Federal Bank, one of India's leading private sector banks with an impressive legacy over the years, today announced the appointment of acclaimed actress, Vidya Balan, as its first-ever brand ambassador. The announcement was made during a special ceremony in Mumbai, where Ms. Balan was presented with a commemorative memento by Mr. K.V.S. Manian, Managing Director & CEO of Federal Bank.

This association is an important milestone in the brand's journey as it continues to enhance its market position. The Bank's senior team in a recent analyst meet had laid out clear directional path for the Bank, and brand transformation was one of the significant themes.

NMDC has announced the appointment of Amitava Mukherjee as the chairman and managing director (CMD) of the company, effective from 6 March 2025.

According to an exchange filing, his tenure will continue until his superannuation on 29 February 2028, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Mukherjee has been with NMDC since November 2018, when he joined as Director (Finance). He had been serving as the additional charge of CMD since March 2023 before officially assuming the full role. Along with his new position at NMDC, Mukherjee also serves as the chairman of NMDC Steel and Legacy Iron Ore.

A seasoned professional, Mukherjee is a cost accountant and a senior officer from the 1996 batch of the Indian Railway Accounts Services (IRAS). He has held various critical roles within the Government of India, contributing significantly to the countrys industrial and economic development.

Pakistan has been ranked as the second-most affected country in the Global Terrorism Index 2025, following Burkina Faso, with Syria in third place. The report, released by the Institute for Economics and Peace, Sydney, highlights a sharp rise in terror incidents within Pakistan, which have doubled from 517 attacks in 2023 to 1,099 in 2024. This marks the first time attacks have exceeded 1,000 since the index's inception.

The report attributes this surge to the growing influence of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups. This militant group has emerged as Pakistan's most dangerous terrorist organisation for the second consecutive year. In 2024, the group carried out 482 attacks, resulting in 558 deaths, a 91% increase compared to 2023, when 293 people were killed in TTP attacks.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath will visit Noida on March 8 to lay the foundation stone of several mega projects including a campus for US tech firm Microsoft in Sector 145, officials said. Noida authority chief executive officer (CEO) Lokesh M and other officials on Thursday inspected the chief minister’s scheduled route and function venue to complete preparations for the event.

The Microsoft campus will be built on a five-acre plot in Noida Sector 145. Aside from this, Adityanath is expected to inaugurate IT firm MAQ’s building in Sector 132, and IT firm Sify’s campus in Sector 132, also spread on a five-acre plot. He will also lay the foundation stone of public projects including two underpasses proposed to be built on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway and dedicate the the Ganga Water project under which the authority wants to deliver quality drinking water to residential areas along the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway, said officials.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday inaugurated a joint credit camp for the Gorakhpur and Basti divisions under the Mukhya Mantri Yuva Udyami Vikas Abhiyan. The camp aims to facilitate loans for young entrepreneurs as part of the State's effort to boost entrepreneurship.

Addressing the event, Chief Minister Adityanath highlighted the significance of the initiative, saying, "With the inspiration of PM Narendra Modi, the double engine government of BJP has taken up a big campaign to prepare 10 lakh new entrepreneurs in the country. We started the Mukhya Mantri Yuva Udyami Yojana on January 24, 2025, and it has been about a month and a quarter since the scheme was implemented."

The India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), Tata Electronics Private Limited (TEPL), and Tata Semiconductor Manufacturing Private Limited (TSMPL) have signed a Fiscal Support Agreement (FSA) to establish the country’s first commercial semiconductor fabrication unit in Dholera, Gujarat. The agreement was signed in the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, marking a crucial step in India’s drive towards technological self-reliance.

The Tata Electronics semiconductor fab will see an investment of over ₹91,000 crore, with a capacity of producing 50,000 wafers per month (WSPM). The Government of India, through ISM, has committed 50% fiscal support on a pari-passu basis for eligible project costs. This move underscores India’s commitment to establishing a robust semiconductor ecosystem and reducing dependency on foreign chip manufacturing.

The project is expected to generate more than 20,000 direct and indirect skilled jobs. In collaboration with Taiwan’s Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC), Tata Electronics will integrate global expertise into India’s semiconductor industry. The facility will cater to the growing demands of global markets in automotive, computing, communications, and artificial intelligence (AI) sectors.

Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday underscored India’s rapid telecom transformation at the ongoing Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025 in Barcelona, Spain.

At the event, the minister highlighted India’s advancements, including the world’s lowest data tariffs, indigenous 4G/5G stacks, and robust cybersecurity measures. He addressed key sessions such as “Global Tech Governance: Rising to the Challenge” and “Balancing Innovation and Regulation: Global Perspectives on Telecom Policy.” He emphasized the need for spectrum management, market stability, telecom regulation, and consumer protection to strike a balance between innovation and regulation.

During his visit, Scindia inaugurated the Bharat Pavilion, organised by the Services Export Promotion Council (TEPC) with the support of the Department of Telecommunications. The pavilion featured 38 Indian telecom manufacturers presenting cutting-edge hardware and software products. He also unveiled VVDN’s indigenously designed AI-based Wi-Fi 7 and visited booths of major tech companies, including Meta and Google Cloud, to explore their latest innovations.

An outreach session on ‘Broadband Connectivity to Government Secondary Schools and Primary Health Centres’, as part of the Post-Budget Webinars on the Union Budget 2025-26, on the theme "Investing in People, Economy, and Innovation", today underscored the transformative impact these initiativeswill have in education and health sectors in rural and far-off areas of the country. It highlighted that by enabling e-learning platforms, virtual labs, digital literacy, telemedicine, and electronic health records, the initiative will help bridge the urban-rural digital divide and empower communities through seamless connectivity, e-Governance, and economic opportunities, making quality education and healthcare more accessible in rural India.

Theinteractive session dwelt at length on bridging the digital divide with the Government announcing broadband connectivity for all Government Secondary Schools and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in rural areas under the BharatNet project, with participation from DoT, D/o School Education & Literacy and D/o Health and Family Welfare. The session brought together key stakeholders, including industry leaders, domain experts, and policymakers, to deliberate on strategies to enhance India's mission of digital inclusion.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved two ropeway projects worth ₹6,811 crore in Uttarakhand, aimed at boosting religious tourism and easing the woes of pilgrims travelling to Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib.

The first ropeway project — Sonprayag to Kedarnath (12.9 kilometres) — will be built at a capital cost of ₹4,081 crore, while the second — Govindghat to Hemkund Sahib Ji (12.4 kilometres) — will require an investment of ₹2,730 crore.

The projects will be developed in design, build, finance, operate, and transfer (DBFOT) mode, which is a public-private partnership (PPP) model where the developer builds, maintains, and operates the asset for a share in the revenue.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), on Wednesday approved the construction of a 12.9 km ropeway project connecting Sonprayag to Kedarnath in Uttarakhand. The project will be developed under the Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) model at an estimated capital cost of Rs. 4,081.28 crore.

Kedarnath, one of the 12 sacred Jyotirlingas, is located at an altitude of 3,583 meters (11,968 feet) in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. The Kedarnath Temple is open to pilgrims for 6 to 7 months annually, from Akshaya Tritiya (April-May) to Diwali (October-November), attracting around 20 lakh pilgrims each season.

The ropeway, to be built in a public-private partnership, will feature the latest Tri-cable Detachable Gondola (3S) technology, offering a design capacity of 1,800 passengers per hour in each direction. The system is expected to carry up to 18,000 passengers daily, significantly improving the travel experience for the millions of pilgrims visiting Kedarnath each year.