Stories from India

India's first barrier-less toll system has been launched on National Highway 48 in Gujarat. The system is designed to streamline commuter transit by removing physical toll barriers.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has amended the Citizenship Act of 2009 to include provisions regarding biometric-based passport migration. Under the new rules, migrant children cannot hold both an Indian passport and a passport from another country. The ministry stated the changes aim to make the process more efficient. New provisions include biometric-based Aadhaar verification and a ban on dual passports for migrant children. The new regulations include provisions for OCI biometrics and restrictions on dual passports for non-Indian nationals. The report indicates these updates apply to Indian passports and other international travel documents.

Sacred Buddhist relics have been moved to Ladakh for a public exhibition, marking the first time these items have been relocated within the country for such a purpose. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh issued greetings to the public on the occasion. The exhibition is scheduled to be held in Leh. Following the inauguration of the display, local residents expressed joy during the Buddha Purnima celebrations. The presence of the relics is noted as a reminder of India's long history of peace. The relics have returned to the Ladakh region after many years, according to a correspondent. Nearly 20,000 people attended the inauguration ceremony of the sacred relics exposition of Tathagat Buddha in Ladakh today. The event is scheduled to run until the fourteenth of this month. Shah addressed the gathering during the ceremony.

India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) saw a 12,000-fold increase in volume during the 2025-26 financial year. Daily usage has scaled to approximately 66 crore transactions per day. These transactions represent a daily value of nearly 0.86 lakh crore Rs. UPI currently accounts for 81% of India's total digital payment volume. The report indicates a rise in the use of digital transaction methods across the country. No specific date or monetary value was provided for the total volume. The source reported the surge in the context of national economic activity. The system has become the world's largest real-time payment system a decade after its launch on April 11, 2016. Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar noted that India and Jamaica maintain close ties as developing nations within the Global South.

The Andhra Pradesh government has announced a budget outlay of Rs 3.32 lakh crore for the 2026-27 fiscal year. The budget focuses on maintaining fiscal discipline and driving capital growth.

Listed companies in India reported a 14.7 percent increase in net profit for Q3 FY26. This represents the fastest growth rate recorded in two years.

The Ministry of Power has issued an order modifying previous mandates for High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) technology. The new provision implements a phased localization plan to increase domestic value addition requirements.

The Karnataka government has launched India's first digital grievance redressal system specifically for gig workers.

The Indian government has implemented a reduction in export duties on diesel and aviation fuel effective today. The Ministry of Petroleum announced the new rates for diesel at 15 rupees per liter and aviation turbine fuel at 10 rupees per liter.

The Andhra Pradesh government has announced a budget outlay of Rs 3.32 Lakh Crore for the 2026-27 fiscal year. The plan focuses on fiscal discipline and capital growth.