Former chief election commissioner (CEC) Navin Chawla, who oversaw the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, passed away in Delhi on Saturday. He was 79.

Chawla was admitted in hospital for a surgery and passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest, it is learnt.

A retired 1969-batch IAS officer of Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre, he assumed office as an election commissioner on May 16, 2005, and served in that role till April 20, 2009, after which he served as chief election commissioner till July 29, 2010.

Two naturalists have spotted the saffron reedtail, a rare species of damselfly endemic to the Western Ghats of India, for the first time in Karnataka. They found the damselflies, referred to as Indosticta deccanensis, in the forests along the Nethravati river in Madhugundi village near Sunkasale in Chikkamagaluru district last year. Earlier, the damselflies were noticed in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Tejas Mehande and Ajith Padiyar spotted five individuals of the species during their regular research work near a stream. They photographed them and also published a research paper in the quarterly journal Entomon. According to the research paper, this was the first record of the species in the northernmost part of the Western Ghats.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday announced the launch of the PM Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana, aimed at benefiting 1.7 crore farmers across the country.

The scheme is designed to enhance agricultural productivity, promote crop diversification, strengthen post-harvest storage at panchayat and block levels, improve irrigation infrastructure, and increase the availability of both short and long-term credit for farmers.

“PM Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana will benefit 1.7 crore farmers and aims to create ample opportunities in rural areas so that migration becomes an option, not a necessity,” the Finance Minister said.

Tejas Shirse broke his own national record in men’s 60m hurdles while finishing second at the Elite Indoor Track Meeting in Miramas, France.

Shirse clocked 7.64 seconds at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver level event on Friday to better his earlier national record time of 7.65 seconds, set at the CMCM Indoor Meeting in Luxembourg on January 19.

This was his third race of the season.

Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections in January, in gross terms, stood at ₹1.96 lakh crore, with a yearly jump of 12.3 per cent, according to data from the finance ministry released Saturday.

In January 2024, the total collection was to the tune of ₹1.74 lakh crore.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved a series of key appointments at the Joint Secretary and equivalent levels across various ministries and departments on Saturday. These appointments are made with immediate effect for a tenure of five years or until further orders, whichever is earlier. Here is the full list:

Petal Dhillon (IRTS, 2002) has been appointed as Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce, replacing Anant Swarup (IRPS, 1992).

Abhinav Gupta {IRS (C&IT) (2004)}, has been appointed as Additional Director General at Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), replacing SC Agarwal {IRS (C&IT, 1994)}.

Santosh Kumar Verma {IRSS (1995)}, has been appointed as Joint Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs, replacing Vineet Mathur {IPoS (1994)}. The appointment includes a temporary upgrade of a vacant post of Director for two years.

Samar Nanda {IRS (C&IT) (2004)}, has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, replacing Mugdha Sinha (IAS) (RJ: 1999).

Author-playwright Rajesh Talwar has come out with a book which he says is a critique of Mahatma Gandhi’s “Hind Swaraj” and exposes the contradictions and flaws in his rejection of modernity, industrialisation and Western thought.

“Hind Swaraj” is considered one of the most significant works of Gandhi, which he penned during his return from England to South Africa in November 1909. Banned by the British in 1910, this book is a clarion call for Indians to realise the criticality of unshackling from the bondage of imperialism.

H Shankar is set to be next Managing Director (MD) of Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL), a subsidiary of Indian Oil. He has been recommended for the post by the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) Panel on Friday. Presently, he is serving as Director (Technical) in the same organisation. In addition to his present role, he is also holding the additional charge of CMD post.

Shankar has been recommended for the for the post of MD of CPCL from a list from a list seven candidates, who were interviewed by the PESB selection panel in its selection meeting held January 31. Out of seven candidates, four candidates were from Indian Oil, two from CPCL and candidate was from HPCL.

Two days before the presentation of the Union Budget for the next financial year 2025-26, the government on Wednesday approved the introduction of a new credit guarantee scheme for the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that was announced in the FY25 Budget. The scheme, which is called Mutual Credit Guarantee Scheme for MSMEs (MCGS-MSME), will extend credit guarantee coverage to lending institutions for credit facilities of up to Rs 100 crore to eligible MSMEs, for the procurement of equipment and machinery, a statement by the Ministry of Finance said.

The MCGS- MSME aims at providing 60 per cent guarantee coverage by National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited (NCGTC) to Member Lending Institutions (MLIs) for credit facility up to Rs 100 crore to eligible MSMEs for purchase of equipment/machinery, the Ministry said. “The scheme will facilitate collateral-free loans by banks and financial institutions to MSMEs who are in need of debt capital for their expansion and growth,” it said.

Sony Group Corp. is appointing Hiroki Totoki as chief executive officer, a stamp of approval for the longtime finance chief’s push to expand the Japanese company’s entertainment reach.

Along with outgoing CEO Kenichiro Yoshida, Totoki helped steer the Tokyo-based technology conglomerate to focus on growing its entertainment offerings. Last year alone, the company expressed interest in potential acquisitions ranging from Paramount Global to domestic publishing house Kadokawa Corp.

That focus on content — which spans PlayStation games, anime, music and movies — is bolstering revenue and profit at Sony. In the September quarter, operating profit grew 76 per cent amid sluggish demand for its smartphone components and image sensors, used by the likes of Apple Inc. and Xiaomi Corp.