The government informed Parliament on Tuesday that as of March 31, 2026, investments worth Rs 167. 51 crore have been made in Maharashtra, with 24 enterprises from the state having been approved under the Centre’s Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Textiles.

Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita stated in a written response to the Lok Sabha that 170 firms have received approval under the textile PLI scheme nationwide, with 24 of them being located in Maharashtra.

As per the minister, the authorized enterprises in Maharashtra have jointly invested 167. 51 crore rupees, produced a turnover of 177. 75 crore rupees, and provided 904 people with employment.

By promoting investment, growing manufacturing capacity, enhancing competitiveness, and boosting value addition, the PLI Scheme for Textiles seeks to foster the creation of garments made of man-made fibre (MMF), MMF fabrics, and technical textile items.

In order to facilitate project execution and resolve implementation-related concerns, the Ministry of Textiles frequently assesses the scheme’s implementation through weekly open-house sessions, monthly workshops with beneficiary companies, and regular reviews.

In October 2025, the government implemented a number of changes to make the program more appealing to investors.

Among these were the addition of 17 new HSN codes to MMF apparel and textiles, a 50% decrease in the minimum investment criteria, a drop in the incremental turnover requirement for incentives from 25% to 10%, and the elimination of the need to establish a new firm in order to benefit from the incentives.

To promote more participation, the government also reopened the application site till March 31 and conducted outreach activities with industrial groups.

These adjustments led to a considerable rise in MSME involvement in the plan.

According to the minister, MSMEs submitted 65, or approximately 68%, of the 96 applications received in the third round.

In Satara, Spica Industries Private Limited invested the most in Maharashtra-based businesses at Rs 76. 37 crore, while Microtex Processors Private Limited in Kolhapur invested Rs 91. 02 crore. In addition, Spica Industries reported a revenue of Rs 177. 75 crore and created 640 jobs.

In the third and final T20I at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday, India defeated Zimbabwe by 35 runs, thanks to a superb 81 from teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and a clinical three-wicket haul from speedster Mayank Yadav, completing a 3-0 series sweep.

India, which had lost series in England and Ireland, showed their dominance with a complete all-around performance. Sooryavanshi established the mood right away by scoring a sparkling 81 from 49 balls, helping India reach a strong 192/5 on a sluggish pitch.

Mayank was skillful in employing short of good length and short deliveries to guarantee that Zimbabwe was never in contention in support of the total. Even though the field’s five opportunities were missed due to a shoddy प्रदर्शन, India still easily won the series by holding Zimbabwe to 157/7.

Opting to bat first, India relied on Sooryavanshi’s measured genius as the young opener abandoned his typical all-out aggressiveness in favour of a more mature, paced stroke, showing a desire to rotate strike with 19 singles and three twos. He combined power with accuracy and slammed the Zimbabwean assault across the park whenever they made mistakes, hitting eight fours and four sixes at a strike-rate of 165. 31.

India didn’t even reach the 200-mark by eight runs, but Sooryavanshi and Ishan Kishan shared 75 runs, and Shreyas Iyer shared 50 runs before Rinku Singh completed the innings with a 14-ball 25. The bowlers were largely expensive and gave away 17 extras, 15 of which were wides, despite Brad Evans being the outstanding bowler for Zimbabwe with 2-41.

Zimbabwe’s choice to start bowling with captain Sikandar Raza backfired immediately as Sooryavanshi blasted the first ball past short third man for four, then lofted another boundary in the 17-run first over. But Blessing Muzarabani quickly reestablished his supremacy over Abhishek Sharma.

The tall bowler claimed the opener for the third time in the series, leading to a simple catch for the keeper at two runs as Abhishek tried to drive him over cover. Sooryavanshi was unfazed by the early setback and slammed a hook over Muzarabani’s parking lot for six before nudging him past third man for another boundary.

Sooryavanshi demonstrated the same skill versus fuller balls by constantly opening the face of his bat to force Newman Nyamhuri and Brad Evans’ yorkers through the off-side for boundaries. Kishan, on the other hand, established his rhythm by hitting Brad Evans for two straight boundaries before muscling Wellington Masakadza over mid-wicket for a third.

