While geopolitical tensions in West Asia once again threaten to disrupt global fuel supply chain, Indian Railways has achieved a milestone with 99.4 per cent of its broad gauge network electrified as of January 2026, according to a note by “Riding Sunbeams”, a UK-based organisation that works towards electrification of railways.

“Electrification of Indian Railways has led to cuts in diesel consumption by 178 crore litres in 2024-25, achieving a 62 per cent reduction since 2016-17,” the note said, also pointing out that India relies on the Strait of Hormuz for nearly 40 per cent of its crude oil imports and over 20 per cent of its LNG supply.

The note said India is at the forefront of rail electrification worldwide and far ahead of major rail economies including China and the United Kingdom in terms of network electrification share. “Very few countries have achieved fully electrified railways, and Indian Railways’ network is thirteen times the size of the next largest, in Switzerland,” it added.

Riding Sunbeams, which has been monitoring Indian Railways’ progress in this area for the last four years, noted that at a time when India imports over 85 per cent of its crude oil requirements and remains exposed to volatility in global supply routes, including the Strait of Hormuz, this achievement significantly strengthens national energy resilience.

“Every sustained rise in global crude prices increases the country’s annual import bill, placing pressure on inflation, public finances and household costs. By shifting the backbone of its rail mobility from diesel to electricity, India has reduced this exposure while advancing its climate commitments. Electrification has already led to a huge reduction in India’s diesel consumption compared to the mid-2010s baseline, lowering operating costs and insulating rail operations from fossil fuel price shocks,” the organisation said.

Electric traction, where trains draw power from overhead electricity lines rather than diesel engines, is approximately 70 per cent more economical than diesel traction. The shift, from diesel to electricity, delivers long term savings to the public exchequer while maintaining some of the world’s most affordable passenger fares, Riding Sunbeams noted.

With more than 26 million passengers travelling daily, Indian Railways remains a vital instrument of inclusive mobility and economic productivity. in March 2023, the railways set a target of becoming a net zero carbon emitter by 2030.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

First digital census since 2011 will allow online self enumeration in 16 languages and include caste data with house listing phase running from April to September.

Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday launched a set of digital platforms and unveiled two mascots for the country’s first digital census, scheduled to begin on April 1 after a delay of almost six years.

Population censuses are supposed to take place every 10 years, but there has been none since 2011.

The population count, which will include a caste enumeration for the first time, will be conducted in two phases, the first between April 1 and September 30, 2026, and the second in February 2027.

During the first phase, data on housing conditions and household amenities will be collected while the second phase will record demographic, social and economic particulars of every person in the country. For the first time, citizens will be able to self-enumerate online in 16 languages before enumerators begin door-to-door surveys.

The mascots Pragati and Vikas represent female and male enumerators and symbolise the equal participation of women and men in fulfilling the resolve to make India a developed nation by 2047, the home ministry said in a statement.

The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing has developed advanced digital platforms to facilitate enumeration operations across the country.

The newly launched digital systems include:

 Houselisting Block Creator (HLBC) web application: A web application which enables officers to digitally create houselisting blocks using satellite imagery, ensuring standardised geographic coverage across the country

 HLO Mobile Application: A secure offline mobile application for enumerators to collect and upload houselisting data. Only enumerators registered on the CMMS portal can access the application. The app enables direct field-to-server data transmission, eliminating traditional paperwork. All houselisting data will be collected through this app, which can only be operated using registered mobile numbers. The application can be operated in 16 regional languages

 Self-Enumeration (SE) portal: The SE portal is a secure web-based facility that allows eligible respondents within a household to submit their household information online prior to field operations. Upon successful submission, a unique self-enumeration ID will be generated. This ID will be shared with the enumerator, based on which further verification will be carried out

 Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) portal: A centralised, web-based digital platform designed to plan, manage, execute and monitor all census-related activities across administrative levels. Officers at sub-district, district and state levels can track enumeration progress, field performance and operational readiness in real-time through an integrated dashboard.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

The state contributes about 14% to India’s nominal GDP, the highest among all states, followed by Tamil Nadu (9.4%) and Uttar Pradesh (9%).

