West Bengal pending central dues alleged to be withheld, claimed as violation of federal structure; MPs staged a parliamentary walkout.
Members staged a parliamentary walkout alleging the Centre has withheld about Rs 2 lakh crore in central transfers, including MGNREGA, Awas Yojana and PMAY funds, and arguing this withholding is a violation of the federal structure and Centre-state relations tied to alleged political discrimination and omission of the state from the Union Budget.

Gen Z concert travel is rising but venue and infrastructure gaps push demand overseas; policy intervention urged.
Concert-led travel among India's Gen Z is rising (c.62% plan music-led trips), but limited venue capacity, surge pricing, and transport and accommodation bottlenecks are causing 'outbound arbitrage' to overseas destinations; the study highlights substantial spillover revenue from extended stays and calls for urgent policy and infrastructure interventions to retain economic value domestically.

One crore jobs pledged in Bihar by 2030, paired with women's grants, increased police strength, and service expansion.
The state government commits to creating one crore jobs by 2030, having provided jobs to 50 lakh youths to date. It prioritises rule of law and communal harmony while increasing police strength to 1.21 lakh personnel and 10,380 police stations. Women's economic empowerment is advanced through 1.40 crore Jeevika self help group members and the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana, which allocated Rs 10,000 crore for women entrepreneurs with up to Rs two lakh available for effective recipients, alongside measures to raise farmers' incomes and expand health and education infrastructure.

Star Air received an award for regional/UDAN connectivity, citing fleet growth and expansion of regional routes.
Star Air was conferred the 'Best Airline - Regional/UDAN Connectivity' award in recognition of its role in strengthening regional air connectivity under the UDAN initiative. The airline reports six years of uninterrupted service, nearly 3 million passengers, a schedule expanding from 455 to 550 weekly flights, and plans to grow its Embraer fleet while expanding beyond UDAN routes into select commercial city pairs.

Hettich India named among Top 50 manufacturing workplaces for its employee-centric HR practices and development programs.
Hettich India was recognised among the Top 50 India's Best Workplaces in Manufacturing (Large Category) after assessment of employee feedback, HR systems, leadership effectiveness, and organisational practices, reflecting transparent policies, an inclusive culture, and sustained focus on employee development, recognition, engagement, innovation, and well-being implemented through structured programs and platforms.

Patient safety as a leadership priority: equity, implementation, and AI-enabled clinical decision support to reduce harm.
Patient safety was positioned as a leadership and governance priority requiring shared organisational accountability, equity-driven design, implementation efficiency and disciplined digital transformation. Delegates urged prevention-focused care, measurable outcomes, systems thinking to avoid ineffective safety activity, and clinician-led culture change. A practical collaboration-an MoU between Apollo Hospitals and Roche Diagnostics India-was announced to integrate AI into clinical decision-making to improve consistency, earlier risk identification and safer, standardised care.

Osstem Implant expands digital dental solutions in India with market leading implants, exclusive scanner distribution and clinical training.
Osstem Implant claims a 35% market share in India and attributes growth to the TSIII SA implant's design and surface treatment, expansion of premium lines ('CA' and 'NH_HA'), exclusive distribution of the Medit i900 Mobility intraoral scanner and integration of OneGuide/OneCAS digital surgical kits, plus promotion of its T2 Plus CBCT and extensive clinical education programs.

Gstar solar modules cleared regulatory certification to permit legal import, sale and deployment under compulsory registration.
Gstar certified its 183N and 210RN PV module series under India's updated national PV standard, affirming compliance with the technical and quality-management requirements required for legal import, sale, and deployment under the Compulsory Registration Scheme. The certification establishes market access and procurement eligibility while reflecting demonstrated testing, audits, and production consistency at an automated overseas manufacturing facility.

Maybelline names Kiara Advani as India brand ambassador and launches Serum Lipstick with hyaluronic acid and nourishing oils.
Maybelline New York appointed Kiara Advani as its India brand ambassador to promote a positioning of self-expression and inclusivity, and launched the Maybelline Serum Lipstick-a hyaluronic acid and oil blend formula offered in thirteen Satin and Matte shades designed to combine high-performance color with sustained hydration and plumping benefits.

Declaration of Consciousness Movement advocates conscious leadership and nominates Prime Minister for Nobel Peace Prize consideration.
The Declaration of Consciousness Movement advocates recognition of leadership rooted in consciousness and has promoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Nobel Peace Prize consideration, presenting peace as an ongoing, awareness-led process. DOCM outlines nine impact areas-humanitarian outreach, diplomacy and restraint, environmental leadership, economic development, women's empowerment, digital governance, cultural diplomacy, innovation, and democratic legitimacy-reports broad public participation, and proposes August 8 as World Consciousness Day while inviting public engagement via signdc.org.