Prior to bringing up his second T20I half-century in 31 balls by calmly cutting Wessly Madhevere to deep point for a single, Sooryavanshi had also sent Masakadza over mid-wicket for another towering six. Despite Kishan’s castle by Raza for 29, Sooryavanshi continued to display his versatility by hitting Madhevere for a boundary with a reverse-sweep after smoking him down the ground.

Before his attempt to go downtown again resulted in Brad Evans pulling off a spectacular low diving catch at long-off to finally dismiss the teenager for 81, Sooryavanshi continued to dish out towering sixes, including a 102-meter hit down the ground, with captain Iyer smashing Madhevere for back-to-back boundaries.

Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh collectively hit four boundaries before the latter holed out to deep cover off Evans on the last ball of the innings, even though Shreyas Iyer holed out to deep mid-wicket off Brad Evans for 27. India had already passed the 190-mark thanks to Sooryavanshi’s deliberate attack and 40 runs from overs 17–20.

Zimbabwe’s response to the 193-run chase began badly, much like the first T20I, with Mayank hitting on the very first ball of the innings. Brian Bennett edged the express pacer’s 147kph thunderbolt, which Vaibhav Sooryavanshi caught sharply at first slip.

In the fourth over, Zimbabwe’s pursuit was effectively stopped by Yash Thakur’s double-strike. With a cunning 125kph bouncer, Thakur first outsmarted Dion Myers (19), who awkwardly flicked the ball to Shreyas Iyer. Thakur created a moment of magic on the following ball, getting a 143kph delivery to take skipper Sikandar Raza’s leading edge before diving dynamically in his follow-through to take an incredible one-handed stunning grab.

India took complete control of the game by claiming three scalps in power-play, despite the fact that Ryan Burl denied Thakur a hat-trick with a sharp drive to the boundary. Before Ben Curran reverse-swept to short third man off Ravi Bishnoi, Ryan Burl and Ben Curran attempted to rekindle the innings with a 31-run partnership.

After four overs without a boundary, Burl and Wesley Madhevere attempted to ease the pressure on Zimbabwe by hitting high shots. The former sent Sharma for a four and six, while the latter treated Thakur the same.

Despite Burl hitting an unbeaten half-century off 42 balls, the writing was on the wall for Zimbabwe with the outcome in India’s favor after Ashok Sharma sent Marumani’s off-stump for a walk for his first international wicket. Mayank ended the 60-run partnership by having Madhevere pulling to mid-wicket and then Brad Evans caught out at cover.

“Indeed, this is a moment when dreams really come true. “I am really thrilled to receive my first Man of the Match and Man of the Series awards,” said Sooryavanshi at the end of the series.

Sooryavanshi was visibly pleased during the trip, when he achieved his maiden two fifty-plus runs in Twenty20 Internationals. “It felt really good. We had excellent preparation in the two or three days following our arrival in Harare. Also, since I played in the Under-19 World Cup here, I truly enjoy playing at this venue. He said, “I’m very thrilled since everyone supported me—the captain, the coaches, everyone. ”

They are a young group of players who have been displaying amazing energy and intent on the field, especially when you play back-to-back games, as we witnessed how brave they are.

“As a captain and as a team, I need that kind of energy, and they were able to give it today in consecutive games. ” Thus, it’s a unique experience for me to win the series here in Zimbabwe. 3-0, Clinical. It will be a particularly memorable occasion, Shreyas Iyer said at the series’conclusion.

“To be honest with you, many of them. First and foremost, I’d like to express my gratitude to Zimbabwe Cricket for putting on these events since if we don’t compete against the top teams in the world as a country, we won’t be able to advance.

“And I believe that world cricket is far superior when all nations are playing effectively. At the end of the series, Raza stated, “The lessons from this series will undoubtedly enable us to close the gap between the top nations and the nations that are a little bit lower ranked because I believe cricket is much more entertaining when everyone is performing at their best. ”

Brief Scores:
India 192/5 in 20 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 81, Ishan Kishan 29; Brad Evans 2-41, Blessing Muzarabani 1-33)
Zimbabwe 157/7 in 20 overs (Ryan Burl 54 not out, Wessly Madhevere 28; Mayank Yadav 3-29, Yash Thakur 2-45)

According to the government, “Corporate Mitras” are intended to offer Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) high-quality, reasonably priced, and accessible compliance and business support services, as well as to develop a pool of trained paraprofessionals by giving young graduates industry-relevant knowledge and practical abilities.

