Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Tuesday visited the Wildlife Care Centre in Ahmedabad’s Bodakdev area to review ongoing operations under the statewide Karuna Abhiyan, an initiative aimed at rescuing and treating birds injured by kite strings during the Uttarayan festival. Forest and Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia accompanied him.

During the visit, the Chief Minister inspected various facilities at the centre, including the specialised Water Birds Unit, and interacted with teams involved in rescue and treatment efforts. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests A.P. Singh said the campaign, conducted under the Chief Minister’s guidance, has emerged as one of the most impactful rescue operations in the country.

“Thousands of injured birds have been saved so far. Departments, municipal bodies and voluntary organisations are working together to ensure no injured bird is left unattended,” he said.

The Ministry of Rural Development has launched a National Campaign on Entrepreneurship to boost rural women-led enterprises and support the government’s Lakhpati Didi initiative.

The campaign, launched on January 12, aims to train 50,000 Community Resource Persons (CRPs) in enterprise promotion and provide Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) training to 50 lakh women Self Help Group (SHG) members under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).

Ministry said the programme is designed to accelerate non-farm rural enterprise development and strengthen grassroots entrepreneurship capacity. The initiative builds on existing non-farm livelihood models, including those under the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme, which have shown success in helping SHG women launch and run small enterprises with the support of trained community cadres.

India on Tuesday hosted the 16th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) Experts Working Group (EWG) on Counter Terrorism, co-chaired by India and Malaysia, reaffirming the region's collective commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms.

Addressing the meeting, Amitabh Prasad, Joint Secretary (International Cooperation), Ministry of Defence, said, "India is privileged to co-chair the initiative alongside Malaysia and expressed deep appreciation for the participation of representatives from ASEAN member states, the ADMM-Plus countries and the ASEAN Secretariat." He noted that their presence underscored a shared resolve to strengthen regional and international cooperation against terrorism.

The Digital India Corporation, under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, to foster the Artificial Intelligence (AI) ecosystem in the country has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Uttar Pradesh Development Systems Corporation Limited (UPDESCO), Lucknow.

Under the IndiaAI Mission, a total of 65 Data and AI Labs are planned to be established across Uttar Pradesh. Of these, two IndiaAI Data and AI Labs at NIELIT Centres located in Lucknow and Gorakhpur are already operational, while one Data and AI Lab have been established by an industry partner at Pilibhit. Further, 49 Data and AI Labs have been approved by the State Government and implementation work has commenced, and 13 additional locations will be identified in due course.

The IndiaAI Data Labs will be equipped with modern AI-ready infrastructure, including computing resources, software platforms, curated datasets, and learning modules specifically designed to support AI skilling and experiential learning. Students will receive hands-on training through real-world use cases, project-based learning, and problem-solving exercises, enabling them to design, develop, and deploy AI-based solutions relevant to practical and industry scenarios.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research- ICAR today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Dairy Development Board – NDDB to enhance collaboration in multidisciplinary research, innovation, and capacity building across the entire dairy sector. The Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry informed that the MoU aims to synergise ICAR’s scientific and research expertise with NDDB’s extensive field-level experience and address emerging challenges at the grassroots level.

Director General of ICAR, Dr. Mangi Lal Jat, said that the MoU will pave the way for a structured partnership to address complex challenges such as climate resilience, low productivity, and value chain development. The Ministry highlighted that the collaboration places strong emphasis on knowledge sharing, technology development and validation, human resource development, and the conduct of joint training programmes for researchers, professionals, and farmers.

Vice President CP Radhakrishnan today said that the vision of a Viksit Bharat can only be realised when the youth of the country is drug-free, healthy and purpose-driven. Mr Radhakrishnan said this while addressing Delhi University’s Drug Free Campus Campaign in the National Capital. On the occasion, Mr Radhakrishnan also launched a dedicated e-pledge platform and Mobile App for Drug-Free Campuses.

The Vice President said that the campaign aligns strongly with the government’s Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan. He underlined that substance abuse is a social challenge, a public health concern and a threat to the country’s demographic dividend. Mr Radhakrishnan also urged the students to actively participate and take the pledge for a drug-free campus.

Mr Radhakrishnan highlighted that it is the need of the hour for everyone to keep themselves away from drugs. He also stressed the need to rise against drug abuse and spread awareness amongst everyone against the use of drugs. Mr Radhakrishnan said that drugs also spoil the physical and mental health of people.

By taking decisive steps to secure a sustainable future, Bamanwas Kankar panchayat in Rajasthan has become the first village body in the State to be certified as fully organic.

The panchayat, comprising seven hamlets in the newly formed Kotputli-Behror district, took measures not only to resolve issues of soil degradation and declining groundwater level but also to address health concerns linked to chemical-based farming.

All farming activities in Bamanwas Kankar are free of chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers while animal husbandry practices follow ecological and health-conscious standards. “This integrated approach has ensured that agriculture, livestock management, and environmental protection will move forward together,” sarpanch Ganesh Jat said.

Scientists at a nuclear fusion reactor in China recently surmounted an important obstacle in operating reactor vessels at high density. They pushed plasma density 65% beyond a special threshold, entering a stable state that overcomes a long-standing barrier to achieving burning plasma, the stage where a fusion reaction becomes self-sustaining.

Fusion power mimics what happens inside the sun. Hydrogen atoms slam together so hard that they fuse into helium, releasing copious amounts of energy. But this reaction only works when the atoms are packed into a small space at an extreme temperature, typically more than 100,000,000º C.

In Kerala, the hill shrine of Sabarimala will celebrate the Makaravilakku festival today, coinciding with Makara Sankrama night, when devotees will witness the appearance of the Makarajyothi at Ponnambalamedu.

Rituals, including the procession with Thiruvabharanam, the sacred ornaments of Lord Ayyappa, will be held as part of the celebrations.

Akashvani’s correspondent reports that thousands of pilgrims have already camped at various locations of Sabari Mala to witness Makara Vilakku.

The festival is also coinciding with Makara Sankrama night. Rituals, including the procession with Thiruvabharan, the sacred ornaments of Lord Ayyappa, will be held as part of the celebrations. Makara Sankrama pooja will be held at 3 pm today. Strict restrictions have been imposed at Sabari Mala and only 35,000 pilgrims will be allowed at Sabari Mala today.

The India Open Badminton tournament has started at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi today. Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu will lead India’s challenge in the competition. Currently ranked 18th, Sindhu is returning after a difficult 2025 season and a long injury layoff. She recently reached the semi-finals of the Malaysia Open and will be keen to build on that form at home. Malvika Bansod and young Tanvi Sharma will also represent India in women’s singles.

In women’s doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will lead the Indian challenge, which has a strong home presence. In men’s singles, Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty will face each other in the opening round, meaning only one will progress. Former world championship medallists Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy are also in the draw.

In men’s doubles, world number three pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will aim to reclaim the title they won in 2022, while MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan will also be in action.