In a bid to enhance the competitiveness of India’s diamond industry, the Union government has introduced the Diamond Imprest Authorization (DIA) Scheme for the duty-free import of natural cut and polished diamonds.

Set to take effect from April 1, the DIA Scheme offers a streamlined process to facilitate the duty-free import of natural cut and polished diamonds under ¼ carat (25 cents), with the aim of promoting value addition and driving export growth, according to a press release by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

The scheme comes with an export obligation that mandates a 10 percent value addition, the statement said. Diamond exporters with Two Star Export House status or higher, and those with annual exports of at least $15 million are eligible for availing the benefit under this scheme, it added.

The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) is going to launch a year-long campaign to promote cleanliness at bus stations in the state.

Maharashtra transport minister Pratap Sarnaik made the announcement on Wednesday.

The "Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Clean, Beautiful Bus Station Campaign" will be launched from Kurla-Nehru Nagar bus station on Thursday.

The 55th World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting kicked off with the theme “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age”, at Davos in the Swiss Alps on Tuesday with three celebrities — football legend David Beckham, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, and architect Riken Yamamoto — being awarded the prestigious Crystal Awards in recognition of their contributions to social, environmental, and creative progress.

The awardees were facilitated for their efforts in advancing community regeneration, gender equality, children’s rights, and other impactful causes.

WEF President and CEO Borge Brende underscored the significance of the event and highlighted the global challenges and opportunities posed by geopolitical, geo-economic, and technological shifts.

Brende said in his welcome message that the meeting of 3,000 leaders from around the world and across the public and private sectors aims to help strengthen or build the collaboration needed for this unique moment.

The Telangana state government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) relating to investments in energy and space sectors during the World Economic Forum in Davos yesterday. The government has signed an MoU with Skyroot Aerospace which will invest 500 crore rupees in setting up a private rocket manufacturing, integration and testing unit in the state. An official release stated that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed happiness that a Hyderabad-based company had achieved success in the field of cutting-edge technology at the global level and came forward to invest in the state. He said the government’s partnership with Skyroot Aerospace will demonstrate its strategic vision in the space sector and Hyderabad will soon become a hub for private-sector space activities. Skyroute Aerospace co-founder Pawan Chandana said they are happy to invest in Telangana and will be a part of the growth story of Telangana, particularly Hyderabad. The state Government also signed MoUs with Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) to establish three projects, with a total investment of 13,000 crore rupees. An official release stated that the Hyderabad-based infrastructure company will set up a 2,160 MW pumped storage project, a 1,000 MWh battery energy storage system across strategic locations and a world-class wellness resort at Anantagiri in Telangana. These three projects are expected to provide 4,000 jobs in the construction stage and more at the operations stage. State Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu also held discussions with the MTC Group on expanding their hub-and-spoke model to Telangana. The Mitsui Japan group holds 25 per cent equity in the MTC Group. The minister also met Saudi Arabia’s federal minister and president of the royal commission for Jubail and Yanbu, Khalid Mohammed Al-Salem at the Telangana Pavilion at Davos. They discussed a variety of issues the scope for working together and the opportunities for investment into the Telangana Rising vision.

IDFC FIRST Bank, in partnership with RuPay, a global card payment network from India, proudly announces the launch of the UPI enabled RuPay Credit Card called - FIRST EARN . This credit card is backed by Fixed Deposit and hence everyone is eligible to instantly avail this unique credit card, online. It also offers cashback on UPI payments thus making the product rewarding for users.

What sets it apart is that the Fixed Deposit creation is seamlessly integrated within the credit card application for all customers. Thus customers get an unmatched opportunity to avail credit on UPI, earn rewards, and simultaneously earn attractive interest rates on Fixed Deposits.

In addition to its inclusive approach, the card's seamless integration with UPI opens a world of possibilities, offering universal access to over 60 million UPI-enabled merchants across India. With every UPI spend, customers earn upto 1% cashback, making every transaction rewarding.

Prayagraj, 21th January 2025: Muthoot Finance, the flagship company of The Muthoot Group with 800-year family business legacy, has unveiled a unique free locker facility “Vishwaas Ki Tijori” for the devotees attending Maha Kumbh Prayagraj 2025.

With over 40 crore devotees expected to visit the Maha Kumbh Prayagraj 2025 over the next 45 days to take a holy dip in the Sangam, Muthoot Finance aims to fulfil a critical need for the safety of devotees' personal belongings. Vishwaas Ki Tijori offers a unique, state-of-the-art free locker experience within the Maha Kumbh Mela area, ensuring convenience and peace of mind for millions of devotees.

The facility is equipped with robust security features, including 24/7 security personnel, CCTV surveillance, fire extinguishers, and many other advanced technologies. Measures such as photographing visitors and their belongings, printed verification slips, and meticulous tracking systems have been implemented to provide maximum security and assurance.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development is set to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme, a flagship initiative dedicated to protecting, educating, and empowering the girl child in India.

The inaugural event will take place on Wednesday, January 22 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, and will be attended by Union Ministers J. P. Nadda (Health and Family Welfare), Annapurna Devi (Women and Child Development), and Minister of State Savitri Thakur.

This year’s celebrations highlight the significant research-based outcomes achieved over the past decade, such as an improvement in the national Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) from 918 in 2014-15 to 930 in 2023-24. The gross enrolment ratio of girls at the secondary education level has also risen from 75.51% to 78% during the same period. Also, institutional deliveries increased from 61% to 97.3%, and first-trimester antenatal care registrations saw a rise from 61% to 80.5%.

The Ministry of Defence has signed a Rs 1,560.52 crore contract with the Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF) for the procurement of 47 T-72 Bridge Laying Tanks (BLTs).

The move, according to the MoD, aims to improve the Army's operational capabilities. Further, as per the MoD's statement, the acquisition is expected to strengthen the Army's mechanised forces by providing essential bridging support during both offensive and defensive operations, ensuring greater mobility and tactical flexibility.

The contract was formalised by senior officials from the MoD and HVF, AVNL, in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, the official statement added.

In a crucial milestone in the development of next-generation hypersonic munitions, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully demonstrated a cutting-edge active cooled scramjet combustor ground test for 120 seconds for the first time in India. This is part of the efforts to develop a long-duration supersonic combustion ramjet or scramjet powered hypersonic technology.

The key to hypersonic vehicles is scramjets, which are air breathing engines capable of sustaining combustion at supersonic speeds without using any moving parts, DRDO noted in a statement. “The ground test of scramjet combustor showcased several notable achievements, demonstrating its potential for operational use in hypersonic vehicles, like successful ignition and stable combustion,” it stated.

The Commerce and Industry Minister of India, Shri Piyush Goyal, met with the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs, and Foreign Trade, Mr. Bernard Quintin, in Brussels today to discuss strengthening bilateral trade and investment ties. The meeting reinforced the longstanding relationship between India and Belgium, built on shared values of democracy, rule of law and independent judiciary. The two leaders discussed ways to expand economic cooperation, and explored new avenues to advance this partnership. It may be noted that India-Belgium trade is estimated at over US$ 15.07 billion in 2023-2024 while Foreign Direct Investments from Belgium into India was estimated at over US$ 3.94 billion.

During the discussions, both leaders acknowledged Belgium’s significant reliance on foreign trade and India’s dynamic, growing economy as key factors for leveraging mutual opportunities. Recognizing the potential of trade as a cornerstone of their partnership, they emphasized the importance of diversifying trade relations and deepening economic diplomacy to achieve sustainable growth.

The leaders also discussed the progress of the EU-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations and enphasized the importance of prioritizing trade issues to streamline negotiations and strengthen economic ties.