To promote awareness of the Corporate Mitra Scheme among young people, students, MSMEs, professionals, and companies in Arunachal Pradesh, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs’ Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) in Shillong held a webinar.

According to an official statement, the programme hopes to help MSMEs, especially those in tier 2 and 3 cities, contribute to the broader goal of a Viksit Bharat at 2047.

It is anticipated that the program will improve job prospects, particularly in the Northeastern Region, and fortify the MSME environment.

The approved “Corporate Mitras” are expected to provide affordable and accessible professional assistance to the local enterprises, for the non-core parts of their business operation, such as regulatory, compliance, financial, taxation, accounting, and governance-related needs, thereby ensuring that MSMEs can focus on innovation, expansion, and growth, while meeting regulatory requirements with ease.

The statement said that the scheme is intended to have an initial pan-India goal of 2000 participants, 200 of whom would be from the North East Region (NER), and that NER candidates would receive a 50% tuition reduction.

IICA Shillong has been designated as the nodal organization for communication and liaison with state governments and other stakeholders for the scheme’s rollout and implementation for the Northeast area.

By creating a robust support network for MSMEs and making it easier for them to access a pool of trained, trustworthy, and accredited para-professionals known as “Corporate Mitras,” the plan represents the ideal of a formalized, financially sound, and prosperous MSME sector.

Olympic medalist Mirabai Chanu wrote another golden chapter in Indian weightlifting history by winning the women’s 48kg title at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Sunday.

In the process, she completed a hat-trick of Commonwealth Games gold medals and broke the Games and Commonwealth snatch records.

Mirabai Chanu stated that her family’s steadfast support during years of injuries and sacrifices was essential to her staying motivated throughout her career after she made history by winning a third straight Commonwealth Games gold medal.

Mirabai, who took home India’s first gold medal at the Glasgow Games, overcame a slow start to deliver a commanding performance; despite missing her first attempt at the 82kg snatch, the Tokyo Olympics silver medalist was able to lift that weight on her second attempt and subsequently upped the bar to 85kg on her last try, thereby establishing new Commonwealth Records in the event at the Games.

The Manipuri lifter had an eight-kilogram advantage going into the clean and jerk due to her record-setting snatch. She dropped the bar on her first try, but she responded like a champion by lifting 105kg on her second attempt, ensuring the gold medal long before the tournament was over.

Mirabai has once again proven her status as one of India’s best weightlifters with this win, which is her third straight gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, having previously won at the 2018 Games in Gold Coast and at the 2022 Games in Birmingham.

The Tokyo Olympics silver medalist recognized her long-time coach Vijay Sharma‘s part in keeping her constant at the highest level.

There are several things we must work hard for and stay focused on from the start, whether it’s the Games or a championship, and that includes how we must perform and how to sustain that performance. Vijay sir has always been there for me throughout this, she added.

Mirabai stated that she changed her strategy after failing her initial snatch try, even though she hadn’t initially intended to pursue greater lifts.

Because of my own error, I failed on my first attempt, but I wasn’t going to exert so much effort in these Games. So we were thinking… We also had to check what was happening in training and what else needed to be improved. She added that she felt this performance was really essential to her since she has struggled with her weight for so long, and it’s quite difficult for her to reduce it to 48kg.

After that initial disappointment, the 31-year-old made a incredible comeback and went on to give another outstanding performance. Mirabai was able to elevate 85kg on her last try and 82kg on her second effort, despite failing on her first attempt, establishing new records at the Commonwealth Games for the snatch in both the Commonwealth Games and the Commonwealth.

Following that, she participated in the clean and jerk, where she was eight kilograms heavier than the other participants. Although she was unable to raise the bar on her initial try, the Indian star made up for it by lifting 105kg on her second attempt, securing the gold medal without a hitch.

Mirabai made history by becoming the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games and by taking home gold medals at the Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022 Games as well.

