The Indian benchmark indices opened higher on Monday as key economic indicators, including GDP growth and strong GST collections, were in line with the expectations. Buying was seen in the auto and IT sectors in the early trade.

At around 9.39 am, Sensex was trading 133.58 points or 0.18 per cent up at 73,331.68 while the Nifty added 46.25 points or 0.21 per cent at 22,170.95.

Nifty Bank was up 35.50 points or 0.07 per cent at 48,380.20 The Nifty Midcap 100 index was trading at 47,947.55 after adding 32.35 points or 0.07 per cent. Nifty Smallcap 100 index was at 14,732.40 after gaining 32.20 points or 0.22 per cent.

According to experts, there is good news on India’s growth front.

The debut song 'Special' (Kujh Khas) by renowned Punjabi journalist and singer Satwinder Singh Dharak was released during the grand event here at PVR-Mohali Walk.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday unequivocally said that gangsters, smugglers, criminals and other anti-social elements have no place on the sacred land of Punjab and they will soon be wiped out from the state.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday handed over cheques of financial assistance worth Rs 1 crore (each) to the family members of five cops who were martyred during the line of duty.

Around 613 Afghan migrant families returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan and Iran between February 21-28, local media in Kabul reported on Saturday.

The data cited by Afghanistan's Amu TV revealed that Iran expelled 501 families while Pakistan deported 112, either forcibly or voluntarily.

Earlier this week, speaking to TOLO news, representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Afghanistan, Arafat Jamal stated that over 2.1 million Afghan refugees returned to Afghanistan in 2024

Vadodara Rural Police in Gujarat cracked down on an illicit liquor smuggling operation in Desar taluka, seizing foreign liquor worth Rs 15 lakh hidden beneath a load of vegetables in a tempo car.

The Desar Police intercepted the vehicle near Pandu village, acting on a tip-off, and discovered a large consignment of liquor meant for notorious bootlegger Dinesh Parmar from Nava Sihora. Authorities have intensified efforts to apprehend the absconding bootlegger.

The police team, led by Desar Police Inspector, was on patrol when they received intelligence about a tempo transporting illegal liquor under the guise of carrying vegetables. The vehicle was en route from Pandu to Nava Sihora when the police set up a roadblock near a local dargah.

A new railway line from Assam’s Kokrajhar to Gelephu in Bhutan has been proposed to improve cross-border connectivity and strengthen bilateral ties, officials said here on Saturday.

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said that the Indian Railways is actively advancing towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of the ‘Act East Policy’ and ‘Neighborhood First Policy’.

“Under these policies, several new railway projects are being undertaken to enhance connectivity with neighboring countries,” he said.

The executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has announced that it has completed the Third Review under the 48-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF) with Sri Lanka, providing the island nation with an immediate access to Special Drawing Rights (SDR) of SDR 254 million (about US $334 million) to support its recovery from the 2022 bankruptcy.

The IMF stated that Lanka's performance under the programme has been strong and the recent successful completion of the bond exchange is a major milestone towards restoring debt sustainability. Reform efforts are bearing fruit with the recovery gaining momentum, it said. As the economy is still vulnerable, sustaining the reform agenda is critical to put it on a path towards lasting recovery and debt sustainability.

The statement added that the IMF board completed the third review under the 48-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF) Arrangement, allowing the authorities to draw SDR 254 million (about US $334 million). This brings the total IMF financial support disbursed so far to SDR 1.02 billion (about US$1.34 billion)

Digital payments and financial services major Paytm on Saturday said it will seek resolution of alleged FEMA contraventions related to two acquired subsidiaries — Little Internet Private Limited (LIPL) and Nearbuy India Private Limited (NIPL).

The company clarified in a stock exchange filing that certain alleged contraventions are attributable to these subsidiaries for transactions during a period before they became part of Paytm.

The allegations stem from a show-cause notice (SCN) received by Paytm from the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on February 28, 2025, related to alleged violations under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) for transactions between 2015 and 2019.

Delhi Capitals have won the toss and elected to bowl first against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 14th game of the tournament at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Saturday. Both teams head into the clash having made only one change. The Delhi Capitals brought in Nallapureddy Charani in place of Titas Sadhu, whereas RCB included Ekta Bisht for Prema Rawat.

The team fielding first has won 12 out of the 13 games so far this season. The two sides have met six times in WPL history, including the final of the 2024 edition, in which RCB prevailed. Overall, Delhi hold a 4-2 advantage in the head-to-head series.