Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized Thursday that Indian Railways has undergone a profound transformation and is establishing new benchmarks through ongoing reforms and technology.

In this connection, he shared an article written by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on how clear policy, the introduction of modern technology, and the consistent infusion of cash have changed the safety ecosystem of Indian Railways over the last ten years.

The Prime Minister’s Office shared on X: “The Indian Railway system has experienced a sea change, and the consequences are evident. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw describes how this industry is establishing new standards via ongoing technological advancements and reforms.

For many of these travelers, rail travel is a need rather than an option. Safety is not a technical measure in a system that moves such amounts over such large distances. It stated that it is a question of public confidence.

The article emphasizes that during PM Modi’s initial term, the Indian Railways received a clear message that “Safety First” would be its priority. The organization has sought to accomplish this objective through a tech-led, consistently funded makeover of its safety environment.

As a result, the number of train crashes in the nation has decreased dramatically. Between 2014 and 2015, Indian Railways reported 135 such incidents, which had decreased by 89% to 16 in 2025–26. Even though train operations and passenger traffic have increased, the number of incidents has decreased.

The significant accident index, which calculates accidents per unit of train running distance, has decreased from 0. 11 to 0. 01 during this period, demonstrating that the system is now significantly safer for every kilometer covered.

Additionally, there were 292 fatalities as a result of rail mishaps in 2014–15, but just 16 fatalities across 16 incidents in 2025–26.

In a message highlighting the significance of Indian Railways in the daily lives of its citizens, the minister stated, “Every morning, as India awakens, its railways are already in motion. ” Every day, the nation’s trains carry over two million travelers, including students, migrant workers, office workers, families, and soldiers.

In order to promote the idea of a self-sufficient nation and meet India’s expanding energy demands, the Coal Ministry is scheduled to conduct a 15th round of business coal mine auctions and stakeholder discussions in Mumbai on Friday.

According to an official statement released on Thursday, Vikram Dev Dutt, Secretary, Ministry of Coal, will be present at the event. This progressive voyage is continued in the 15th round, which provides coal mines under the most liberal conditions in order to foster ease of doing business, draw a variety of investments, and promote greater industry involvement.

In order to foster sustainable development, innovation, and long-term resilience in the industry, the ministry stated that it is still dedicated to providing the country with dependable and inexpensive energy.

“The round will invite participation from experienced miners, new entrants, and technology-driven businesses alike, providing a new set of fully explored and partially explored coal blocks,” the ministry said.

By encouraging a vibrant and competitive environment, it is anticipated to give the coal industry more impetus, while also opening the door for increased investments, job creation, and overall industry expansion.

Under the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, commercial coal mining has been started in 2020, and the plan has greatly increased the availability of coal in the country and strengthened the energy security of the nation.

The ministry claims that the commercial coal mine auction framework has revolutionized the coal industry by promoting transparency, encouraging competition, and establishing a level playing field for all stakeholders.

Commercial coal mining has become a major facilitator of economic development, boosting coal output and guaranteeing a consistent and dependable supply for businesses throughout the nation.

The ministry said that the upcoming round builds on this solid base, increasing faith in the industry and its future potential.

In the second straight game, the amazing pair of Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas Iyer blasted half-centuries apiece and shared another vital partnership as they helped Punjab Kings defeat the Mumbai Indians by seven wickets in Match 24 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Thursday at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.

PBKS defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad a few days earlier, thanks to half-centuries from Prabhsimran and Shreyas Iyer. On Thursday, they dominated yet another chase, with Prabhsimran hitting 80 not out off 39 deliveries and Shreyas Iyer scoring 66 off 35 as PBKS reached 198/3 in 16. 3 overs after inserting the Mumbai Indians in and limiting them to 195/6 despite a scintillating unbeaten century by Quinton de Kock (112) and a fifty by Naman Dhir.

Iyer hit his third consecutive half-century of the competition, but this one would be more gratifying for him because it came at his home stadium and against a team that included three members of the Indian team that won the T20 World Cup, for which he was not selected. Meanwhile, Prabhsimran scored his second fifty of IPL 2026.

Their 139-run partnership for the third wicket guaranteed PBKS won the game with 21 balls left, giving them their fourth victory in five games and keeping them undefeated. The Mumbai Indians are still sitting at two points after one victory and four losses, while PBKS has risen to the top of the standings with nine points thanks to this triumph.

The Punjab Kings were attempting to score 196, which was a difficult target, but they lost their opening batsman, Priyansh Arya, early after Deepak Chahar and Jasprit Bumrah bowled the first two overs.

