The recently released report card on Rajasthan’s Cash Plus model — India’s first State-led pilot to converge Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) with Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) for improving maternal and child nutrition — indicates a 49% rise in early breastfeeding (now reaching 90% of newborns), 44% of women being more receptive to home-based counselling, 49% improvement in dietary diversity among pregnant women, and 54% more women using cash specifically for nutrition.

The State government scheme augments the national Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), which provides financial assistance to pregnant and lactating women for their first living child. It aims to improve the health and nutrition of mothers and their infants by offering cash incentives. The scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

Rajasthan carried out the assessment of its enhanced programme through a three-year field study starting 2021.

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Eurobank of Cyprus have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to introduce Unified Payments Interface (UPI) services in Cyprus for cross-border transactions that will benefit tourists and businesses.

This was one of the key business outcomes from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Cyrus, which concluded on Monday with the two sides agreeing on measures to ramp up cooperation in trade and investment.

The NSE International Exchange at Gujarat’s Gift City too signed an MoU with Cyprus Stock Exchange to enable cross-border flows. The agreement is expected to benefit investors in Gift City, Cyprus and Europe, officials said.

The youth and elders share notably stronger traditional values and intergenerational bonds in non-metro cities than metros, reveals a first-of-its-kind study conducted by HelpAge India to mark the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) on Sunday. Two-thirds of elders and 70 per cent of youth out of a total of 5789 respondents surveyed in 10 cities, report their daily interaction at home is the reason behind the bonding. This frequency is higher in joint families and non-metro cities, indicating the continued importance of shared living spaces and traditional community structures. The surveyed 10 cities include Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Kanpur, Nagpur and Ahmedabad. The report named ‘Understanding Intergenerational Dynamics & Perceptions on Ageing’ (India Intergenerational Bonds – INBO Report), was released by Director, Punjab & Chandigarh of Mera Yuva Bharat, Paramjit Singh.

The report suggests that in terms of proximity to elders, a notable difference is seen between metro city and of non-metro city youths, with the latter showing stronger expressions of respect, possibly due to more traditional or community-oriented value systems.

Singapore-based life coach Sucheta Raj Khanna blends emotion, politics and spiritual reflection in her debut novel “The Stars Light the Way”, which is about the journey of a woman rediscovering her true self amid life’s most defining crossroads.

At the heart of the novel, published by Penguin Random House India, is Shazma, who is leading a quiet life in Singapore till she receives an unexpected invitation to join the Indian Parliament.

The weight of a decision threatens to unravel the life she’s built with her husband, Nikhil, in Singapore. As she faces this life-altering choice, mysterious signs from her late father, SR, pull her back to her childhood, revealing truths along the way.

These intertwined paths of reflection and growth draw them closer – with Shazma reconnecting with her authentic self, and SR advancing in his spiritual journey.

U Mumba delivered a dominant performance to defeat Jaipur Patriots 8-4 and capture the Ultimate Table Tennis title here on Sunday.

Despite a strong start by the Patriots with skipper Kanak Jha winning the opening game 11-4 against Lilian Bardet, the Frenchman bounced back impressively to take the next two games (11-5, 11-7), turning the momentum in U Mumba’s favour.

Then, Mumba captain and World No. 12 Bernadette Szocs emerged as the star of the night, ending Sreeja Akula’s unbeaten run with a 2-1 win.

Chandra pulled one back for Jaipur with a 2-1 win over P B Abhinandh, but it was not enough to stop U Mumba.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy presented the inaugural Gaddar Film Awards, honouring cinematic excellence at a glittering ceremony held at the HITEX Exhibition Centre.

Named in honour of revolutionary poet Gaddar, the event celebrated achievements of film personalities from June 2014 to December2024, marking a revival of state-sponsored film awards, replacing the former Nandi awards.

Held before a star-studded audience that included prominent Tollywood personalities, the ceremony celebrated achievements in acting, direction, technical crafts and featured top honours such as Best Feature Film, Best Actor and Best Actress.

The Department of Land Resources (DoLR), Union Ministry of Rural Development, will launch the second batch of Phase 2 of the National Geospatial Knowledge-Based Land Survey of Urban Habitations (NAKSHA) Capacity Building Programme on Monday. The week-long training will be held across four National Centres of Excellence to enhance the skills of Urban Local Body (ULB) and district-level officers in modern land survey techniques.

The programme will be virtually inaugurated by DoLR Secretary Manoj Joshi at 10:00 A.M. A total of 128 officers from 74 ULBs have been nominated for this round of training, which will take place at Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (YASHADA) Pune, Administrative Training Institute (ATI) Mysuru, Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration (MGSIPA) Chandigarh, and the Northeast Region Centre of Excellence (Guwahati).

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini today laid the foundation stone of 14 development projects worth over 288 crore rupees. He also inaugurated the newly constructed jail in Rewari.

Addressing the thanksgiving rally organized at Rao Tula Ram Stadium in Rewari, the Chief Minister said that his government will develop Rewari not at double but at triple speed.

The Chief Minister said that his policy, intention and leadership are clear. He said that 217 promises were made in the party’s manifesto, out of which 28 promises have been fulfilled and 90 will be completed this year. Union Minister of State Rao Indrajit Singh, Health Minister Arti Singh Rao, Cooperation and Jail Minister Dr. Arvind Sharma and Tijara MLA Baba Balaknath also participated in the rally.

India’s Yajik Hillang won Gold medal at the 15th South Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championships 2025 at Thimphu in Bhutan yesterday. She secured 1st position in the Women’s Model Physique upto 155 cm event. Yajik hails from Arunachal Pradesh and she has became the first female Physique Sports athlete from the state to win a Gold medal at an international event.

Organised by South Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Federation, the 5-day championship will conclude today. The competition has witnessed participation from several South Asian nations and it is also recognised by the World Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Federation (WBPF).

In Table Tennis, India’s Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah lost to the second-seeded South Korean pair of Lim Jonghoon and Oh Junsung in the final of the men’s doubles of WTT Contender Skopje 2025 at North Macedonia today. The Indian duo went down to the South Korean pair 9-11, 7-11, 9-11 in straight sets.