Amid the West Asia catastrophe that has disrupted global supply networks, the government announced that it has sufficient seed stock on hand for the next Kharif season.

Maninder Kaur Dwivedi, the Additional Secretary for Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, stated at the inter-ministerial briefing that the nation has a self-sufficient seed system supported by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the public sector, in addition to the private sector.

In addition, there is a strong pipeline with enough seed and breeding material at every stage (certified, foundation, hybrid seeds) to handle any potential disruptions.

Dwivedi said that the wholesale prices of all agricultural commodities are also being watched, and that the prices of the three main crops—tomato, onion, and potato—are in the range and trending favorably, with an increasing trend at the wholesale level.

The government claimed that there was a comfortable seed availability position for the 2026 Kharif season, with a surplus of about 19. 29 lakh quintals.

The nation has 185. 74 lakh quintals available, while the agriculture industry needs 166. 46 lakh quintals.

Additionally, there are seed inputs available for the Rabi season.

The government has already evaluated the effects on farmers and their need for fertilizer throughout the Kharif season. Timely availability and food security will be ensured by the actions taken in recent years to preserve sufficient fertilizer supplies.

To make the distribution system transparent, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan recently stressed the need to guarantee a fair and continuous supply of fertilizers and instructed authorities to expedite the development of ‘Farmer IDs. ‘ Additionally, he said that he would shortly meet with Chief Ministers and state Agriculture Ministers to discuss how to collaborate on the project.

The minister also stated that orders were given for strong action to be taken against black marketing and hoarding fertilizers and seeds in order to take advantage of the global crisis. State governments would also be urged to take stringent measures in this regard, Chouhan stated.

While the minister stressed sufficient packaging materials, particularly for milk and other agricultural products, in the midst of the worldwide crisis, the meeting with authorities examined the availability of agro-chemicals and the necessary gases for drying seeds.

He also gave instructions for coordinating with the Ministry of Petroleum and other pertinent authorities to guarantee supplies.

In light of the continuing West Asia war, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over a special meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Wednesday to assess steps taken by different ministries and departments and to explore additional steps to be taken.

The Prime Minister instructed all pertinent ministries to do everything they could to lessen the effects of the current global crisis on citizens and industries.

Prime Minister Modi evaluated the availability of essential needs for the average citizen.

He spoke about the availability of fertilizers in the nation and the procedures being taken to guarantee its availability during the Rabi and Kharif seasons.

Every effort should be made to protect the populace from the effects of this conflict, according to Prime Minister Modi. The Prime Minister also stressed the importance of a seamless flow of accurate information to the public in order to combat misinformation and rumors.

The Prime Minister evaluated whether essential commodities for the average citizen were accessible. He spoke about the availability of fertilizers in the nation and the actions being done to guarantee its availability during the Kharif and Rabi seasons. He stated that every effort must be made to protect the populace from the effects of this war.

The Prime Minister also stressed the importance of ensuring a smooth flow of real information to the public in order to combat rumors and disinformation.

The meeting covered topics pertaining to industries like energy, agriculture, fertilizers, aviation, shipping, and logistics.

The Cabinet Secretary received a briefing on the steps taken to guarantee the supply of petroleum products, notably LNG/LPG, as well as an adequate amount of electricity. The acquisition of LPG is becoming more diverse with new inflows from various nations.

Additionally, various nations are supplying liquefied natural gas (LNG). According to an official announcement, he continued, LPG prices for household users have remained constant, and Anti-diversion enforcement is routinely carried out to combat LPG hoarding and illegal marketing.

Additionally, efforts have been made to increase the number of Piped Natural Gas connections.

In order to assure power availability during the busiest summer months, measures have also been implemented, such as excluding gas-based power plants with a capacity of 7–8 GW from the gas pooling mechanism and increasing the rake for positioning more coal at thermal power stations.

Additionally, potential actions to address rising issues in other industries, including agriculture, civil aviation, shipping, and logistics, were also addressed.

Several measures are being taken to guarantee fertilizer supply, including maintaining urea production to meet demand and coordinating with foreign sources for DAP/NPKS providers.

The state governments are being urged to take aggressive measures by daily monitoring, conducting raids, and taking stringent actions to stop the black marketing, hoarding, and diversion of fertilizers.

Oracle, a major cloud provider, started firing staff globally on Tuesday, with many employees getting an email early in the morning informing them that they were losing their jobs.

