ALL NEWS MIX

The government on Friday approved a Clean Plant Programme with an outlay of Rs 1,766 crore to improve the quality of planting material for horticultural crops, aiming to boost exports and enhance farmers' income. The decision was taken in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "A major decision has been taken to improve farmers' income. The Cabinet approved the Clean Plant Programme," Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters after the meeting. The programme, to be implemented by the Union Agriculture Ministry, aims to address virus infections in horticultural crops that affect both productivity and quality, Vaishnaw said. Under the programme, nine institutions will be developed as clean plant centres and 75 nurseries will replicate clean mother planting material, he added. The minister said the programme will improve productivity and quality of horticultural crops and promote crop diversification, reducing risks for farmers. Mr Vaishnaw

Altogether 17 Indian workers engaged in road construction in Bangladesh and stranded due to the ongoing unrest were evacuated by the BSF, an official said on Thursday. BSF Tripura Frontier IG Patel Piyush Purusottam Das received a call about the workers' situation on Wednesday evening, the official added. "Due to unrest in Bangladesh, the workers were stranded at their camp in Ramrail. They were en route to ICP Akhaura from the Bangladesh side, and a request was made to the BSF to facilitate their safe passage through ICP Agartala," a BSF official said, adding that contact was promptly established at the nodal officer level between the BSF and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). "In a well-coordinated operation, the BSF and BGB worked together effectively. The BGB assisted the 17 AFCONS workers, ensuring their safe movement to ICP Agartala, where their customs and immigration were cleared late at night before handing them over to the BSF," the official added. 

Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus takes over as the head of Bangladesh's caretaker government on Thursday when the country is facing tough economic challenges. Here is a look at his economic beliefs as he takes the helm of the South Asian country until elections are held and a new administration is put in place. Social Businesses Mr Yunus advocates "social businesses" that solve problems rather than simply create wealth, with any profit generated being ploughed back to create more value. Grameen Bank, the microfinance lender he founded, was rooted in this idea and lauded for helping to boost growth and alleviate poverty in Bangladesh.  Mr Yunus was awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his pioneering work in microfinance which was replicated in other developing countries and led to him being known as "banker to the poor".  Poverty Mr Yunus' belief that poverty - which plagued more than 18% of Bangladesh's population in 2022 - is

The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has released the schedule for the Combined Graduate Level (CGL) Tier I Examination 2024. Students who have registered for the examination can check the dates by visiting the official website, ssc.gov.in . The Tier I exam will be held from September 9 to September 26. "The Commission has decided to conduct the Combined Graduate Level Examination, 2024 (Tier-I) from September 9, 2024, to September 26, 2024. Candidates are advised to visit the Commission's website at regular intervals for further updates," reads the official notice. The application process began on June 24 and ended on July 27. The application correction window will be open from August 10 to August 11. The recruitment drive aims to fill a total of 17,727 vacancies. Document verification will be carried out by the user departments following the declaration of final results. The minimum passing marks for the examination are set at 30% for unreserved candidates, 25% fo

The family of renowned Titanic explorer Paul Henri-Nargeolet is seeking $50 million in damages from OceanGate, the company behind the doomed Titan submersible. The lawsuit alleges that the company's reckless disregard for safety led to the tragic deaths of all five crew members, including Nargeolet, who endured unimaginable terror before the vessel's catastrophic implosion. At the heart of the suit are accusations of gross negligence against OceanGate and its CEO, Stockton Rush. The company is alleged to have prioritized profit and publicity over the safety of its passengers. By circumventing industry standards, ignoring expert advice, and cutting corners, OceanGate created a perilous environment for those aboard the Titan, the Independent reported.  The lawsuit contends that Rush's obsessive pursuit of innovation blinded him to the critical importance of safety. His alleged disregard for established protocols, coupled with the company's failure to disclose the full

The Kerala government on Wednesday said it was taking immediate steps to rehabilitate all the families affected by the massive landslides in this north Kerala district more than a week ago. The announcement was made by state Revenue Minister K Rajan who is part of a Cabinet sub-committee currently camped out close to the disaster areas to assess the situation there. K Rajan, after an emergency meeting of the committee with the panchayat presidents and secretaries at the Collectorate on the issue of temporary rehabilitation of people in the relief camps, said that assistance will be provided to all eligible persons including those in camps, homes of relatives and hospitals. There is no truth in the campaigns which claim that people have to register themselves at the camps to be included in the rehabilitation plan, he said. "The rehabilitation package will be prepared on the basis of accurate data from the landslide affected areas and not on the basis of who is living in the cam

In an exclusive interview with NDTV, IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti expressed disappointment and frustration with the QS World University Rankings 2025, which ranked the India's number one ranked engineering institute at 227th position globally. Despite significant efforts and achievements, IIT Madras saw only a marginal improvement from its previous ranking of 285. Director Kamakoti termed the rankings as "thoroughly demotivating" and emphasised that the institution had expected a much better position, ideally between 150 and 200. He highlighted IIT Madras's numerous achievements, including: Running the largest sustainability school, unique sports admission program, successful startups like Hyperloop and Agnikul Space Tech that has had successful rocket launch. He also highlighted the Discovery Campus and overseas campus in Zanzibar initiatives and collaborations with the Tamil Nadu government as outreach. Kamakoti questioned the ranking methodology, feeling that I