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Europe and US are mulling opening overseas chapters of Prayagraj-based 'Ram Naam Bank' in their countries. On the occasion of Ram Navami on Sunday, the idea of opening a Ram Naam Bank was discussed among the devotees in Sweden. Nityanand Sharma, an IT Solution Architect, who works for a global furniture retailer in Sweden's Almhult and manages the affairs of a local temple there, said people were enamoured by the idea of a bank that propagates the name of Lord Ram. «The name of Lord Ram is powerful and effective enough to dispel doubts, fears and anxiety. That is why the concept propagated by Prayagraj-based Ram Naam Bank, of embracing the divine presence by writing his name 108 times a day in a booklet has many takers globally,» he said.

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Nayab Singh Saini Sunday said 'Agniveers' will be provided 20 per cent reservation in the police recruitment in the state. In July 2024, months ahead of state assembly polls, the BJP government in the state had announced a 10 per cent reservation for Agniveers in the recruitment of constables, forest guards and jail wardens, along with quotas in other posts. Chairing a review meeting in Panchkula on Sunday, Saini said Haryana is the first state in the country which has secured the future of Agniveers by creating a provision for jobs after their service period in the armed forces. The Haryana Cabinet has already provided security cover to the Agniveers by implementing the Haryana Agniveer Policy-2024. According to an official statement, the chief minister said Agniveers will be provided 20 per cent reservation in the recruitment of state police. Saini said Agniveers will be able to get jobs in Haryana after their service period in the Army and for this, a separate portal will be created for them on which they can register themselves. After this, they will be given preference in jobs on the basis of educational qualification, he added.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. India’s tax authorities have blamed Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Pvt. Ltd for the delay in its provisional assessment of $1.4 billion (about ₹11,526 crore) tax demand, saying the Indian unit of the German automaker did not provide the information needed promptly.

Donald Trump’s tariff imposition, and is focusing efforts on negotiating a bilateral trade deal with the US to bring down duties, according to a Indian government official. The South Asian country is seeking dialogue and not confrontation, the official said, adding that India has first mover advantage compared to rivals in the region. India plans to work toward a balanced and equitable trade deal with the US, the official said. All options are up for negotiation, and both goods and services will be discussed, according to the official. The government is also in touch with exporters on the expected impact and will help if they reach out. Trump last week announced a 26% tariff on US imports from India, dealing a blow to exporters and risking exacerbating a slowdown in an economy already suffering from weak consumer confidence. A lower negotiated rate could provide some relief, though escalating global trade tensions are still a threat. During his visit to Washington after Trump’s return to the Oval Office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the US president agreed to negotiate a bilateral trade deal by the fall of this year.

Pakistani crew member on a fishing vessel off the Oman coast, the Navy said on Sunday. INS Trikand, a mission-deployed stealth frigate of the Indian Navy, on Friday intercepted a distress call from an Iranian dhow Al Omeedi, operating approximately 350 nautical miles east of the Oman coast. The Navy, in a release, said upon investigation, it was found that a crew member of the dhow had sustained severe injuries to his fingers while working on the engine and was in critical condition and that he had been transferred to another dhow, FV Abdul Rehman Hanzia, which was en route to Iran. «Trikand immediately altered her course to provide medical assistance to the injured crew member. The crew of FV Abdul Rehman Hanzia consisted of 11 Pakistani (nine Baloch and two Sindhi) and five Iranian personnel. The injured Pakistani (Baloch) national had suffered multiple fractures and severe hand injuries, resulting in heavy blood loss,» the Navy said. The medical officer of INS Trikand, along with a team comprising MARCOS (Marine Commandos) and the ship's boarding team, boarded the vessel to administer aid, it said. After administering local anaesthesia, the ship's medical team performed suturing and splinting on the injured fingers, and the surgical procedure, which lasted for over three hours, was completed, it said,

The banking sector's elevated credit-deposit ratio of 80.5% underscores the continued importance of deposit mobilization to sustain growth momentum.

Earlier, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President K Selvaperunthagai said that the party condemns the idea of One Nation One Election, the passing of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, the non-disbursement of funds and other policies. The party is also going to raise slogans condemning the Waqf Bill as PM Modi reaches Rameswaram city. "(Union Finance Minister) Nirmala Sitharaman in Chennai event said One Nation One Election would be implemented.… we are holding this protest. We will also raise new slogans as PM Modi reaches Rameshwaram," K Selvaperunthagai said. «We are also showing black flag to Modi condemning Waqf Board Amendment,» he added.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Stocks have taken a beating—but this week may provide a more definitive direction for the coming months. All three major U.S.

