The Governments of India and France have signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for the procurement of 26 Rafale Aircraft (22 Single-Seater and four Twin-Seater) for the Indian Navy. It includes Training, Simulator, Associated Equipment, Weapons and Performance-Based Logistics. It also includes additional equipment for the existing Rafale fleet of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
The IGA has been signed by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and Minister of Armed Forces of France Mr Sebastien Lecornu. The signed copies of the agreement, aircraft package supply protocol and weapons package supply protocol were exchanged by Indian and French officials in the presence of Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh at Nausena Bhawan, New Delhi on April 28, 2025.
In line with the Government’s thrust on Aatmanirbhar Bharat, the agreement includes Transfer of Technology for integration of indigenous weapons in India. It also includes setting up of production facility for Rafale Fuselage as well as Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facilities for aircraft engine, sensors and weapons in India. The deal is expected to generate thousands of jobs and revenue for a large number of MSMEs in setting up, production and running of these facilities.
Manufactured by France’s Dassault Aviation, the Rafale-Marine is a carrier-borne combat-ready aircraft with proven operational capabilities in maritime environment. The delivery of these aircraft would be completed by 2030, with the crew undergoing training in France and India.
Rafale-Marine has commonality with the Rafale being operated by IAF. Its procurement will substantially enhance joint operational capability, besides optimising training and logistics for the aircraft for both Indian Navy and IAF. The induction would lead to the addition of a potent force multiplier to the Indian Navy’s aircraft carriers, substantially boosting the nation’s air power at sea.
India and Bhutan hold 6th Joint Group of Customs (JGC) Meeting in Thimphu, Bhutan, on 24th-25th April 2025 India and Bhutan reaffirm shared commitment to strengthen Customs cooperation, enhancing trade facilitation, and ensuring secure and efficient border management
Posted On: 28 APR 2025 5:13PM by PIB Delhi
The 6th Joint Group of Customs (JGC) Meeting between India and Bhutan was held on 24th-25th April 2025 in Thimphu, Bhutan. The meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Surjit Bhujabal, Special Secretary and Member (Customs), Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), Government of India, and Mr. Sonam Jamtsho, Director General, Department of Revenue and Customs, Ministry of Finance, Royal Government of Bhutan.
India is Bhutan’s top trade partner both as an import source and as an export destination accounting for about 80% of Bhutan’s overall trade. Trade with Bhutan through the land Customs Stations is significant as Bhutan is a land-locked country. The India-Bhutan Joint Group of Customs meetings are held annually to discuss issues relating to re-defining and re-engineering of Customs procedures, promote Customs cooperation and Cross-border trade facilitation with alignment to global best practices. There are 10 Land Customs Stations along the India-Bhutan Border in the States of West Bengal (6) and Assam (4).
The 6th JGC meeting discussed a host of bilateral issues for enhancing trade and transit between the two countries. The automation and digitisation of transit processes, Coordinated Border Management (CBM), pre-arrival exchange of Customs data, Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement (CMAA) and movement of transit cargo under Electronic Cargo Tracking System (ECTS) were discussed, among others. The meeting concluded on an optimistic note.
Bhutanese side extended their sincere thanks to CBIC for their continued support, especially recognising the capacity-building workshop titled ‘Advancing India Bhutan Trade and Economic Partnership’, held from 29th July to 1st August, 2024, which played a vital role in easing export processes and addressing trade-related concerns. India proposed extending capacity building programmes in the areas of Risk Management System (RMS), Authorised Economic Operator (AEO), Food Safety Standards besides need-based capacity building for importers and exporters from the Bhutanese side.
Both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening Customs cooperation, enhancing trade facilitation, and ensuring secure and efficient border management.
India’s Index of industrial production records growth of 3% in March 2025 Quick Estimate of Index of Industrial Production and Use-Based Index for the Month of March 2025
(BASE 2011-12=100)
Posted On: 28 APR 2025 4:00PM by PIB Delhi
As per the revised calendar, the Quick Estimate of Index of Industrial Production (IIP) will now be released on 28th of every month (or next working day if 28th is a holiday). The index is compiled with data received from source agencies, which in turn receive the data from the producing factories/ establishments. These Quick Estimates will undergo revision in subsequent releases as per the revision policy of IIP.
2. Key Highlights:
The IIP growth rate for the month of March 2025 is 3.0 percent which was 2.9 percent (Quick Estimate) in the month of February 2025.
