The second Sustainable Finance Working Group (SFWG) meeting under India’s G20 Presidency will begin today at Udaipur in Rajasthan. The three-day meeting will focus on the identification of relevant policies and best practices for mobilizing sustainable finance to help ensure global growth and stability.

This is the first time for the SFWG to go beyond climate-related issues and engage in dialogue for enabling enhanced financing for select  sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) primarily through nature-related data and reporting and social impact investing.

India and Japan have signed two documents on the sidelines of the bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The agreements include the Renewal of the Memorandum of Cooperation in Japanese language, and Exchange of notes on JICA loan for 300 billion Yen on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed railway project. 

Briefing media in New Delhi yesterday, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said the two leaders discussed an entire gamut of bilateral issues. Mr. Kwatra said Prime Minister Modi expressed his desire with Prime Minister Kishida to declare next year as the year of Youth Exchanges between the two countries. He said Mr. Kishida formally invited Mr. Modi to the G7 Hiroshima Summit. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida in New Delhi. In his statement after the talks, Mr. Modi said, the meeting aimed to strengthen India-Japan relationship and give voice to the global South.

The application process for Common University Entrance Test (CUET-PG) for admission in Postgraduate Programmes in Central and other participating Universities has started.

In a tweet, Chairman of University Grants Commission, M Jagadesh Kumar said that the National Testing Agency (NTA) will conduct CUET-PG Test for admission into Postgraduate Programmes.

The candidates may apply online at
https://cuet.nta.nic.in
till the 19th of next month. The UGC chairman said, Information related to eligibility, scheme of exam, and other are available on NTA's official website.

Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district and the Union Territory of Ladakh have found a place in TIME Magazine’s ’50 extraordinary destinations to explore’ as it unveiled its list of the ‘World’s Greatest Places of 2023’. It noted that while the travel industry is back in full swing in 2023, there are some notable shifts in how and where we travel. To compile this list of the World’s Greatest Places, the magazine solicited nominations of places from its international network of correspondents and contributors, “with an eye toward those offering new and exciting experiences”.

Emma Barker Bonomo, the senior editor at TIME, was quoted as saying by CNN that the list reflects a couple of big trends in travel right now: Sustainability and authenticity. “Many locations on this list are finding ways to let tourists visit with a more limited environmental impact. And many have responded to travellers’ desire to have unique, local experiences by offering indigenous-led tours or curated homestays,” she said.

In Tennis, Indian Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden of Australia have won the Indian Wells doubles title in California, United States. The unseeded team of Bopanna and Ebden defeated top-seeded pair of Dutch players Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski from Great Britain 6-3, 2-6, 10-8.

Prime Minister of Japan Kishida Fumio will arrive in New Delhi tomorrow morning for a two-day visit to India. He is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During the meeting, both sides will discuss bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest. They will also discuss their priorities for their respective Presidencies of the G7 and G20. The visiting dignitary will give the 41st Sapru House Lecture in the afternoon.

India-Japan relations were elevated to Special Strategic and Global Partnership’ in 2014. The India-Japan partnership encompasses a wide range of areas, ranging from defence and security, trade and investment, Science and Technology, education and healthcare.

The makers of Burj Khalifa on Sunday marked their formal entry into Jammu and Kashmir, performing the groundbreaking ceremony for the first foreign direct investment in the Union territory — a shopping mall and a multipurpose tower in the outskirts of Srinagar.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the Rs 500 crore project that envisages creating over 10,000 jobs in the valley. This is the first FDI project in Jammu and Kashmir after Article 370 was repealed by the Centre in 2019.

The first Bharat Gaurav tourist train originating from the Telugu States commenced its journey from Secunderabad railway station yesterday. The Punya Kshetra Yatra: Puri - Kasi - Ayodhya train is being operated by the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) which is providing end-to-end services for the pilgrims travelling by train.

The tour involves visiting important and historical places in Puri, Konark, Gaya, Varanasi, Ayodhya and Prayagraj over a period of eight nights and nine days. The train comprises both AC and Non-AC Class coaches to meet the demands of rail passengers. IRCTC Chairman and Managing Director, Rajni Hasija said the whole tour itinerary has been planned keeping in mind the significance of the places along with tourists' interest. She said the tour provides an economical, safe and comfortable option for people planning to visit these places. South Central Railway General Manager Arun Kumar Jain stated the train offers a unique opportunity to pilgrim passengers to visit these culturally prominent places without the hassle of planning individual itinerary items.

Government has approved an initiative to open new Sainik schools across the country. These schools would be opened in partnership mode with NGOs, or, Private or State Government schools in all States and UTs. It is subject to fulfilment of qualifying requirements and they signing Memoranda of Agreement (MoA) with the Sainik Schools Society.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Friday, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said, till date Sainik Schools Society or Ministry of Defence, after due process of evaluation and approval, has signed MoA with 18 schools. He said, under erstwhile pattern 33 Sainik schools have been established in the country.

President Droupadi Murmu attended a civic reception hosted in her honour by the Government of Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. On the occasion, the President inaugurated the silver jubilee celebration of ‘Kudumbashree’ - one of the largest women’s self-help networks in the world. She launched ‘Unnathi’ - an umbrella programme to create opportunities for employment among the youth belonging to SC and ST communities. She also witnessed the release of technical, engineering and diploma books translated into Malayalam.