New Delhi, May 25: India has become the fourth largest economy in the world, overtaking Japan, NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam has said. Subrahmanyam said the overall geopolitical and economic environment is favourable to India. We are the fourth largest economy as I speak. We are a USD 4 trillion economy as I speak, he said. Click Here To Join Daily Excelsior on WhatsApp And Get Latest News Citing IMF data, Subrahmanyam said India today is larger than Japan. Till [] The post India Has Become 4t

AYODHYA, May 25: Indian cricketer Virat Kohli and his wife, actress Anushka Sharma, visited Ayodhya with their family on Sunday, praying at both the Ram Temple and the Hanumangarhi Temple. Hanumangarhi Temple Mahant Sanjay Das confirmed that the celebrity couple came to the temple this morning before proceeding for the Ram Temple. The cricketer and actress avoided interaction with the media. The visit is part of the recent spiritual spree of the couple, which has visited Mathura at least twice [

NEW DELHI, May 24: One case of the newly emerging COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1 and four instances of the LF.7 type have been detected in India, according to INSACOG data. As of May 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies LF.7 and NB.1.8 subvariants as Variants Under Monitoring, not as Variants of Concern or Variants of Interest. But these are the variants that are reportedly driving the rise in Covid cases in China and parts of Asia. According to data [] The post NB.1.8.1, LF.7 varian

New Delhi, May 21: The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, accused of cheating, and wrongly availing OBC and disability quota benefits in the civil services examination. A bench comprising Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma directed Khedkar to cooperate in the probe. What is the grave crime she has committed? She is not a drug lord or a terrorist. She has not committed 302 (murder). She is not an NDPS [] The post Has She Com

New Delhi, May 20: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed all the states and union territories to identify officers in the Department of Women and Child Development at the district and taluka levels and designate them as protection officers. A protection officer is an appointed individual tasked with ensuring the safety and well-being of victims of domestic violence. A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma directed the chief secretaries of the states, UTs and the secretaries

New Delhi, May 18: Noted lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar, who is often targeted for his views on patriotism and religion, says that if there comes a time he has to choose between Pakistan and hell, he would prefer to go to hell. Akhtar, 80, was speaking at Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Rauts book launch on Saturday night in Mumbai. At the event, the lyricist who identifies himself as an atheist said extremists from both India and [] The post If The Choice Is Between Pakistan And Hell, I

Bhubaneswar, May 18: The Odisha Police have started an investigation into the alleged links between a Puri-based YouTuber and Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested on the charge of passing on sensitive information to Pakistani intelligence operatives, an officer said on Sunday. The police found that Malhotra, who runs a YouTube channel, Travel with JO, and hails from Hisar in Haryana, had visited Puri in September 2024 and came in contact with a woman in the coastal town, who is also [] The post Prob

NEW DELHI, May 18: Indias smartphone exports surged nearly fivefold to the US and about fourfold to Japan in the past three years, propelling the segment to surpass petroleum products and diamonds as the countrys top exported goods, according to government data. The smartphone exports rose by 55 per cent to USD 24.14 billion in 2024-25 from USD 15.57 billion in 2023-24 and USD 10.96 billion in 2022-23. In the last fiscal, the top five nations where India registered the [] The post Indias smartph

New Delhi, May 17: The CBSE has directed affiliated schools to establish sugar boards to monitor and reduce sugar intake of children, according to officials. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has noted that there has been a significant increase in Type 2 diabetes among children, a condition once primarily seen in adults, over the past decade. This alarming trend is largely attributed to high sugar intake, often due to the easy availability of sugary snacks, beverages and processed

New Delhi, May 16: Indias ranking on the World Press Freedom Index improved to 151 among the 180 countries surveyed by Reporters Without Borders this year from 159 the previous year. Finland, Estonia and the Netherlands take up the top three positions in the index that sought responses from more than 5,000 persons from across the world to finalise the rankings. We have surveyed 5,000 respondents across the world. It comprises a diverse set including policymakers, journalists and other stakeholde

