Uttar Pradesh government has announced a relief measure for the villagers of Uttar Pradesh under the Jal Jeevan Mission, waiving 10% community contribution for ‘Har Ghar Nal’ scheme. The state government will bear the community contribution for the Har Ghar Nal scheme.

Under the scheme, villagers were required to contribute 10% of the capital cost for providing tap water connections to every household. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath emphasized that this expense should not burden the common people.

A total of 40,951 schemes worth Rs 1,52,521.82 crore (1.52 lakh crore) have been approved under the Jal Jeevan Mission in Uttar Pradesh, with the centre and state sharing Rs 71,714.68 crore each. As per the estimate, the state government has relieved villagers of the Rs 9,092.42 crore community contribution by allocating Rs 2,000 crore in the current financial year’s budget. It will benefit 2.33 crore families across the state.

The Government of Uttar Pradesh has launched a new initiative aimed at transforming the state’s agricultural ecosystem, in collaboration with Google Cloud India. The Uttar Pradesh Open Network for Agriculture, powered by Google’s Gemini framework and Beckn Protocol, will provide reportedly millions of farmers with a comprehensive, digital platform offering services like agricultural advisory, credit, mechanisation, and market linkages.

Designed as a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), the network will look to enable farmers to easily access vital services through voice commands in multiple languages, including Hindi, Bangla, Telugu, Kannada, Gujarati, and Punjabi.

Punjab’s New and Renewable Energy Sources Minister Aman Arora has said that 663 more solar water pumps for agricultural use will be installed within the next few months. Work on the installation of 2,356 solar pumps has already been on since last month. He said this will not only reduce fuel costs but also lead to zero carbon emissions, promoting more sustainable farming practices.

The Minister declared that a subsidy of 60% is available for general category farmers and 80% for Scheduled Caste (SC) farmers for installing solar pumps. In dark zones (over-exploited groundwater blocks), these pumps will be installed for farmers who already have microirrigation systems.

He has directed the Punjab Energy Development Authority (PEDA) officials to make all-out efforts to achieve the set target of installing 20,000 agricultural solar pumps in the State for the welfare of the farmers and the environment.

Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella said that the company will invest $3 billion in India in cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and skilling over the next two years, including the establishment of new data centers.

The company will also help train 10 million people over the next five years with AI skills in the country.

“India is rapidly becoming a leader in AI innovation, unlocking new opportunity across the country. The investments in infrastructure and skilling we are announcing today reaffirm our commitment to making India AI-first, and will help ensure people and organisations across the country benefit broadly,” Nadella, who is currently visiting India, said at the Bengaluru leg of Microsoft AI Tour.

The AFC Asian Cup 2027 will take place from January 7 to February 5 across three cities in Saudi Arabia—Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al Khobar, the AFC announced on Tuesday.

In Riyadh, five stadiums will host the matches, including King Fahd Sports City Stadium, King Saud University Stadium, Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud University Stadium, Kingdom Arena, and Al Shabab Stadium. In Jeddah, King Abdullah Sports City and Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadiums have been confirmed, while a state-of-the-art venue is set to be built in Al Khobar, completing the world-class infrastructure for the tournament.

Saudi Arabia was named the host nation for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in 2023, marking the first time the country will host the prestigious tournament.

India’s GDP growth is projected to slow sharply to 6.4% in FY25, down from 8.2% in FY24, according to the first advance estimates released by the National Statistics Office (NSO).

The slowdown in the first advance estimates highlights a more tempered pace of economic activity and indicates that the economy could grow at the slowest pace in four years.

"Real GDP has been estimated to grow by 6.4% in FY 2024-25 as compared to the growth rate of 8.2% in Provisional Estimate (PE) of GDP for FY 2023-24. Nominal GDP has witnessed a growth rate of 9.7% in FY 2024-25 over the growth rate of 9.6% in FY 2023-24," said the NSO data.

Realty firm Signature Global Ltd announced on Tuesday the appointment of Sanjeev Kumar Sharma as its chief financial officer (CFO).

"Pursuant to the recommendation of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee and approval of the Audit Committee, Mr Sanjeev Kumar Sharma has been appointed as chief financial officer and key managerial personnel of the company wef 7th January, 2025," said the company in its stock filing.

Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, a Chartered Accountant since 1997, brings nearly 30 years of expertise in financial planning and analysis (FP&A), mergers and acquisitions (M&A), investor relations, financing, reporting, taxation, and strategic decision-making. He has extensive experience across diverse sectors, including real estate, asset management, oil and gas, manufacturing, and banking.

The dawn of 2025 has brought with it not only a New Year but also a new generational cohort — Generation Beta. In India, this shift was marked by the birth of the first recorded Generation Beta baby, Frankie Remruatdika Zadeng, born in Aizawl, Mizoram, at 12:03 am on January 1.

Weighing 3.12 kg, Frankie represents the start of an era that futurist Mark McCrindle predicts will be shaped by unprecedented technological integration and societal evolution.

Dr Vanlalkima, the attending gynaecologist, told PTI that the birth was ‘regular, with no complications.’

India’s 16-year-old squash prodigy Anahat Singh was the top seed at the year’s British Open Juniors in the U17 category. But she had to navigate a tough path before clinching her first title in that age-group, tackling three Egyptians, always the toughest bunch of squash players.

Twenty-two years after Joshna Chinappa made history for India claiming the British Juniors U17, Anahat matched her compatriot’s feat at the Birmingham University glass courts.

With squash slated to debut at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, Anahat’s third British Open title, having picked earlier ones in U11 and U15 categories, is shaping up into a fine career trajectory. It was also a memorable comeback after losing last year’s final.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation Monday in the face of rising discontent over his leadership and after the abrupt departure of his finance minister signalled growing turmoil within his government.

A misty-eyed Mr. Trudeau said it had become clear to him that he cannot “be the leader during the next elections due to internal battles.” He planned to stay on as prime minister until a new leader of the Liberal Party is chosen.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to reporters, announcing he intends to step down as Liberal Party leader and Prime Minister, but he will stay on in his post until a replacement has been chosen, from his Rideau Cottage residence in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on January 6, 2025.

“I don’t easily back down faced with a fight, especially a very important one for our party and the country. But I do this job because the interests of Canadians and the well being of democracy is something that I hold dear,” he said at the announcement outside his official residence.