India’s annual rate of inflation based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) slowed to 2.05 per cent in March, down from 2.38 per cent in February, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday.

The positive rate of inflation in March is primarily due to an increase in the prices of manufactured products, the figures showed.

The month-over-month change in WPI for March was in the negative zone at (-) 0.19 per cent as compared to the previous month of February, reflecting the declining trend in inflation. There was a decline in the prices of food as well as fuel and power groups compared to the previous month, which resulted in the overall month-on-month inflation rate turning negative.

Meanwhile, retail inflation has also been on a declining trend. The Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee has reduced its inflation forecast for 2025-26 to 4 per cent from 4.2 per cent earlier as the “outlook for food inflation has turned decisively positive,” RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said last week.

Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths on Tuesday conducted raids at eight places in West Bengal in connection with the money laundering in the fake passports case.

The raids and search operations were conducted in Beck Bagan in South Kolkata, Birati in North 24 Parganas district, and Gede in Nadia district of West Bengal.

Sources said that the raids and search operations were conducted in areas where the criminals used to arrange fake Indian passports for Bangladeshi infiltrators against hefty payments.

Last month, Kolkata Police filed a charge sheet in the case at a lower court in Kolkata, where it was mentioned that of the 130 individuals mentioned in the document, 120 are Bangladeshi residents and the remaining are Indian nationals.

Rajasthan's former minister and Congress leader Pratap Singh Khachriyawas criticised the BJP-led Central government following Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on properties linked to his family on Tuesday.

"ED functions under the Centre. I don't expect much from this double-engine government. Unnecessary searches are being conducted at my family members' residences," Khachariyawas stated.

"We will cooperate fully with the ED officers and allow the entire search to be carried out, "he said.

Accusing the BJP of political vendetta, he said, "The BJP government is so rattled by my criticism that they ordered these raids. I’ve been speaking out against them for the last one and a half years. They target anyone who raises a voice against them. I knew this day would come, and I’m fully prepared."

The Mini Secretariat in Alwar received a bomb threat on Tuesday triggering panic in the area. The bomb threat led to sharp criticism of the Rajasthan government, with the Opposition Congress slamming the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

The alarming message, sent to the official email ID of the Alwar District Collectorate stated that RDX had been planted and the building would be blown up by 3 pm on Tuesday.

The message was reportedly sent at 3:42 am. When officials discovered it around 7:00 am, the administration acted swiftly and evacuated all officers and staff from the premises, sealed both main gates, and initiated a full-scale security response.

ADM City, Bina Mahawar confirmed, “A threatening email was received on the Collectorate’s official mail early in the morning. It read, ‘Assalam Collector... RDX has been installed in the Mini Secretariat. It will be blown up by 3 PM on Tuesday.’

“Following the alert, a bomb squad from Jaipur was called in. A manual search of the premises was conducted, and a cyber-team is now investigating the origin of the email.”

Businessman Robert Vadra, husband of Congress leader and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, reached the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office here on Tuesday after being served a fresh summons in connection with its ongoing probe into a land deal case in Gurugram, Haryana.

The 56-year-old businessman, who is the brother-in-law of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, will record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), as per reports.

The case pertains to a land purchase in February 2008 for Rs 7.5 crore by Vadra's Skylight Hospitality in Shikohpur in Haryana's Gurugram district.

The mutation process, which usually takes months, was done the next day. Months later, he received a permit to develop a housing society on the land, and the value of the plot increased. He sold it to DLF in June at Rs 58 crore.

On the auspicious occasion of Poila Boishakh i.e. Bengali New Year’s Day on Tuesday, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of trying to mislead people.

He accused her of trying to distort history by equating Poila Boishakh with Bangla Dibos or Bangla Day, which signifies the foundation day of West Bengal.

His remarks came after the Chief Minister, through a message posted on the wall of her official X handle, greeted the people of West Bengal on the occasion.

However, instead of ‘Subho Nababarsha (Happy Bengali New Year's Day)’, she wrote, “on this occasion of Bangla Dibos (Bangla Day),” and conveyed greetings to all citizens and best wishes to her “younger brothers and sisters.”

The value mergers and acquisitions (M&As) as well as private equity (PE) deals in India’s domestic consumer and retail markets rose to a three-year high of close to $4 billion in the January-March quarter this year, according to consultancy firm Grant Thornton Bharat’s quarterly deal tracker report.

On the top of the deal list was Singapore-based PE player Temasek’s $1-billion investment in Haldiram Snack Foods for a 10 per cent stake in the Indian snack company and Wilmar International’s $1.4-billion investment that increased its shareholding from 44 per cent to nearly 75 per cent in Adani Wilmar (now called AWL Agri Business after Adani Group’s exit). The mega deals reflect growing investor confidence in India’s food processing sector, the report states.

India’s rooftop solar energy capacity is projected to surge from 17 GW to an estimated 25–30 GW between FY25 and FY27, a report showed on Tuesday.

The expansion is driven by India’s broader energy transition goals, with solar power emerging as a central pillar in the country’s clean energy roadmap.

With a total renewable capacity of 220 GW as of FY25 and a national target of 300 GW solar capacity by 2030, rooftop solar, particularly in the commercial and industrial (C&I) segment, is expected to play a pivotal role in this growth, according to the report by CareEdge Ratings.

As of FY25, India’s rooftop solar capacity stood at 17.02 GW, and increasing awareness among businesses about reducing operating costs and meeting sustainability targets is fuelling adoption.

Government incentives, reducing technology costs, and policy support such as net metering and PLI schemes are expected to further accelerate deployment.

A team of Candian researchers has found plasticisers called phthalates, flame retardants, and other harmful chemicals in mattresses of babies and young children who are likely to breathe and absorb these while sleeping, increasing several health risks.

Researchers from the University of Toronto said these chemicals are linked to neurological and reproductive problems, asthma, hormone disruption, and cancer.

"Sleep is vital for brain development, particularly for infants and toddlers. However, our research suggests that many mattresses contain chemicals that can harm kids’ brains,” said Miriam Diamond, Professor at the University of Toronto.

“This is a wake-up call for manufacturers and policymakers to ensure our children’s beds are safe and support healthy brain development,” she added.