Finland Tops the World Happiness Rankings for the Eighth Consecutive Year
For the eighth year in a row, Finland took the No. 1 spot on the World Happiness Report list of the happiest countries. Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden also made the top 10.
The report assesses the quality of life in over 140 countries based on resident feedback. The report evaluates various factors such as social support, health, freedom, generosity, perception of corruption, and gross domestic product (GDP) to determine the happiness levels of 147 countries.
Using a scale of 0 to 10, where 10 represents the best possible life imaginable, Finland scored an impressive average of 7.74, securing its position as the happiest nation globally.
India made a slight improvement in its happiness quotient, moving up from 126 in 2024 to 118 in the latest World Happiness Report, 2025.
IT Firm Happiest Minds Appoints Joseph Anantharaju as CEO, Co-Chairman
IT company Happiest Minds Technologies announced apex-level changes in its organisation structure, effective immediately.
Joseph Anantharaju was elevated to Co-Chairman and CEO of the Bengaluru-headquartered firm.
He will now head all business divisions of the company: Product & Digital Engineering Services (PDES), Infrastructure Management & Security Services (IMSS), and GenAI Business Services (GBS).
Earlier, he served as the executive vice chairman, president & CEO of the PDES Division up till now.
Its Chairman Ashok Soota will now take up an additional position as the Chief Mentor.
Venkatraman Narayanan will continue as the MD & CFO of Happiest Minds. He will head the finance, talent acquisition, internal IT, learning & development, ESG, CSR, procurement and administration teams.
PhonePe Wealth Launches CRISP, Online Tool to Select Mutual Funds
PhonePe Wealth launched CRISP, a digital tool that will help investors make "well-informed decisions" in selecting mutual funds.
Mutual fund investments continue to rise, with the number of unique investors growing from 20 million in December 2019 to 53 million in December 2024, according to data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI).
CRISP, short for consistency, risk and investment style of the portfolio, addresses this challenge by offering a "comprehensive framework" beyond merely analysing past returns.
TCS Signs 5-year Partnership with Air New Zealand to Modernise Digital Infra
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) signed a five-year partnership with Air New Zealand to modernise the airline's digital infrastructure and position it at the forefront of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven innovation.
The collaboration aims to enhance Air New Zealand's digital capabilities, improve customer experience, and drive operational efficiencies across various aspects of its business, including fleet management, crew scheduling and ground services.
ISRO Develops High-Speed Microprocessors: Vikram 3201 and Kalpana 3201
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), in collaboration with the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) in Chandigarh, developed two advanced 32-bit microprocessors, Vikram 3201 and Kalpana 3201. These processors are specifically designed for space applications and mark a major milestone in India's efforts to achieve self-reliance in high-performance computing for launch vehicles.
Vikram 3201
India's first fully indigenous 32-bit microprocessor qualified for space missions
Processes 32-bit data at a time, enabling efficient computations
Supports floating-point arithmetic, improving performance in complex calculations
Backward compatible with Vikram 1601, which has been in use since 2009
Fabricated at SCL's 180nm CMOS semiconductor fab, reinforcing the Make in India initiative
Successfully validated in space during the PSLV-C60 mission
Kalpana 3201
A 32-bit SPARC V8 RISC microprocessor, based on IEEE 1754 Instruction Set Architecture
Compatible with open-source software toolsets
Tested with flight software, making it versatile for various space applications
Designed for efficiency and high-speed processing, with an emphasis on simple instructions
Mansukh Mandaviya Inaugurates 2nd Khelo India Para Games 2025
Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports and Labour & Employment, Mansukh Mandaviya, declared the 2nd Khelo India Para Games 2025 open at KD Jadhav Indoor Hall, Indira Gandhi Stadium complex in New Delhi.
More than 1300 para-athletes are taking part in six sports disciplines in this eight-day-long championship March 20 to 27, 2025).
The opening ceremony featured athletes, coaches and support staff from all over the country. Secretary (Sports) Sujata Chaturvedi and senior officials of the Sports Authority of India were also present at the opening ceremony.