However, the Mumbai Indians got the breakthrough when Arya blasted the ball off the leg stump straight to Chahar at midwicket, thanks to the addition of AM Ghazanfar, who came in as an impact player in place of Suryakumar Yadav. With the team score reading 27/1, he hit 15 off of 9 balls (2×4, 1×6).

After a brief stint, Cooper Connolly smashed one four and two sixes before edging it behind to Quinton de Kock off Ghazanfar.

However, captain Shreyas Iyer and Prabhsimran Singh saved them from the precarious situation by forging a century stand for the third wicket that set them on the path to triumph.

Prabhsimran was in top shape, hitting shots all over the field, timing the ball flawlessly, and maintaining the chase as he recorded his second consecutive fifty. When Jasprit Bumrah missed an easy opportunity off Hardik Pandya, he had a stroke of luck early in the game.

Prabhsimran began the match by hitting consecutive boundaries against Chahar in the first over, then followed that up with a six and a four against the pacer in the eighth over; smashed Hardik Pandya for consecutive boundaries in the 10th over, and blasted the MI captain for a four and a six in the 14th over.

As PBKS approached the mark, he was also given boundaries as he reached his fifty off 23 balls, along with Ghazanfar and Shardul Thakur.

He replicated his successful strategy against Iyer a few days after doing the same against SRH. Iyer, who made a spectacular catch to get rid of his opponent, supported his partner well in the beginning before hitting some outstanding strokes near the conclusion of his innings, reaching his half-century in 31 deliveries and smashing two sixes and five fours.

Iyer hit Bumrah for a few boundaries when PBKS needed 35 runs off of 36 balls, and then in the 16th over, after Naman Dhir dropped him in deep, he smashed Shadrul Thakur for sixes off consecutive balls. When they brought an end to Iyer’s outstanding innings, Dhir and Shardul had the last laugh.

Despite his previous blunder, Dhir made a fantastic catch, but by then, the game was practically over. Iyer hit 66 runs off 35 pitches, including four sixes and five fours.

The game concluded with Prabhsimran leading PBKS to victory with an unbeaten 80 off 39 balls and Marcus Stoinis at his side with an unbeaten 10, as PBKS remained undefeated in five games.

Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians 195/6 in 20 overs (Quinton de Kock 112 not out, Naman Dhir 50; Arshdeep Singh 3-22)
Punjab Kings 198/3 in 16.3 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 80 not out, Shreyas Iyer 66; AM Ghazanfar 2-31)

OpenAI, the American tech behemoth, stated that India is among the most developed AI marketplaces in the world, particularly in the areas of data analysis, coding, and higher-level reasoning.

In a statement about reasoning tokens that ChatGPT Plus users employ, OpenAI stated that India is among the top five countries in the world for per capita use of cognitive capacity.

With a fourfold increase in Codex users in just two weeks following the release of the company’s Codex app in February 2026, the nation has become one of the fastest-growing AI builder ecosystems.

According to the firm, India’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) is still heavily concentrated in a few cities, and its sophisticated use is even more unevenly distributed, indicating a significant opportunity to extend its use beyond early adopters in the top few cities.

“The key issue now is how rapidly the advantages of AI may spread from early adopters and major cities to the larger public. The young, quick-adopting Indian population will have a significant impact on the measures needed to close this gap, including increasing access, developing skills, and facilitating more meaningful use nationwide,” according to Oliver Jay, Managing Director-International, OpenAI.

As the top 10 cities only make up around 10% of the population but have around half of the AI users, advanced capability is heavily concentrated.

In India, Delhi-NCR has the greatest ChatGPT penetration rate. According to the study, India has a high level of AI competitiveness, but its greatest strengths are concentrated in a few cities, such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi, and Chennai.

The Capability Gap results show that some of the most significant use cases for AI are already occurring in healthcare and education, among other fields, demonstrating how it is being used in real-world settings.

The firm discovered significant intra-regional disparities in sophisticated applications, with data analysis utilization being 30 times higher in top cities than in laggard cities.

The usage of coding was discovered to be four times greater, while the use of Codex developer was nine times higher.

In the 23rd game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, which was held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) chased down a modest target of 147 runs in just 15. 1 overs, losing five wickets against Lucknow Super Giants. Virat Kohli, an impact player, led the way with 49 runs.

After this victory, RCB has 8 points from five games and is back at the top of the points table.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru began cautiously in pursuit of a small target, scoring only six runs in the first over. Prince Yadav bowled Phil Salt for 7 off 8 balls in the following over, after he narrowly escaped being run out on the last delivery of the first over when he tried to pick up the pace.

