SOURCE: ANI

During an extensive podcast with American research scientist Lex Fridman, that touched upon geopolitics and current international issues of importance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about advocating for the role of peace in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

In his podcast with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the guest, Lex Fridman asked PM Modi his approach towards the process of peacemaking. Lex Fridman said, “You have spoken about, you have the experience, you have the skill, you have the geopolitical leverage to be the biggest peacemaker in the world today,..Can you maybe explain how you approach the process of making peace, helping make peace between two warring nations, for example, Russia and Ukraine?”

SOURCE: PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the discourse around the 2002 post-Godhra riots in Gujarat was an attempt to create a false narrative and his political opponents in power at the Centre wanted him to be punished but the courts cleared his name.

In a podcast with Lex Fridman, Modi said the perception that the 2002 riots were the biggest riots ever in Gujarat was an attempt to push misinformation. “If you review the data from before 2002, you will see that Gujarat faced frequent riots. Curfews were constantly being imposed somewhere. Communal violence would erupt over trivial issues such as kite flying contests or even bicycle collisions,” Modi said.

SOURCE: PTI

Over 200 investors from outside Jammu and Kashmir have been provided land in the industrial estates to set up their business units in Jammu and Kashmir in the past decade, official data said.

The process of land acquisition by outside investors, mostly from Delhi, Haryana and Punjab, marked manifold increase after the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories in August 2019.

SOURCE: ANI

Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani on Sunday visited the Navi Mumbai airport site, which is almost ready for the operations.

“Visited the Navi Mumbai International Airport site today–a world-class airport taking shape. Set for inauguration this June, it will redefine connectivity and growth. A true gift to India!” Gautam Adani wrote on Instagram, sharing visuals from his visit to the airport.

SOURCE: PTI

The Punjab Police will bring back seven associates of jailed MP and radical preacher Amritpal Singh from Assam’s Dibrugarh jail as the state government has decided not to extend their detention under the stringent National Security Act, said a senior police officer on Sunday.

The seven associates will face the law in the 2023 Ajnala police station attack incident, the officer said. The detention period of these seven persons is going to expire and the state government has decided not to extend their detention under the NSA, he said.

SOURCE: IANS

Abu Qatal, a key Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative and one of the most wanted terrorists involved in the 2023 Rajouri attack and the 2024 Reasi bus attack, has been killed in Pakistan under mysterious circumstances, according to media reports.

Also known as Faisal Nadeem, Qatal was reportedly shot dead by unidentified attackers late on Saturday night, 15 March. Qatal had been a high-priority target for Indian security agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Indian Army, due to his role in orchestrating several deadly attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.

SOURCE: IANS

The nation and Armed forces paid heartfelt tributes to General Bipin Rawat, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), on the 67th birth anniversary and also remembered his unwavering service in strengthening the country’s defence capabilties.

March 16, 2025 marked the 67th birth anniversary of the courageous and visionary leader, who was born in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand in 1958 and went to become first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Indian Armed Forces. He was appointed as country’s first CDS on January 1, 2020.

SOURCE: PTI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said the Congress made fun when the BJP-led government signed the Bodo accord, but it brought peace and development in the region.

Addressing the 57th annual conference of the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) in Assam’s Kokrajhar, Shah said the Centre gave Rs 1,500 crore for the development of Bodoland, which has a population of 35 lakh.He said 82 per cent of clauses of the Bodo accord has been implemented and the remaining will be done in the next two years.

SOURCE: PTI

Anyone found using a forged passport or visa for entering, staying or exiting India will be punished with a jail term of up to seven years and a fine of Rs 10 lakh if the new immigration bill is approved by Parliament.

The legislation, piloted by the Union Home Ministry, also provides for mandatory reporting of information about foreigners by hotels, universities, other educational institutes, hospitals and nursing homes to enable tracking of overstaying foreigners.

SOURCE: ANI

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visited the Hyperloop testing facility at IIT Madras on Saturday and said that the Hyperloop tube, being developed with the help of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, will soon be the world’s longest tube, measuring 410 meters in length.

The 410-meter-long Hyperloop test tube located at IIT Chennai is already the longest Hyperloop test facility in Asia. Hyperloop is a high-speed train that runs in a vacuum in a tube.

SOURCE: IANS

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is scheduled to arrive in India on Sunday, marking his first official visit since assuming office. The five-day visit, which will run until March 20, has been organised at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Luxon’s visit aims to strengthen the long-standing relationship between India and New Zealand, reaffirming the two nations’ shared commitment to expanding their bilateral ties across various sectors.

Prime Minister Luxon will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including senior officials, ministers, business leaders, media representatives, and members of the Indian diaspora in New Zealand.

SOURCE: PIB

INS Imphal completed her port visit to Mauritius and left Port Louis on 14 Mar 25. The ship was at Mauritius to participate in the 57th Mauritius National Day celebrations, representing India with a marching contingent, the Indian Navy band and flypast by two MH 60R helicopters. Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister was the Chief Guest at the spectacular parade. 

During the port visit, the ship also held several professional interactions, cultural engagements, sports fixtures and community outreach activities to further strengthen the robust bonds between the two countries.

SOURCE: ISRO

Secretary, DOS/Chairman, ISRO flagged off the Cryogenic Upper Stage (C25) of ISRO’s LVM3 launch vehicle on March 15, 2025, from the ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC), Mahendragiri, to the launch complex at Sriharikota. The Directors of ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC), Liquid Propulsion System Centre (LPSC), and Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC SHAR) also participated in the flag off ceremony.

This stage has been integrated at ISRO Propulsion complex, Mahendragiri and is earmarked for the fifth operational mission of LVM3 (LVM3-M5) under a commercial agreement between NSIL and AST & Science, LLC to launch their BlueBird Block 2 satellite.

SOURCE: IANS

The Indian government proposes to build 18 more nuclear power reactors with a cumulative capacity of generating 13,800 MW of electricity and five sites have already been given in-principle approval, as per official documents.

The installed capacity of nuclear power plants in Tamil Nadu comprises of MAPS-1&2 (2X220 MW) at Kalpakkam and KKNPP-1&2 (2X1,000 MW) at Kudankulam. Together, the installed nuclear power capacity is 2,440 MW, which is around 30 per cent of the country’s total installed capacity of 8,180 MW. At present, nuclear power reactors are located at 24 sites, including those in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

SOURCE: ISRO

On March 5, 2025, the first production lots of the 32-bit microprocessors developed for space applications, VIKRAM3201 & KALPANA3201, were handed over to Dr. V. Narayanan, Secretary, DOS /Chairman, ISRO by Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, in a function organised at New Delhi by the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), Chandigarh.

These microprocessors were designed & developed by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre of ISRO in collaboration with SCL, Chandigarh. Dr. Unnikrishnan Nair, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, also participated in the function along with the design teams. Dr. Kamaljeet Singh, Director-General of SCL/MeitY and his team provided a brief overview of the activities undertaken for the realization, packaging & qualification of these processors for launch vehicle applications.