Education occupies a strategic position in India's development priorities. India's efforts to achieve universal elementary education gained further momentum with the 86th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2002, and the enactment of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which became effective on April 1, 2010. The RTE Act, 2009, entitles every child in the age group of six to 14 years to a right to free and compulsory elementary education in a neighbourhood school.India has been a keen and dedicated member of the global EFA (Education For All) initiative and a founder of its E-9 subgroup. As a follow-up to the Dakar Framework of Action for EFA, a 'National Plan of Action for Education for All', was formulated in 2002 in India, with a view to contextualise and strategise policies and programmes for achieving the EFA goals. We formulated many programmes, the most prominent being the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, which is the Indian version of Education for All.India

'A knowledge society in the true sense of the word'

Business Standard

German authorities said they received tipoffs last year about the suspect in a car attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg as more details emerged on Sunday about the five people killed.
Authorities have identified the suspect as a Saudi doctor who arrived in Germany in 2006 and had received permanent residency.
Police haven't publicly named the suspect, in line with privacy rules, but some German news outlets have identified him as Taleb A. and reported that he was a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy.
Authorities say he does not fit the usual profile of perpetrators of extremist attacks. He described himself as an ex-Muslim who was highly critical of Islam and in many posts on social media expressed support for the far-right anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
He is being held in custody as authorities investigate him.
The head of the Federal Criminal Police Office, Holger Mnch, said in an interview on the German broadcaster ZDF on Saturday that his off

Crime

FinMin says some changes may take effect from April

CGST Act set to see key amendments in Budget session

The US is the canal's biggest customer, responsible for about three quarters of the cargo transiting through each year

Panama Canal

Analysts said companies like Amazon and Flipkart may have to invest at least $1 billion each in 2-3 years  to catch up

Amazon,Flipkart,ED

E-scooters are projected to end FY25 with a penetration rate of 13-15 per cent

Buoyed up by distribution expansion, a bevy of new launches, and  the entry of Honda Motorcycles with electric Activa, two-wheeler manufacturers are confident  that electric scooter (e-scooter) penetration could rise to a fourth or fifth of the total

After two weeks of buying, FPIs turned net sellers in Indian equities this week, with a net withdrawal of Rs 976 crore amid a strengthening US dollar and steady rise in US 10-year bond yields, impacting investor sentiment.
Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) began the week on a positive note, investing Rs 3,126 crore in equities during the first two trading sessions (December 16-20).
However, the trend reversed in the latter half of the week, with FPIs offloading equities worth over Rs 4,102 crore in the subsequent three sessions. This resulted in an overall net outflow of Rs 976 crore during the week, data from National Securities Depository Limited showed.
Despite this short-term reversal, the broader December trend remains positive. FPIs have infused Rs 21,789 crore into Indian equities so far this month, reflecting continued confidence in India's economic growth potential and its resilient markets.
FPIs adopted a cautious approach due to the US Fed meeting and uncertainty about 

Foreign portfolio investor exodus: Financial sector bears the brunt, FPI

Fundraising via IPOs in India hit another landmark as economic growth, favourable market conditions and improvements in the regulatory framework helped companies raise a record Rs 1.6 lakh crore in 2024, while the pipeline for the next year holds out bigger promise.
This exceptional year not only reflected the confidence of issuers but also highlighted investors' eagerness to seize listing-day gains or back companies with strong long-term growth potential.
The year was marked by Hyundai Motor India's historic IPO, the largest in the country's history, which raised Rs 27,870 crore.
Companies of varying market capitalisations -- large, mid, and small -- tapped into the IPO route in 2024, with the average issue size rising significantly from Rs 867 crore in 2023 to over Rs 1,700 crore in 2024.
The exceptional vibrancy of the IPO market was evident, with December alone seeing at least 15 launches.
"Rising retail participation, strong domestic inflows and active participation by FPIs (

ipo market listing share market

A 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia, who has been living in Germany since 2006, is the prime suspect in the Christmas market attack in Magdeburg, which killed five people