The growth rates of the three sectors, Mining, Manufacturing and Electricity for the month of March 2025 are 0.4 percent, 3.0 percent and 6.3 percent respectively.
The Quick Estimates of IIP stands at 164.8 against 160.0 in March 2024. The Indices of Industrial Production for the Mining, Manufacturing and Electricity sectors for the month of March 2025 stand at 156.8, 160.9 and 217.1 respectively.
Within the manufacturing sector, 13 out of 23 industry groups at NIC 2 digit-level have recorded a positive growth in March 2025 over March 2024. The top three positive contributors for the month of March 2025 are – “Manufacture of basic metals” (6.9%), “Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers” (10.3%) and “Manufacture of electrical equipment” (15.7%).
In the industry group “Manufacture of basic metals”, item groups “Flat products of Alloy Steel “, “Pipes and tubes of Steel”, “Bars and Rods of Mild steel” have shown significant contribution in growth.
In the industry group “Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers”, item groups “Auto components/ spares and accessories”, “Axle”, “Bodies of trucks, lorries and trailers” have shown significant contribution in growth.
In the industry group “Manufacture of electrical equipment” item groups “Electric heaters”, “Transformers (Small)”, “End facing connector for optical fibres and cables” have shown significant contribution in growth.
As per the use base classification, the indices stand at 168.2 for Primary Goods, 134.8 for Capital Goods, 173.1 for Intermediate Goods and 212.3 for Infrastructure/ Construction Goods for the month of March 2025. Further, the indices for Consumer durables and Consumer non-durables stand at 138.5 and 147.9 respectively.
The corresponding growth rates of IIP as per Use-based classification in March 2025 over March 2024 are 3.1 percent in Primary goods, 2.4 percent in Capital goods, 2.3 percent in Intermediate goods, 8.8 percent in Infrastructure/ Construction Goods, 6.6 percent in Consumer durables and (-)4.7 percent in Consumer non-durables (Statement III). Based on use-based classification, top three positive contributors to the growth of IIP for the month of March 2025 are – Infrastructure/ construction goods, Primary goods, Consumer durables.
Monthly Indices and Growth Rate (in %) of IIP for the last 13 months
3. Along with the Quick Estimate of IIP for the month of March 2025, the indices for December 2024, January 2025 and February 2025 have undergone final revision in the light of the updated data received from the source agencies. The Quick Estimate for March 2025, has been compiled at weighted response rate of 88 percent, whereas the weighted response rate for December 2024, January 2025 and February 2025 were 95 percent, 94 percent and 94 percent respectively.
4. Details of Quick Estimates of the Index of Industrial Production for the month of March 2025 at Sectoral, 2-digit level of National Industrial Classification (NIC-2008) and by Use-based classification are given at Statements I, II and III respectively. Also, for users to appreciate the changes in the industrial sector, Statement IV provides month-wise indices for the last 13 months, by industry groups (as per 2-digit level of NIC-2008) and sectors.
5. Release of the Index for April 2025 will be on Wednesday, 28th May 2025.
Note: –
This Press release (English and Hindi Version) is also available at the Ministry’s Website –http://www.mospi.gov.in.
The following Recruitment Results have been finalized by the Union Public Service Commission during the month of March 2025. The recommended candidates have been informed individually by post. Applications of other candidates were duly considered but regretted that it has not been possible to call them for interview/recommend them for the post.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Jointly organised by the Art Promotion Office under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and the Shenzhen Fringe Art Center, the first thematic exhibition “Ink Impressions and Silk Inspirations” of the “Ink Art Ensembles” exhibition series in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) is currently on display at the Guangming Culture and Art Center, Shenzhen. The exhibition features ink art works by Hong Kong artist Raymond Fung, and fashion creations by Shenzhen-based artist Xing Lili using traditional silk fabric xiangyun sha, initiating a cross-media and trans-regional artistic dialogue. The exhibition runs until June 9 with free admission.
The Art Promotion Office and the Shenzhen Fringe Art Center jointly organised the “Ink Art Ensembles” exhibition series in the GBA from 2024. Guest curated by Hong Ko and Eric Zhu, the series features five exhibitions in four cities, namely Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Foshan and Dongguan in the GBA. The series focuses on ink art as the subject or primary creative medium of the Hong Kong artists, while other GBA artists respond through diverse creative forms with the aim to create a platform for in depth artistic dialogues and to highlight contemporary artistic experimentation and innovation.
