Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday extended greetings to citizens on the occasion of Samvatsari, describing it as a festival that embodies the spirit of forgiveness and compassion.

Samvatsari, the concluding and most sacred day of the Jain Paryushan Parva, is observed as a day of atonement, self-purification, and reconciliation. On this day, followers of Jainism traditionally say “Micchami Dukkadam”, a phrase that signifies seeking and granting forgiveness for any harm caused knowingly or unknowingly through thoughts, words, or actions.

In a post on X, the Prime Minister said that Samvatsari serves as a reminder of the beauty of forgiveness and the power of compassion. “This festival inspires us to strengthen relationships with sincerity, and to imbibe humility and kindness in our lives,” he wrote, urging people to let their hearts remain humble and their actions reflect harmony and goodwill. Modi concluded his message with the words “Micchami Dukkadam.”

India will require a massive scale-up in energy storage systems to meet its clean power targets, with 61 GW of capacity needed by 2030 and nearly 100 GW by 2032, according to a new study.

The study, conducted by the India Energy and Climate Center at the University of California (IECC), Berkeley, and the Power Foundation of India under the aegis of the Ministry of Power, says India is well on track to achieve its target of 500 GW of non-fossil electricity capacity by 2030.

However, it warned that India may have to fall back on coal if energy storage deployment lags.

In the 'Reference Case' scenario, which assumes utilities comply with the current state and national Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPO) and energy storage targets, India's total non-fossil capacity is projected to exceed 500 GW by 2030 and reach approximately 600 GW by 2032, the report said.

Two days after the Supreme Court Collegium recommended their names, the Centre on Wednesday appointed Justice Alok Aradhe, Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, and Justice Vipul Pancholi, Chief Justice of the Patna High Court, as top court judges.

This comes amid the controversy over the dissent by Justice B V Nagarathna, one of the five members of the Collegium, over the recommendation for Justice Pancholi. Besides Chief Justice of India Bhushan R Gavai, the other members of the Collegium are Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath and J K Maheshwari.

Sources in the Supreme Court told The Indian Express that the Collegium nod for Justice Pancholi came after two consultee judges gave favourable opinions about him. The sources said that top court Justices K Vinod Chandran and Ahsanuddin Amanullah were consulted and both had given “positive remarks” on his proposed elevation.

The Union Cabinet today approved the restructuring of Prime Minister Street Vendor’s Atma Nirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme. The Cabinet also gave approval for the extension of the lending period beyond 31st December 2024. The lending period has now been extended until 31st March, 2030. The total outlay for the scheme is seven thousand 332 crore rupees. The key features of the restructured scheme include enhanced loan amounts across the first and second tranches, provision of UPI-linked RuPay Credit Card for beneficiaries who have repaid the second loan and digital cashback incentives for retail and wholesale transactions. The first tranche loan has been increased up to 15 thousand rupees from ten thousand rupees, and the second tranche loans have increased up to 25 thousand rupees from 20 thousand rupees, while the third tranche remains unchanged at 50 thousand rupees.

The restructured scheme aims to benefit one crore 15 lakh beneficiaries, including 50 lakh new beneficiaries. The scheme’s coverage is being expanded beyond statutory towns to census towns and peri-urban areas in a graded manner. The introduction of UPI-linked RUPAY Credit Card would provide immediate access of credit to the street vendors in order to meet any emergent business and personal requirements. In order to give boost to digital adoption, the street vendors can avail cashback incentives upto one thousand 600 rupees on making retail and wholesale transactions. The Government had initially launched PM SVANidhi Scheme on 1st June 2020 to support street vendors who faced unprecedented hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic. As of July this year, over 96 lakh loans amounting to 13 thousand 797 crore rupees have been disbursed to more than 68 lakh street vendors.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared four projects of the Ministry of Railways with an estimated cost of Rs 12,328 crore. The proposals include a new railway line in Kutch, Gujarat, along with multi-tracking works in Karnataka, Telangana, Bihar and Assam.

