Earth Hour will be observed from 8:30 to 9:30 PM tonight. It is the world's largest grassroots movement for the environment where people around the globe unite to take a stand against climate change by turning off non-essential lights for one hour.

Starting out as a symbolic lights-out event in Sydney in 2007, it has come to be observed every year on the last Saturday of March in more than 180 countries uniting millions of people in the effort to decarbonise the planet both collectively and individually.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Government of India have signed an agreement to establish the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine at Jamnagar in Gujarat. The agreement was signed by the Ayush Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghbereyesus in a formal event hosted by the organisation at Geneva yesterday.

WHO in a statement said, the global knowledge centre for traditional medicine, supported by an investment of 250 million dollar from the Government of India, aims to harness the potential of traditional medicine from across the world through modern science and technology to improve health of people and the planet.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has imposed a penalty of 5 lakh on Axis Bank for violating merchant banking regulations. The market regulator examined the Debt Capital Market operations of the bank between August 2016 and August 2019. The bank has been asked to pay the penalty in 45 days of the receipt of the order. The showcause notice issued to Axis Bank on March 2, 2021, alleged that bank had acted as a lead manager in 22 public issuances of debt between the period from August 2016 to August 2019, and the Noticee had acquired the securities in 9 of these public issues.

State Bank of India (SBI) said it had entered into a co-lending agreement with 5 housing finance companies (HFCs) for advancing home loans. The arrangement with PNB Housing Finance Ltd., IIFL Home Finance Ltd., Shriram Housing Finance Ltd., Edelweiss Housing Finance Ltd., and Capri Global Housing Finance Ltd., would help sanction home loans to the unserved and underserved sector in line with RBI guidelines, the lender said.

The fifth edition of Pariksha Pe Charcha is going to be held on 1st April this year at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi. Education Ministry said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with students and share his insights on how to beat exam stress.

Pariksha Pe Charcha is an interactive program wherein students, parents and teachers from India and overseas interact with the Prime Minister to discuss and overcome the stress emerging out of examinations in order to celebrate life as an Utsav.

School students of classes 9 to 12, teachers and parents will be selected through an online competition for the programme. 

The Centre has decided to extend the validity of Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, FCRA registration certificates of certain categories of FCRA registered entities.

Home Ministry said, the validity of registration certificates of such entities whose validity was extended till 31st March 31st of this month and whose renewal application is pending will stand extended till this year or till the date of disposal of the renewal application, whichever is earlier.

The Ministry said, validity of FCRA entities whose 5 years validity period is expiring during 1st April 2022 to 30th June 2022 and who have applied for renewal before expiry of 5 years validity period will stand extended up to 30th June 2022 or till date of disposal of renewal application, whichever earlier.

The ten-day Red Fort Festival - Bharat Bhagya Vidhata will begin today at the iconic 17th-century monument, Red Fort in New Delhi. Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Zubin Irani will inaugurate the festival. The festival will remain open between 11 AM to 10 PM daily.

It will feature a wide range of experiences including “Matrubhumi” - Projection Mapping Show, a Cultural Parade, Khao Galli, live performances at Rang Manch, dances of India, Anokhe Vastra, and Khel Manch.

‘WINGS INDIA 2022’, Asia's largest Civil Aviation event will take off today at Begumpet airport in Hyderabad. Coinciding with the Azadi Ka Amith Mahotsav, the fifth edition of the biennial event will be held with the main theme, “India@75: New Horizon for Aviation Industry”.

The four-day show is being organized by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and FICCI and is expected to provide a congenial forum catering to the rapidly changing dynamics of the sector. Focussing on new business acquisition, investments, policy formation, and regional connectivity, the WING India is expected to provide a much-desired fillip to aviation. Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that Wings India 2022 epitomizes the Government of India’s commitment to transform India into the world’s top civil aviation hub.

The second inter-ministerial meeting to discuss the celebration of International Day of Yoga - 2022 was held in New Delhi today. Several Union Ministers attended the meeting and gave information about the activities being carried out by their ministries to create awareness about International Day of Yoga and suggestions to enhance the outreach.

The meeting was organized with the aim of making International Day of Yoga to be observed on 21st June, success.

Union Ministers Sarbananda Sonowal,  Piyush Goyal, Mansukh Mandaviya,  G Kishan Reddy, Bhupendra Yadav, Smriti Irani, Ashwani Vaishnav and Purushottam Rupala were present in the meeting.

President Ram Nath Kovind has said every one to work together to achieve a Tuberculosis-free India by 2025.  In his message on the eve of World Tuberculosis Day today, Mr Kovind congratulated all the TB champions who have battled the disease and are showing the way for others.

World Tuberculosis Day is observed on 24th March to raise public awareness about Tuberculosis. On this day in the year 1882, Dr. Robert Koch announced the discovery of the bacteria that causes TB. It paved the way for the diagnosis and cure of this disease.

The President said the outbreak of COVID and the emergence of new variants of coronavirus had brought unprecedented stress on the country’s health care system.