The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu graced and addressed the first convocation of Central Sanskrit University in New Delhi today (March 7, 2024).

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that the feeling of pride towards Indian culture is the basis of our national consciousness. Realizing the rich culture of our country awakens a sense of pride. The heritage of our culture is preserved in the Sanskrit language. Therefore, spreading the cultural awareness available in Sanskrit language is a service to the nation.

The President said that Sanskrit language has woven the diversity of our vast land into a thread of unity. Many Indian languages have been strengthened by the vocabulary of Sanskrit and those languages are flourishing in different regions and states. It is not only the language of God but it is also the language of people.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Bank Indonesia (BI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Mumbai on Thursday for establishing a framework to promote the use of local currencies viz. the Indian Rupee (INR) and the Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) for cross-border transactions. The MoU was signed by the Governor of Reserve Bank of India Mr. Shaktikanta Das and the Governor of Bank Indonesia Mr. Perry Warjiyo. This collaboration marks a key milestone in strengthening bilateral cooperation between RBI and BI.

In a press release issued on Thursday, the RBI said the MoU on establishing a framework for cooperation in the area of cross-border transactions in local currencies between India and Indonesia, aims to promote the use of INR and IDR bilaterally. It said this will eventually contribute to promoting trade between India and Indonesia as well as deepen financial integration and strengthen the long historical, cultural and economic relations between India and Indonesia.

The RBI said the MoU covers all current account transactions, permissible capital account transactions and any other economic and financial transactions as agreed upon by both countries.

Marking a significant step in bolstering bilateral cooperation between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG), the USCG Ship Bertholf reached Port Blair on March 7, 2024, for joint exercise with the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), the Defense Ministry informed on Thursday.

Codenamed "Sea Defenders-2024," the joint exercise is scheduled to take place on March 9-10, 2024, off the coast of Port Blair, the official release said.

World's largest literary festival-'Sahityotsav' by Sahitya Akademi will be held from the 11th to 16th of March. The festival commemorating 70 years of Sahitya Akademi will witness the participation of more than a hundred renowned writers and scholars. Sahitya Akademi, Secretary, Dr K. Sreenivasrao said that over 190 sessions and more than 175 languages of the country will also be represented during the festival.

The highlight of the festival will be the presentation ceremony of the Sahitya Akademi Awards 2023, which will be held on the 12th of March in New Delhi’s Kamani Auditorium. The Chief Guest of the Awards Presentation Ceremony will be Pratibha Rai, the distinguished Odia writer. The Samvatsar lecture will be delivered by renowned Urdu writer and lyricist Gulzar on the 13th of March at the Meghdoot open theatre.

Multilingual Poetry reading and short story reading, Yuva Sahiti, Asmita, Purvottari, Panel Discussions on Bhakti Literature of India, Children's literature in India, Idea of India, Importance of Mother tongues, Tribal Poets’ and Writers' Meet, Novels of Future, Theatre as a Cultural Expression will be some of the key highlights of the festival.

Badminton Association of India on Thursday announced a cash incentive of over INR 1.12 crore to the players and support staff for their success in major international tournaments including the Asian Games, Badminton Asia Team Championship and the BWF World Junior Championships.

The women’s team that won the historic Badminton Asia Team Championship (BATC) crown last month will get INR 35 lakh, 2022 Asian Games gold medallist men’s doubles combination of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are awarded INR 12 lakh, 2022 Asian Games men’s singles bronze medallist HS Prannoy will receive INR 5 lakh while the men’s team that bagged the 2022 Asian Games silver for the first time will collectively get a prize sum of INR 40 lakh.

The BAI has also rewarded 2023 BWF World Championships bronze medallist Ayush Shetty (INR 1 lakh), Badminton Asia Junior U-15 boys singles champion Bornil Aakash Changmai (INR2 lakh), U-17 girls singles silver medallist Tanvi Sharma (INR 1 lakh) and U-15 boys singles bronze medallist Jagsher Singh Khangurra (INR 50,000).

Goa was awarded 'The Best Destination of the Year' by the Pacific Area Travel Writers' Association at the ITB Berlin Convention, which culminated on Thursday, for promoting the concept of regenerative tourism.
Hailing the feat, Goa Tourism Secretary Sanjeev Ahuja said such prestigious awards encourage the state to provide better facilities for tourists.

"I am very happy Goa has received this award. We have been working on improving our facilities in various ways. Goa has given focus on improving tourism facilities and also promoting local festivals, culture and cuisines by involving local communities," Ahuja said.

"Goa is famous for the beaches. But we are going beyond the beaches," he asserted.
The ITB Berlin Convention took place between March 5 and 7 at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds with the motto 'Pioneer the Transition in Travel and Tourism Together'.

With hopefully an innings still left in hand, Yashasvi Jaiswal would aim beat Sunil Gavaskar's record in Test cricket as the youngster stands 63 runs behind.

India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal continued his sublime form on Thursday in the ongoing Test series against England as he notched up his fourth career half-century in the fifth game at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. En route to the knock, Jaiswal not only reached the milestone of 1000 runs in the format, but also matched the legendary Sunil Gavaskar's elusive record.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has cleared the project to design and develop India’s fifth-generation fighter jet Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

The AMCA will bring India among a select group of nations, which have developed a fifth-generation fighter. Only the US, Russia, and China have developed such advanced jets.

The project is under the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under the DRDO and it will be manufacturing the prototypes of the aircraft. The manufacturing agency will be Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

International Women’s Day 2024 Best Wishes: As we celebrate International Women’s Day today, March 8th, globally, it is a day that celebrates the contribution and achievement of women in society. This year, in 2024, the theme for International Women’s Day is #InspireInclusion, which emphasises the importance of inspiring women to be included, fostering a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment.

Women’s Day serves as a crucial reminder of the ongoing need for gender equality and women’s empowerment, thereby acknowledging the progress made towards gender equality while also recognising the challenges that persist.

This day is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the women in your life with thoughtful wishes and acknowledge their strength, resilience, and contributions.

From the local tea stall to the neighborhood kirana, QR codes have revolutionized the way we pay, simplifying transactions for vendors and customers alike. India has 27 Mn Static QR (SQR) stickers and more than 10 Mn SQR soundboxes deployed. No wonder our streets are filled with QRs all around us! Yet, amidst this digital revolution, there’s a missing link in the chain: organized retail. 80% of in-store payments happen via QR, however, out of this, only 2% is from organized retail. In organized retail stores, traditional QR codes in POS devices aren’t user-friendly, leading to longer transaction times and queues at the checkout counter.