Citing ‘problems’ that have ‘partly crippled’ her, Mary Kom resigned as the Chef de Mission of India’s contingent on Friday. Her decision comes weeks after the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chose the boxing legend for the post.

In a letter to IOA President PT Usha, the Union Sports Ministry and the Sports Authority of India, the London Olympics bronze medallist said: “It is embarrassing for me to retreat from a pronounced commitment, which I seldom do, but I am left with no choice.”

The IOA, on March 21, announced contingent officials for the Paris Olympics, which begin on July 26. While Mary was chosen as the chef de mission, winter Olympian Shiva Keshavan was named her deputy.

Anurag Kumar (IPS) has been appointed as Joint Director in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). According to an order issued from the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) on April 12, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the proposal of Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) for Induction of Kumar, to the post of Joint Director in CBI on lateral shift basis from BPR&D for a combined tenure of five years i.e. upto February 24, 2027.

Kumar is a 1994-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Assam Meghalaya cadre. Presently, he is posted as IG, BPR&D.

The Supreme Court has appointed Justice Aniruddha Bose as the Director of The National Judicial Academy (NJAC), Bhopal. The Chief Justice, DY Chandrachud announced the decision of appointment during the ceremonial bench conducted honoring the retiring justice. Justice Bose, who is demitting office on April 10, will now be heading the NJAC, Bhopal.

Justice Aniruddha Bose, known for his intellectual brilliance and sartorial elegance, retired from the Supreme Court after a five-year tenure.

Praised by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and other legal luminaries for his sense of justice, compassion, and gentlemanly demeanour, Justice Bose has been appointed to head the National Judicial Academy in Bhopal.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has said its PSLV-C58/XPoSat mission has practically left zero debris in earth’s orbit. The space agency explained that the last stage of the Polar Satellite Launch vehicle (PSLV) used in the mission was transformed into a kind of orbital station — called the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3 (POEM-3) — before it was left to re-enter the earth’s atmosphere instead of floating in orbit once its mission was completed.

ISRO said that after it completed the primary mission of injecting all satellites into their target orbits, the fourth stage of the PSLV was transformed into the POEM-3. It was subsequently de-orbited from 650 kilometres to 350 kilometres, rendering it more susceptible to being pulled towards the earth and burning up in the atmosphere. ISRO also said it “passivated the stage,” meaning dumped its fuel, to avoid an explosion that could have flung small pieces of debris into orbit.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has revised its GDP growth forecast for India, raising it to 7% for the current fiscal year (2023-24) from its previous projection of 6.7%.

According to the ADB's April edition of the Asian Development Outlook, the robust growth will be driven by strong public and private sector investment demand, as well as a gradual improvement in consumer demand. However, the growth estimate for the 2024-25 fiscal year is lower than the 7.6% projected for 2022-23.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said Jagjit Pavadia, a former Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, has been re-elected to the Vienna-based International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). He also said that India scored the highest number of votes among all the elected members of the anti-narcotics body.

Pavadia (70), who has already served as President of the Board from 2021 to 2022, has been re-elected for the term 2025-2030.

Taking to X on Monday night, Jaishankar said, "Today, India’s nominee Ms Jagjit Pavadia has been re-elected to the International Narcotics Control Board at elections held in New York, for the term 2025-2030."

The largest private sector lender HDFC Bank on Wednesday inaugurated a branch in Lakshadweep’s Kavaratti island. The bank is the only private sector lender to have a presence in Lakshadweep, according to a statement.

The bank seeks to serve customers wherever they are and looks forward to serving the financial needs of individuals, families, and businesses in Lakshadweep, the bank’s retail branch banking group head S Sampathkumar said. The branch was inaugurated by Captain Lovekesh Thakur, Commanding Officer, Indian Navy and K P Muthukoya, a well-known resident, in the presence of bank officials, the statement said.

This branch is aimed at upgrading the banking infrastructure in the Union Territory by offering a wide range of services with a focus on personal banking, and digital banking which also includes customised digital solutions including QR-based transaction to retailers.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) conducted the Pre-Cyclone Exercise for the season April-June 2024 under the chairmanship of Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General, IMD in hybrid mode at Mausam Bhavan in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The exercise was part of a biennial exercise conducted to take stock of the preparedness of various stakeholders in disaster management during the pre- and post-cyclone seasons.

"India has one of the best early warning systems and weather forecasting models," said the DG IMD.

Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (CSIR-IMMT) for Technical & Knowledge cooperation for Critical Minerals. The MoU was signed by Shri Sadashiv Samantaray, Director (Commercial), NALCO & CEO, KABIL and Dr. Ramanuj Narayan, Director, CSIR-IMMT, in the presence of Shri Sridhar Patra, CMD, NALCO & Chairman, KABIL, at NALCO Corporate Office in Bhubaneswar, today.

Under the MoU, KABIL will leverage the technical expertise and services of CSIR-IMMT to undertake various projects, including the design and analysis of metallurgical test work-plans, development and review of process flowsheets, and the selection of process technologies for mineral processing, beneficiation, and metal extraction. Furthermore, the agreement will also embark on joint research and facilitate the exchange of scientific information between the two entities.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has secured the 45th rank in Engineering and Technology in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject for 2024. With an overall score of 79.1 out of 100, the institute has improved on its 2023 performance in the same subject by two places.

The QS World University Rankings by Subject identifies the world’s strongest universities in individual subject areas, covering 55 disciplines as of 2024.

The results were released on Wednesday by the QS, a UK based ranking agency. Apart from engineering and technology, the premier technology institution from the city has been ranked in other subject areas too such as Natural Sciences, Computer Science, Management, Humanities and Social Sciences among all.