Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday announced to provide educational tours through air to premier educational institutes of the country for the top performing students from government schools in various districts to widen their horizon for futuristic growth.

Patting the students for their rare feat, the Chief Minister, while interacting with the top performing students from all the districts except Ludhiana, said that it is a moment of pride and satisfaction for all the stakeholders. He said that, while the students had burnt the midnight oil to achieve this success, the contribution of parents and teachers who guided these students is not less. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the state government has organized this full of its kind function to acknowledge the achievements of these students.

India's FDI inflows increased to $81.04 billion in FY 2024-25, marking a 14 per cent increase from $71.28 billion in FY 2023–24, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday.

There has been a steady rise in the annual flow of FDI into the country over the last 11 years, from $36.05 billion in FY 2013-14, due to the investor-friendly policy, under which most sectors are open for 100 per cent FDI through the automatic route, the statement said.

The services sector emerged as the top recipient of FDI equity in FY 2024–25, attracting 19 per cent of total inflows, followed by computer software and hardware (16 per cent), and trading (8 per cent). FDI into the services sector rose by 40.77 per cent to $9.35 billion from $6.64 billion in the previous year.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru stand-in skipper Jitesh Sharma won the toss and elected to bowl first against Lucknow Super Giants in Match 70 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium here on Tuesday.

RCB have made two changes in their playing XI even as regular skipper Rajat Patidar continues to start on the substitute bench and is likely to come in as Impact Sub. With Josh Hazlewood left out despite recovering from his injury, Liam Livingstone replaces Tim David, while Nuwan Thushara comes in for Lungi Ngidi.

The Life Insurance Corporation of India on Tuesday reported a 38 per cent jump in net profit to Rs 19,013 crore for the January-March quarter of the financial year 2024-25 compared to the corresponding figure of Rs 13,763 crore in the same period of the previous year.

The company declared a final dividend of Rs 12 per share for FY25. The Board has fixed July 25, 2025, as the "record date" for ascertaining the eligibility of members of the corporation for the proposed final dividend, the LIC said in a stock exchange filing.

The Department of Education, Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University, organised a five-day Faculty Development Programme (FDP) on “Innovation, Technology, and Holistic Development: The Future of Higher Education” under the aegis of Internal Quality Assurance Cell. The programme brought together eminent academicians and experts from leading universities to equip faculty members with cutting-edge pedagogical tools and foster collaborative learning. In his welcome address, Prof. Sukhwinder Singh Billing highlighted the success of the FDP in enhancing the competencies of educators and emphasized the University’s commitment to promoting innovation and inclusivity in higher education. Dr. Harneet Billing, Head of the Department of Education and Convener of the Programme, outlined the objectives of the FDP, which focused on modern teaching strategies, technological integration, and holistic student development. She shared that Prof. Kuldip Puri (Professor, CDOE Panjab University) in his session spoke on evolving trends in higher education, followed by an interactive brainstorming session on innovative teaching strategies led by Prof. Renu Malaviya (Professor in Education, Lady Irwin College, Delhi University) and set the tone for the programme. On the second day Prof. Vandana Saxena (Professor in Education CIET, Delhi University) explored philosophical and creative linkages in pedagogy, and Prof. Raj K. Gupta (Professor in Education Panjab University) discussed inclusivity in special education. The participants reflected on their evolution of teacher identity in the afternoon session. The third day explored the rise of Artificial Intelligence in Education when Prof.

India’s coal imports declined by 7.9 per cent to 243.62 million tonnes (MT) during financial year 2024-25 due to the increase in domestic production of the fossil fuel, resulting in a massive saving in foreign exchange to the tune of $7.93 billion (Rs 60681.67 crore) in the import bill, according to a Coal Ministry statement issued on Tuesday.

The country had imported 264.53 MT of coal in the previous financial year.

The non-regulated sector, excluding the power sector, experienced a more significant decline, with imports dropping by 8.95 per cent year-on-year. Although coal-based power generation grew by 3.04 per cent from FY 2024-25 compared to the previous fiscal year, imports for blending by thermal power plants decreased sharply by 41.4 per cent. This highlights India’s ongoing efforts to reduce its dependence on imported coal and enhance self-sufficiency in coal production, the statement said.

The Indian all-party delegation led by BJP MP Baijayant Jay Panda, on Tuesday interacted with representatives of Indian regional media based in Kuwait and the local press, conveying India’s united and unwavering national consensus to combat terrorism. The delegation highlighted the strong strategic partnership between India and Kuwait, including the shared objective of fighting against terror and India's recent actions to combat cross-border terrorism.

"India stands firm — we will confront terrorism with strength, unity and determination, with no compromise and no tolerance. Along with our all-party delegation, engaged with Indian regional media and local press in Kuwait, sharing India’s unwavering resolve against cross-border terror and our deepening strategic partnership with Kuwait in this shared fight," Panda posted on X.

Earlier in the day, the delegation visited an exhibition of 'Rihla-e-Dosti: 250 Years of India-Kuwait Friendship', at National Library in Kuwait city showcasing rare manuscripts, historical books, coins, and artefacts, underscoring India-Kuwait deep historical connections.

As nearly 70 per cent of the population of the hill state lives in earthquake-sensitive zones four and five and also sensitive to other types of natural disasters, the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (HPSDMA) will organise the ninth state-wide earthquake mock exercise in collaboration with National Disaster Management Authority in all 12 districts on June 6, officials said on Tuesday.

An orientation and coordination workshop was organised for all stakeholders here for this exercise where Principal Advisor of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Major General (retd) Sudhir Bahl gave detailed information on the outline and action plan of the mega mock exercise based on earthquake virtually.

The Income Tax Department on Tuesday extended the due date to file income tax returns for FY 2024-25 (AY 2025-26) from July 31 to September 15.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has decided to extend the due date for filing returns "in view of the extensive changes introduced in the notified ITRs and considering the time required for system readiness and rollout of Income Tax Return (ITR) utilities for Assessment Year (AY) 2025-26", according to an official statement.

This extension is expected to mitigate the concerns raised by stakeholders and provide adequate time for compliance, thereby ensuring the integrity and accuracy of the return filing process, the statement said.

Union Home Minister, Amit Shah is scheduled to reach Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) on a two-day visit from May 29, official sources said here on Tuesday.

HM Shah is scheduled to visit Jammu division on May 29 and May 30.

“He is also likely to visit Poonch border district to meet the families affected by recent Pakistani mortar shelling on civilian facilities”, sources said.

This will be the Union Home Minister’s first visit to J&K after ‘Operation Sindoor’.

HM Shah visited Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam on April 23, a day after Pakistan sponsored and aided terrorists killed 26 innocent people including 25 tourists and one local pony ride operator.