UNITED NATIONS: (May 16) Indias economic growth forecast for 2025 has been revised downward to 6.3 per cent, and despite a projected moderation, the country remains one of the fastest-growing large economies, supported by resilient consumption and government spending, the United Nations has said. The UN on Thursday launched a report titled The World Economic Situation and Prospects as of mid-2025. India remains one of the fastest growing large economies, driven by strong private consumption and

NEW DELHI, May 14:The Government on Wednesday approved an HCL-Foxconn semiconductor joint venture, which will set up a wafers manufacturing plant at an estimated cost of Rs 3,706 crore at Jewar in Uttar Pradesh. The proposed HCL-Foxconn semiconductor plant will manufacture display driver chips for mobile phones, laptops, automobiles, and other devices, said I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw while briefing the media on the decision taken by the Union Cabinet. The unit will process 20,000 wafers per

NEW DELHI, May 13: India on Tuesday said its long-standing position on Kashmir has been that it is a bilateral issue between New Delhi and Islamabad and there is no change of this stand. The assertion came against the backdrop of US President Donald Trumps renewed offer to mediate on the Kashmir issue. We have a longstanding national position that any issues pertaining to the Indian Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir have to be addressed by India and Pakistan [] The post Kashmir Issue Is Bilat

New Delhi, May 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to the Adampur air base in Punjab on Tuesday morning and interacted with air force personnel, who have been in the thick of action during the recent conflict with Pakistan. India is eternally grateful to its armed forces for everything they do for our nation, he said on X following the visit. Modi said, Earlier this morning, I went to AFS Adampur and met our brave air warriors and soldiers. It [] The post PM Modi Travels To Adampur Air Ba

New Delhi, May 13: Star India batter Virat Kohli and his actor wife Anushka Sharma visited spiritual leader Premanand Govind Sharan Ji Maharaj in Vrindavan on Tuesday, a day after announcing his retirement from Test cricket. A video of the couple seeking blessings from the saint was shared on micro-blogging platform X by the disciples of the revered leader. The clip featured a brief interaction between the couple and the spiritual leader, who asked Kohli if he was happy. Kohli [] The post Kohli

New Delhi, May 11: India on Sunday said it inflicted tremendous losses to the Pakistan military, including downing its fighter jets featuring latest technologies and damaging key military installations close to even capital Islamabad, during the three-day confrontation between the two sides. Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai said 35-40 Pakistani military personnel were killed in the combat and New Delhi achieved its desired objectives and that Pakistan will have to

NEW DELHI, May 11: Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on Sunday with top government functionaries, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, a day after India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop military actions. NSA Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and all three service chiefs were among those who attended the meeting. India had accused Pakistan of violating the terms of the understanding on Satur

New York, May 11: US President Donald Trump on Sunday praised the strong and unwaveringly powerful leadership of India and Pakistan for reaching a ceasefire, saying their legacy is greatly enhanced by their brave actions. India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire along the Line of Control and International Border on Saturday. I am very proud of the strong and unwaveringly powerful leadership of India and Pakistan for having the strength, wisdom, and fortitude to fully know and understand that []

New Delhi, May 10: Every misadventure and future escalation by Pakistan will be responded to with strength and decisive action, Indian military said on Saturday. The remarks came shortly after the two neighbours reached an understanding to stop military actions. While we will be adhering to the understanding reached today, we remain fully prepared to defend Indias sovereignty, Commodore Raghu Nair said. We remain fully operationally ready to launch whatever operations may be required in defence

NEW DELHI, May 9: Indian armed forces responded proportionately and adequately to Pakistans attempts to target Indian installations last night, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Friday. The foreign secretary was addressing a press conference here. Pakistan violated Indian airspace to target our military installations on the intervening night of May 8 and 9, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said. She said Pakistan sent 300-400 drones in 36 locations from Leh to Sir Creek last night to target Ind