Delhi Metro will soon introduce India’s first metro corridor designed to operate with 3-coach long trains. An official statement said unlike most metro lines that use 4, 6, or 8-coach trains, this 3-coach system has been developed to cater specifically to short-distance urban travel. The Lajpat Nagar to Saket G Block Metro Corridor of Phase-IV will be the second smallest metro line (8 kms) in the Delhi Metro network, enhancing last-mile connectivity while ensuring seamless interchange with existing metro corridors, the statement added. Projected daily ridership on this corridor is expected to rise from 60,000–80,000 passengers in 2025 to over 1,20,000 in 2041.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the greetings of 'Ram Navami' on Sunday and wished for fresh enthusiasm in the lives of countrymen. Taking to X, PM Modi said, «Heartfelt greetings to all countrymen on the occasion of Ram Navami. May this holy and sacred occasion of Lord Shri Ram's birth festival bring new consciousness and fresh enthusiasm into all your lives and continuously provide new energy to the resolve of a strong, prosperous, and capable India. Jai Shri Ram!» PM Modi will visit Ramanathswamy Temple in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu, on the occasion of Ram Navami, where he will inaugurate the new Pamban Bridge The new Pamban Bridge will replace the old 1914-built bridge, which was closed in 2022 due to corrosion problems. The bridge spans over 2.5 km and was built by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) at a cost of Rs 535 crore.

SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia, Punjab Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Saturday said that many officers get transferred or promoted, and then these people (SAD) start creating a ruckus. Speaking to ANI, Cheema said, «A lot of officers get transferred or promoted, and then these people (SAD) start creating a ruckus. BJP and SAD are the ones who spread drug abuse in Punjab. Why are they afraid when a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed today? This shows they have done something wrong.» On Wednesday, Punjab Police said that adequate security has still been provided to ShiromAkal Dal (SAD) General Secretary Bikram Singh Majithia, including a squad vehicle and gunmen. The security review committee scaled down the security of the SAD leader, the police said. Special Director General of Police (DGP) Arpit Shukla told ANI, «The security review (committee) meeting has scaled down (Shiromani Akal Dal General Secretary) Bikram Singh Majithia's security. But adequate security has still been provided to him, including a squad vehicle and gunmen.»

Hindustan Shipyard (HSL) has turned its net worth positive, overcoming supply chain challenges as well as liabilities and pending legacy issues that had led it to the verge of closure. The yard, which is currently manufacturing fleet support ships for the Indian Navy and undertaking submarine refits, was taken over by the defence ministry in 2010 when it was facing debilitating financial constraints. In 2024-25, HSL achieved a provisional total income of ₹1,586 crore and a profit before tax of ₹295 crore, reflecting a 36% year-on-year growth, officials said, adding that it was the first time in four decades that the company's net worth turned positive. HSL is now poised to get a Miniratna status, according to officials. Established in 1941, HSL has been a crucial asset due to its location in Visakhapatnam and the expertise it gained in complicated refits of submarines. It is located close to the Ship Building Centre, where India's nuclear armed submarines are built, as well as the Eastern Naval headquarters.

Modi was also honoured with Sri Lanka's highest civilian award, Mithra Vibhushana, for his exceptional efforts in bolstering the ties between the two nations and highlighting the spiritual and cultural heritage of both countries. New Delhi and Colombo will move strategically closer in terms of joint maritime surveillance, military exercises, and equipment support with the defence agreement. The other MoUs focus on implementing India's UPI payment system in Sri Lanka, enhancing renewable energy trade through a proposed grid connectivity project, and ferry and aviation services to improve people-to-people ties. The Modi and the Lankan President virtually inaugurated the construction of the Sampur solar power project. They also inaugurated the recently completed temperature-controlled warehousing facility at Dambulla, which is possibly the first facility of its kind in the island, and a project for supply of solar rooftop systems to nearly 5,000 religious institutions across Sri Lanka.