The shackles were broken when Virat Kohli then changed course and hit three straight boundaries off Mohammed Shami, who had previously bowled a good first over. To keep the pressure on the opposition, Kohli continued his aggressive strategy by hitting four boundaries in the next over against Prince Yadav. Kohli’s 40 runs off only 20 balls, together with his aggressive approach, helped RCB reach 60/1 at the conclusion of the power play.

As a result of an elbow injury he sustained in the first innings, Rishabh Pant was unable to play, and Nicholas Pooran captained the Lucknow Super Giants on the field. Despite their sloppy play in the field, LSG made a breakthrough in the eighth over when Avesh Khan got rid of Devdutt Padikkal for ten runs.

While Rajat Patidar took the offensive role, Kohli kept the innings together by effectively rotating the strike. In the 13th over, though, Kohli was dismissed for 49 off 34 balls at long-on, an innings that featured six fours and a six, falling just shy of a half-century.

Patidar and Jitesh Sharma increased the pace of the game after he was fired. Patidar chipped in with a quick 27 off 13 balls before both were out in rapid succession by Prince Yadav, while Jitesh hit two sixes and two fours in the same over.

Ultimately, Tim David and Romario Shepherd led RCB to victory with 29 balls remaining, each remaining undefeated on 14. Two crucial wickets for LSG were taken by Avesh Khan.

Prince bowled the best for LSG, ending with respectable numbers of 3-32. Even though Avesh Khan also grabbed two important wickets.

In the beginning, when asked to bat first, LSG had a difficult time getting started as openers Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram struggled against the tight new-ball spell from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood, scoring only 14/0 in the first two overs. Markram left for 12 after misjudging a slower Rasikh delivery, although Marsh momentarily changed the tide with a massive six.

Rishabh Pant, the captain of LSG, sustained a major setback when he injured his elbow and was forced to quit the game due to injury after just three balls. Hazlewood bowled Nicholas Pooran out cheaply, and he was unable to take advantage of the chance.

Marsh was then dismissed for 40 by Krunal Pandya after he and Ayush Badoni put together a rapid 36-run partnership. Abdul Samad was knocked out for a duck by Krunal, which dealt another blow to the LSG innings.

With a steady partnership, Badoni, 38, and Mukul Choudhary, 39, attempted to rebuild, but consistent wickets continued to slow LSG’s progress. Later, Pant returned, but he was just able to complete one run.

With four wickets taken by Rasikh, three by Bhuvneshwar, and Hazlewood maintaining good command, the innings was brought to a successful conclusion. The combined effort of the team resulted in RCB limiting LSG to a low score.

Brief Scores:
Lucknow Super Giants 146/10 in 20 overs (Mitchell Marsh 40, Mukul Choudhary 39; Rasikh Dar 4-24, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3-27 )
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 149/5 in 15.1 overs (Virat Kohli 49, Rajat Patidar 27; Prince Yadav 3-32, Avesh Khan 2-23)

In a policy debate, it was said that India is seen as a key ally in setting future norms, and the United States is pushing for worldwide agreement on regulations governing digital assets.

Under the Chatham House Rules, the discussion took place on Wednesday (local time) and highlighted the inherent cross-border nature of digital assets, necessitating international collaboration in order to prevent regulatory fragmentation.

According to participants, Washington is increasingly focused on developing interoperable frameworks that may be adopted across jurisdictions. The objective is to streamline regulatory complexity, cut costs, and facilitate the smoother transfer of capital in a fast-digitalizing global economy.

It was generally agreed that no one nation may regulate digital assets alone. Cross-border collaboration, both bilaterally and via multilateral forums like the G20, was recognized as essential for establishing shared norms.

India was highlighted during these discussions as a significant participant, considering its size, expanding digital economy, and expertise in developing large-scale public digital infrastructures.

India’s contribution to earlier international policy initiatives on digital finance has already been noteworthy, according to participants, and as the technology develops, more engagement is likely to occur.

India has adopted a more cautious approach, notably on issues such as capital restrictions and monetary sovereignty, while the United States is shifting toward a more innovation-driven paradigm, according to some participants.

Although these disparities reflect differing economic structures and policy priorities, participants said there is still room for convergence over time.

The conversation highlighted cross-border payments as one possible area for collaboration. Digital assets have the potential to lessen friction in international transactions, which is especially important for nations like India that have significant remittance flows.

