India marks National Youth Day today, January 12th, commemorating the birth anniversary of influential spiritual leader Swami Vivekananda. Established in 1984, the day honors Vivekananda's teachings and emphasizes the importance of youth in nation-building.

Celebrations across the country take various forms, from captivating speeches and musical performances to insightful seminars and vibrant youth conventions. Educational talks and competitions, including yoga practice, presentations, and writing contests, further engage young minds and promote awareness of people's rights.

This year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 27th National Youth Festival in Nashik, Maharashtra, on January 12 and address the youth of the nation.

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) on Monday said its board has approved acquiring up to 10 per cent in a company promoted by the National Housing Bank (NHB).
In a regulatory filing, LIC said the board has cleared the proposal to invest in a new company, promoted by the NHB, for residential mortgage-backed securities, through equity contribution up to 10 per cent of the share capital.

The investment is to be made in one or more tranches, it added.

Details about the company were not disclosed.

LIC has a housing finance subsidiary -- LIC Housing Finance Ltd -- that was incorporated in 1989. This company went public in 1994 and since then its stocks are listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange Limited (BSE).

Jain, who has more than two and half decades of experience in financial services and technology sectors, Jain is the former co-founder and CEO of Excelrate. Prior to Excelrate, he held leadership roles in the credit bureau industry for over 12 years.

“I am excited to join Experian and honoured with the prospects of partnering with the industry in shaping India’s credit ecosystem, enabling individuals, businesses, and country’s aspirations,” said Jain.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the National Youth Festival at Nashik, Maharashtra on 12th January. He will also address the youth of the nation. National Youth Day is celebrated every year to honour the ideals and thoughts of Swami Vivekananda.

This year, the National Youth Day will be celebrated by all field organisations of the Department of Youth Affairs in districts in collaboration with multiple Government departments. Road safety awareness events will be conducted in major cities and 750 district headquarters of the country.

Addressing media in New Delhi, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Nitesh Kumar Mishra said the theme of the National Youth Festival this year is “MYBharat-ViksitBharat@2047- By the Youth, For the Youth ''. He said that during the celebration, various states will showcase cultural programmes of their diverse cultural heritage. He further added that partner Ministers and district-level officers will set up stalls of various exhibitions and awareness drives of various government programmes including traffic awareness, nutrition and diet, products of KVIC startups among others.

The Rural Development Ministry and State Bank of India on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to facilitate enterprise financing for rural self-help groups (SHG), an official statement said. The MoU was signed by Additional Secretary Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission, Charanjit Singh and Chief General Manager, State Bank of India, Corporate office Mumbai, Shantanu Pendsey.

State Bank of India introduced a specialised financial product Svyam Siddha, exclusively tailored for SHG women entrepreneurs seeking loans up to Rs 5 lakhs. This initiative is designed to alleviate the challenges associated with extensive documentation requirements for bank loan applications and reduce the turnaround time (TAT). It does away with the requirement of burdensome documents like quotations and detailed project reports (DPRs), allowing an easy application process where a simple loan application with KYC details can be submitted at local SBI bank branches. DAY-NRLM will facilitate the loan application process and oversee loan repayment through its dedicated field cadre.

Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) today released a report on 'Engendering Land Ports in India' in New Delhi. The main objective of the report is to develop a framework for gender inclusive cross border trade and tourism through land Ports in the country.

Talking to Akashvani News, chairman of LPAI Aditya Mishra said that the report released today is a step towards making a gender positive environment. He added the Land Ports Authority of India will implement the recommendation of the reports to make land Ports more gender neutral.

Fostering maritime collaboration, two scientists from Mauritius and one from Bangladesh have joined the 43rd Antarctic expedition of India, led by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research in Goa. The scientists boarded the vessel in Cape Town on December 20, 2023, marking a significant stride in international cooperation in polar research.

This collaborative effort stems from the maiden Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) Oceanographers and Hydrographers conference held in Goa and Hyderabad in November 2022. The conference laid the foundation for scientific partnerships among the CSC nations, facilitating joint initiatives for oceanographic and hydrographic studies.

Previously, scientists from the CSC nations embarked on a month-long scientific expedition in the Indian Ocean Region in June 2023 aboard the 'Sagar Nidhi,' further strengthening the bonds of collaboration.

The Wings India 2024 event is all set to take flight from January 18 to 21 at Begumpet Airport, showcasing an array of new-generation aircraft displays, allied aviation services, auxiliary unit industries, and advancements in the tourism sector.

Organized by the Airports Authority of India in collaboration with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, this four-day extravaganza is anticipated to be Asia’s largest congregation.

The event is scheduled to hold conference sessions on January 18 and 19, serving as a specialized platform for industry professionals and experts to engage in insightful discussions and presentations. Business visitors are welcome throughout the entire four-day event.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) today said that global unemployment rate is expected to inch up to 5.2 percent this year primarily because of a rise in joblessness in advanced economies.

ILO's 2024 'World Employment and Social Outlook' report forecasts that the number of unemployed people will rise by 2 million, lifting the global unemployment rate to 5.2 percent from 5.1 percent in 2023.

ILO, a United Nations agency, said that after a short growth spurt as countries recovered from the pandemic, aggregate labour productivity growth had quickly returned to the low pace seen over the previous decade. The report also said, the situation is particularly concerning in high-income countries, where employment growth is expected to turn negative in 2024 and only modest improvements are anticipated in 2025.

In a first, India is set to chair and host UNESCO's World Heritage Committee in New Delhi from 21st to 31st July 2024, Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO, Vishal V Sharma said on 9 January.

As UNESCO's official statement, “At its 19th extraordinary session (UNESCO, 2023), the World Heritage Committee decided that its 46th session will take place in India."

“Following a proposal by the authorities of the State Party of India, and in consultation with the UNESCO Director-General, the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee will take place from July 21 to 31, 2024 in New Delhi, India," the statement added.