In an email from the corporation “informing them that their employment had been terminated,” Oracle employees all over the world began reporting on social media, according to a piece in Fast Company.

The emails appeared to start appearing in workers’ email at around 6:00 a. m. local time in the United States.

The layoffs were not immediately addressed by an Oracle spokeswoman.

One version of the email seen by Business Insider reads, “After careful consideration of Oracle’s current business needs, we have decided to eliminate your role as part of a larger organizational change. As a result, today is your final day of employment.

It further stated that “access to your computer, email, voicemail, and files will be deactivated soon, and you will be unable to log into your computer. As a reminder, you are prohibited from downloading, copying, or retaining (including emailing yourself) any Oracle confidential information. ”

The email was also shared by Reddit users, but with various wordings.

Former Oracle workers who were laid off were given severance pay and were required to submit their personal email addresses for further action. As of May 2025, the company employed approximately 162,000 individuals in full-time positions.

“You will be eligible to get a severance package in accordance with the terms and conditions of the severance plan once you have completed your termination documentation. The email sent to staff states that “you will get an email from DocuSign to your Oracle email address with information about your severance and termination date. ”

According to reports, Oracle is laying off between 20,000 and 30,000 people, which is about 18% of its workforce worldwide. Even though the firm had not yet issued a statement.

In the first game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the PCA’s New International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Tuesday, debutant Cooper Connolly scored his first half-century as the Punjab Kings overcame a formidable comeback by the Gujarat Titans to win by three wickets in 19. 1 overs, chasing a target of 163 runs.

In the second over, Kagiso Rabada dismissed Priyansh Arya, a key player for the Punjab Kings, for seven runs off eight balls, dealing the team an early blow in their pursuit of 163.

In the fourth over, opener Prabhsimran Singh responded with back-to-back sixes against Rabada. At the conclusion of the Power-play, when Punjab was at 55/1, Connolly joined the assault and hit two sixes. The pair kept making runs at will, bringing the team close to 100 with a 76-run partnership for the second wicket.

The partnership was ended in the 10th over when Rashid Khan took Prabhsimran’s wicket for a lightning-fast 37 off 24 balls. In the 13th over, Prasidh Krishna bowled out Captain Shreyas Iyer, who had maintained the pace with two sixes.

With Krishna and Washington Sundar among the wicket-takers, the Gujarat Titans responded forcefully by taking wickets quickly, dismissing Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, and Marcus Stoinis.

On his debut, Connolly kept his composure and reached his first IPL fifty in only 34 deliveries, despite the meltdown at the other end. With 5 balls to spare, he led Punjab home alongside Xavier Bartlett (11 not out), remaining undefeated with 72 runs off 44 balls, which included 5 fours and 5 sixes.

Rabada, Ashok Sharma, Rashid Khan, and Sundar all took one wicket for Gujarat, but Krishna was the best of the bunch, ending with 3-29.

The Gujarat Titans were held to 162/6 in 20 overs by the Punjab Kings, with fast bowler Vijaykumar Vyshak claiming three wickets and Yuzvendra Chahal taking two.

After being invited to bat first, the Gujarat Titans got off to a good start as Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan scored at will, bringing the score up to 35/0 in three overs. The Punjab Kings, though, got off to a strong start when Marco Jansen bowled out Sudharsan for thirteen.

Gill then joined Jos Buttler in providing stability, leading the side to 54/1 at the conclusion of the powerplay. In the 10th over, Yuzvendra Chahal took Gill’s wicket for 39 runs off 27 deliveries after he had initially played with an offensive mindset and then slowed down to anchor the innings.

Vijaykumar Vyshak brought Glenn Phillips’ attempt to pick up speed with a rapid 25 off 17 balls to an end. Chahal bowled Buttler in the 16th over for 38 runs off 33 balls, but he kept the innings together.

Washington Sundar had difficulty speaking and was eventually out at the end of the innings after scoring 18 runs on 16 deliveries.

Chahal’s two wickets were vital support as Vyshak stood out as the best bowler, ending with figures of 3-34 in four overs. Despite a strong start, the Gujarat Titans were kept in check by the Punjab Kings’ disciplined bowling performance.