Secretary, MoHUA Chairs 1st Meeting of CSMC under PMAY-U 2.0
Srinivas Katikithala, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) chaired the first meeting of the CSMC under PMAY-U 2.0.
Proposals for construction of over 3.53 lakh houses were approved at the meeting of Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC) under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban 2.0 (PMAY-U 2.0).
A total of 3,52,915 lakh houses under Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC) and Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP) components of PMAY-U 2.0 in 10 States/UTs, namely Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Odisha, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh were sanctioned.
On March 21, the world marks World Forest Day, also known as the International Day of Forests. This annual event reminds us of the forests' role in nature. It also highlights the urgent need to protect them.
The United Nations established World Forest Day in 1971. The date, March 21, aligns with the Spring Equinox, symbolising nature's balance. Forests help stabilise the climate, store carbon, and support wildlife. They also provide resources that billions of people depend on.
This year's (2025) theme is "Forests and Food". It highlights how forests support food security and nutrition. Forests provide fruits, nuts, and medicinal plants.
World Down Syndrome Day
World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) is observed every year on March 21.
French physician Jerome Lejeune identified Down syndrome as a chromosomal condition (an extra copy of chromosomes), which is now known as trisomy 21. The Brazilian Federation of the Association of Down Syndrome started a global awareness campaign in collaboration with Down Syndrome International and its members.
In 2011, the United Nations recognised it and passed a resolution to observe World Down Syndrome annually and later in 2012, The UN General Assembly declared March 21st as World Down Syndrome Day.
The theme of World Down Syndrome Day 2025 is "improve Our Support Systems," This theme highlights the importance of strengthening inclusive support systems to ensure individuals with Down syndrome receive the proper care, education, and opportunities they deserve.
President of India Presents Ramnath Goenka Excellence IN Journalism Awards
The President of India, Droupadi Murmu presented the 19th Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards at a function held in New Delhi.
The President said that the importance of free and fair journalism for democracy cannot be overestimated. If the citizens are not well-informed, the democratic processes lose their very meaning.
Instituted by the Ramnath Goenka Foundation, the awards acknowledge and honour the best of journalism showcasing 20 outstanding contributions from print, digital and broadcast journalists across 13 categories, including investigative journalism, sports, politics and government, books, feature writing and regional languages.
Vijay Sankar Honoured with Denmark's Knight's Cross
Vijay Sankar, the Honorary Consul General of Denmark for Southern India and Chairman of The Sanmar Group, was awarded the prestigious Knight's Cross of the Order of Dannebrog by the King of Denmark. This honour recognises his remarkable consular services and contributions to strengthening Indo-Danish relations. The award was presented by Rasmus Abildgaard Kristensen, Ambassador of Denmark in India, at a special function in Chennai.
Cabinet Approves Revised National Program for Dairy Development
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the Revised National Program for Dairy Development (NPDD).
The Revised NPDD, a Central Sector Scheme, has been enhanced with an additional Rs. 1000 crore, bringing the total budget to Rs. 2790 crore for the 15th Finance Commission cycle (2021-22 to 2025-26).
This initiative focuses on modernising and expanding dairy infrastructure, ensuring the sector's sustained growth and productivity.
The revised NPDD will impetus the dairy sector by creating infrastructure for milk procurement, processing capacity, and better quality control.
Book 'March of Glory' Released to Celebrate India's 1975 Hockey World Cup Victory
To commemorate the Golden Jubilee of India's maiden Hockey World Cup victory in 1975, a book titled 'March of Glory' was officially launched at Shivaji Stadium, New Delhi. The book, co-authored by hockey historian K. Arumugam and journalist Errol D'Cruz, captures the dramatic journey of the Indian team to World Cup glory in Kuala Lumpur on March 15, 1975.
The book includes key match details, player quotes, and over 250 rare photographs, offering deep insights into India's fight backs, a shocking loss to Argentina, and the tense semi-finals and final victories.
The event was attended by Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey, 1975 World Cup-winning players H. J. S. Chimni and Ashok Kumar, along with Olympians Harbinder Singh, Zafar Iqbal, Vineet Kumar, and 300 young hockey enthusiasts from One Thousand Hockey Legs (OTHL).
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