Pakistan lags South Asian neighbours in employment for women: Report

IANS | August 24, 2026 2:00 PM

New Delhi, Aug 24 (IANS) Unlike Pakistan, most South Asian countries have successfully increased women's economic participation. The female labour force participation rate is 40 per cent in Bangladesh, 54 per cent in Indonesia, 56 per cent in Malaysia and 33 per cent in Sri Lanka. Yet despite various efforts, out of 88 million working-age women in Pakistan, only 23 per cent are part of economic activity, while 68 million remain outside the labour force, according to an article in Karachi-headquartered The News International.

India, Bhutan ties enter stronger phase across sectors: Report

IANS | August 24, 2026 1:36 PM

New Delhi, Aug 24 (IANS) Grounded in the historic spirit of the 1949 and 2007 Friendship Treaties, the India-Bhutan bilateral relationship has quietly moved past traditional donor-recipient dynamics into an agile, forward-looking strategic partnership. Over the past year, bilateral cooperation has accelerated across four major sectors -- economic planning, energy transitions, regional connectivity, and knowledge sharing, according to an article in India Narrative.

Railways launches special drive to ensure clean drinking water facilities

IANS | August 24, 2026 1:27 PM

New Delhi, Aug 24 (IANS) Indian Railways has launched a special cleanliness drive across the railway network focused on cleaning and disinfection of drinking-water tanks and filtration systems to ensure the continued availability of safe and clean drinking water for passengers at railway stations, according to an official statement issued on Monday.

Govt releases Service PPI estimates for Q1; banking index rises

IANS | August 24, 2026 1:05 PM

New Delhi, August 24 (IANS) The government on Monday released provisional estimates of the Service Producer Price Indices (SPPIs) for the first quarter of 2026-27, with banking, pension fund management and transport services sectors showing improvement.

Bank unions threaten strike over 5-day banking, PLI scheme, other demands

IANS | August 24, 2026 11:31 AM

New Delhi, Aug 24 (IANS) The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) on Monday announced a nationwide strike on September 11 over the delay in implementing five-day banking, differences over the performance-linked incentive (PLI) scheme and several pending demands, including pension-related issues.

Piyush Goyal urges Japanese firms to create ‘1,580 Suzukis’ out of India

IANS | August 24, 2026 11:05 AM

Tokyo, Aug 24 (IANS) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday urged Japanese companies to expand their operations in India and create success stories similar to Suzuki and said that the country would like to see 1,580 Suzukis emerge from the Japanese firms operating in India.