A significant memorandum of understanding (MoU) between National Highways Logistics Management Ltd (NHLML) and Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) was signed in the presence of Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, in New Delhi on Tuesday.

The MoU aims to develop a state-of-the-art multi-modal logistics park (MMLP) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

Department of Posts has undertaken an initiative namely “Digital Address Code” aimed at establishing a digital public infrastructure for a standardized, geo-coded addressing system in India ensuring simplified addressing solutions for citizen-centric delivery of public and private services to establish ―Address as a Service‖ (AaaS) in India.

As a part of this initiative, the Department of Posts (DoP), under the Ministry of Communications, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Foundation for Science Innovation and Development (FSID), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, for designing and documenting the technology architecture for the Digital Address Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).

This strategic collaboration aims to lay foundational technological principles and design for establishment of digital address DPI which is envisioned as a standardized, georeferenced and interoperable addressing system that will revolutionize the ways in which address data is created, shared and consumed in the country. It will serve as a foundational public infrastructure that integrates with government, business, and citizen services to streamline service delivery, emergency response, financial inclusion, and urban planning.

Governments and financial institutions take painstaking efforts to consolidate banknotes, cheques, and passports with a variety of security features to protect them from counterfeiting. Yet every so often a counterfeiter emerges who can recreate these features and pass off fake documents as real ones. In response, institutions constantly develop newer and better components that are even harder to falsify.

Now, scientists from India have come up with an ink they say can make counterfeiters’ jobs harder.

Bharti Airtel Ltd. announced a distribution agreement allowing it to sell SpaceX’s Starlink services in India, a major breakthrough for the Elon Musk-owned satellite Internet firm. The agreement does not mean that services will be offered immediately and Starlink still needs to get necessary authorisations from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Ministry of Home Affairs before it can commence operations in India.

“Airtel and SpaceX will explore offering Starlink equipment in Airtel’s retail stores, Starlink services via Airtel to business customers, opportunities to connect communities, schools, and health centers, among many others, in even the most rural parts of India,” Airtel said in an announcement. It does not appear that the arrangement is exclusive, as the telco has indicated that this is merely the “first” such pact.

Indian pharmaceutical exports ranked 11th globally in value terms in 2023 and accounted for 3 per cent of the total pharmaceutical exports, Union Minister Anupriya Patel said in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

The Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers gave the information in a written reply to the House, citing a secondary market research analysis published by Bain and Company this year.

Replying to a query on whether the quality of Indian pharmaceutical products has often been questioned in some global markets, the minister said the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have taken several measures to ensure quality, safety and efficacy of medicines.

The Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH), New Delhi, and Adamas University, Kolkata, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to foster academic and research collaboration in Homoeopathy, a press release by Ministry of Ayush said.

The agreement was formally signed on 1st March 2025 by Dr. Subhash Kaushik, Director General, CCRH, and Prof. Suranjan Das, Vice-Chancellor, Adamas University, in the esteemed presence of Nobel Laureate Sir Gregory Paul Winter and Dr. Samit Ray, Chancellor, Adamas University Kolkata, the release added.

Nitin Gupta created history at the 20th National Youth Athletics Championships 2025, becoming the first Indian to complete the 5000m racewalk in under 20 minutes, as per Nnis Sports. The 17-year-old Uttar Pradesh athlete finished with a time of 19:24.48, setting a new national record and winning the gold medal at the Patliputra Sports Complex in Bihar on Monday, March 10.

This is not the first time Nitin has set a national record. In December 2024, he had clocked 20:01.64 in Bhubaneswar, which was the previous best mark. He also held the meet record of 20:28.84, which he had set in June 2024 in Bilaspur. By breaking both records in Patna, Nitin has shown tremendous improvement in just a few months.

Nitin was in a league of his own, finishing far ahead of his closest competitors. Tushar Panwar of Uttarakhand secured silver with a time of 21:08.29, while his state-mate Ritul Parihar clinched bronze with 21:14.97. None of them came close to challenging Nitin’s pace.

Garimella Balakrishna Prasad, noted classical singer and former Asthana Vidwan (court musician) of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), died of heart attack at his home in Tirupati on Sunday. He was 76.

Balakrishna Prasad, who served the TTD from 1978 to 2006, shot to fame for composing the tune for more than 1,000 compositions of saint-poet Tallapaka Annamacharya. While the compositions were found and recovered in lyrical form, it was Balakrishna Prasad who brought them in musical form to the reach of music lovers.

Some of his compositions such as Vinaro Bhagyamu Vishnukatha, Pidikita Thalambrala Pellikoothuru and Jagadapu Chanavula Jajara were even used in the popular Telugu film Annamayya, acted by Akkineni Nagarjuna and directed by K. Raghavendra Rao.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday arrived in Mauritius for a two-day visit to the East African nation. He was received at the airport in Port Louis by Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam. The two leaders were caught exchanging a warm hug as PM Modi landed at the airport.

PM Modi departed for Mauritius at around midnight. He will be there on March 11 and 12 for the country's 57th National Day celebrations, where he is the Chief Guest. Furthermore, a contingent of Indian Defence Forces will participate in the celebrations along with a warship of the Indian Navy. PM Modi will also inaugurate more than 20 India-funded projects.

"I look forward to meeting my friend and Prime Minister, Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam. I am also eager to be interacting with the Indian community there," PM Modi tweeted on Monday.

India has reiterated its strong commitment to the empowerment and welfare of women and children at the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW), currently taking place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, an official press release by the Ministry of Women and Child Development reported.

https://x.com/Annapurna4BJP/status/1899116406739792256

A delegation from the Government of India, led by Union Minister for Women and Child Development (WCD) Annpurna Devi, participated in discussions at the global forum, which commenced on March 10, 2025.

Delivering India's national statement at the Ministerial Forum, Annpurna Devi addressed the central theme of this year's session--the review and appraisal of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action on its 30th anniversary.