Launching the Mahatari Vandan Yojana – a financial assistance scheme for eligible married women in Chhattisgarh – on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that it was only the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that kept its electoral promises.

“Mothers and sisters, before the elections, many parties make big promises. They promise the stars and the moon, but only a party with a clear intent like the BJP fulfills its promises. That is why in such a short span of time after the formation of the BJP government [in Chhattishgarh], the promise of the Mahatari Vandana Yojana has been fulfilled,” Mr. Modi said.

India has become the second-largest mobile phone manufacturing country after China, with cumulative shipments of locally produced handsets crossing two billion during 2014-2022, a new report has said, adding that domestic production is set to hit 270 million handsets this calendar year, compared with 250 million a year ago.

Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will launch the nationwide ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain-2024’ campaign today at a function in New Delhi. The fifth edition of the campaign will be on the theme ‘Nari Shakti se Jal Shakti’ to recognise and appreciate the crucial role played by women in water management, conservation and sustainability. It will establish a powerful connection between the ‘Nari Shakti’ and the sustainable management of water resources.

The Union Minister will also launch two books namely, “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: 2019 to 2023” and “101 Water Champions of Jal Jeevan Mission”. The ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain-2024’ campaign will be implemented till the 30th of November, 2024 encompassing both urban and rural areas across all districts in the nation. Focused interventions of the campaign will include water conservation and rainwater harvesting, enumerating, geo-tagging and making an inventory of all water bodies and preparation of scientific plans for water conservation, setting up of Jal Shakti Kendras in all districts; intensive afforestation; and awareness generation among the masses.

Czech Republic's Krystyna Pyszkova on Saturday won the coveted Miss World 2024 title at a grand event here.

Miss Lebanon Yasmina Zaytoun was named the first runner-up.

Reigning Miss World Karolina Bielawska from Poland crowned her successor at the star-studded finale here.

India, which hosted the event after 28 years, was represented by 22-year-old Sini Shetty.

Mumbai-born Shetty, who was crowned Femina Miss India World in 2022, was unable to make it to the top 4 of the contest.

Lachit Borphukan was a legendary army commander of the Ahom kingdom

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday unveiled a 125-foot bronze statue of 'Ahom general' Lachit Borphukan in Assam's Jorhat.

The 'Statue of Valour' was unveiled by the PM at the Lachit Barphukan Maidam Development Project at Hollongapar near Teok.

Modi, who reached Jorhat from Arunachal Pradesh by helicopter, was dressed in traditional attire and headgear.

He participated in an Ahom ritual for the unveiling of the statue.

Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday took oath as Pakistan's 14th President, a day after the veteran politician staged a remarkable comeback when he was overwhelmingly elected as the only civilian president of the coup-prone country for a second time.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa administered the oath to the 68-year-old Mr Zardari in a small yet formal ceremony at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the Presidential Palace.

Mr Zardari replaces Dr Arif Alvi, who stayed in office for five months after completing his five-year term in September 2023.

In recognition of country’s tireless efforts to combat Measles and Rubella, India has been bestowed with the prestigious Measles and Rubella Champion Award by The Measles and Rubella Partnership at the American Red Cross Headquarters in Washington D.C., USA on March 6th, 2024. Ambassador Sripriya Ranganathan, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India, Washington D.C. received the award on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

The Measles and Rubella Partnership comprises a multi-agency planning committee, including the American Red Cross, BMGF, GAVI, US CDC, UNF, UNICEF, and WHO, all dedicated to reducing global measles deaths and preventing rubella illness.

This accolade celebrates India's unwavering commitment to public health and its outstanding leadership in curbing the spread of these infectious diseases among children. It further recognizes India for providing regional leadership to the measles & rubella elimination programme by using ‘measles as a tracer’ to strengthen routine immunization under country’s Universal Immunization Programme (UIP). Despite facing numerous challenges, India has demonstrated remarkable progress in reducing measles and rubella cases and preventing outbreaks through a series of comprehensive interventions.

India and the four-nation European bloc EFTA on Sunday signed a free trade agreement under which New Delhi has received an investment commitment of USD 100 billion over the next 15 years to facilitate the creation of one million jobs.

The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.

The agreement was signed after a gap of almost 16 years as negotiations, started in 2008, but were put on hold in November 2013. Talks resumed in October 2016, and after 21 rounds of negotiations were held before its conclusion.

For the first time in the history of FTAs (free trade agreements), a legal commitment is being made to promoting target-oriented investment and the job creation.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Raising Day is an annual event held to commemorate the establishment of CISF. This year, it is being celebrated on March 10th. The CISF is a paramilitary security force. It is tasked with providing security to industrial centres, state-funded infrastructure projects, and public sector undertakings. It also protects other critical infrastructure points such as airports, nuclear power plants, sea ports, oil refineries, mines, and more.

Last year, CISF took over the security of the Parliament building from Delhi Police. Unlike the Indian Army or police departments, CISF is a compensatory cost force, meaning that it charges its clients for its service.

A school in Kerala has introduced India’s first AI teacher robot named ‘Iris’. This robot is developed in collaboration with Makerlabs Edutech. It aims to bring new innovations in the field of education by offering personalised learning experience for students. The AI teacher has been deployed at KTCT Higher Secondary School, Thiruvanathpuram

Built under the Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) project initiated by NITI Aayog, this AI teacher robot, Iris, boasts a range of features aimed at revolutionising traditional teaching methods.

According to the developer, this AI robot has an in-built voice assistant and is powered by an Intel chipset. It uses an Android app interface to offer personalised learning experiences and interact with people. It is equipped with wheels and is designed to understand and speak different languages and complex problems across different subjects.