Brief scores:
Gujarat Titans 162/6 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 39, Jos Buttler 38; Vijaykumar Vyshak 3-34, Yuzvendra Chahal 2-28)
Punjab Kings 165/7 in 19.1 overs (Cooper Connolly 72*, Prabhsimran Singh 37; Prasidh Krishna 3-29, Washington Sundar 1-27)

The ‘Artemis II’ mission, which is slated to launch from Kennedy Space Center as early as April 1, has had its final preparations finished by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The mission, which will send four astronauts on a roughly 10-day trip around the Moon, will be the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis program, according to the agency.

Additionally, since the Apollo era, Artemis II will be the first time humans have ventured outside of low-Earth orbit.

The crew consists of Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen as well as NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman.

The Orion spacecraft’s life-support systems will be tested with humans onboard for the first time during the mission, which will be launched from NASA’s Space Launch System rocket.

Despite the possibility of cloud cover and strong winds, NASA stated that the weather prediction for launch day is still good, with an 80% chance of favorable conditions.

After launching, the spacecraft will go to high Earth orbit before following a ‘free-return trajectory’ toward the Moon, which will bring it around the far side of the Moon and back to Earth without the need for propulsion for the return trip.

The crew is also anticipated to break the record for the farthest distance humans have traveled from Earth, which was established during the Apollo 13 mission.

The mission will evaluate vital systems, such as emergency protocols, radiation shielding, and cutting-edge communication technologies like laser-based data transmission.

Artemis II, according to NASA, is a crucial advancement in the direction of future deep-space exploration, such as crewed missions to the Moon and eventually Mars.

Through its official channels, such as live streams and frequent status updates, the space agency will offer ongoing coverage of the launch and expedition.

As part of its larger initiative to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon and develop skills for potential missions to Mars in the future, NASA’s Artemis program is included.

With a scorching 52 from adolescent opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, a double-strike from Ravindra Jadeja, and incisive new-ball spells from Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger, Rajasthan Royals began their IPL 2026 campaign on Monday with an overwhelming eight-wicket win against Chennai Super Kings at the ACA Stadium.

Archer and Burger took advantage of the red-soil pitch’s swing and seam movement to bowl CSK out for only 127 after a shaky start in the absence of MS Dhoni and Dewald Brevis. After a hiatus of 17 years, Jadeja made a successful comeback to RR by striking twice in his first over, while debutant Brijesh Sharma contributed a breakthrough.

Despite the fact that the overall score was still mediocre, Jamie Overton was the sole player to offer any opposition. He counterattacked at number eight, scoring 43 runs off 36 balls, which pulled CSK past 120 from 84/8 and prevented the humiliation of being bowled out for under 100. Sooryavanshi responded by making the pursuit a solo demonstration.

After being dismissed for nothing, he sprinted to a 15-ball fifty – the third fastest in IPL history – with four fours and five sixes, giving RR a 74 without loss in the Powerplay. The harm was already done, even if he fell soon after for 52. With 47 balls remaining, skipper Riyan Parag (14 not out) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (38 not out) brought the chase to a cool conclusion.

In the first over, Archer started by swinging the ball both ways to give Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad problems. Then, with a delivery that turned away and struck the off-stump, Nandre Burger broke through by smashing Samson for six.

In his second over, Archer returned to dismiss Gaikwad; the CSK captain backed away to get to the off-side, but he was bowled for six when he missed a straight delivery. Ayush Mhatre fell for a golden duck in the third over, gloving a bouncer to keeper Dhruv Jurel, as RR’s review led to the verdict in their favor, intensifying the collapse.

When Sarfaraz Khan entered as the impact replacement, he started his resistance by hitting Burger for four and six in a row. Brijesh Sharma, making his debut, kept the scoreboard moving after a strong performance in the fourth over where he only gave up six runs.

As CSK closed the power play   at 41/4, Matthew Short, who had been having trouble getting started, immediately chipped a slower delivery right to mid-wicket for two in the last over of the power play, and Sandeep Sharma struck immediately. Following that, CSK experienced two significant setbacks: Shivam Dube was caught out to long-off, and Sarfaraz attempted a sweep off former CSK star Ravindra Jadeja but failed and was caught lbw for 17.

After Brijesh Sharma defeated Kartik’s inside edge and trapped him plumb lbw for 18, CSK’s slide persisted as Noor Ahmed edged behind to Jurel off Archer, and Ravi Bishnoi seized a beautiful caught and bowled opportunity after deceiving Matt Henry with a googly. However, Jamie Overton was run out due to a total mix-up after CSK managed to reach the 120-run barrier thanks to his hitting boundaries alongside Anshul Kamboj.

