Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Pralhad Joshi, recently visited the National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE) at IIT Bombay. During his visit, he held an interactive session with NCPRE’s Investigators and Advisory Board Members and toured advanced research laboratories, including the Perovskite Tandem Solar Cell Lab, the Silicon Fab Laboratory, and the Medium Voltage Laboratory. A highlight of the visit was the presentation of a significant technological breakthrough by an IIT Bombay-incubated startup, Advanced Renewable Tandem-Photovoltaics India (ART-PV India). The startup has developed a 4-terminal Silicon/CdTe-Perovskite tandem solar…
Author: Aruna Sharma
The President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, will present the prestigious Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 Awards at a national ceremony organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) on 17th July 2025 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The event will also be graced by Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal and Minister of State Shri Tokhan Sahu. This marks the 9th edition of the Swachh Survekshan (SS), the world’s largest urban cleanliness survey, conducted under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U). Since its inception in 2016 with just 73 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), the initiative has grown exponentially, covering over 4,500…
The Department of Financial Services (DFS), under the Ministry of Finance, launched a comprehensive three-month nationwide saturation campaign from 1st July to 30th September 2025 to expand the reach of key financial inclusion initiatives. The campaign focuses on promoting flagship schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), and Atal Pension Yojana (APY). With a vision to ensure last-mile connectivity, the campaign aims to achieve 100% coverage across all Gram Panchayats (GPs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in the country. In just two weeks since…
Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), a key subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL), has taken a bold stride toward gender equality and institutional innovation with two landmark women-led initiatives in Dhanbad. These efforts underscore the company’s commitment to fostering inclusive growth and empowering women across all levels of operation. In a historic move, BCCL’s Koyla Nagar Hospital conducted its first fully women-staffed general shift. From doctors and nurses to support personnel, the entire shift was managed by women, marking a milestone in public sector healthcare. This initiative, guided by the Ministry of Coal and CIL’s broader vision for inclusivity, reflects…
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has officially opened applications for the fifth edition of the National Startup Awards (NSA)—a prestigious initiative under the Startup India program. Launched in 2016, Startup India has significantly reshaped India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, encouraging innovation and empowering a new generation of youth, women, students, and first-time founders. The initiative has been especially effective in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, bringing opportunities and recognition to startups across the country. To date, over 1.75 lakh startups have been recognized by DPIIT, representing nearly every district…
The Income Tax Department today launched a major verification drive across multiple locations in India, targeting individuals and entities involved in fraudulent claims of deductions and exemptions in Income Tax Returns (ITRs). This action stems from a detailed investigation into the misuse of tax provisions under the Income-tax Act, 1961, often orchestrated with the help of professional intermediaries. The department has uncovered organized rackets operated by certain ITR preparers and intermediaries who have been submitting false returns with fictitious deductions and exemptions. These schemes exploit beneficial provisions and, in some cases, involve the filing of fraudulent TDS returns to claim…
In a landmark step toward empowering women in the coal industry, the Vasant Vihar Dispensary at the South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) Headquarters in Bilaspur was officially inaugurated today as Coal India’s first dispensary to be operated entirely by women. The inauguration ceremony was graced by Shri Harish Duhan, Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD), SECL, along with Shri N. Franklin Jayakumar, Director Technical (Operations & Project/Planning), Shri Biranchi Das, Director (HR), Shri D. Sunil Kumar, Director (Finance), Shri Himanshu Jain, Chief Vigilance Officer, and other senior officials of SECL. The dispensary is now staffed and run entirely by a 14-member team of…
With just 11 days left before the final deadline to submit filled Enumeration Forms (EFs) in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar, the state has already seen significant participation. After two rounds of door-to-door visits by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), over 6.6 crore EFs have been collected from the total 7.89 crore electors—an impressive 83.66% coverage so far. In the process, BLOs also identified that 1.59% of electors had passed away, 2.2% had permanently moved to other locations, and 0.73% were found to be enrolled at more than one place. Taking all this into account, about 88.18% of…
Under the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh has witnessed a remarkable transformation in environmental conservation. From once battling intense heatwaves, the state is now turning into a green powerhouse, setting benchmarks in ecological restoration and sustainable development. A flagship initiative of this movement is the mega plantation campaign under the theme “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0,” which marked a historic milestone in 2025 with the plantation of over 37.21 crore saplings in a single year. Over the past eight years, Uttar Pradesh has planted more than 240 crore saplings, making it one of the most…
At the concluding ceremony of the Shri Ram Katha and Guru Purnima Mahotsav at Digvijaynath Smriti Bhavan in Gorakhnath Temple, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath delivered a heartfelt address centered on India’s cultural roots, spirituality, and civilizational strength. Speaking before a large gathering of saints, devotees, and dignitaries, the CM firmly stated that India cannot move forward without Lord Ram, Lord Krishna, and Lord Shiva. He invoked the ideology of socialist icon Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, highlighting how Lohia once said that as long as Indians continue to worship Shri Ram, Murli Manohar Krishna, and Mahadev Shankar, no force…