Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font started a week-long visit to India, accompanied by business leaders and authorities, who sought to increase trade and collaboration between both countries.

Business associations and representatives from the agrifoods, innovation, services, and film industries met with Indian counterparts to share experiences and knowledge, with the goal of strengthening trade and cooperation.

Among them was the Indian Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Forum chairman Vinod Kumar, who made a presentation about trade and collaboration opportunities between local and Chilean companies. He was followed by representatives of the states of Gujarat and Kerala, who presented opportunities in their territories.

The latest Annual Report of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), shows a marginal improvement in labour force indicators across both rural and urban regions of the country. The data, based on the first visit of the PLFS conducted from January to December 2024, presents calendar year-wise estimates of labour market indicators under both Current Weekly Status (CWS) and Principal and Subsidiary Status (PS+SS).

According to the report, the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) under the Current Weekly Status in urban areas increased for both men and women. Among urban males, LFPR rose from 74.3% in 2023 to 75.6% in 2024, while for females, it saw a modest rise from 25.5% to 25.8%. This led to an overall increase in urban LFPR from 50.3% to 51.0%. However, the all-India LFPR under CWS remained unchanged at 56.2%, indicating only slight variations across different categories.

India’s goods and services exports have crossed a record $820 billion in financial year 2024-25, which represents a close to 6 per cent increase over the corresponding figure of $778 billion for the previous financial year, despite the economic uncertainties in global markets, according to data compiled by the Commerce Ministry.

The figures were revealed at a meeting held by Commerce and Industry Minister (CIM) Piyush Goyal with the Export Promotion Councils and industry bodies here to discuss the emerging trade scenario.

The minister complimented the exporters for the all-time high achievement in exports in spite of multiple headwinds, including the Red Sea crisis, Israel-Hamas conflict spilling over to the Gulf region, continuation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and slow growth in some developed economies. The Minister lauded the exporters for their resilience and efforts.

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, JP Nadda, announced the launch of the Inter-AIIMS Referral portal, developed indigenously by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, to revolutionize healthcare management and patient referral systems across the country.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Inter-AIIMS Referral portal will leverage cutting-edge technologies, including facial recognition systems and automated workflows, to ensure seamless, secure, and transparent referral processes. It will significantly reduce waiting times, minimize manual errors, and create a more patient-centric healthcare experience. "By harnessing the power of technology, we can transform the medical sector and enhance the lives of millions," said JP Nadda, emphasizing the government's commitment to advancing healthcare innovation.

Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Ram Mohan Naidu, today inaugurated the cutting-edge Digital Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder (DFDR & CVR) Laboratory at the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) at Udaan Bhawan in New Delhi. Widely referred to as the “Black Box Lab,” this state-of-the-art facility has been established with an investment of ₹ nine crore.

The inauguration witnessed the presence of senior officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Indian Air Force, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, Airports Authority of India, and Airports Economic Regulatory Authority. Chiefs of Flight Safety from all major scheduled airlines also attended this landmark event.

Addressing the gathering, Shri Ram Mohan Naidu emphasized the significance of this new facility in bolstering aviation safety. He stated that this achievement brings India one step closer to a safer aviation ecosystem by enabling the identification of root causes of incidents more effectively and ensuring accountability, which remains the cornerstone of aviation safety. The Minister highlighted that only through effective and independent investigations can future accidents be prevented.

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shri Sarbananda Sonowal launched a dedicated digital portal developed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) to invite private investment in infrastructure development on National Waterways.

With a ceremonial click, the Minister formally inaugurated the initiative, which is aimed at facilitating ease of doing business (EODB) and encouraging private investment in inland water transport (IWT) in the country. The launch follows the introduction of the National Waterways (Construction of Jetties/Terminals) Regulations, 2025, which lays out a framework for private players to invest in the construction and operation of jetties and terminals across India’s national waterways network.

As per the newly notified National Waterways (Construction of Jetties/Terminals) Regulations, 2025, any entity — including private players — can now develop or operate an inland waterway terminal on a National Waterway by securing a ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NoC) from the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI). The regulations apply to both existing and new terminals, whether permanent or temporary.

The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) on Wednesday signed an agreement to set up its Dubai branch campus at the Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) and the commencement of the full-time one-year master’s in business administration (MBA) programme in September 2025.

IIMA director Bharat Bhasker signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Helal Saeed Almarri, director general of Dubai’s department of economy and tourism in Mumbai on Tuesday for the establishment of the IIMA Dubai campus. The MoU was signed in the presence of commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai who is on his first official visit to India as the crown prince.

In a significant move to strengthen grassroots governance and track rural progress, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has launched the first-ever Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) baseline report for FY 2022-23. The index serves as a comprehensive tool to measure the performance of over 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats across nine localized Sustainable Development Goal (LSDG) themes, according to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

The inaugural PAI data reveals that out of 2,55,699 GPs, 2,16,285 submitted validated data. Among these, only 699 Panchayats (0.3%) qualified as Front Runners, while 77,298 (35.8%) were marked as Performers. A large majority—1,32,392 Panchayats (61.2%)—were classified as Aspirants, and 5,896 (2.7%) were at the Beginner level. No Panchayat achieved the highest “Achiever” category.

Gujarat and Telangana emerged as leaders with the highest number of Front Runner GPs—346 and 270 respectively. Other high-performing states include Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, while Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh saw a significant concentration of Aspirant GPs.

Bangladesh has become the latest signatory of the Artemis Mission, a US-led effort to explode the Moon with plans to build long-term settlements on the lunar surface and push onward to Mars.

Ashraf Uddin, the secretary of defence for Bangladesh, signed the Artemis Accords on behalf of the country in Dhaka.

Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, following the signing, said “Bangladesh’s commitment to the Artemis Accords will enhance the country’s engagement with NASA and the international community. By signing the accords, Bangladesh builds upon an important foundation for the open, responsible and peaceful exploration of space.”

President Droupadi Murmu, on her state visit to Slovakia, held a one-on-one meeting and delegation-level talks with her Slovakian counterpart, Peter Pellegrini, in Bratislava yesterday. The two leaders discussed various aspects of bilateral relations and issues of shared global and regional interests.

Akashvani Correspondent reports that the President of India, Droupadi Murmu and the President of Slovakia, Peter Pelligrini, also witnessed the exchange of two MoUs, one on cooperation in the field of MSMEs between India’s National Small Industries Corporation Limited and the Slovak Business Agency. and another on cooperation between the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service and the Slovak Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.

President Murmu highlighted the immense potential for the two countries to collaborate more closely in India’s rapidly expanding media, entertainment, and creative economy sectors. The president also invited Slovakia to take part actively in the upcoming WAVE Summit, which India will host in Mumbai from May 1st to 4th.