The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday released its ‘Payments Vision 2028’, which envisages a switch-on/switch- off facility across all digital payment modes, introducing a Payments Switching Service (PaSS), a Shared Responsibility Framework arising from unauthorised digital payment transactions and launching electronic cheques.

The vision lays out a roadmap for the evolution of India’s payments ecosystem over the next three years. It consists of 15 specific initiatives, which focus on user empowerment, strengthening safeguards against fraud, enhancing efficiency of cross-border payment frameworks and promoting ease of doing business, among others.

The Central bank plans to extend the switch-on and switch-off facility for domestic and international card transactions, currently available to customers and help them exercise greater control over their cards, to all digital payment modes.

A team of researchers have successfully used deep transfer learning (DTL), a non-invasive artificial intelligence-based tool, to study nest site fidelity in painted stork (Mycteria leucocephala) in the National Zoological Park, Delhi.

The researchers chose a male painted stork with a distinctive injury scar on its neck and observed it over four consecutive breeding seasons from 2022 to 2025 to assess the nest site fidelity – a trait of using the same nesting site in successive breeding seasons.

They named the stork ‘Ringo’, in honour of drummer Ringo Starr of iconic pop music band The Beatles, for the study. A total of 2,349 high resolution images of Ringo, covering both sides and wing markings in the folded position, were photographed for the study. They also clicked 1,755 images, showing both the left and right sides of the wings of other nesting storks. These images collected during breeding seasons from 2022 to 2025 were used as a foundation for studying individual identification through unique features present in painted storks.

The government on Friday introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha to amend certain provisions for decriminalising and rationalising minor offences to further promote ease of doing business and living.

The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, was introduced by Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada after incorporating recommendations of a select committee.

It seeks to amend certain enactments to decriminalise and rationalise offences to further enhance trust-based governance for ease of living and doing business.

Defence Ministry today signed contracts worth 858 crore rupees for the procurement of Tunguska Air Defence Missile System and Inspection (Depot Level) of the P8I Long-Range Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft. The Ministry said that the contract for the procurement of Tunguska Air Defence Missile Systems, valued at 445 crore rupees, for the Indian Army was signed with JSC Rosoboronexport, Russia, in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh. It said these cutting-edge missiles will enhance the country’s multilayered air defence capabilities against aerial threats, including aircraft, drones and cruise missiles. The agreement will further strengthen the Indo-Russian strategic defence partnership. Meanwhile, the contract for the Inspection (Depot Level) of the P8I Long-Range Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft for the Indian Navy under the Buy Indian category with 100% Indigenous Content, valued at four hundred 13 crore rupees, was signed with Boeing India Defense Private Ltd. This contract will ensure Depot-level maintenance of the P8I fleet at the in-country MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) facility, which is in line with the Government’s commitment to Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India.

Meghalaya has become the 12th state to sign a reform-linked Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Union government under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0, marking a significant step towards sustainable and service-oriented rural water supply.

The agreement formalises the state’s entry into the new reform-driven framework of the mission, which was approved by the Union Cabinet earlier this month.

Centre-State Partnership for Water Security

The MoU was signed in the presence of Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Patil, Minister of State V. Somanna, and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, who joined virtually.

The Ministry of Jal Shakti said the agreement reflects a strengthened partnership between the Centre and the state, with a focus on delivering sustainable and reliable drinking water services in rural areas.

A vast stretch along the Yamuna Expressway is about to turn into one of India’s most ambitious gateways to the world. On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the first phase of the Noida International Airport at Jewar, a project that has been years in the making and is now poised to reshape not just air travel, but the economic trajectory of Uttar Pradesh.

Built at a cost of Rs 11,282 crore in its first phase, the airport is part of a much larger vision pegged at nearly Rs 29,560 crore. But beyond the numbers, Jewar represents something bigger - a shift in how north India connects, trades and grows.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak on Friday directed the Energy Ministry to draft a resolution banning gasoline exports starting April 1, the Russian government announced. The measure is expected to remain in effect until July 31, according to state-run TASS.

Novak cited “turbulence in the global market for crude oil and oil products, driven by the Middle East crisis,” as causing “significant price volatility,” while noting that high foreign demand for Russian energy resources remains a positive factor.

Crude oil processing volumes in Russia remain at last year’s level, ensuring stable domestic supply of oil products, the government added. The move comes after several regions in Russia and parts of Ukraine under Russian control reported gasoline shortages last year, following increased attacks on Russian refineries and seasonal spikes in fuel demand.

Veteran actor and director EA Rajendran died in Pattathanam here on Thursday, film industry sources said. He was 71.

According to industry sources, he had been undergoing treatment for the past few months. The funeral will be held at his native place in Thrithallur, Thrissur, on Friday.

EA Rajendran was the brother-in-law of actor Mukesh and the son-in-law of noted theatre director O Madhavan. After marrying Sandhya, daughter of Madhavan and sister of Mukesh, they settled in Pattathanam, Kollam.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the continuation of the Immigration, Visa, Foreigners Registration and Tracking (IVFRT) Scheme for another five years, from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2031, with a total outlay of ₹1,800 crore.

The IVFRT platform is aimed at integrating and streamlining immigration, visa issuance, and foreigner registration processes in India through a secure, technology-driven framework. The move is part of the government’s broader push to modernise border management systems while ensuring ease of travel for legitimate visitors.

Originally approved in 2010, the project has undergone multiple phases of expansion and extension. The latest approval comes in the backdrop of the recently enacted Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, which necessitates a more robust and responsive system to address evolving challenges such as illegal migration and increasing global mobility.

In a major step towards enhancing efficiency, transparency, and inter-agency coordination in infrastructure development, Hon’ble Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari, along with the Hon’ble Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, Electronics & IT, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, today launched the PRISM-SG (Portal for Rail-Road Inspection & Stages Management – Steel Girders) Portal in New Delhi.

The PRISM-SG Portal has been developed to digitise key approval and inspection processes related to the construction of Road Over Bridges (ROBs) and also includes Quality Assurance Plan (QAP), Welding Procedure Specification Sheet (WPSS) and fabrication stage inspection of steel girders. The portal enables end-to-end online submission of documents, scrutiny, raising and resolution of queries, approvals, scheduling of inspections, and uploading of inspection reports, photographs, test results, supported by a complete audit trail and real-time monitoring capabilities.