The significance of establishing international norms was also highlighted. According to participants, nations that act quickly to create trustworthy regulatory frameworks are more likely to influence international standards.

In this scenario, collaboration between big economies like the United States and India may have an impact on the future of digital asset markets worldwide.

From a larger perspective, participants stated that digital assets are joining the progress in digital payments and artificial intelligence as part of a more comprehensive transformation of the financial infrastructure.

They emphasized the significance of collaboration between democracies in guaranteeing that new technologies are regulated by open and regulated systems.

As digital finance continues to spread across borders, the challenge ahead will be to strike a balance between national priorities and the demand for international collaboration, according to participants.

They further stated that increased interaction between the United States and India might be crucial in determining the future framework of digital asset regulation.

The Chennai Super Kings overcame the Kolkata Knight Riders by 32 runs in their IPL 2026 match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Tuesday, thanks to a superb bowling display led by Noor Ahmad and Anshul Kamboj that complemented a stellar batting performance.

In spite of late resistance from Ramandeep Singh and Rovman Powell, CSK managed to keep KKR to 160/7 in 20 overs while successfully defending a respectable 192/5.

Sunil Narine and Finn Allen began KKR’s chase with an experimental approach. Allen’s cheap dismissal by Kamboj in the second over gave CSK an early breakthrough, while Narine showed early intent with a few sixes.

Khaleel Ahmed bowled out Narine in the powerplay, leaving KKR in trouble at 36/2 after six overs—their worst powerplay total since 2024.

With a combination of boundaries and sixes, Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi made an effort to rebuild, momentarily increasing the scoring rate.

But in the middle overs, CSK’s spin assault turned the game around significantly. Before Noor’s game-changing performance, Akeal Hosein severed the partnership by dismissing Raghuvanshi. Rahane was dismissed by the Afghan left-arm wrist-spinner, who then quickly took out Cameron Green for a golden duck and later Rinku Singh, disrupting KKR’s chase.

Noor consistently troubled batters with his variations and exploited the Chepauk surface, finishing with an outstanding 3/21. At 91/6, his magic brought KKR back from a position of rehabilitation to serious difficulty.

As the required rate increased, Ramandeep (35 off 23) and Powell (31 not out off 22) formed a competitive partnership, keeping KKR’s hopes alive with intermittent boundaries. But CSK’s controlled bowling kept the goal from being scored.

With a score of 2/32, Kamboj came back at the last minute to win the game. He dismissed Ramandeep in the second-to-last over and gave up only 12 runs in the last over to finish the match.

Earlier, CSK chose to bat and scored a respectable 192/5. Ayush Mhatre, a young batsman, got off to a lightning start with a 17-ball 38, and Sanju Samson led the way with a smooth 48.

With a well-constructed 41, Dewald Brevis gave the middle overs a boost, which helped CSK rebound from a little lull.

Despite the best attempts of KKR’s bowlers, notably Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy, to turn things around in the middle overs, CSK’s aggressive start ultimately proved to be the deciding factor.

With the victory, KKR remain winless and are struggling for consistency in their batting, while CSK have now won two games in a row.

Brief scores:
Chennai Super Kings 192/5 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 48, Dewald Brevis 41, Ayush Mhatre 38; Kartik Tyagi 2/35)
Kolkata Knight Riders 160/7 in 20 overs (Ramandeep Singh 35, Rovman Powell 31*; Noor Ahmad 3/21, Anshul Kamboj 2/32)

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Chief Economist, Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, predicted on Tuesday that India’s growth prospects will remain strong despite increasing global uncertainty caused by the Middle East conflict and that inflation would continue to rise steadily.

“India has been doing very, very well in 2025,” Gourinchas said during a group interview with journalists from India, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, and Chile, adding that growth is now predicted at “7. 6 percent” on a fiscal year basis.

The IMF is predicting a “6. 5” percent growth rate in 2026, which he claims represents a “very slight upgrade” from previous forecasts and suggests that momentum is anticipated to continue into the coming year.

Despite challenges brought by the continuing conflict in the Middle East, which has increased world energy prices and generated worries for oil-dependent economies like India, the forecast has been revised.

“The Middle East war is having a negative impact, but the impetus from 2025 will more than make up for it,” he stated.

Additionally, Gourinchas cited the reduction of trade disputes between India and the United States as a contributing factor.

The tariff rate has decreased, and the ambiguity surrounding it has been alleviated, as a result of trade talks between the US and India, he said.

In India, however, the IMF expects inflationary forces to rise in the next year. Due in part to rising food expenses and higher world energy prices, he claimed, “We are seeing an increase in inflation for 2026 to 4. 7 percent.”