In Gujarat, the Deshalpar–Hajipir–Luna and Vayor–Lakhpat line has been approved at an estimated cost of Rs 2,526 crore. The 145-route-km (164-track-km) project is expected to be completed in three years. It will include 13 new stations and facilitate the movement of salt, cement, clinker, coal and bentonite. The line will also provide rail connectivity to Dholavira, Koteshwar temple, Narayan Sarovar and Lakhpat fort in the Rann of Kutch.

The Secunderabad (Sanathnagar)–Wadi project, covering 173 km across Telangana and Karnataka, will be executed at a cost of Rs 5,012 crore and is scheduled for completion in five years. In Bihar, the Bhagalpur–Jamalpur third-line project will add 53 km to the network at an investment of Rs 1,156 crore, with a three-year timeline. In Assam, the Furkating–New Tinsukia line will be doubled over 194 km at a cost of Rs 3,634 crore and is expected to be completed in four years.

One of Indian cricket's greatest players, Ravichandran Ashwin, brought an end to his professional career as he announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL). Ashwin, who last played for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 2025 edition of the T20 league, had already retired from international cricket in December 2024, having announced his decision ahead of the conclusion of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Ashwin's decision to quit the IPL comes as a shock, as rumors were linking him with a return to the Rajasthan Royals ahead of the auction for the 2026 campaign.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Ashwin said that his time in Indian cricket has come to an end, but this phase also marks the beginning of a new chapter that would see him "explore" leagues across the world.

"Special day and hence a special beginning. They say every ending will have a new start, my time as an IPL cricketer comes to a close today, but my time as an explorer of the game around various leagues begins today," he said.

State-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB) on Wednesday inaugurated its first startup-centric branch in New Delhi.

Aligned with the Startup India initiative, this branch aims to promote entrepreneurship and supports innovation through services, including all facets of banking solutions, PNB said in a statement.

The branch inauguration was done in presence of Arvind Kumar, Director General, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), and PNB MD & CEO Ashok Chandra.

Further, an MoU was signed between PNB and STPI to extend financial support to eligible startups, it said.

The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and the Water Resources Department of Maharashtra have signed an MoU for` eco-restoration' of the Ujani reservoir, a man-made wetland along the Bhima river in western Maharashtra.

Ujani wetland, also known as Bhigwan, is recognised as an `Important Bird Area' under the Central Asian Flyway and is a key habitat for migratory birds which also supports agriculture, hydroelectric power, drinking water supply and local fisheries, BNHS scientist and fish expert Unmesh Katwate told PTI.

The agreement, supported by the Cipla Foundation, was signed in the presence of Water Resources Department (WRD) Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and other officials on Tuesday.

A rare case of flesh-eating parasite infection has been confirmed in the United States for the first time in decades. The case involved a woman from Maryland who had recently travelled to Central America, where she is believed to have been exposed to the New World screwworm fly (Cochliomyia hominivorax).

According to CNN, health officials report the patient has fully recovered, and the US Department of Health and Human Services assures the public that the risk of further human transmission is very low. However, the incident has raised concerns about the parasite moving northward, which could eventually threaten US livestock and food security.

Screwworm infections occur when the fly lays eggs in open wounds of warm-blooded animals. The larvae then feed on living flesh, burrowing deeper as they grow. If untreated, the condition can be fatal. According to specialists, the maggots can cause devastating damage in a matter of days, even killing a fully grown cow within a week.

the forests of Agasthyavanam in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram district fell silent. At 72, cancer carried away Kuttimathan Kani, a man who once stood at the crossroads of indigenous wisdom and modern science. For the wider world, he was the once-famous tribal elder who introduced scientists to the wonder plant Arogyapacha — the elusive “elixir herb” of the Western Ghats.

But in his own settlement of Chonampara, deep in the forests, he was remembered differently. A frail father, often too ill to work, struggling to feed a family of four daughters and a sick wife. A man who had tasted international limelight, but returned to a hut patched with tin sheets and poverty.

Here lay the cruel irony of his life: hailed as a pioneer of biodiversity-based science, invited to world summits, celebrated as the face of indigenous resilience — yet condemned to die in neglect, unable to afford even basic healthcare.