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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: The Centre has approved nearly 97% of the amount allocated to states under the Special Assistance scheme, which provides interest-free loans for 50 years to states, during the first 10 months of the ongoing fiscal year, two people aware of the matter told Mint. The amount approved is ₹1.22 trillion.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday announced that the state Government will establish a world-class film city in Mysuru with 150 acres of land already allotted for the project. Speaking at the inauguration of the 16th Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFES) at the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha, he emphasised that international film festivals are a reflection of global culture and should be leveraged to create meaningful and impactful cinema. «Karnataka is a land of immense opportunities. To further strengthen our film industry, we are developing a state-of-the-art film city in Mysuru. I hope this facility will encourage the production of world-class films that seamlessly blend human values with advanced technology,» he said. Highlighting the growing disparities in wealth, Siddaramaiah pointed out that 50 per cent of the nation's wealth is concentrated in the hands of just one per cent of the population, leading to widespread social unrest and dissatisfaction.

Delhi High Court has said unless an environment free from harassment and fear was created, all discussions on women's progress were superficial. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma said real empowerment began with women's right to live and move freely without fear. The court made the observations in a judgement passed on February 28 while refusing to interfere with the conviction of a man for sexually harassing his female co-passenger on a public bus in 2015. In 2019, the trial court convicted the accused and sentenced him to undergo simple imprisonment for one year for offence punishable under Section 354 (Assault of criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code and six months under Section 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of the woman) IPC. The decision was also upheld by the sessions court in appeal.

Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said several innovations have been made for the Ahmedabad railway station redevelopment project, and special care is being taken to ensure that the facility's design reflects the city's rich heritage. Vaishnaw, who reviewed the redevelopment project, said architectural elements inspired by the city's heritage, such as the 'Jhulta Minar' (swaying minaret), kite festival, etc, will be incorporated into the design. He said this approach was in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to preserve the cultural fabric of modern India. The redevelopment is a part of the Indian Railways' ambitious Amrut Bharat station project, which aims to transform over 1,300 railway stations across the country.

The affected families have been relocated to safer places and restoration works are in progress, said Kangra Deputy Commissioner, Hem Raj. One person was reported missing near Shiva Hydropower project in Palampur and search operations have been launched to trace him, officials said on Saturday.

NITI Aayog has set up the Women Entrepreneurship Platform's (WEP) Mizoram Chapter, the first of its kind in the northeastern region, to boost entrepreneurship among the women. Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma, addressing the state workshop on women-led development through entrepreneurship, expressed his gratitude to NITI Aayog for selecting the state as the first state in the northeast to establish a WEP chapter. The Chief Minister said that the presence of Member, NITI Aayog V.K. Paul at this event is an encouragement for all and «we firmly believe it would yield positive outcomes».

Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL) has surpassed a record 12,000 megawatts (MW) of operational portfolio. AGEL is the first and only renewable energy company in India to reach this landmark, as per its official statement. AGEL’s 12,258.1 MW portfolio consists of 8,347.5 MW solar, 1,651 MW wind and 2,259.6 MW wind-solar hybrid capacity.

Toronto-Dominion Bank beat analysts’ expectations after missing for two consecutive quarters as it reported higher first-quarter profits in its Canadian personal and commercial banking and wholesale banking segments.

Indian American entrepreneur recently courted controversy on social media by asserting that Indian employees have questionable work ethics. Entrepreneur Hari Raghavan recently came out in defense of the controversial AI startup Optify, which aims to monitor the activities of factory workers.

Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

Wipro will be in focus on Thursday after the company announced that it will invest USD 200 million (approximately Rs 1,740 crore) into its subsidiary, Wipro Ventures, to boost funding for startups in the technology innovation space. This marks the fourth funding round for Wipro Ventures since its inception a decade ago, aimed at accelerating investments in early to mid-stage startups, according to a company statement.

United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Thursday, labelling it a «failed state» that «thrives on instability and survives on international handouts.» Indian diplomat Kshitij Tyagi delivered a sharp rebuttal, accusing Pakistan of spreading falsehoods and misusing international platforms to push an anti-India narrative.

U.S. dollar firmed above an 11-week trough on Thursday as vague pledges from President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on Europe and further delays to levies planned for Canada and Mexico stoked uncertainty. The euro steadied after falling further from a one-month high of $1.0529 in the previous session, as traders took a wait-and-see approach to Trump floating on Wednesday a vague 25% «reciprocal» tariff on European cars and other goods.

Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), is one of the largest rural telecom initiatives in the world. It's designed to bring broadband connectivity to every village. Initially launched in 2011 as National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN), BharatNet aims to connect 2.5 lakh gram panchayats (GPs). With an initial budget of Rs 42,000 cr, about Rs 40,000 cr has been spent.

According to a study from GraniteShares, a global issuer of Exchange-Traded Products (ETPs), just over a quarter (26%) of retail traders think a progressively more volatile UK stock market will increase trading levels during 2025, compared to 56% who said that trading levels will either stay the same of decrease (with 28% arguing for each scenario).  UK consumer confidence dips in February as worries mount over rising NIC and energy costs US President Donald Trump's tariffs also raised eyebrows for retail investors, with 37% saying a trade war with the US would be the factor most like...

Hong Kong will cut thousands of civil service jobs and boost spending in artificial intelligence as it seeks to tackle an increasing deficit

Bangladeshi cricketer Litton Das, who is not part of the team’s Champions Trophy squad, performed a special abhishekam, a ritual offering, to Shiva Lingams on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri. He shared photos of the ceremony on his X account, formerly known as Twitter. Coming from a Hindu family in Bangladesh, Litton Das visited a Shiva temple and offered prayers on this auspicious day. His act of devotion has been widely appreciated online.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. I recently had to operate on my three-year-old Golden Retriever, Musafir, to address his undescended testicles. This is just one of many congenital diseases that can affect pets.

optical fibre from the Bay of Bengal through the River Brahmaputra. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that in the era of digital transmission, connectivity is the lifeline of progress, and Assam is steadfast in leading this revolution to achieve the fast-paced growth of the state. Sharing his vision at a thematic session titled «I-Way to Viksit Assam» as part of the Advantage Assam 2.0 Summit here in Guwahati, in the presence of Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Sarma stated that Assam is fully ready to be a strong stakeholder in the digital revolution with the active support of the Government of India.