India's domestic benchmark indices ended lower for the third consecutive session on Thursday as selling was seen in the IT, pharma and financial services sectors.

Sensex ended at 75,735.96 down by 203.22 points or 0.27 per cent. The index had touched an intra-day high of 75,794.15 but also saw a low of 75,463.01 before closing.

The Nifty index ended almost unchanged at 22,913.15, slipping by 19.75 points or 0.09 per cent. The broader index traded between 22,923.85 and 22,812.75 during the session.

According to experts, another day passed with Nifty remaining confined within a narrow range, failing to break beyond a defined level.

A meeting of Chief Ministers of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-ruled states got underway in the national Capital on Thursday, hours after the grand swearing-in of new Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and her Cabinet ministers at the city’s iconic Ramlila Ground.

The meeting was attended by the CMs of BJP-ruled states and those ruled by key constituents of the NDA alliance -- TDP and JD(U).

TDP President and Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu attended the meeting, however Bihar CM Nitish Kumar was conspicuous by his absence.

In a major boost for Vicky Kaushal's latest film, "Chhaava," the movie has been declared tax-free in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, including its capital Bhopal, and Goa.

The film, which is generating a lot of buzz for its gripping storyline and Vicky Kaushal's powerful performance is based on the life of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. On February 19, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav made the announcement during a public gathering held on the occasion of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's birth anniversary.

Taking to his X handle, Mohan Yadav wrote, "On the occasion of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's birth anniversary, I announce tax-free release of the Hindi film 'Chhava' based on his son Sambhaji Maharaj.”

The Goa government has also declared that "Chhaava" tax-free in the state. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced the same via a post on his X handle. He tweeted, “Victory to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj! It gives pleasure to me to announce that movie "Chhava" based on the life & sacrifice of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, will be Tax Free in Goa. The Movie exploring the valor, courage of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj for Dev, Desh and Dharma played by Vicky Kaushal, is bringing the glorious history to the screen. The sacrifice of the second Chhatrapati of the Hindavi Swarajya, who valiantly fought against Moghuls, the Portuguese is an inspiration for all of us. The one who was ready to sacrifice for the nation and religion, Was the shadow of the lion, Shivaji. A great warrior, supreme and mighty, Only one Shambhu king ruled.”

The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested ten fishermen, hailing from Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, for allegedly trespassing into its territorial waters.

Three mechanised fishing boats were also seized during the late-night operation on Wednesday.

Tamil Nadu coastal police officials confirmed that the fishermen were apprehended for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).

Following the arrests, the families of the detained fishermen, along with local fishing communities, have urged both the Central and State governments to take immediate action to secure their release.

Fishermen's association leaders have announced plans for large-scale protests in Rameswaram and other coastal areas on Thursday, condemning the continued arrests.

Just ten days ago, on February 9, Sri Lankan authorities arrested 14 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and seized their mechanized fishing boat.

The fishermen, who had set out to sea from Rameswaram, were taken to Jaffna for questioning.

In a tragic incident, three members of a family died of electrocution near Pegadapally village in Telangana's Nizamabad district on Thursday.

The deceased were identified as residents of Satapur in Renjal Mandal of the same district.

Gangaram, his wife Balamani and their son Kishan were hunting for wild boars when they accidentally came in contact with a live electric wire in an agriculture field. They died on the spot.

Alerted by locals, police rushed to the spot and shifted the bodies to the Government Hospital in Bodhan for autopsy.

Meanwhile, in another incident, a youth drowned in a lake in Medchal Malkajgiri district. According to police, the youth and his friends arrived at the lake at Yadgarpally near Keesara from Hyderabad to celebrate his birthday.

The youth, identified as Surya, drowned while swimming in the lake.

According to police the deceased hailed from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and was residing in Hyderabad.

The Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan, the parent company of Maruti Suzuki India, on Thursday announced a new mid-term plan with a "rethink" in its strategy as "the business environment has changed due to declining market share in India" and the growing electrical vehicles segment.

In its new mid-term plan for 2025-30, the company has identified India as its "most important market". Maruti Suzuki aims to create a manufacturing capacity of producing 4 million cars annually to reclaim a 50 per cent market share in India and use the country as a global export hub as well.

The auto major plans to expand its EV lineup starting with the e-Vitara, and is aiming to launch four new EV models by FY30 in a segment where its rivals like Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra already have a varied EV portfolio in India.

"In India, we will promote further localisation in line with the growth of the electric vehicle market," the company said.

Adults with chronic back pain must not be given spine injections as they provide little or no pain relief compared with sham injections, according to an international study, published on Thursday.

A team of clinicians and patients from Canada, the US, and Australia strongly recommended against epidural steroid injections and nerve blocks for people living with chronic back pain (lasting at least three months) that is not associated with cancer, infection, or inflammatory arthritis.

Chronic back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide -- estimated to affect one in five adults aged 20-59. Older adults tend to suffer more with the condition.

Epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, and radiofrequency ablation (using radio waves to destroy nerves) are widely used to stop pain signals from reaching the brain.

However, current guidelines provide conflicting recommendations for their use.

The cumulative number of EVs on Indian roads will likely cross 28 million units in 2030, generating significant demand for energy from the grid, according to the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), a leading industry body focused on e-mobility, energy storage and hydrogen.

India's cumulative EV sales have crossed 4.1 million units in the fiscal year 2023-2024 and the future outlook for electric vehicle sales continues to be positive, driven by increasing environmental awareness, customer interest, advancements in Battery technology, and readily available and easily accessible EV charging infrastructure, according to an IESA statement.

“It is predicted that 83 per cent of the annual sales would be e-2wheelers, 10 per cent would be e-4wheelers, and commercial vehicles such as trucks, buses while three-wheelers would contribute to 7 per cent of sales,” IESA said.

India continues to make significant and sustained inroads in its decarbonisation journey, with the rapid increase in sales of electric vehicles, supported by demand and supply incentives, growing consumer demand, and a focus on developing charging infrastructure.

High frequency indicators point towards a sequential pick-up in momentum of India's economic activity during the second half of 2024-25, which is likely to sustain moving forward, according to the latest RBI monthly bulletin.

In a challenging and increasingly uncertain global environment, the Indian economy is poised to sustain its position as the fastest growing major economy during 2025-26 as per the IMF and World Bank estimates of GDP growth of 6.5 per cent and 6.7 per cent, respectively, the report points out.

It further states that the Union Budget 2025-26 prudently balances fiscal consolidation and growth objectives by continued focus on Capex alongside measures to boost household incomes and consumption.

The effective capital expenditure/GDP ratio is budgeted to improve to 4.3 per cent in 2025- 26 from 4.1 per cent in 2024-25 (revised estimate).

Retail inflation moderated to a five-month low of 4.3 per cent in January, mainly due to a sharp decline in vegetable prices driven by the arrival of winter crops in the market, the report states.

Two persons were killed and six people were severely injured following a horrific road accident at Kulti in West Burdwan district of West Bengal late on Wednesday night after a vehicle carrying passengers to the Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj collided with a truck on the National Highway.

According to the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Kolkata) of Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate, Jabed Hossain, the accident took place on National Highway (NH)-19 when the passenger vehicle collided with a truck at full speed from behind.

“The passenger vehicle was coming from Bankura and was going to Prayagraj. As far as the latest information available, two passengers travelling by that vehicle have died.

“The speed of the passenger vehicle was quite high. Further investigation is on,” he added.