He continued, “In India, we’ve seen food prices that have been rising in early 2026.”

Although the immediate outlook is still positive, Gourinchas warned that India’s structural reliance on energy imports makes it vulnerable to a turbulent global landscape.

It relies heavily on energy. He also said that it is heavily reliant on oil and cautioned that these circumstances may cause “some headwinds going forward. ”

He also stated that India’s current growth path is largely in line with its long-term potential.

“We have kind of a potential growth level that is about 6. 5 percent,” he said.

At a time when many nations are struggling with decelerating growth and increasing uncertainty, the IMF’s assessment highlights India’s role as a major engine of the global economy.

Following the increase in conflict in the Middle East, which has disrupted energy flows and raised oil and commodity prices, the global environment has become more difficult.

According to the IMF, the length and severity of the shock will determine how it affects the global economy as a whole.

Recently, India has maintained robust domestic demand and investment momentum, aided by policy stability and a resilient private sector, making it one of the quickest developing major economies.

AI will be essential to hastening the process of discovering new drugs, facilitating precision medicine, and fostering a healthcare system that is more intelligent and driven by innovation, according to experts.

The emphasis of the pharmaceutical industry was on rethinking processes rather than just digitizing old ones. They emphasized the increasing significance of robust data and technological infrastructure for facilitating the widespread use of AI and emphasized the immediate advantages of automation in enhancing clinical efficiency.

On the first day of the ninth ‘India Pharma 2026,’ four impactful plenary discussions brought together industry leaders, regulators, politicians, and technology specialists to discuss the future of India’s pharmaceutical and life sciences sector.

The pressing need to close the gap between policy goals and on-the-ground implementation was emphasized during the first plenary meeting.

Industry-led research and development model, the need to improve government lab networks, and the need to align regulatory models with European systems were all highlighted by Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals.

Despite the fact that research funding has grown significantly over the past few years, Rajiv Bahl, Secretary, Department of Health Research, stated that the nation requires a Bharat model of R&D that fosters confidence in the innovators and promotes greater collaboration between industry and academia.

Industry leaders echoed the necessity for more venture capital involvement and co-funding strategies to support research-driven businesses, closer industry-academia integration, and highlighted the significance of integrated ecosystems to convert early-stage discoveries into worldwide solutions, according to the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

The main goal of the second plenary session was to establish a regulatory environment that is predictable, effective, and consistent with international standards.

The Drug Controller General of India, Dr. Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, emphasized the value of stakeholder input in developing effective regulatory frameworks.

The third plenary session addressed the revolutionary potential of artificial intelligence throughout the pharmaceutical value chain.

India’s expanding participation in the worldwide Contract Research, Development, and Manufacturing Organization (CRDMO) market was the subject of the fourth session.

India’s CRDMO industry, which is now worth approximately $8 billion, has been expanding at a healthy rate of 10–12% annually, according to the panel, indicating a strong demand for outsourcing worldwide.

The government-run BEML Ltd announced that it had won a $36. 38 million (about Rs 336 crore) export order from the Middle East for the provision of heavy earthmoving machinery.

The corporation stated in a regulatory document that the equipment will be used for infrastructure development initiatives in the area.

This order brings BEML’s international order book to $106. 95 million (about Rs 996 crore), increasing its worldwide footprint, the business said.

The business got a Letter of Intent on March 18 for a foreign order worth about $60 million from the African area for the design, manufacture, delivery, testing, and commissioning of conventional gauge metro rolling stock. This was BEML’s first foreign order in the metropolitan market.

BEML shares were trading positively after the most recent contract victory.

On the NSE, the share increased almost 1% to an intraday high of Rs 1,635. 80 before falling back to finish the day up 0. 12% at Rs 1,623. 10.

The stock is currently down 46. 34% over the last year and 12. 44% year to date.

BEML’s financial performance for the quarter ending December 2025 saw a combined loss of Rs 22. 38 crore, down from a profit of Rs 24. 41 crore in the same period the previous year.

The company recorded a loss of Rs 23 crore in Q3FY26 on a standalone basis, which was somewhat less than the loss of Rs 25 crore that was reported for the same time the previous year.

During the quarter, the firm’s total income increased from Rs 880. 28 crore to Rs 1,087. 13 crore.

Costs, however, rose from Rs 850. 70 crore to Rs 1,112. 54 crore, which hurt profitability.

Following the conclusion of his term, the firm said in a separate statement in February that Bipin Kumar Gupta stopped being an Independent Director on its board on February 10.