Maharashtra continues to be India’s largest state economy, with its nominal Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) estimated at Rs 46.22 lakh crore in 2024-25. The state’s economy is expected to grow to Rs 51 lakh crore in 2025-26, according to the Economic Survey 2025-26 presented in the state assembly on Thursday.

The survey estimates Maharashtra’s per capita income at Rs 3,17,801 for 2024-25, which is expected to rise to Rs 3,47,903 next year, reflecting steady growth. The state contributes about 14% to India’s nominal GDP, the highest among all states, followed by Tamil Nadu (9.4%) and Uttar Pradesh (9%).

Among the top ten state economies, Tamil Nadu has a GSDP of Rs 31.18 lakh crore, Uttar Pradesh Rs 29.78 lakh crore, Karnataka Rs 28.83 lakh crore, and Gujarat Rs 27.03 lakh crore. Other leading states include West Bengal, Rajasthan, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.

Maharashtra’s strong performance is driven mainly by the services and industrial sectors. Its outstanding debt is estimated at 18.3% of GSDP in 2025-26, a manageable level that keeps public finances stable under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) framework.

For 2025-26, the state’s total receipts are projected at Rs 6,99,569 crore and total expenditure at Rs 7,00,020 crore, resulting in a small budgetary deficit of Rs 451 crore. Revenue receipts are estimated at Rs 5,60,964 crore, with revenue expenditure at Rs 6,06,855 crore, leading to a revenue deficit of 0.9% of GSDP.

Tax revenue remains the largest source of the state’s income, with SGST contributing the most. The government plans to increase capital spending on infrastructure and development projects to support long-term growth.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

New Delhi and Ottawa have also inked a landmark deal on uranium and decided to establish a defence dialogue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian PM Mark Carney said.

India and Canada will work together on small modular reactors, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday as the external affairs ministry said the two countries have agreed to terms of reference on a comprehensive economic partnership.

New Delhi and Ottawa have also inked a landmark deal on uranium and decided to establish a defence dialogue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during press statements with Canadian PM Mark Carney, who is on his first official visit to India.

Carney said the India-Canada uranium deal would be worth $2.6 billion.

The two countries aim to increase bilateral trade to $50 billion by 2030, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Carney said.

Carney said the aim was to conclude the India-Canada comprehensive economic partnership pact by end-2026.

The announcements mark a reset in bilateral relations that had nosedived with the killing of a Khalistani activist in Canada in 2023 that Ottawa had blamed New Delhi for.

Prime Minister Carney’s visit marks the most consequential step to rebuild ties after the diplomatic rupture then.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

 The National Legal Services Authority has launched a nationwide reel and short film competition aimed at strengthening legal awareness and access to justice across the country.

The youth-centric initiative titled ‘Frames of Justice’, NALSA Youth Reel and Short Film Competition, 2026, was launched on February 13, to mark the National Women’s Day and the birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu, under the leadership of Supreme Court judge and NALSA Executive Chairman Vikram Nath.

The competition has been conceived as a contemporary legal awareness programme as part of NALSA’s statutory mandate to promote legal literacy and ensure access to justice, particularly for weaker and marginalised sections of society.

The initiative also underscored the need to strengthen public awareness regarding legal aid mechanisms and institutional support systems.

It further reflects the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice advocating innovative, mass-oriented and digital outreach strategies.

Recognising the growing influence of short-form digital storytelling, NALSA said the competition seeks to harness the creativity and digital fluency of law students to generate regionally contextualised and rights-based awareness content on its schemes and broader access-to-justice issues.

The competition is open to undergraduate and postgraduate law students across India and participants may submit one entry either as a reel or vertical video of up to 90 seconds or a short film or an explainer video of up to three minutes.