DARPG organized the 5th National Workshop on “Sevottam and Effective Redressal of Public Grievances”, at the Institute of Management in Government (IMG), Kerala. More than 100officials from ATIs and State Governments participated in the workshop held on 25th April, 2025 at the Institute of Management in Government (IMG), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Workshop formulated the roadmap forward for Capacity Building and Effective Redressal of Public Grievances in line with the directions of the Prime Minister
Posted On: 28 APR 2025 4:05PM by PIB Delhi
In line with the Prime Minister’s emphasis on effective grievance resolution as a cornerstone of transparent and accountable governance, the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) organized the5thNational Workshop on “Sevottam and Effective Redressal of Public Grievances” on April 25th, 2025, at the Institute of Management in Government (IMG), Kerala.
The Workshop commencedin the presence of Shri K. Jayakumar, Director, Institute of Management in Government (IMG), Shri V Srinivas, Secretary, DARPG , Jaya Dubey, Joint Secretary, DARPG and other participants from various State Government ATIs and AR Departments. The inaugural session featured a keynote presentation by Shri V. Srinivas, Secretary, DARPG, which outlined key reforms in grievance redressal including multilingual support via Bhashini, advanced CPGRAMS features, and strengthened monitoring, aimed at enhancing citizen satisfaction. 18 Speakers from Government of Kerala, Government of India, non-profit foundations and technological organisations apart from NIC and NeGD attended the event.
The workshop unfolded across five sessions, each featuring practitioner oriented presentations regarding best practices in public grievances, use of technology tools and role of non-profit organisations in grievance redressal. Separate sessions were held by the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCII) who in their role as knowledge partner of which were supposed to suggest model capacity building modules for ATIs. Certain draft Sevottam rules were also opened for discussion with various State Governments by Professor Nirmalaya Bagchi of ASCII. Shri Chakravarthy T. Kannan, Secretary General, Quality Council of India, shared insights on the evolving categorization framework in CPGRAMS and its impact in simplifying grievance filing – making the process more intuitive, accessible, and citizen-centric.Centre for Good Governance, Hyderabad released their draft model for ranking of State Governments on Grievance Redressal. Suggestion on both the above points wererequested from all State ATIs and State Governments. Representatives of Government of Kerala includedSmt. Anu Kumari, District Collector Trivandrum, Smt. Veena Madhavan, Special Secretary Administrative Reforms, and Shri Sreeram Sambasiva Rao, Special Secretary, IT. Shri Amitabh Nag, CEO Bhashini, Shri K Krishnakumar, CTO, e-Gov Foundation, Shri Varun Hemachandran Team Lead Agami and Shri Nisheeth Srivastava, Professor, IIT Kanpur also spoke in the event. Key areas of focus included policy reforms, best practices, capacity building, and innovative solutions aimed at enhancing service delivery and boosting citizen satisfaction.
Under this Sevottam Scheme, DARPG provides financial support to State ATIs/CTIs for setting up Sevottam Training Cells. Over the past three financial years (2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25), as part of Sevottam, 756 training courses have been conducted, training 24,942 officers from various State Governments. In the past financial year 2 National Workshops on “Effective Redressal of Public Grievances” on November 18, 2024, in New Delhi and February 20, 2025, in Bhopal, with participation from Central Ministries, State Governments, and State Administrative Training Institutes (ATIs) were already conducted. The National workshop served as a vital platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration, bringing together diverse stakeholders to deliberate on best practices, innovative strategies, and key reforms in grievance redressal.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LegCo to continue Second Reading debate on Appropriation Bill 2025 The Legislative Council (LegCo) will hold a meeting on Wednesday (April 30) at 11am in the Chamber of the LegCo Complex. During the meeting, the Second Reading debate on the Appropriation Bill 2025 will continue and Government officials will speak on the Bill. If the Bill is supported by Members and receives its Second Reading, it will stand committed to the committee of the whole Council. After the committee of the whole Council has completed consideration of the Bill and its report is adopted by the Council, the Bill will be set down for the Third Reading.
The Second Reading debates on the Electoral Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2025 and the Inland Revenue (Amendment) (Tax Concessions) Bill 2025 will also resume. If the Bills are supported by Members and receive their Second Reading, they will stand committed to the committee of the whole Council. After the committee of the whole Council has completed consideration of the Bills and their reports are adopted by the Council, the Bills will be set down for the Third Reading.
