The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is considering a key relaxation on the issuance of employee stock ownership plans (Esops) to founders of startups planning to go public.

According to a consultation paper released on Thursday, Sebi may allow founders, identified as promoters or part of the promoter group, to hold or exercise Esop benefits granted one year before the company’s initial public offering (IPO) plan.

Currently, Esops are reserved for employees, and the Companies (Share Capital and Debentures) Rules, 2014, prohibit their issuance to promoters. However, startups are eligible for certain relaxations.

The existing norms are unclear on whether employees holding Esops who later become promoters can exercise these options. To address this ambiguity, Sebi’s consultation paper proposes changes to the regulations.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports will host the third Central Asian Youth Delegation to India from March 22 to 28, as part of the International Youth Exchange Programme (IYEP). This initiative aims to foster youth collaboration, promote cultural exchange, and strengthen diplomatic ties between India and the five Central Asian nations: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

The youth exchange program is in line with the vision articulated during the India-Central Asia Summit in January 2022, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed an annual youth exchange initiative to enhance mutual understanding and cooperation among young leaders from the region. The delegation, consisting of 100 members, will engage in a variety of activities that include exploring India’s rich historical, educational, and cultural landmarks. The participants will also have opportunities to interact with local youth leaders and key stakeholders, further building bridges between the nations.

Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Dr V Narayanan, said that the organisation is working on a mission to take an Indian to the Moon and bring him back safely. He also said that India will have its own space station by 2035.

He was at Lovely Professional University near Jalandhar as one of the key speakers at the 8th Chhatra Sansad. Dr Narayanan said that Prime Minister, Sh Narendra Modi, has given the guidelines to work on the mission of taking an Indian to the Moon and bringing him back safely, and the ISRO will accomplish this task by 2040. He also spoke about the humble but inspiring journey of the Indian Space Programme, which has many firsts to its credit now, including being the only space organisation to successfully complete a Mars orbit mission in its first attempt and that too by using a single rocket.

On the safe return of NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore after their epic nine-month odyssey in space, Dr Narayanan said he did not sleep as he was watching the entire mission. We have to learn from others for the success of our own missions.

A famous Hindi poet and writer from Chhattisgarh, Vinod Kumar Shukla, has been selected for the Jnanpith award. This award is considered the country’s highest literary honour. This was announced in New Delhi today. Mr Shukla lives in Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh. He was born on January 1, 1947, in Rajnandgaon.

He has been involved in literary writing for about fifty years. His first collection of poems, “Lagbhag Jai Hind”, was published in the year 1971. His novels, “Naukar ki Kameez”, “Khilega to dekhenge” and “Deewar mein ek khidki”, are considered to be the best Hindi novels. Along with this, his collections of stories, “Peed par Kamra” and “Mahavidyalaya”, and his poems, “Woh aadmi chala gaya, naya garam court pehen kar”, “Aakash dharti ko khatakta hai” and “Kavita se lambi kavita”, have become very popular. Mr Shukla has also written books for children. His books have been translated into many languages. Vinod Kumar Shukla has earlier received many awards for his writings. These include the Gajanan Madhav Muktibodh Fellowship, the Raza Award and the Sahitya Akademi Award.

In a significant step toward fostering industry-academia collaboration, the CSIR - Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Jammu, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with M/S HAPICO Industries Private Limited on 20 March 2025 to jointly develop novel biopesticides.

The MoU was formally signed by Dr Zabeer Ahmed, Director, CSIR-IIIM, and Mr. Shabeer Ahmed, Managing Director, HAPICO Industries, in the presence of Dr Asha Chaubey, Senior Principal Scientist & Head, FMB Division; Dr Saurabh Saran, Principal Scientist, FMB; and Dr Love Sharma, Scientist, RMBD&IST.

This strategic partnership aims to address the detrimental impact of chemical pesticides on human health and the environment. Given the rich biodiversity of medicinal and aromatic plants, the collaboration seeks to harness their potential for developing innovative and sustainable biopesticide solutions.

In the midst of heavy borrowings by the Government of Karnataka to meet capital expenditure, the Legislative Assembly passed two Bills to double the salaries of MLAs and MLCs, the Chief Minister and Ministers, and hiked their allowances.

The hikes will cost ₹62 crore annually on the State exchequer.

On March 21, amid pandemonium in the House, the Karnataka Legislatures Salaries, Pensions and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Karnataka Ministers Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2025, were passed. The two Bills significantly hiked all types of allowances, including house rent and tour, for legislators and Ministers.

The Sudanese army on Friday seized full control of the Presidential Palace in Khartoum, Reuters quoted Sudan state TV and military sources as saying.

The development came as the army was conducting search operations in areas around the palace in pursuit of members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Moments later, intermittent gunfire was heard in some central areas of the capital Khartoum.

The takeover of the Presidential Palace is one of the most significant advances in a two-year-old conflict threatening to fracture the country.

Kirsty Coventry smashed through the International Olympic Committee’s glass ceiling on Thursday to become the organisation’s first female and first African president in its 130-year history.

The Zimbabwean swimming great, already a towering figure in Olympic circles, emerged victorious to replace Thomas Bach, securing the top job in world sport and ushering in a new era for the Games.

“It’s a really powerful signal,” a smiling Coventry said as the victory sank in. “It’s a signal that we’re truly global and that we have evolved into an organisation that is truly open to diversity and we’re going to continue.”

Coventry needed only one round of voting to clinch the race to succeed Bach, winning an immediate overall majority in the secret ballot with 49 of the available 97 votes.

Japan’s Astroscale, a company specialised in removing orbital junk, has agreed with Bengaluru-based space companies Digantara and Bellatrix Aerospace to collaborate on technology and services, it said on Friday.

The tie-ups will “hopefully” result in an orbital services bid for Indian clients “in one to two years”, which would mark Astroscale’s first operations in Asia-Pacific outside its home, its Japan unit president Eddie Kato said.

“India has been on our top list of possible markets” with established space capabilities, where Astroscale’s on-orbit servicing technology would meet demand, Kato told Reuters. Astroscale is also interested in South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia and Australia, he added.

“India’s space policy used to be rather protectionist, but we’ve seen very rapid moves, to bolster ties with the United States and liberalise the market for commercial actors – even fostering them,” Kato said.

The government has given the nod for the procurement of 1350 HP engines for T-90 tanks, Varunastra Torpedoes and Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft systems. The approval was given during the Defence Acquisition Council meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today. This procurement will cost over 54 thousand crore rupees.

According to the Defence Ministry, procurement of 1350 HP engines will be done to upgrade the present 1000 HP engine for the T-90 Tanks for the Indian Army. This will enhance the battlefield mobility of these tanks especially in high-altitude areas. For the Indian Navy, procurement of Varunastra Torpedoes (Combat) was approved by the DAC. Varunastra Torpedo is an indigenously developed ship-launched anti-submarine torpedo developed by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory. Induction of this torpedo would enhance the Navy’s capability against adversaries’ submarine threats.

For the Indian Air Force, the procurement of Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft Systems was approved by the DAC. These systems can change the complete spectrum of warfare and exponentially increase the combat potential of every other weapon system.