NEW DELHI, Apr 26: The Centre is planning a undertake a study to look into ways to maximise the use of the quantum of water from the three rivers that Pakistan had earlier used under the Indus Water Treaty, now that the agreement has been, officials said. The proposal was made at a high-level meeting on Friday chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah that discussed the future course of action on the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, which has been [] The post Centre Plans Study To Look Into Max Use Of Paks

New York, Apr 26: US President Donald Trump on Friday said there has always been tensions between India and Pakistan and the two countries will figure it out between themselves one way or the other. I am very close to India and Im very close to Pakistan, as you know. And theyve had that fight for 1,000 years in Kashmir. Kashmir has been going on for 1,000 years, probably longer than that. And it was a bad one yesterday, though, [] The post There Has Always Been Tension Between India, Pak; Theyll

New Delhi, Apr 21: As it is, we are alleged of encroaching upon the parliamentary and executive functions, Supreme Courts judge B R Gavai said on Monday in an apparent reference to recent attacks on the judiciary. Justice Gavais comment came while the apex court bench, also comprising Justice Augustine George Masih, was considering a fresh plea seeking an inquiry into the recent violence in West Bengal during anti-Waqf law protests. Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, who had filed a PIL [] The post W

NEW DELHI, Apr 20: Foreign investors have infused nearly Rs 8,500 crore in the countrys equity markets last week, after a phase of heavy outflows earlier in the month, supported by renewed investor confidence, resilient domestic economy and relative insulation from global trade disruptions. During the holiday-truncated week ended April 18, Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) made a net investment of Rs 8,472 crore in equities. This includes withdrawal of Rs 2,352 crore on April 15, but investmen

New Delhi, Apr 19: Amid the ongoing tariff war, Reserve Bank Governor Sanjay Malhotra has said that the central bank will continuously monitor the rapidly evolving global situation and remain agile and proactive in its policy actions. Observing that the Indian economy and the financial markets have demonstrated remarkable resilience, Malhotra cautioned that they are not immune to the vagaries of an uncertain and volatile global environment. In view of the rapidly evolving situation, especially o

NEW DELHI, Apr 19:The terms of references (ToRs) finalized by India and the US for the proposed bilateral trade agreement include around 19 chapters covering issues such as goods, services, and customs facilitation, official sources said. To give further impetus to the talks, an Indian official team is visiting Washington next week to iron out differences on certain issues before formally launching negotiations for the proposed India-US bilateral trade agreement (BTA). Indias chief negotiator,

NEW DELHI, Apr 15: Major Asia Pacific economies like India, China, and Japan, will see growth fall by 0.2-0.4 percentage points (ppts) over the next two years if the US implements the reciprocal tariffs announced on April 2, S&P Global Ratings said on Tuesday. It said that the threat and imposition of tariffs by the US will slow global trade and confidence. The regions dependency on exports with China and the US will have an outsized hit on manufacturers [] The post India, other Asia-Pacific na

SRINAGAR, Apr 6: Minister for Forest, Ecology & Environment, Javed Ahmed Rana today called for a unified approach for upscaling conservation and management of forest resources, with special focus on wildlife conservation and eco-tourism development. He made these observations while chairing a review meeting of the forest department here today. Considering the need to upscale the conservation efforts, the Minister called for a coordinated strategy from all stakeholders involved in forest manageme

MUMBAI, Apr 5: Family and close friends from the Hindi movie industry, including Ashoke Pandit, Prem Chopra and others, paid their final respects to late actor Manoj Kumar at his residence here on Saturday. The veteran actor-filmmaker died on Friday due to age-related issues at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital. He was 87. A photo of a young Kumar was placed at the entrance of his building premises for everyone to offer their last respects. An ambulance carrying mortal remains of [] The post F

NEW DELHI, Feb 6: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Congress in the Rajya Sabha accusing it of adopting a policy of family first and appeasement, and said the BJP government only believed in the policy of nation first and sabka saath, sabka vikas. Replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the Presidents address, he criticised the Congress for having hatred and anger towards B R Ambedkar and said this was [] The post PM Modi Attacks Cong For Family