Entries must be routed through an institutional submission mechanism, from law colleges to District Legal Services Authorities , then to State Legal Services Authorities , and finally to NALSA. Submissions not adhering to this prescribed hierarchy will be disqualified.

NALSA has stipulated that entries in regional languages must carry closed captions or subtitles in English or Hindi. A three-tier evaluation mechanism has been put in place to ensure fairness, quality and national representation.

Zone-wise winners and runner-ups in each category will receive prizes and certificates of recognition, NALSA informed in a press statement issued on Sunday.

The winners will be felicitated by dignitaries at a formal event to be organised by NALSA. Selected entries may also be disseminated through official digital platforms of NALSA and other legal services institutions to further legal awareness outreach.

The competition will accept submissions between February and April 2026, followed by national-level evaluation. The date for the felicitation ceremony will be announced separately.

Through “Frames of Justice”, NALSA said it aims to strengthen access to justice through youth-led, technology-enabled initiatives while deepening engagement with the next generation of legal professionals.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

Japan will support connectivity linking Northeast India to the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. Northeast India is located in a pivotal geopolitical position as a gateway to Southeast Asia, says Horii Iwao.

Japan will support connectivity plans linking Northeast India to the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean region, said Deputy Foreign Minister of Japan Horii Iwao on Friday (February 27, 2026).

Speaking at a foreign policy conclave in Meghalaya’s capital, Shillong, the visiting dignitary said the Northeastern States can serve as a “powerful engine of growth” when harmonised with a grid that includes Southeast Asia, Bangladesh and Nepal.  

“Japan will support connectivity linking Northeast India to the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. Northeast India is located in a pivotal geopolitical position as a gateway to Southeast Asia,” said Horii Iwao, who spoke at the Sixth India-Japan Intellectual Conclave organised by Asian Confluence, a Shillong-based foreign policy think tank. The visiting dignitary further said that Japan remains “firmly committed to the development of Northeast India”.

“When we view this region as part of a broader economic region encompassing Nepal, Bhutan, India, Bangladesh and Southeast Asia, it possesses significant potential to serve as a powerful engine of growth,” he further said.

Apart from enhancing connectivity between northeast India and nearby areas, Horii Iwao said Tokyo under the new government led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is also committed to enhance people-to-people ties between Japan and northeast India as well as ensure private-sector cooperation in the areas of economic security, semiconductors and clean energy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Japan on August 29-30, 2025, and he also met the new and Japan’s first female Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in November on the sidelines of the G20 summit in South Africa. Subsequently, External Affairs Jaishankar hosted his Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi at the Hyderabad House on January 16.

Horii Iwao said, as part of its Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) policy, Japan will work on an “Industrial Value Chain” that will connect the Bay of Bengal to the Northeast saying Japan “will connect Northeast India to the sea and promote development of the region as a whole”.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

Many academics wondered whether students from the Vedic education system, whose learning is focused on memorising ancient scriptures and texts, would be able to cope with the rigours of engineering courses.

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) wants all its approved colleges to treat students from the Vedic education system on a par with their peers from regular school boards for admission to engineering courses.

Many academics wondered whether students from the Vedic education system, whose learning is focused on memorising ancient scriptures and texts, would be able to cope with the rigours of engineering courses. The academics also feared a dilution in the overall standard of technical education because of what they believed was a tendency among private engineering colleges to
pass as many students as possible.

Technical education regulator AICTE has written to the vice-chancellors of technical universities, state governments and the heads of nearly 9,000 approved institutions.

The AICTE has asked to treat the Veda Bhushan and Veda Vibhushan certificates of the Maharshi Sandipani Rashtriya Veda Sanskrit Shiksha Board (MSRVSSB) as the equivalent of the Class X and Class XII pass certificates, respectively, of conventional boards.

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) wants all its approved colleges to treat students from the Vedic education system on a par with their peers from regular school boards for admission to engineering courses.

