In a significant step toward fostering industry-academia collaboration, the CSIR - Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Jammu, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with M/S HAPICO Industries Private Limited on 20 March 2025 to jointly develop novel biopesticides.

The MoU was formally signed by Dr Zabeer Ahmed, Director, CSIR-IIIM, and Mr. Shabeer Ahmed, Managing Director, HAPICO Industries, in the presence of Dr Asha Chaubey, Senior Principal Scientist & Head, FMB Division; Dr Saurabh Saran, Principal Scientist, FMB; and Dr Love Sharma, Scientist, RMBD&IST.

This strategic partnership aims to address the detrimental impact of chemical pesticides on human health and the environment. Given the rich biodiversity of medicinal and aromatic plants, the collaboration seeks to harness their potential for developing innovative and sustainable biopesticide solutions.

In the midst of heavy borrowings by the Government of Karnataka to meet capital expenditure, the Legislative Assembly passed two Bills to double the salaries of MLAs and MLCs, the Chief Minister and Ministers, and hiked their allowances.

The hikes will cost ₹62 crore annually on the State exchequer.

On March 21, amid pandemonium in the House, the Karnataka Legislatures Salaries, Pensions and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Karnataka Ministers Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2025, were passed. The two Bills significantly hiked all types of allowances, including house rent and tour, for legislators and Ministers.

The Sudanese army on Friday seized full control of the Presidential Palace in Khartoum, Reuters quoted Sudan state TV and military sources as saying.

The development came as the army was conducting search operations in areas around the palace in pursuit of members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Moments later, intermittent gunfire was heard in some central areas of the capital Khartoum.

The takeover of the Presidential Palace is one of the most significant advances in a two-year-old conflict threatening to fracture the country.

Kirsty Coventry smashed through the International Olympic Committee’s glass ceiling on Thursday to become the organisation’s first female and first African president in its 130-year history.

The Zimbabwean swimming great, already a towering figure in Olympic circles, emerged victorious to replace Thomas Bach, securing the top job in world sport and ushering in a new era for the Games.

“It’s a really powerful signal,” a smiling Coventry said as the victory sank in. “It’s a signal that we’re truly global and that we have evolved into an organisation that is truly open to diversity and we’re going to continue.”

Coventry needed only one round of voting to clinch the race to succeed Bach, winning an immediate overall majority in the secret ballot with 49 of the available 97 votes.

Japan’s Astroscale, a company specialised in removing orbital junk, has agreed with Bengaluru-based space companies Digantara and Bellatrix Aerospace to collaborate on technology and services, it said on Friday.

The tie-ups will “hopefully” result in an orbital services bid for Indian clients “in one to two years”, which would mark Astroscale’s first operations in Asia-Pacific outside its home, its Japan unit president Eddie Kato said.

“India has been on our top list of possible markets” with established space capabilities, where Astroscale’s on-orbit servicing technology would meet demand, Kato told Reuters. Astroscale is also interested in South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia and Australia, he added.

“India’s space policy used to be rather protectionist, but we’ve seen very rapid moves, to bolster ties with the United States and liberalise the market for commercial actors – even fostering them,” Kato said.

The government has given the nod for the procurement of 1350 HP engines for T-90 tanks, Varunastra Torpedoes and Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft systems. The approval was given during the Defence Acquisition Council meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today. This procurement will cost over 54 thousand crore rupees.

According to the Defence Ministry, procurement of 1350 HP engines will be done to upgrade the present 1000 HP engine for the T-90 Tanks for the Indian Army. This will enhance the battlefield mobility of these tanks especially in high-altitude areas. For the Indian Navy, procurement of Varunastra Torpedoes (Combat) was approved by the DAC. Varunastra Torpedo is an indigenously developed ship-launched anti-submarine torpedo developed by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory. Induction of this torpedo would enhance the Navy’s capability against adversaries’ submarine threats.

For the Indian Air Force, the procurement of Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft Systems was approved by the DAC. These systems can change the complete spectrum of warfare and exponentially increase the combat potential of every other weapon system.

Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh, today highlighted that there are around 10,000 biotechnology startups in India, contributing to an estimated 165 billion dollar bioeconomy. Speaking at the 13th Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) Foundation Day, Dr Singh noted that India is being recognised globally for its remarkable progress in space and biotechnology. He also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to advancing science, technology, and the bioeconomy.

Dr Jitendra Singh highlighted India’s pioneering role in space medicine, making it one of the first countries to engage in this cutting-edge field. He emphasised the Department of Biotechnology’s collaboration with ISRO as a key milestone, underscoring its significance in advancing research and innovation in space medicine. The minister also showcased India’s remarkable biotech achievements, including the success of the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as advancements in TB, malaria, and haemophilia vaccines, further strengthening the nation’s impact in global healthcare. Additionally, he emphasised BioE3’s crucial role in driving biotech innovation and economic growth.

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the National Standards Bodies of India, is ready to release the annual program for Standardisation (APS) for the year 2025-26. It follows stakeholder consultations conducted by BIS from 5 March to 11 March 2025, where representatives of 40 ministries and 84 industry associations participated and shared valuable insight and recommendations through brief presentations.

The APS 2025-26 will include new standards to be developed and the existing standards to be revised in the coming year will be included. BIS has also introduced a digital interface that allows stakeholders to upload proposals and track their progress. The effort aligns with continuous efforts to increase the adoption rate of more than 23,000 standards developed by BIS, which ensures globally approved quality in various fields.

Recently, while addressing the stakeholder meeting, the Director General of BIS, Mr. Pramod Kumar Tiwari urged the representatives of the ministries and industry associations to actively contribute to the development of the proposed standards and nominate relevant experts whenever needed. He said, “The annual program for standardization 2025-26 will not only provide the facility of required standardization with a concentrated strategic approach, ensuring that the priority is given to the topics of special concern, Rather, these standards will also promote widely adopting and easy implementation. “

India continues to rank among the top textile-exporting nations, holding a 4% share in global textiles and apparel exports. In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on Friday, the Ministry of Textiles reported a 7% increase in textile and apparel exports, including handicrafts, from April to December 2024, compared to the same period the previous year. Key export markets for Indian textiles—namely the USA, European Union, and UK—accounted for 53% of total exports during FY 2023-24.

To strengthen India’s position in the global textile market, the government has introduced several key initiatives. Among them is the PM Mega Integrated Textile Regions and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks Scheme, aimed at building world-class textile infrastructure. The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme, focusing on MMF fabric, apparel, and technical textiles, seeks to boost large-scale manufacturing. Other efforts include the National Technical Textiles Mission, which emphasizes research and market development, and SAMARTH, a capacity-building program designed to provide placement-oriented skilling in the textile sector.

In a significant milestone, India crossed the record annual coal output of 1 billion tonnes (bt) on Thursday to hit 1.03 bt, constituting a 5.24 per cent uptick over the total production of 953.3 million tonnes in 2023-24.

The landmark that comes days ahead of this financial year’s end, was driven by a 1.3 per cent rise in Coal India’s output, albeit on a large base, along with a substantive 29 per cent growth in the production of the energy-laden sedimentary rock by privately owned captive and commercial coal mines.