Germany police

Record fundraising surpasses the previous high of Rs 9,370 cr in 2023

IPO rush, market

The accumulated losses of state public sector enterprises (PSEs) rose from Rs 3,953.70 crore in 2020-21 to Rs 4,778.70 crore in 2022-23, while the profit earned by 13 SPSEs stood at Rs 20.21 crore as on September 30, 2023, according to a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on finances tabled in the Assembly on Saturday.
The net worth of nine out of these 14 PSEs has been completely eroded by losses and their worth was (-) Rs 1,932 crore against an equity investment of Rs 2,085.59 crore, while three PSEs have outstanding government loans amounting Rs 3,132 crore, the report said.
Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board topped the list of loss making enterprises with accumulated losses of Rs 1,809.61 crore, followed by Himachal Pradesh Road Corporation at Rs 1707.12 crore, HP Power Corporation at Rs 552 crore, Himachal Pradesh Power Transmission Corporation at Rs 395.91 crore, HP Financial Corporation at Rs 180.97 crore, State Forest Corporation at Rs 113.04 crore, HPM

The Centre may overshoot the Rs 56,260 crore target for dividend receipts from central public-sector enterprises (CPSEs) set for FY25 and is likely to end up getting around Rs 65,000 crore this financial year, according to a senior government officia

After political protests turned ugly, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday banned demonstrations by MPs and political parties at any of the gates of Parliament, sources said.
"Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has issued strict instructions that no political party, Member of Parliament or groups of members will hold any dharna and demonstration at building gates of Parliament House," parliament sources said.
The instructions came on a day when Parliament premises saw rival protests by the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led INDIA bloc parties on the alleged insults to B R Ambedkar which soon turned into jostling and scuffles leaving two MPs injured and a woman MP claiming intimidation by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

Om Birla, Om, Birla

Kyiv has refused to extend the five-year deal to ship Russian gas across Ukraine beyond its expiry at the end of this month, President Vladimir Putin said in Moscow

Putin, Russian President, Vladimir Putin

The Georgia Court of Appeals' 2-1 decision Thursday is a major setback for state prosecutors in one of the two remaining criminal cases pending against Trump

Donald Trump, Trump

A government shutdown at risk, House Speaker Mike Johnson is fighting to figure out how to meet President-elect Donald Trump's sudden demands  and keep his own job  while federal offices are being told to prepare to shutter operations ahead of Friday's midnight deadline.
Trump said early Thursday that Johnson will easily remain speaker for the next Congress if he acts decisively and tough in coming up with a new plan to also increase the debt limit, a stunning request just before the Christmas holidays that has put the beleaguered speaker in a bind.
And if not, the president-elect warned of trouble ahead for Johnson and Republicans in Congress.
Anybody that supports a bill that doesn't take care of the Democrat quicksand known as the debt ceiling should be primaried and disposed of as quickly as possible, Trump told Fox News Digital.
The chaotic turn of events, coming days before Friday's midnight deadline to fund the government and as lawmakers were preparing to head home for the 

Donald Trump

In premium financing, a borrower secures a loan from a third-party provider to cover the policy's premiums

Insurance Premium Financing

The I-T department probes Rs 7,500 crore spent on lavish weddings, targeting Jaipur planners and fake billing networks linked to foreign destination events and cash transactions

weddings, marriage

Congress calls FIR against Rahul Gandhi over Parliament scuffle a 'badge of honour', alleging BJP's vendetta and diversionary tactics to counter his protest against Amit Shah's Ambedkar remarks

Rahul Gandhi, Rahul, congress leader

The latest Economic Survey said, India has to find the right balance between importing goods from China and importing capital (FDI) from China

How policymakers are split over attracting Chinese investment into India

Smriti Irani

Smriti Irani

Smriti Irani

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Germany says Saudi warned about Magdeburg Christmas market attack suspect

GST Council paves way for CGST Act amendments during Budget session

Reduce transit fees or return it: Trump threatens to reclaim Panama canal

Amazon, Flipkart plan to invest $1 bn each to catch up in qcom market

With new launches, expansions, every fifth scooter may be electric in FY26

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FPIs pull out Rs 976 crore from Indian equities amid rising dollar

IPO boom: Record Rs 1.6 trn raised in 2024; bigger gains expected in 2025

Who is the Saudi-born suspect behind Germany Christmas market attack?

Healthcare, pharma sectors raise Rs 14,811 crore via IPOs in 2024

Losses of Himachal's 30 PSEs rose from Rs 3,953 cr to Rs 4,778 cr: CAG