Meanwhile, the Tobacco Control Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the Trade Unions (Amendment) Bill 2025 will be introduced into the Council for the First Reading and the Second Reading. The Second Reading debates on the Bills will be adjourned.
During the meeting, Members will also ask the Government 22 questions on various policy areas, all of which require written replies.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Queen Elizabeth Hospital announces incident of healthcare staff member suspected to have been assaulted An Operation Assistant (OPA) was assaulted around 9am while maintaining order on the second floor of the Ambulatory Care Centre. Hospital staff and security staff immediately arrived on the scene to assist, and called the Police for assistance. The injured OPA was sent to the QEH Accident and Emergency Department for treatment. The OPA’s left ear was injured and the staff member was discharged after treatment. The police arrested a male patient at the hospital later, who was suspected to be connected with the case.
The hospital is highly concerned about the incident, expressed sympathy and rendered necessary support to the injured staff member. The hospital resolutely adopts a zero-tolerance attitude to any workplace violence and strongly condemns the violent act. The hospital will follow up and fully co-operate with the Police investigation.
The hospital has long attached great concern to work safety for its staff under prevailing guidelines and measures to prevent workplace violence. The hospital appeals to patients and relatives to follow the advice of healthcare workers.
The hospital has reported the incident to the Hospital Authority Head Office via the Advance Incident Reporting System. Issued at HKT 18:58
The Government of India (GoI) has announced the sale (issue/ re-issue) of (i) “6.64% Government Security 2027” for a notified amount of ₹6,000 crore (nominal) through price based auction using multiple price method and (ii) “New Government Security 2035” for a notified amount of ₹30,000 crore (nominal) through yield based auction using multiple price method. GoI will have the option to retain additional subscription up to ₹2,000 crore against each security mentioned above. The auctions will be conducted by the Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai Office, Fort, Mumbai on May 02, 2025 (Friday).
Up to 5% of the notified amount of the sale of the securities will be allotted to eligible individuals and institutions as per the Scheme for Non-Competitive Bidding Facility in the Auction of Government Securities.
Both competitive and non-competitive bids for the auction should be submitted in electronic format on the Reserve Bank of India Core Banking Solution (E-Kuber system) on May 02, 2025. The non-competitive bids should be submitted between 10:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. and the competitive bids should be submitted between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
The result of the auctions will be announced on May 02, 2025 (Friday) and payment by successful bidders will be on May 05, 2025 (Monday).
The Securities will be eligible for “When Issued” trading in accordance with the guidelines on ‘When Issued transactions in Central Government Securities’ issued by the Reserve Bank of India vide circular No. RBI/2018-19/25 dated July 24, 2018 as amended from time to time.
Book Launch and Panel Discussion Ramanujan: Journey of a Great Mathematician
Posted On: 28 APR 2025 8:24PM by PIB Delhi
National Archives of India is going to launch book titled Ramanujan: Journey of a Great Mathematician. The book launch will be followed by a panel discussion on ‘Legacy of Ramanujan’ on 30th April 2025 at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, in New Delhi.
The book is a compelling historical account that delves into the life and contributions of Srinivasa Ramanujan, one of India’s most extraordinary mathematical geniuses. The book meticulously documents Ramanujan’s journey, from his humble beginnings in Erode, Tamil Nadu, to his groundbreaking work in number theory, infinite series, and continued fractions. It highlights how Ramanujan, despite lacking formal training, produced theorems and results that continue to astonish mathematicians worldwide.
The book stands out for its use of original documents, offering readers an authentic glimpse into Ramanujan’s life. These include letters exchanged between Ramanujan and prominent figures like G.H. Hardy, who played a pivotal role in bringing Ramanujan’s work to the global stage. Hardy, along with other mentors like J.E. Littlewood and Indian supporters such as Ram Chandra Rao, recognized Ramanujan’s unparalleled talent and helped him gain recognition. The book also sheds light on the personal struggles and triumphs of Ramanujan, emphasizing the support of his wife, Janaki, and his parents, who stood by him through his journey.
Ramanujan’s story is not just about mathematical brilliance but also about perseverance, passion, and the power of mentorship. This book serves as a tribute to his legacy, inspiring future generations to explore the beauty of mathematics and the human spirit behind it.
The National Archives of India has been awarded ISO Certification and is launching Abhilekh Patal version 3.0 on 30thApril 2025.