Many academics wondered whether students from the Vedic education system, whose learning is focused on memorising ancient scriptures and texts, would be able to cope with the rigours of engineering courses. The academics also feared a dilution in the overall standard of technical education because of what they believed was a tendency among private engineering colleges to
pass as many students as possible.

Technical education regulator AICTE has written to the vice-chancellors of technical universities, state governments and the heads of nearly 9,000 approved institutions.

The AICTE has asked to treat the Veda Bhushan and Veda Vibhushan certificates of the Maharshi Sandipani Rashtriya Veda Sanskrit Shiksha Board (MSRVSSB) as the equivalent of the Class X and Class XII pass certificates, respectively, of conventional boards.

Students of the MSRVSSB, started by the Maharshi Sandipani Rashtriya Ved Vidya Pratisthan, were so far not eligible to study engineering.

The syllabi for Veda Bhushan and Veda Vibhushan are loaded with content from the Vedas while integrating some elements of English, mathematics, science, social science and computer.

The eligibility criteria prescribed by the AICTE for admission to BTech courses include clearing Class XII with science subjects like physics, chemistry and mathematics.

The directive issued by AICTE adviser N.H. Siddalinga Swamy on January 28 says: “Higher Educational Institutions are advised to ensure that students who successfully pass examinations conducted by the MSRVSSB and meet the eligibility criteria are considered at par with students of other recognised boards for the purpose of admission to higher education programmes.”

The letter said the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), empowered by the government till last year to grant equivalence to various boards and varsities, had recognised Grade 10and Grade 12 qualifications under the MSRVSSB as equivalent to those of the regular boards.

“In view of the above, the Ministry of Education, Government of India, recognises the Maharshi Sandipani Rashtriya Veda Sanskrit Shiksha Board (MSRVSSB) as a Regular School Board. Accordingly, the Certificates awarded by the MSRVSSB are equivalent to certificates issued by other Central/ State School Boards of India for the purpose of admission in higher education institutions and employment in Central/ State Government organisations/ bodies,” the letter said.

According to the website of the MSRVSSB, Vedic education is distinctly different from the conventional education system.

“In modern system, the emphasis is on conceptual clarity and understanding and memorisation is viewed negatively; whereas in Vedic education, complete memorisation and knowing the meaning is celebrated with excellence in merit. Vedic education primarily involves memorisation of the entire Samhita of a particular Veda Shakha, its recitation and perfect intonation of each Swara. It’s called Vedic oral tradition, Veda recitation, wherein direct face-to-face learning is emphasised, with hours of continuous practice,” the website says.

Prof. Onkar Singh, former VC of Uttarakhand Technical University, said students with inadequate knowledge of science subjects would find it difficult to cope with engineering studies. “They will face several challenges in conceptual understanding. The medium of instruction will be an issue, too,” he said.

Singh also feared a dilution in standards. “The syllabi of middle and secondary classes in school boards aim to maintain a particular standard. But the Vedic school boards are focused on Vedic education. The AICTE should have examined the syllabus, delivery of course content and the learning outcome of children from the Vedic boards before issuing orders to consider these pupils on a par with the students of other boards for admission to engineering colleges,” he said.

He said colleges would start admitting students from the Vedic stream of education now as many seats remained vacant.

“Nearly 30 to 40 per cent of seats remain vacant in engineering colleges every year. Many engineering colleges will admit these Vedic board students. As the examination system is also compromised in many colleges, these students will complete the courses. Quite likely, a few of them will become facultymembers and institutional leaders. Prima facie, it is a huge compromise with the standard of eligibility for engineering and technical education,” Singh said.

A government official said the AICTE had issued similar instructions to its approved colleges earlier, too, but the response had been cold.

“The letter has been sent again to popularise the Vedic boards,” the official said.

The Telegraph sent an email to AICTE chairman Yogesh Singh asking about the criticism of the decision. His response is awaited.

sourcs/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)