Mirabai said that hearing the Indian national anthem was the most emotional part of the day for her, especially when she considered the occasion when she was on the podium’s highest step.

She stated that tears spontaneously come out of her eyes whenever the National Anthem is played and heard, tears of pleasure because she had won India’s first gold medal.

Tears come out spontaneously when we hear or sing our National Anthem. She concluded that they were happy tears since she had won India’s first gold medal.

The Centre said on Friday that it remains committed to ensuring justice for students and strict action against anyone who tries to compromise their future.

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said on X that he and J P Nadda held a detailed discussion with Sonam Wangchuk at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram.

“Along with Union Minister for Health Sh @JPNadda Ji, met Shri Sonam Wangchuk Ji at Medanta Hospital, Gurugram, and held a detailed discussion on students’ concerns. Assured a constructive dialogue and positive intervention from the Government, following which Sonam Ji decided to end his fast,” Dr Singh said.

He further said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the “government remains committed to ensuring justice for students and strict action against anyone who tries to compromise their future”.

Activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike after receiving assurances from the Central government and Members of Parliament across political parties that the issue of accountability in the country’s examination system would be taken up in Parliament.

According to the government’s statement, the Centre has responded positively to the key concerns raised by the protesters.

The government statement said, “Government is positive on not registering cases against those protesting peacefully in Jantar Mantar and those participating in the march to Parliament on July 20, 2026. Government has already assured a threadbare discussion to find solution to paper leak and educational reforms regarding examination in Parliament. Besides, the Government is also positively considering suitable compensation for the suicide victims of recent NEET paper leaks.”

Announcing the decision on its official X handle on Friday, Wangchuk’s team said the fast was called off following commitments from the government regarding key demands raised during the protest.

“END OF HUNGER… BEGINNING OF ACCOUNTABILITY…!” the post read.

It further stated, “Sonam Wangchuk ends his fast after 26 days upon getting assurance from the government and members of parliament of all political parties that the issue of accountability in the failing examination system will be discussed on the floors of the Indian Parliament. The government also gave assurance that families of suicide victims in the recent NEET examination paper leak will be given adequate compensation and that there will be no cases registered against the peacefully protesting students and youths.”

In a video message shared along with the announcement, Wangchuk explained the developments that led to his decision to end the fast.

“On the 26th day of my hunger strike, I want to share some important information. A short while ago, Union Ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh came here. Leaders of the Ladakh Apex Body were also present. Before that, as you know, around 65 Members of Parliament from different political parties came here, signed their support, and requested me to end my hunger strike. They assured me that the issue of paper leaks would be discussed. The same assurance was conveyed by the Union Ministers as well. Over the last few days, it took some time to receive a written commitment, and today I have finally received that written assurance,” Wangchuk said.

India won the first T20I at the Harare Sports Club by seven wickets, thanks to a masterclass in aggressive fast bowling from dynamic Delhi-based fast bowling combination Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav, before teenage batting phenom Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made history with an 18-ball half-century.

While Shivam Dube and Ravi Bishnoi each claimed one wicket, Mayank claimed 2-18 and Prince 2-19. Zimbabwe was on the verge of scoring under 100 runs at 32/4. Zimbabwe did not lose many wickets later thanks to Ryan Burl (26), Wessly Madhevere (39), and Tadiwanashe Marumani (27 not out), who also helped them pass the 120-mark.

As Sooryavanshi’s 18-ball fifty, with four boundaries and as many sixes, made him the youngest player to score a half-century in international cricket, the chase was always going to be a stroll in the park for India. As India reached home with 40 balls remaining and took a 1-0 lead in the three-game series, his blitzkrieg rendered the chase a mere formality.

Shreyas Iyer also won as India’s T20I captain on his eighth try, thanks to the outcome. After a 21-month layoff due to injury, Mayank wasted little time having an impact in international cricket. He delivered a 144 kmph thunderbolt off the first ball of the game, which nipped away and caught Brian Bennett’s edge behind, resulting in a golden duck following a successful review by keeper Ishan Kishan.