Shah was on a two-day visit to Chhattisgarh. He has set a deadline of March 31, 2026, to make the country free of left-wing extremists. He said 521 Naxalites have surrendered so far this year, while 881 Naxalites surrendered in 2024. «Shah expressed confidence that those Naxalites who lay down their arms will be able to join the mainstream and progress, but those who choose the path of violence by picking up weapons will be dealt with strictly by the security forces,» said an official statement. The home minister said no one wants to harm anyone, and therefore Naxalites should abandon violence and come into the mainstream, as both the Union government and the Chhattisgarh government will provide them protection. He also said that starting next year, artists from every tribal district of the country will be included in the Bastar Pandum, an annual event to showcase the traditions, culture and art of Bastar.

reciprocal tariffs imposed by the US and has a first mover advantage as compared to other countries because of the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) that the two are negotiating, officials said, adding that Indian exporters are better positioned to deal with the additional US tariffs as compared to their competitors. The country, they said, will take all measures to check dumping of goods from China as Beijing is slapped with steeper tariffs and work within the World Trade Organization (WTO) framework to prevent the dumping of excess capacity into its markets by countries hit by high US tariffs. “The government is there to protect domestic industry from any possibility of dumping of goods in such a situation,” said an official. New Delhi is also exploring measures to protect sensitive sectors like dairy and agriculture amid the trade war. While the reciprocal tariffs on India are 26%, those on China are 34%. India is also likely to gain from the US-China trade war.

Companies like Google, Accenture, Diageo, Myntra, IKEA, and L’Oréal are including fertility treatments like IVF under insurance, offering emotional support through employee assistance programmes, organising seminars to drive awareness on infertility and available support systems. Egg and sperm freezing, too, are being added to medical insurance programmes for employees looking to delay their parenthood journey for career or personal reasons. India has a population of as many as 27.5 million infertile people, including men and women, according to the Indian Society of Assisted Reproduction. However, organisations are stepping up to drive the change. In November last year, Google India expanded its family building benefits in India, increasing reimbursements for expenses related to fertility treatments — including options like fertility preservation, IUI, and IVF.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said while America is willing to continue to help those affected by the Myanmar earthquake, other countries should also pitch in to provide humanitarian assistance during such crises worldwide. «Well, we're not the government of the world. No, we will provide humanitarian assistance just like everybody else does and do it the best we can. But we also have other needs we have to balance that against. We're not walking away from humanitarian assistance,» Rubio told the media at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Friday. Rubio was responding to a question about the earthquake and how the US offered help during such incidents by saving lives on the ground through special equipment and experts. Rubio was asked if that was not happening because of the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). «There's a lot of other rich countries in the world. They should all be pitching in. We're going to do our part. We already have people there, we'll have more people there. We'll help as much as we can. It's not the easiest place to work. They have a military junta that doesn't like us and doesn't necessarily allow us to operate in that country the way we want to. That would have impeded our response no matter what,» he said.

Piyush Goyal Saturday encouraged young founders to set ambitious goals and rise beyond the limitations of the present and called upon the country’s youth to lead the way in emerging sectors like AI, semiconductors and deep-tech. He also said that the second fund of funds for startups (FFS) with a corpus of Rs 10,000 crore has been approved and this year, Rs 2,000 crore will be disbursed to SIDBI as the first installment. A significant portion of the fund will be reserved for seed funding of small startups and to support deep-tech innovation. “The potential you hold will make you a great contributor to India’s journey in this Amrit Kaal. Let the Startup Mahakumbh ignite aspirations that go beyond the current realm of reality,” Goyal said while conferring the Startup Maharathi Awards at Startup Mahakumbh 2025.

Indian Premier League (IPL) season 18 has completed two weeks and the is streaming exclusively on the new OTT platform JioHotstar and, unlike previous editions, fans cannot watch the matches for free. However, Jio had launched a special recharge plan that gives fans access to IPL on JioHotstar for free once again before the start of the tournament. According to the offers, fans needed to buy a new Jio SIM or recharge their existing plans with special plans till March 31. However, given the reception for the tournament, Jio has now decided to extend the offer till April 15.

Since its launch, this stimulating puzzle has developed a loyal fan base, thanks to its equilibrium of entertainment and difficulty. Every day's puzzle offers a new challenge, and players must find connections between words through commonalities. The categories are color-coded: Yellow for easiest, then Green, Blue, and the most challenging, Purple. If today's puzzle is difficult, continue reading for tips and solutions to NYT Connections Today on April 5, 2025.