The government today said the Ayush visas are being issued for a year with a maximum of three entries for persons of foreign origin.

Minister of State for AYUSH, Prataprao Jadhav, informed this in the Rajya Sabha in a written reply. He further said the visa can be extended on a yearly basis up to a maximum period of five years from the date of issuance of the Ayush Visa by the concerned Foreign Regional Registration Office. He added that this will be on producing a medical certificate or advice from a recognised hospital in the country.

The minister further said a foreigner will be granted an Ayush visa on producing evidence of bearing the expenses of their own for the required treatment.

Over 16 lakh 14 thousand electric vehicles have been supported by the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles, FAME II scheme, till the end of last year. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Heavy Industries Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma informed that the FAME-II scheme has been implemented across the country, covering urban and rural areas to promote electric mobility and reduce pollution.

In another written reply, the minister said 10 thousand 900 crore rupees have been allocated under PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM e-DRIVE), and the scheme will be implemented for two years till March 2026. Under the scheme, electric two-wheelers, three-wheelers, e-trucks, emerging electric vehicles, e-buses, e-ambulances, and EV public charging stations will get support.

Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu, best known for her role in the hit 2001 series Meteor Garden, has died from pneumonia at the age of 48, Deadline reported.

Her sister, Dee Hsu, confirmed the news in a statement, revealing that Barbie fell ill during a family trip to Japan before succumbing to pneumonia. The sisters began their careers as a pop duo before transitioning to television hosting and acting.

Hsu, who had a history of epilepsy and heart disease, had been hospitalized in the past due to seizures, according to the outlet. She starred in popular TV dramas such as Summer’s Desire and Corner With Love and appeared in films like Reign of Assassins and Motorway.

In a thrilling display of precision shooting, Punjab's Sift Kaur Samra won the gold in the Women's 50m 3 Position event at the 38th National Games, held at Maharana Pratap Sports College Trishul Hall in Uttarakhand.

Samra's commanding performance saw her score an impressive 461.2 points, securing the top spot in a competitive final. Her fellow state-mate Anjum Moudgil, also from Punjab, claimed the silver medal with 458.7 points, while Telangana's Surabhi Bhardwaj Rapole took bronze with a score of 448.8.

The event featured some of the nation's top shooters, and it was an intense battle from start to finish. Kerala's Vidarsha Vinod led after the Kneel Position but could not maintain her momentum in the final stages, allowing Samra to surge ahead.

The digital payment transactions in the country have gone up to over 18,000 crore rupees last financial year, registering an annual growth rate of 44 per cent. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today, Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary said, the Immediate Payment Service and National Electronic Toll Collection have shown remarkable growth, while Unified Payments Interface has been the major driving force of digital payment transactions in the country. He added that Incentive Scheme for Promotion of RuPay Debit Cards and Low-Value BHIM-UPI transactions has a financial outlay of 3,500 crore rupees for the last fiscal. The Minister further said, the Payment Infrastructure Development Fund, operationalized by RBI to support digital payments infrastructure in Tier-3 to Tier -6 centres and Northeastern states, have led to the deployment of 4.08 crore touch points till November last year.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that the central government has allocated a record amount of 23,778 crore rupees to Maharashtra in the 2025-26 budget for the implementation of railway projects. He also highlighted that the total ongoing railway work in the state is worth 1.7 lakh crore rupees. Addressing a press conference on Maharashtra’s budget allocation, he announced that a tripartite agreement had been signed between the state government, the central government, and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Under this agreement, the RBI will contribute the state’s share towards railway projects. He further stated that under the Amrit Stations Scheme, 132 new railway stations will be developed across Maharashtra. Mr. Vaishnaw also mentioned that since 2014, 2,105 kilometers of new railway tracks have been laid in the state. Regarding Mumbai’s suburban railways, Mr. Vaishnaw informed that work is underway to enhance the capacity of various terminals on the Western and Central Lines.

India’s ambitious mission to send scientists to explore the depths of the ocean in specially-designed submersible Samudrayaan got a boost with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allocating Rs 600 crore for the Deep Ocean Mission. The mission involves mapping deep ocean floors and developing technologies like a manned submersible with 6000 m water-depth rating. It also involves exploration of deep-sea mining for sustainable utilisation of deep-sea bioresources and developing engineering designs for offshore thermal energy-driven desalination plants.

India plans to send a manned-submersible, developed by the Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), up to a depth of 500 metres in the ocean later this year, and gradually explore the seabed at the depth of 6,000 meters next year.

The finance minister also allocated 1,329 crore for Mission Mausam, an Earth Sciences Ministry initiative to improve weather forecasting capabilities.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences, which is steering the Deep Ocean Mission, got an allocation of around 3,650 crore rupees in the Union Budget, presented yesterday.

The government has received an overwhelming response to its flagship PM Internship Scheme, with over 6.21 lakh applications submitted for 1.27 lakh available internships. The scheme, announced in the recent Union Budget, aims to provide valuable work experience to one crore young individuals across India over the next five years.

Launched on October 3, the pilot phase of the initiative focuses on offering 1.25 lakh internship opportunities in the current financial year (2024-25). Partner companies have actively engaged, posting a total of 1.27 lakh internship opportunities on the dedicated scheme portal.

"Approximately 4.87 lakh individuals have successfully completed their Know Your Customer (KYC) verification and registered themselves on the portal," stated the Ministry of Corporate Affairs in a recent press release.

The Union budget has allocated ₹13,955 crore for railway projects in Bengal, railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday.

The amount is three times the allocation for the state when Mamata Banerjee helmed the railways, Vaishnaw added.

The Trinamool Congress had slammed this year’s budget, which they said had deprived Bengal.

“The honourable Prime Minister has undertaken a mission to modernise and expand the railway network

Following the 2025 Budget announcement, Indian Railways revealed plans to manufacture 100 Amrit Bharat, 50 Namo Bharat and 200 Vande Bharat trains, including both sleeper and chair car variants, in the next two to three years. These trains will significantly enhance connectivity across the country.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also unveiled plans to manufacture 17,500 Non-AC General and Sleeper Coaches to improve rail connectivity across the country. The move is expected to enhance the travel experience for low-income passengers and ease the growing pressure on railway infrastructure.