Prince made sure the pressure was relentless from the other side even if debutant pacer Ashok Sharma was hit for consecutive boundaries by fellow debutant Ben Curran. Prince struck with his second ball in the fourth over of the attack, as Curran mishit a pull straight to midwicket.

Mayank next exploited his speed to harass Dion Myers, who gently chipped a length ball to mid-on, while skipper Sikandar Raza only scored four runs before hitting a back-of-a-length delivery from Shivam Dube directly to deep square leg.

Ryan Burl tried to restore himself with a few powerful strokes, including one six off deep mid-wicket by Dube. Burl, however, was unable to clear the long-off boundary, allowing leg-spinner Bishnoi to end their 32-run stand. Madhevere led the hosts’ late push as the death overs began.

He used anything loose to his advantage, sweeping Bishnoi over long-on for a six and collecting consecutive boundaries off Ashok Sharma. With a strong six off Dube, Marumani provided crucial support, propelling the hosts beyond the 100-run mark. India, however, re-established tight command in the last over.

When he attempted to sneak a second run after a good throw from Dube, Madhevere’s beneficial stay came to an end. Prince then dismissed Brad Evans on the very next ball for a duck as he misjudged a full toss and hit it straight to mid-off, capping off a clinical performance by the Indian bowlers.

Sooryavanshi destroyed Richard Ngarava in the second over, chasing 126 and hitting 20 runs by slamming two enormous sixes and a boundary. Despite Blessing Muzarabani dismissing Abhishek Sharma (1) in the third over, Sooryavanshi didn’t lose his momentum.

Sooryavanshi kept up his attack against Evans, hitting him for two boundaries in a row, and then smashing Muzarabani for two fours and a six down the ground. He did this by moving around the crease efficiently and hitting the pull shot effectively.

Even as Sooryavanshi completed his first international half-century in just 18 balls at the same location where he hit an explosive 175 in this year’s U19 World Cup final, Ishan Kishan took advantage of debutant Newman Nyamhuri’s shoddy lines to score three boundaries from the other end.

In the seventh over, he top-edged Ngarava to deep third man, which brought his knock to an end on the very next ball. At that point, India was in a dominant position, and Kishan, together with Shreyas Iyer (27 not out) and Tilak Varma (5 not out), made sure that India made it home without any additional issues.

Brief scores:
Zimbabwe 125/7 in 20 overs (Wessly Madhevere 39, Tadiwanashe Marumani 27 not out; Mayank Yadav 2-18, Prince Yadav 2-19)
India 126/3 in 13.2 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 50, Ishan Kishan 35; Blessing Muzarabani 2-26, Richard Ngarava 1-30)

Google CEO Sundar Pichai stated that the company’s Gemini app has increased its monthly active users (MAUs) to 950 million and has tripled its daily active users over the previous year as it continues to grow its artificial intelligence (AI) solutions throughout its consumer and business lines.

According to Pichai’s blog post, the fast increase in Gemini app usage has been driven by new AI-powered tools such Daily Brief and the customized Gemini Spark assistant, which is currently offered in the US and many other international regions.

Since its wider introduction last October, AI Mode has surpassed 1 billion monthly active users globally, according to him, who also emphasized the rising use of Google’s AI-powered Search experience. While sending billions of clicks to websites each week, the feature is increasing search activity.

Google has started working on Gemini 4, the company’s next-generation AI model, while also increasing its AI model portfolio with the introduction of Gemini 3. 6 Flash, Gemini 3. 5 Flash Cyber, and Gemini 3. 5 Flash-Lite.

Pichai states that over 9 million developers create apps each month using Google’s AI models, and that the company’s APIs process about 22 billion tokens per minute, up from 16 billion in the prior quarter.

Nearly 90% of Fortune 100 businesses are currently utilizing Gemini Enterprise, which is significantly contributing to the rapid development of Google Cloud, and the organization is also seeing widespread corporate adoption.

Cloud revenue increased by 82% from the prior year, reaching $514 billion due to a rise in demand for enterprise AI solutions and AI infrastructure.

Pichai stated that the company’s AI investments are transforming its operations across Search, YouTube, Cloud, and developer platforms, and Alphabet also disclosed a 24 percent increase in revenue year over year.