Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal, has set an ambitious target to grant 10,000 Geographical Indication (GI) tags by 2030. This goal was announced on Wednesday at the GI Samagam event held in New Delhi, organized by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and the India Today Group.

Currently, the number of GI tags awarded stands at 605, but with a “whole of government” approach, Goyal aims to significantly ramp up the figure. To monitor the progress, a committee will be formed to oversee the implementation of this ambitious initiative.

In his address, Goyal highlighted that the number of authorized users of GI products has grown from 365 to nearly 29,000, while the number of patents granted to Indian innovators has surged from 6,000 to 100,000 over the last decade.

Justice Alok Aradhe was today sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. He was administered the oath of office by Maharashtra Governor C. P. Radhakrishnan in a ceremony held at Mumbai’s Raj Bhavan. Justice Aradhe succeeds Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, who was demitted from office on 17th January.

 Prior to his current posting, Justice Aradhe was serving as the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court.

In Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the state’s advanced disaster risk warning system, Kavacham, today in Thiruvananthapuram. The project, developed by the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) with support from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the World Bank, aims to strengthen disaster preparedness and response mechanisms.

Speaking at the event, the chief minister said that science still needs to progress to achieve 100 percent accuracy in warnings in a state like Kerala, with a complicated landscape and weather conditions. However, he emphasised that people should not ignore the warnings that are being issued.

Ninety-one sirens installed at various locations across the state have been activated as part of the system.

In a bid to enhance the competitiveness of India’s diamond industry, the Union government has introduced the Diamond Imprest Authorization (DIA) Scheme for the duty-free import of natural cut and polished diamonds.

Set to take effect from April 1, the DIA Scheme offers a streamlined process to facilitate the duty-free import of natural cut and polished diamonds under ¼ carat (25 cents), with the aim of promoting value addition and driving export growth, according to a press release by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

The scheme comes with an export obligation that mandates a 10 percent value addition, the statement said. Diamond exporters with Two Star Export House status or higher, and those with annual exports of at least $15 million are eligible for availing the benefit under this scheme, it added.

The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) is going to launch a year-long campaign to promote cleanliness at bus stations in the state.

Maharashtra transport minister Pratap Sarnaik made the announcement on Wednesday.

The "Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Clean, Beautiful Bus Station Campaign" will be launched from Kurla-Nehru Nagar bus station on Thursday.

The 55th World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting kicked off with the theme “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age”, at Davos in the Swiss Alps on Tuesday with three celebrities — football legend David Beckham, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, and architect Riken Yamamoto — being awarded the prestigious Crystal Awards in recognition of their contributions to social, environmental, and creative progress.

The awardees were facilitated for their efforts in advancing community regeneration, gender equality, children’s rights, and other impactful causes.

WEF President and CEO Borge Brende underscored the significance of the event and highlighted the global challenges and opportunities posed by geopolitical, geo-economic, and technological shifts.

Brende said in his welcome message that the meeting of 3,000 leaders from around the world and across the public and private sectors aims to help strengthen or build the collaboration needed for this unique moment.

The Telangana state government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) relating to investments in energy and space sectors during the World Economic Forum in Davos yesterday. The government has signed an MoU with Skyroot Aerospace which will invest 500 crore rupees in setting up a private rocket manufacturing, integration and testing unit in the state. An official release stated that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed happiness that a Hyderabad-based company had achieved success in the field of cutting-edge technology at the global level and came forward to invest in the state. He said the government’s partnership with Skyroot Aerospace will demonstrate its strategic vision in the space sector and Hyderabad will soon become a hub for private-sector space activities. Skyroute Aerospace co-founder Pawan Chandana said they are happy to invest in Telangana and will be a part of the growth story of Telangana, particularly Hyderabad. The state Government also signed MoUs with Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) to establish three projects, with a total investment of 13,000 crore rupees. An official release stated that the Hyderabad-based infrastructure company will set up a 2,160 MW pumped storage project, a 1,000 MWh battery energy storage system across strategic locations and a world-class wellness resort at Anantagiri in Telangana. These three projects are expected to provide 4,000 jobs in the construction stage and more at the operations stage. State Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu also held discussions with the MTC Group on expanding their hub-and-spoke model to Telangana. The Mitsui Japan group holds 25 per cent equity in the MTC Group. The minister also met Saudi Arabia’s federal minister and president of the royal commission for Jubail and Yanbu, Khalid Mohammed Al-Salem at the Telangana Pavilion at Davos. They discussed a variety of issues the scope for working together and the opportunities for investment into the Telangana Rising vision.

IDFC FIRST Bank, in partnership with RuPay, a global card payment network from India, proudly announces the launch of the UPI enabled RuPay Credit Card called - FIRST EARN . This credit card is backed by Fixed Deposit and hence everyone is eligible to instantly avail this unique credit card, online. It also offers cashback on UPI payments thus making the product rewarding for users.

What sets it apart is that the Fixed Deposit creation is seamlessly integrated within the credit card application for all customers. Thus customers get an unmatched opportunity to avail credit on UPI, earn rewards, and simultaneously earn attractive interest rates on Fixed Deposits.

In addition to its inclusive approach, the card's seamless integration with UPI opens a world of possibilities, offering universal access to over 60 million UPI-enabled merchants across India. With every UPI spend, customers earn upto 1% cashback, making every transaction rewarding.

Prayagraj, 21th January 2025: Muthoot Finance, the flagship company of The Muthoot Group with 800-year family business legacy, has unveiled a unique free locker facility “Vishwaas Ki Tijori” for the devotees attending Maha Kumbh Prayagraj 2025.

With over 40 crore devotees expected to visit the Maha Kumbh Prayagraj 2025 over the next 45 days to take a holy dip in the Sangam, Muthoot Finance aims to fulfil a critical need for the safety of devotees' personal belongings. Vishwaas Ki Tijori offers a unique, state-of-the-art free locker experience within the Maha Kumbh Mela area, ensuring convenience and peace of mind for millions of devotees.

The facility is equipped with robust security features, including 24/7 security personnel, CCTV surveillance, fire extinguishers, and many other advanced technologies. Measures such as photographing visitors and their belongings, printed verification slips, and meticulous tracking systems have been implemented to provide maximum security and assurance.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development is set to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme, a flagship initiative dedicated to protecting, educating, and empowering the girl child in India.

The inaugural event will take place on Wednesday, January 22 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, and will be attended by Union Ministers J. P. Nadda (Health and Family Welfare), Annapurna Devi (Women and Child Development), and Minister of State Savitri Thakur.

This year’s celebrations highlight the significant research-based outcomes achieved over the past decade, such as an improvement in the national Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) from 918 in 2014-15 to 930 in 2023-24. The gross enrolment ratio of girls at the secondary education level has also risen from 75.51% to 78% during the same period. Also, institutional deliveries increased from 61% to 97.3%, and first-trimester antenatal care registrations saw a rise from 61% to 80.5%.