Matt Henry’s first over for RR went for 18 runs, with Sooryavanshi hitting and driving for boundaries (including Kartik Sharma dropping him for zero) and Jaiswal glancing him fine for four, giving the team a strong start.

The first ball of Khaleel Ahmed’s spell appeared to have hit Sooryavanshi lbw, but a review revealed that it had passed over leg stump. Even as Sooryavanshi kept up his onslaught in an effort to maintain the scoring momentum, Jaiswal played cautiously.

Sooryavanshi destroyed Henry’s second over by hitting a slower ball over backward point for six, and Jaiswal used his strength to drive Khaleel straight over mid-off for four. As RR passed the fifty-run mark, Sooryavanshi teased and tickled Anshul Kamboj over third man and fine leg before hitting a six over long-on, and Kamboj responded with three boundaries.

Sooryavanshi hit successive sixes over long-on to score a blistering fifty off just 15 balls, as 19 runs came off the sixth over to put RR at 74/0 at the conclusion of the powerplay. Noor Ahmad’s introduction had little effect in slowing down the onslaught.

But immediately following that, Sooryavanshi tried to flick a length ball over cover, but Sarfaraz Khan came in from the deep and executed a diving catch at deep extra cover to get rid of him for 52.

Dhruv Jurel maintained the pace with four rapid boundaries before dragging one back onto his stumps while attempting to scoop Anshul Kamboj.

Jaiswal smashed one over long-off for six before scoring the winning single to start RR’s campaign with a convincing victory, while Parag lofted and reverse-swept to get his four and six.

Brief Scores:

Chennai Super Kings 127 in 19.4 overs (Jamie Overton 43, Kartik Sharma 18; Ravindra Jadeja 2-18, Jofra Archer 2-19)
Rajasthan Royals 128/2 in 12.1 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 52, Yashasvi Jaiswal 38 not out; Anshul Kamboj 2-27)

For the first time ever, the Indian rupee crossed the 95 per dollar barrier on Monday, reaching 95. 2 against the US dollar, a 0. 3% decline.

It finished at a record closing low of 94. 83 per dollar, down from 94. 81 on Friday.

In March, the value of the currency fell by 4. 4% against the US dollar.

Following the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) decision to lower the net open position restriction that banks can hold overnight to $100 million, the rupee began with a strong start but subsequently lost ground, falling 160 paise from its opening level.

Additionally, the rupee continued its weekly decline of around 1% last week, its fourth week in a row, reaching a record low of 94. 84 versus the dollar.

In the after-hours market on Friday, the central bank announced that banks must make sure that their net open rupee positions in the onshore deliverable market do not exceed $100 million at the conclusion of each business day by April 10.

The value of these positions is estimated to be between $25 billion and more than $50 billion.

Due to concerns about increasing oil costs, Indian equities are on pace for their worst monthly decline since March 2020, while bonds are on track for their weakest fiscal year since 2023.

Rising tensions in the West Asia conflict have also caused world crude oil prices to increase.

Brent crude futures traded close to a new 52-week high when they surged 3% to an intraday high of $116. 70 a barrel. In the meantime, the US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) increased by more than 3% to reach over $103 a barrel.

Due to geopolitical conflicts, the rupee lost more than 4% in March.

The Sensex ended the day at 71,947. 55, a loss of 1,635. 67 points, or 2. 2%, while the Nifty closed at 22,331. 40, a decrease of 488. 20 points, or 2. 14%, on the domestic equity market.

According to exchange data, overseas institutional investors sold a net amount of Rs 4,367. 30 crore worth of shares on last week.

With the implementation of new laws for online transactions by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), digital payments in India are expected to become somewhat more secure, but also a little bit more time-consuming, starting on April 1, 2026.

All digital payments, including those made using mobile wallets, credit cards, debit cards, and UPI, must now employ two-factor authentication (2FA), according to the central bank.

This indicates that an OTP alone will no longer be enough to finish a transaction. In addition to OTP, users will now need to complete at least two levels of authentication, such as a PIN, password, biometric verification, or token.

The action is taken in response to an increase in internet fraud incidents, such as phishing and SIM swap schemes, for which OTP-based systems have been shown to be susceptible.

The RBI hopes to increase confidence in digital payment systems and lower the risk of unlawful transactions by introducing an additional level of protection.

