The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on Wednesday said it has inked a pact with professional networking platform Apna for talent hunt to help government-registered startups.

The MoU seeks to provide these startups with credits worth Rs 2,000 each on Apna's platform, according to an official statement.

These credits will support better hiring by enabling job postings and unlocking access to tailored talent pools.

With 7 lakh registrations on the Bhaskar platform of DPIIT, the initiative represents a value of upwards of Rs 140 crore, it said.

"As the number of startups grows within the ecosystem, the value will escalate to Rs 300 crore. The credits will enable startups to access Apna's comprehensive hiring tools, promoting better job matching and efficiency," it added.

In Jammu and Kashmir, in a significant stride to promote tourism and highlight the scenic beauty of the region, the Kathua District Administration yesterday organized the first-ever Winter Festival at the breathtaking Sarthal Valley in the Bani Subdivision. Akashvani Jammu Correspondent reports that the first-ever festival was inaugurated by Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Ramesh Kumar, amidst an electrifying atmosphere with over 3500 visitors gathered to celebrate the occasion. The festival showcased an array of engaging activities. The Marquee event ‘Bani Got Talent’ show received an overwhelming response with youngsters displaying their skills. The event provided a perfect platform for showcasing local talent and engaging the community. Speaking on the occasion, the Div Com expressed his admiration for the initiative, emphasizing the importance of such festivals in promoting lesser-explored tourist destinations like Sarthal Valley. He said, ‘The Winter Festival is not just a celebration of culture and adventure but also a step towards realizing the immense tourism potential of this region. He said the UT Government aim to put Sarthal Valley on the map as a sought-after destination for nature and adventure lovers. He informed me that the Sarthal Winter Festival now on will be a calendar event which will gradually get larger in the coming years. He further disclosed that Bani is going to host the inaugural Summer Festival in Dhagger; another picturesque valley of Bani which ultimately will give a huge fillip in the tourist footfall of the region. The highlight of the festival was a spellbinding performance by internationally acclaimed singer Sonali Dogra, who captivated the audience with a soulful blend of Dogri Hindi, and  Punjabi folk songs. The mela also featured Paragliding, Snow skating, Volleyball and other sports activities besides the Sarthal Valley buzzing all day with a host of fun activities.

Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla today reviewed the NIK-SHAY and TB Control Programme being implemented in the state. A team of the State Health Department led by State Health Minister Dr. Sapam Ranjan attended the meeting, which was held at Raj Bhavan in Imphal.

The Governor reviewed the ongoing special 100-day campaign announced by the Prime Minister recently and advised the team on multi-pronged efforts, including doubling patient support, using technology and better diagnostic tools, and exploring newer drugs. He insisted that the special campaign must be a mass movement in the state.

The campaign was launched throughout the country by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare this year to end tuberculosis (TB) in the country by 2025. It aims to increase community involvement in the fight against the disease, to increase awareness about TB, and to reduce the stigma. The campaign also aims to improve living and working conditions for TB patients.

To promote awareness about the Constitution of India and citizens' legal rights, the Department of Justice is organizing a special event at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, on January 24, 2025.

The occasion will celebrate the success of the year-long nationwide campaign, "Hamara Samvidhan Hamara Samman" Launched by the Vice President of India on January 24, 2024, in New Delhi,

the campaign was a powerful call to action for every citizen to contribute to the vision of a "Viksit Bharat" by 2047. It also marked India's 75th year as a Republic and the 75th anniversary of the adoption of its Constitution.

India is making significant strides in solar and wind energy capacity with a commitment to achieving 500 gigawatts of non-fossil fuel-based energy capacity by 2030. With the infrastructural push, the country’s non-fossil fuel-based energy capacity has reached 217 gigawatts by the 20th of this month.

Data shows that India is emerging as a global leader in clean energy capacity. According to the New and Renewable Energy Ministry, a record-breaking 24.5 gigawatt of solar capacity and 3.4 gigawatts of wind capacity have been added in the last year. Solar energy remained the dominant contributor to the country’s renewable energy growth, accounting for 47 percent of the total installed renewable energy capacity. Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu emerged as the top-performing states, contributing 71 percent of the country’s total utility-scale solar installations.

The Ministry said, the rooftop solar sector also experienced significant growth last year, with 4.59 gigawatts of new capacity installed, marking a 53 percent increase from the year 2023. The PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana played a crucial role in this expansion, facilitating seven lakh rooftop solar installations within ten months since the launch of this scheme.

Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal, has set an ambitious target to grant 10,000 Geographical Indication (GI) tags by 2030. This goal was announced on Wednesday at the GI Samagam event held in New Delhi, organized by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and the India Today Group.

Currently, the number of GI tags awarded stands at 605, but with a “whole of government” approach, Goyal aims to significantly ramp up the figure. To monitor the progress, a committee will be formed to oversee the implementation of this ambitious initiative.

In his address, Goyal highlighted that the number of authorized users of GI products has grown from 365 to nearly 29,000, while the number of patents granted to Indian innovators has surged from 6,000 to 100,000 over the last decade.

Justice Alok Aradhe was today sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. He was administered the oath of office by Maharashtra Governor C. P. Radhakrishnan in a ceremony held at Mumbai’s Raj Bhavan. Justice Aradhe succeeds Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, who was demitted from office on 17th January.

 Prior to his current posting, Justice Aradhe was serving as the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court.

In Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the state’s advanced disaster risk warning system, Kavacham, today in Thiruvananthapuram. The project, developed by the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) with support from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the World Bank, aims to strengthen disaster preparedness and response mechanisms.

Speaking at the event, the chief minister said that science still needs to progress to achieve 100 percent accuracy in warnings in a state like Kerala, with a complicated landscape and weather conditions. However, he emphasised that people should not ignore the warnings that are being issued.

Ninety-one sirens installed at various locations across the state have been activated as part of the system.

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.