Author: Akancha Mishra

Unified Payment Interface (UPI) transactions hit an all-time high in October, totaling Rs. 17.16 trillion (US$ 210 billion), marking a 9% increase from September’s Rs. 15.8 trillion (US$ 190 billion). In terms of volume, UPI transactions reached a record 11.41 billion, an 8% rise from September’s 10.56 billion. Data from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) reveals a substantial increase of 56% in volume compared to 7.305 billion in October 2022 and a 42% growth in value compared to last year’s Rs. 12.12 trillion (US$ 150 billion). In August, UPI transactions were 10.58 billion in volume and Rs. 15.76…

The information regarding pensioners and family pensioners who received pensions during the fiscal year 2022-23 under the Union Government was provided by several offices, including the Central Pension Accounting Office (for Civil Pensioners), the Office of the Controller General of Defence Accounts (for Defence Pensioners), the Department of Telecommunications (for Telecom Pensioners), the Railway Board (for Railway Pensioners), and the Department of Posts (for Postal Pensioners). Dr. Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, stated that the Government allocated Rs. 241,777.55 crore (US$ 29.39…

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Pune, Maharashtra, where he will inaugurate metro train services in the city and also take part in various development projects’ inauguration and foundation stone laying ceremonies. Prior to the main event, the Prime Minister will visit Dagdusheth Mandir for Darshan and Pooja, and he will be honored with the Lokmanya Tilak National Award. The metro train inauguration marks the completion of two sections of Pune Metro Phase I: from Phugewadi station to Civil Court station and Garware College station to Ruby Hall Clinic station. These sections will connect important locations…

Gujarat is set to achieve a significant milestone by becoming the first state in India to house a large-scale semiconductor manufacturing facility, as announced by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was recently signed between the state and Micron, a renowned computer storage chip maker, for the establishment of a USD 2.75 billion semiconductor facility near Ahmedabad, in Sanand. Addressing the ‘Semicon India 2023’ event, Patel expressed his excitement over this development, emphasizing that the presence of Micron’s manufacturing unit in Gujarat is of great significance. He firmly believes that the state will successfully pave the way…

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised its forecast for India’s economic growth rate in 2023 to 6.1 per cent, which is 0.2 percentage points higher than its previous projection in April. This upward revision is a result of the strong growth seen in India’s economy during the fourth quarter of 2022, driven by increased domestic investment. In contrast, the IMF has maintained its forecast for China’s growth rate at 5.2 per cent for 2023 and 4.5 per cent for 2024. The report attributes China’s underperformance in investment to the ongoing real estate downturn. The IMF’s latest update of the…

Amazon miniTV – Amazon’s free video streaming service, in partnership with Nissan, has officially entered the Guinness World Records with the largest on-ground hip-hop dance activity, on the day of the premiere of its dance reality show ‘Hip Hop India’. A total number of 1864 dancers came together to jointly perform hip-hop dance for over 5 minutes. The grand event was held at Filmcity in Mumbai in the presence of Hip Hop India’s judges Remo D’Souza and Nora Fatehi, alongside Girish Prabhu – Head of Amazon Advertising and Rajesh Srivastava – Head of Marketing, Nissan Motors India who flagged off…

Indian oil marketing companies (OMCs) are projected to achieve a remarkable pre-tax profit of at least US$ 12.19 billion (Rs. 1 lakh crore) during the current fiscal year (FY24), as per a Crisil report. The report indicates that the operating profit for OMCs is expected to rise to US$ 12.19 billion (Rs. 1 lakh crore) this fiscal year, a significant increase compared to the average of US$ 7.31 billion (Rs. 60,000 crore) recorded between fiscal years 2017 and 2022. This surge in profitability is attributed to higher retail prices in the domestic market and the stable, yet relatively low, crude…

Following his trip to China, John Kerry, the United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, is set to embark on a five-day visit to India starting on Tuesday, with a focus on climate and clean energy discussions. During his visit from July 25 to 29, Kerry will be traveling to Delhi and Chennai. In Delhi, he will hold meetings with senior government officials to further common goals on climate and clean energy. The objectives include collaborating on investments in renewable energy and storage solutions, supporting the adoption of zero-emission buses, and expanding clean energy supply chains, as stated by the…

On the day when the opposition’s no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government was accepted by the Lok Sabha speaker, an old video of the Prime Minister’s 2019 remarks in the Lok Sabha resurfaced and went viral. In the video, PM Modi humorously advises the opposition parties to be well-prepared to bring another no-confidence motion in 2023. During his reply in Lok Sabha to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address in February 2019, prior to the general elections, PM Modi had said, “I want to send you my good wishes that you prepare so much that you get…

As of now, India has 40 UNESCO World Heritage List sites and 52 sites on the UNESCO Tentative List. In 2022, six new sites were added to the Tentative List. The inclusion in the Tentative List is a prerequisite for being considered for the World Heritage List. The process of adding sites to the Tentative List is ongoing, but only one property (cultural or natural) can be nominated for inscription annually, following strict criteria for authenticity, integrity, and demonstrating “Outstanding Universal Value.” The six sites from India added to the UNESCO Tentative List in 2022 are: Geoglyphs of Konkan Region…