The shift means that users may have to wait a little longer for payments to process, particularly on new devices or for large purchases.

Regular transactions on trusted devices, though, are likely to continue to run quite smoothly.

Additionally, the system will use a risk-based strategy, in which the frequency of security checks will vary according to the transaction’s characteristics and activity.

Increased accountability for banks and payment systems is another important aspect of the new regulations.

Financial firms could be compelled to reimburse consumers if fraud results from a deficiency in their systems.

This is anticipated to speed up the process of addressing grievances and compel banks to improve their security infrastructure.

Similar authentication standards, including cross-border card transactions, will be applied to international transactions as well, according to the RBI.

By October 2026, these regulations are expected to be completely implemented.

The central bank’s most recent action is intended to strike a balance between convenience and security as digital payments become more and more popular in the nation.

Although the additional verification procedure may appear to be a little inconvenience, experts predicted that it will greatly lower the risk of fraud and increase the security of daily transactions for millions of users.

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to expedite insolvency procedures in order to settle cases involving defaulting businesses, was approved by the Lok Sabha on Monday.

Once a firm has defaulted, the Bill mandates that insolvency applications be accepted within 14 days.

The administration has suggested a package of 12 changes to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code in order to improve the resolution environment, according to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

The main cause of IBC resolution delays, according to Sitharman, is widespread litigation, and the IBC Bill includes measures to address misuse of the process.

On March 27, the Lok Sabha debated the Bill that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced. The Bill, which was first sent to a Select Committee, aims to address the delays in settling matters pertaining to the insolvency and bankruptcy of a business or person.

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) has been instrumental in enhancing the health of the banking industry, but it was never meant to serve as a debt recovery mechanism, FM Sitharaman stated in the Lower House.

The finance minister stated in the Lok Sabha, while guiding the Bill, that the IBC has helped to improve credit discipline and the creditworthiness of businesses.

Companies have done well since exiting the insolvency resolution process, and their corporate governance procedures have also gotten better, the minister said.

The Select Committee’s report on the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2025, was the subject of her comments. According to Sitharaman, “The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, which came into effect in 2016, has been a main factor in improving the overall health of the Indian banking sector. ” She also said that the framework has helped businesses obtain better credit ratings over time.

She also stated that the law’s goal is to address distressed assets rather than only collect debts. “IBC is a framework for saving viable enterprises and alleviating financial difficulties while maintaining the value of the company. She said that the purpose of IBC was never to collect debt.

In order to complete the ‘Sunshine Double,’ Jannik Sinner defeated Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-4 to win the Miami Open.

The Italian won the Indian Wells and Miami championships in the same year, the first man to do so since Roger Federer in 2017, by defeating Jiri Lehecka in the final by a score of 6-4, 6-4. Additionally, Sinner is the first player to accomplish this feat without losing a set throughout both tournaments.

At the age of 24, he became just the eighth man in history to capture the Sunshine Double, and this was his first victory at Indian Wells. Federer and Novak Djokovic have accomplished this feat numerous times.

Eight different men have ever won the Sunshine Double: Jim Courier (1991), Michael Chang (1992), Pete Sampras (1994), Marcelo Rios (1998), Andre Agassi (2001), Roger Federer (2005–06), and Novak Djokovic (2011, 2014–16).

It’s amazing to double for the first time,” Sinner stated during his on-court interview. “Because it’s hard to accomplish, it’s not something I would have ever anticipated [to win]. I’m really glad we somehow managed to pull through.

Since the beginning of last year’s Paris Masters, Sinner has also maintained his winning streak at the ATP Masters 1000 level, now at 34 sets in a row. According to the ATP Win/Loss Index, he has improved to 19-2 this season.

Aryna Sabalenka won the “Sunshine Double” on Saturday. The Sunshine Double has now been accomplished four times in the same year by an ATP and a WTA player following Sinner’s victory.

When Sampras and Steffi Graf each won Indian Wells and Miami in 1994, it marked the first instance of this phenomenon. Federer and Kim Clijsters both won both competitions in 2005, and Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka both achieved Sunshine Double triumph in 2016.

Having won the ATP Masters 1000 title seven times, Sinner has now made a statement this month, leaving him 1,190 points behind World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the ATP Live Rankings.

At the age of 24, Lehecka was participating in his first ATP Masters 1000 championship match. The Czech is poised for a new career-high No. 14 in the ATP Rankings on Monday.