India manufacturing PMI rose to 55.4 in January, driven by new orders, but business confidence fell sharply.
The HSBC India Manufacturing PMI rose to 55.4 in January, signalling expansion driven by faster new order growth that supported higher output and slight employment increases. Domestic demand led sales while export growth remained weaker. Input costs rose moderately, but output price inflation eased to a 22 month low as firms cited efficiency gains and competitive pressures. Despite these operating improvements, business confidence dropped to a three and a half year low, with only 15% forecasting output growth for the year. The PMI is compiled by S&P Global from about 400 manufacturers.

Union Budget promotes high-speed rail corridors and funds City Economic Regions with Rs 5,000 crore per CER over five years.
The Budget proposes seven high-speed rail corridors to improve regional connectivity and advances City Economic Regions policy targeting Tier-II and Tier-III cities, with mapping by growth drivers and an allocation of Rs 5,000 crore per CER over five years to be implemented through challenge mode using reform-cum-results-based financing to promote decentralised development and economic productivity.

High-speed rail corridor project launches local office, starts public consultations, fieldwork and surveys planned soon.
An operational office for the proposed high-speed rail corridor has been opened to initiate public meetings and phased staff appointments; fieldwork will begin in April to determine alignment and station locations for a 22 station route with a 200 kmph design speed, surveys to follow after building public trust, and a Detailed Project Report to be prepared for implementation by the national railway authority with subsequent state consultation.

CREX app posts highest MAU growth in India sports category and ranks fourth globally with 15-20 million monthly users.
CREX recorded the highest MAU growth in India's sports category and ranked fourth globally for MAU growth in Sensor Tower's State of Mobile 2026 report. The platform reports over 100 million downloads, 15-20 million monthly active users, sustained high ratings, platform recognition, and brand ambassadors, with real-time cricket updates and a statistical engine cited as core drivers of user engagement and retention.

MGNREGA replacement centralises control, shifts costs to states, and undermines the rights based employment guarantee for rural households.
MGNREGA was a rights-based, demand-driven rural employment guarantee that provided extensive work-days, created community assets, empowered gram panchayats, used direct benefit transfers and social audits, and required limited state cost-sharing. The 2025 Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act replaces that model with a more centralised, budget-driven scheme that notifies work in selected districts, suspends provision for two months annually, shifts up to 40% of costs to states, sidelines panchayats, and alters funding and implementation structures, which critics say dilutes the statutory entitlement to work.

Union Budget measures: long-term tax incentives for data centres and a hike in securities transaction tax sparked market volatility.
The Budget 2026-27 advances long-term growth through fiscal consolidation, infrastructure and manufacturing support, and long-term tax incentives for global data centres; it also raised the securities transaction tax on equity derivatives, provoking immediate market volatility and notable foreign institutional investor outflows.

Federal Reserve nomination and interest-rate policy jitters weigh on Asian markets and oil prices globally.
The nomination to lead the Federal Reserve requires Senate approval and affects interest-rate decisions, central-bank independence, and market expectations; stronger-than-expected wholesale inflation increases pressure to maintain higher rates, prompting declines in equities, oil, and precious metals as investors reassess the outlook and the policy transmission to currencies and asset prices.

World Bank President visits gurdwara and Buddhist site; pledges support for cultural heritage preservation and tourism.
World Bank President Ajay Banga visited a Sikh gurdwara and the Jaulian Buddhist archaeological site in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where provincial and federal officials briefed him on economic affairs and site management. He praised conservation efforts and assured support for cultural heritage preservation. Officials framed the gurdwara visit as reinforcing religious freedom and described ongoing renovation and promotional steps to advance religious tourism and related economic objectives.

Congress CLP to raise flood relief, workers' protections, unemployment, inflation and restoration of statehood in the JK Assembly.
The Congress Legislature Party set the CLP agenda for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Budget Session, prioritising relief and rehabilitation for flood victims; statutory and non statutory protections for daily wagers and temporary workers (need based, casual, contractual); measures to tackle large scale unemployment and rising inflation; and pressing for restoration of statehood, alongside advocacy for development and welfare demands relating to water supply, electricity, connectivity, healthcare and education.

Tourism: Government to develop 15 archaeological sites and create a National Destination Digital Knowledge Grid for heritage documentation.
The Budget mandates development of 15 archaeological sites into vibrant experiential cultural destinations and establishes a National Destination Digital Knowledge Grid to digitally document cultural, spiritual and heritage places, creating jobs for local researchers, historians, content creators and technology partners. It proposes upgrading the National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology into a National Institute of Hospitality, develops ecologically sustainable mountain, nature, turtle and bird-watching trails, pilots a 12-week guide upskilling programme for 10,000 guides, and links tourism growth with regional medical hubs, e-buses and the East Coast Industrial Corridor.