Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday convened a high-level meeting to initiate the constitution of a dedicated Bureau of Port Security (BoPS) to enhance the security of vessels and port facilities across the country, according to official sources.

The proposed Bureau of Port Security will be established as a statutory body under Section 13 of the newly promulgated Merchant Shipping Act, 2025. It will function under the aegis of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and will be responsible for regulatory oversight and coordination related to the security of ships and port infrastructure.

Chairing the meeting, Shah emphasised the need for a robust and future-ready port security framework, directing that security measures be implemented in a graded and risk-based manner. He said the framework should factor in vulnerabilities, trade potential, geographical location and other relevant parameters to ensure effective protection of critical maritime assets.

Lejit.ai Launches Mobile App to Make Legal Assistance Accessible for Common People Trivandrum (Kerala) [India], December 19: Lejit.ai, a legal technology startup from Kerala, has announced the launch and expansion of its mobile application aimed at simplifying access to legal assistance for the general public. Built with the motto "Legal assistance for common people," Lejit.ai seeks to bridge the gap between the legal system and everyday citizens by making legal knowledge easier to understand and act upon.

Legal processes are often perceived as complex, intimidating, and inaccessible, especially for individuals without prior legal exposure. Lejit.ai addresses this challenge by enabling users involved in legal matters to clearly understand what steps need to be taken, what precautions must be followed, and which laws are relevant to their specific situations.

Deepinder Goyal of Eternal has topped the IDFC FIRST Private Banking-Hurun India Top-200 Self-made Entrepreneurs of the Millennia 2025 list with a valuation of ₹3.2 trillion, up 27 per cent from last year.

Radhakishan Damani of Avenue Supermarts, last year’s leader, slipped to second place with a valuation of ₹3 trillion, down 13 per cent year-on-year. Rahul Bhatia and Rakesh Gangwal of InterGlobe Aviation debuted at third place with a company valuation of ₹2.2 trillion.

The list featured self-made Indian entrepreneurs who created the most valuable companies of the millennia, post 2000.

The combined value of all companies on the list stood at ₹42 trillion, up 15 per cent year-on-year, with entrepreneurs from 51 cities. Bengaluru led with 88 entrepreneurs, followed by Mumbai (83) and New Delhi (52), together accounting for more than half the list.

IDFC FIRST Bank has announced the launch of a new savings account offering for non-resident Indians (NRIs) in GIFT City, Gujarat, allowing customers to hold and operate savings accounts in foreign currencies.

The product, called the IDFC FIRST Global Savings Account, enables NRIs to maintain balances in US dollars or euros through the bank’s GIFT City banking unit.

The bank said the account is distinct from its existing domestic and NRI savings accounts and is aimed at customers who prefer to manage savings in foreign currencies.

The Parliament has passed the Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Bill 2025, with the Rajya Sabha approving it today. Lok Sabha had passed the Bill yesterday. The Bill seeks to amend the Insurance Act 1938, the Life Insurance Corporation Act, 1956 and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999.

The Bill proposes to increase the Foreign Direct Investment limit in Indian Insurance companies from 74 per cent to 100 per cent of the paid-up equity capital. The Bill reduces the net-owned fund requirements for foreign entities engaged in the re-insurance business from 5,000 crore rupees to 1,000 crore rupees.

The Bill amends the definition of an insurance co-operative society to remove the requirement of minimum paid-up share capital of 100 crore rupees for life, general, and health insurance businesses.

The first Gen Z-themed revamped Post Office was inaugurated at IIT Delhi today. Communications Ministry said in a statement that India Post has marked a significant milestone in its modernization journey with this. This initiative reflects the vision of Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia to transform Post Offices into vibrant, youth-centric spaces that resonate with today’s students and young citizens.

The revamped Campus Post Office at IIT Delhi represents a complete reimagining of postal engagement within educational institutions. Designed collaboratively with students, the space features modern aesthetics, Wi-Fi-enabled zones, creative graffiti and artwork by the IIT Fine Arts Society. It has smart service touch points including QR-based parcel booking and student-friendly Speed Post discounts. This transformation is part of a national initiative covering Revamp of 46 existing Post Offices located within educational campuses by 15th of December.

The Finance Ministry on Thursday unveiled a new logo for Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) to signify a single and unified brand identity.

On the principle of 'One State One RRB', the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, has consolidated 26 Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) across 11 states/UTs, effective from May 1, 2025.

The reform marks a crucial step toward building stronger and more efficient RRBs. Presently, 28 RRBs continue to serve the nation through an extensive network of over 22,000 branches in more than 700 districts.

As part of creating a single and unified brand identity for the RRBs after the major amalgamation drive, a common logo for the 28 RRBs has been unveiled, the Finance Ministry said in a statement.

Renowned sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar passed away last night at his residence in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. He was 100 years old and had been suffering from age-related illnesses. Sutar was known for designing the world’s tallest statue – the Statue of Unity – in Gujarat.

Born in the Dhule district of present-day Maharashtra in 1925, Ram Vanji Sutar was a gold medallist from the JJ School of Art and Architecture in Mumbai. The iconic statues of Mahatma Gandhi seated in a meditative pose and Chhatrapati Shivaji riding a horse on the Parliament premises, rank among his finest creations.

100 years old sculptor was a Padma Bhushan awardee and designed the Statue of Unity, which is the world’s tallest statue with a height of 182 metres.

Ram Vanji Sutar was honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2016 and the Padma Shri in 1999. He was recently also conferred with the Maharashtra Bhushan Puraskar, the state’s highest award.

The Capacity Building Commission (CBC), in collaboration with the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), Ministry of Finance, organised the Bharat CPSEs’ Consultative Conclave, today at New Delhi. The conclave, themed “Shaping India’s Growth Story through DAKSH PSEs @2047”, brought together senior leadership from Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), Central Ministries, and key institutional stakeholders. The conclave was convened with the objective of developing a shared and structured CPSEs’ Capacity Building Roadmap, aligned with Mission Karmayogi—India’s National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building. It sought to integrate principles of good governance into CPSEs’ human capital strategies, strengthen leadership and succession planning, and promote inter-CPSE collaboration to support the national vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.

The programme was steered by Dr. Alka Mittal, Member (Administration), Capacity Building Commission. While setting the context of the Conclave, Dr Mittal underscored the strategic role of CPSEs as critical institutions for nation-building beyond their commercial mandate. She highlighted that CPSEs are not only engines of economic growth, but also custodians of public values, governance standards, and long-term institutional capability.

The Ministry of Jal Shakti is organising the second edition of Sujal Gram Samvad tomorrow in New Delhi. The Ministry informed that this landmark initiative serves as a multilingual platform for direct dialogue between the Centre and rural communities.

Sujal Gram Samvad is a first-of-its-kind initiative designed to bridge the gap between policymakers and the grassroots. This edition focuses on eight specific states that are Assam, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Gujarat, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand.

To ensure seamless communication, the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation has mapped specialized officials and consultants with high proficiency in the local dialects of the participating villages.