Author: Indmedia

The final balance stood at Rs 8,452 crore on March 31. NEW DELHI: The PM CARES Fund, established to deal with emergency situations like Covid pandemic in 2020, recorded total receipts of Rs 8,452.95 crore in the financial year 2024-25, up from Rs 7,188.63 crore in the previous financial year, according to its audit report. The final balance stood at Rs 8,452 crore on March 31.Fixed deposits accounted for nearly 93 per cent of the fund’s closing balance, with Rs 7,846.65 crore held in such deposits.Interest earned from these fixed deposits stood at Rs 469.38 crore during the year, making…

Khel Ratna goes vacant; 17 athletes receive Arjuna Awards (Images: ANI) NEW DELHI: The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, India’s highest sporting honour, will have no recipient for 2025, with the government not recommending any sportsperson for the prestigious award. It is only the third time since the award was instituted in 1991-92 that no athlete has been chosen, after similar instances in 2008 and 2014.The recommendations, cleared by the National Sports Awards selection committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice (Retd.) Arun Kumar Mishra, were sent to sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya for final assent. The sports ministry announced…

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay apologised in the state Assembly on Monday after state Forest Minister R V Ranjith Kumar referred to former chief minister M Karunanidhi by name without using the customary honorific “Kalaignar”, prompting protests from opposition DMK members.Vijay intervened to defuse the tension, acknowledging that referring to the late DMK leader without the traditional honorific was inappropriate.”I apologise on his behalf,” Vijay said, after halting Ranjith Kumar’s speech.Also read: Tamil Nadu CM C Joseph Vijay announces full waiver of cooperative farm loans upto Rs 75,000What triggered the DMK protestThe incident occurred during a debate on…

Shimla: Researchers from IIT Mandi have created a bio-inspired surface coating on 3D-printed bone implants capable of mechanically disrupting bacteria and accelerating integration of the implant with bones.The research has been published in the Chemical Engineering Journal.It employs tiny hydroxyapatite structures, resembling sea urchins, on biodegradable plastic scaffolds to tackle two key problems with orthopaedic implants – bacterial infections and poor bone integration, a statement issued here said.The research team led by Dr Sumit Murab along with Ankita Negi, Aakash Verma, KM Mohammed Sufiyan and Vedante Mishra, developed a dual-layer coating using hydroxyapatite, which is the major constituent of human…

Mumbai UniversityMumbai: Mumbai University (MU) has roped in the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) to review its three-year journey of implementing the National Education Policy (NEP), in an exercise that will look at whether the sweeping academic reforms have travelled beyond rule books and been put into practice in their true spirit.As part of the review, the NIEPA team is expected to visit a select number of autonomous and affiliated colleges and examine the implementation of key NEP provisions, including changes in curriculum structures, multidisciplinary learning, credit systems and programme flexibility.Meanwhile, the MU’s faculty recruitment exercise has…

Marking 15 years since it first hit theatres, Zoya Akhtar’s ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ recently came up in an interview where the director broke her silence on Kalki Koechlin’s character Natasha. She was seen as the one who spoiled everyone’s fun in the film, but fans today feel she did nothing wrong, she simply spoke her mind and had a fair reason to go to Spain to check on her fiancé Kabir, played by Abhay Deol. Zoya shared that Natasha was “clear-headed” and always sure of what she wanted, whereas Kabir was the one unable to match her, which led…

Fitness smartwatches have become common devices for people who want to track their activity and workouts. But choosing the right one is not simply about picking the model with the most features. Different watches are built with different users and routines in mind. Some are designed for everyday fitness, while others are aimed at people who train more regularly. The differences can also become important when you use the watch every day rather than only during workouts. This makes it useful to understand what each type of feature actually adds before making a purchase. This guide breaks down the key…

Bank holiday on August 19 If you are planning a bank visit on Wednesday, August 19, you may want to check your state’s holiday calendar first. Banks in Tripura will remain closed tomorrow to mark the birthday of Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur.The holiday, however, is not applicable to banks across India. Bank holidays differ from one state to another as regional festivals and local observances are taken into account while preparing the holiday calendar.So, while customers in Tripura will not be able to access their bank branches tomorrow, banking operations will continue as usual in states where August…

Zambia has a record of peaceful transfers of power. Since the return to multiparty democracy in 1991, presidential transitions have occurred through the ballot box.It is unclear if the opposition will challenge the election result.Mundubile had earlier alleged there had been discrepancies between polling-station results and those officially announced and claimed military involvement at tallying centres.On Monday, Mundubile described Friday’s raid by armed personnel at his home in Lusaka saying they had knocked down the gate with an armoured vehicle, broke doors and windows and opened fire.He denied allegations that high-grade military weapons were being stored at his home as…

Of the 22 residences publicly listed on StreetEasy at 175 Fifth Avenue, only four remain unsold New York’s iconic Flatiron Building is emerging as one of Manhattan’s hottest luxury residential addresses, with most of the apartments publicly listed for sale already under contract as the landmark prepares to welcome residents this autumn.Of the 22 residences publicly listed on StreetEasy at 175 Fifth Avenue, only four remain unsold, meaning around 82% of the publicly marketed units have been absorbed, according to the New York Post.The pace is notable because the century-old landmark is still completing its conversion from offices into luxury…