The National Productivity Council (NPC) will begin observing the National Productivity Week from today to celebrate its 68th Foundation Day. The Week will be observed across the country till the 18th of this month. The theme of the week is Clusters as Growth Engine: Maximising Productivity in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said that the theme aligns with the emphasis of Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on strengthening MSMEs, enhancing manufacturing competitiveness and promoting sustainable industrialisation.

During the week, a series of events, seminars and workshops will be organised nationwide, including in Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Gandhinagar, Guwahati and Hyderabad. Twenty-four Local Productivity Councils, concerned Ministries of the Government of India, State Governments, industry associations and academic institutions will collaborate in conducting outreach and awareness activities during the week.

James Van Der Beek, one of the defining television faces of the late 1990s and early 2000s, has passed away aged 48. His family announced his death in a statement shared on his social media accounts, saying he died peacefully after a prolonged illness. “Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning,” the statement read, adding that he faced his final days “with courage, faith, and grace.”

Van Der Beek revealed in November 2024 that he had been diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer the previous year. In interviews following his diagnosis, he spoke candidly about recognising subtle changes in his health and undergoing screening, which revealed the disease had spread to nearby lymph nodes. He later used his platform to encourage early testing and awareness, telling Business Insider that if sharing his experience could help others, “that’s magic.”

Train travel will soon become a hassle-free experience for Keralites once the Alappuzha-Ambalapuzha doubling and the Palakkad Town-Parli Bypass line projects are completed.

In a latest development, the railway board has sanctioned funds for the doubling and the bypass projects. As per the Southern Railway notification, Alappuzha–Ambalapuzha Doubling (12.66 km) has been sanctioned Rs 324.16 crore, while Palakkad Town–Parli Bypass Line (1.80 km) will get Rs 163.57 crore.

Hailing the announcements, Ajas Vadakkedam, executive member of the railway passengers’ group, Friends On Rails, said the bypass project will be very beneficial to travellers.

Indian Railways has approved a series of major infrastructure projects aimed at easing congestion, expanding line capacity, improving safety systems, and enabling faster and more reliable passenger and freight movement across the country. The projects span multiple zones, including Southern, Northern and South Eastern Railways, and include line doubling, third and fourth lines, bypass corridors and the deployment of advanced electronic interlocking systems.

Capacity expansion in Jharkhand’s industrial corridor

Among the key approvals is the Barbenda-Damrughutu doubling and the addition of third and fourth lines between Damrughutu and Bokaro Steel City in Jharkhand at an estimated cost of ₹815.32 crore. Implemented under South Eastern Railway, the project is a critical component of India’s Energy, Mineral and Cement Corridor.

In a first for the country, the Delhi government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bharat Taxi for cooperative cab services, officials said on Friday.

Curated taxi-based services for tourists, including two-hour, four-hour and full-day sightseeing, covering major attractions in and around Delhi will be launched, they added.

The MoU was inked between the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) and Sahkar Taxi Cooperative Limited (STCL), the cooperative arm of Bharat Taxi. Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta and tourism minister Kapil Mishra were also present.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday described veteran leader and former Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan as one of the most experienced and enlightened figures in contemporary Indian public life.

Addressing a function organised for the launch of two books authored by Harichandan, ‘E Mati Katha Kahe’ in Odia and ‘Buxi Jagabandhu: The Great Commander’ in English, the chief minister said the author’s political ideals, commitment to constitutional values and decades of public service had earned him a distinct place in Odisha and national politics.

Recalling Harichandan’s long public career, Majhi said the veteran leader played a key role in the movement to protect democracy during the Emergency and had even courted imprisonment.

17-year-old Aditya Pandya has become India’s youngest male analog astronaut after taking part in a lunar-habitat-inspired space mission in the white plains of Dholavira in Gujarat’s Kutch region.

From February 1 to February 8, AAKA Space Studio, a space research and simulation organisation and a registered ISRO Space Tutor, conducted the analog mission to study how humans live and work in isolation under Moon-like conditions.

At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, French President Emmanuel Macron will pay a three-day official visit to India, commencing on the 17th of this month. President Macron will participate in the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on the 19th of this month.

Ministry of External Affairs said that during the visit, both leaders will hold discussions on strengthening bilateral cooperation across a wide spectrum of areas as enshrined in the Horizon 2047 Roadmap.

The leaders will discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest, including cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. The two leaders will also be in Mumbai to jointly inaugurate the India-France Year of Innovation, which will be celebrated throughout 2026 in both countries.

India climbed five places to the 91st position out of 182 countries and territories on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2025 released on Tuesday.

India's score has gone up by one point since the previous year, while its rank has improved from 96th position, according to the latest CPI from the global NGO Transparency International.

There has been slow progress in anti-corruption efforts in the Asia Pacific, as many countries witnessed public anger in the previous year, the Berlin-based anti-corruption watchdog's report said.

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw flagged off a new passenger train service connecting Sairang in Mizoram and Silchar in Assam. He also inaugurated the Blended Hospitality Service at Gauhati Railway Station. The newly introduced train will operate five days a week, improving rail connectivity between Mizoram and Assam.

According to the schedule, the passenger train will commence its journey from Silchar on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. It will depart Silchar at 1 PM and is expected to arrive at Sairang at 6.30 PM. From Sairang, the train will leave at 7 AM on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, reaching Silchar at an estimated time of 12.30 PM.

Addressing the inauguration programme yesterday, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma said that infrastructure development in Mizoram and the North-East region has gained significant momentum under the Act East Policy led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said that development is visible across sectors under the Prime Minister’s leadership and emphasised that no state or region is being left behind in the journey towards building a ‘Viksit Bharat’.