The minister said that the scheme will create direct employment for 91,600 people and attract investment of around Rs 59,350 crore.

"Passive components are approved under the Electronics Component PLI scheme. It has a total package of Rs 22,919 crore. This will be over six years," Vaishnaw said.

The 14th edition of the Indian - Russia bilateral naval exercise INDRA, a cornerstone of the enduring maritime partnership between India and Russia, is set to take place off Chennai from 28 Mar to 02 Apr 25.

Since its inception in 2003, Exercise INDRA epitomises the long-term strategic relationship between the two Navies.

The exercise has evolved into a symbol of maritime cooperation, showcasing the two nations' commitment to enhancing naval interoperability and operational synergy. The exercise is being conducted in two phases - Harbour phase from 28 to 30 Mar 25 at Chennai, and Sea phase from 31 Mar to 02 Apr 25 in Bay of Bengal.

The exercise will see participation of Russian Federation Naval Ships Pechanga, Rezkiy and Aldar Tsydenzhapov along with Indian Naval Ships Rana, Kuthar and Maritime patrol aircraft P8l.

The Harbour Phase will include Opening ceremony, Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEEs), reciprocal visits, sports fixtures, and pre-sail briefings between personnel from both navies. The Sea Phase will witness advanced naval drills, including tactical manoeuvres, live weapon firings, anti-air operations, underway replenishment, helicopter cross-deck landings and exchange of sea-riders.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved two major infrastructure projects in Bihar—the Patna-Arrah-Sasaram Corridor and the Kosi-Mechi Intra-State Link Project—designed to improve regional connectivity and enhance agricultural irrigation in the state on Friday.

Patna-Arrah-Sasaram Corridor Project approved

The CCEA approved the construction of a 4-lane access-controlled Patna-Arrah-Sasaram corridor (NH-119A), spanning 120.10 km. This project will be developed under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) at a capital cost of Rs. 3,712.40 crore. Currently, the route is congested, relying on state highways, with travel times between the cities taking 3-4 hours. The new corridor will feature both greenfield and brownfield developments, improving connectivity and reducing traffic bottlenecks.

The Centre is planning to mobilise Rs 8 lakh crore through dated securities during the April-September period of 2025-26 to fund the revenue gap, the finance ministry said on Thursday. Out of the gross market borrowing of Rs 14.82 lakh crore estimated for 2025-26, Rs 8 lakh crore or 54 per cent is planned to be borrowed in the first half (H1) through the issuance of dated securities, including Rs 10,000 crore of Sovereign Green Bonds (SGrBs), according to an official statement.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in the Budget, proposed to borrow Rs 14.82 lakh crore by issuing dated securities to meet revenue shortfall in the next financial year.

The fiscal deficit is estimated to be 4.4 per cent of GDP for FY26 compared to 4.8 per cent of the GDP estimated for the current financial year.

In absolute terms, the fiscal deficit is pegged at Rs 15,68,936 crore for 2025-26.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), in collaboration with IIIT-Hyderabad has launched a large-scale competition to test age invariance in biometric algorithms.

The first phase of the Biometric SDK Benchmarking challenge focuses on fingerprint authentication, testing 1:1 matching algorithms for children aged 5-10 years, with updates after 5-10 years. UIDAI ensures that participant submissions are evaluated securely, with anonymized datasets and no sharing of data with participants.

Global Participation Encouraged:

Researchers and developers globally are invited to enhance their biometric models using UIDAI's unique, field-collected dataset for improving accuracy in real-world conditions.

The challenge runs from March 25, 2025, to May 25, 2025, with registration details available on the UIDAI website and https://biochallenge.uidai.gov.in/

The challenge offers prizes worth ₹ 7.7 lakhs (USD 9,000) and the opportunity to collaborate with UIDAI in advancing biometric technologies.

The Union Cabinet Friday approved the construction of 120-km-long four-lane access controlled Patna-Arrah-Sasaram corridor in Bihar. The project estimated to cost Rs 3,712 crore will be developed under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM), a Public-Private partnership (PPP) model.

The corridor will be developed in two packages. The time frame for the 74.43-km-long stretch has been fixed at 24 months, and another 45.67-km-long patch will be completed in 30 months.

Upon completion, the corridor is expected to enhance the regional connectivity between key cities such as Lucknow, Patna, Ranchi, and Varanasi. The corridor will also provide connectivity to two airports, four major railway stations and one inland water terminal.

Former England and Lancashire player Peter Lever has passed away at the age of 84 following a short illness. He served as England’s bowling coach under Ray Illingworth and was inducted into the Lancashire Hall of Fame last year, according to a report by ESPNcricinfo.

During his career in the 1960s and ’70s, Lever claimed nearly 1,000 wickets for Lancashire. He earned 17 Test caps for England and also played in 10 One Day Internationals (ODIs).

Initially, Lever’s opportunities with England were limited due to intense competition among seam bowlers, and he had to wait until he was 30 to make his official debut. He had played for England against the Rest of the World in the summer of 1970, taking 7 for 83—including the dismissals of Graeme Pollock, Garry Sobers, and Clive Lloyd—but those matches later lost their Test status.