Andhra University is set to close its centenary celebrations with a valedictory ceremony on April 27 at the AU Engineering College grounds in Visakhapatnam. The event is expected to draw approximately 25,000 attendees, with the Vice President of India and the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh both anticipated to be present. The centenary marks 100 years since the university's establishment, making it a significant institutional milestone for one of the oldest and largest universities in South India. The scale of the event, a dedicated outdoor venue, senior constitutional officeholders, and a five-figure attendance projection, signals the institutional and political weight attached to the occasion. For the region, the gathering concentrates administrative and academic attention on Visakhapatnam at a time when the city sits at the center of Andhra Pradesh's infrastructure and development agenda. Organizers and local authorities will be coordinating logistics for a crowd of that size, and the confirmed attendance of senior dignitaries will shape protocol and security arrangements in the days ahead.
India's government plans to amend the Payment and Settlement Systems Act to restore UPI merchant discount rates, ending the zero-MDR regime in place since January 2020.
India's government has introduced the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, proposing changes to payments regulation, income tax, and the Finance Act to attract FDI and support Make in India. The Bill's final shape will depend on parliamentary debate and committee review.
The government's Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, proposes to replace the blanket UPI MDR ban with a system allowing the Centre to notify which payment modes stay fee-free.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Rs 5,000 crore Bhogapuram greenfield airport in Andhra Pradesh, built under a public-private partnership model. He also laid foundation stones for infrastructure projects worth nearly Rs 18,000 crore in the state, signalling a broad investment push for the region.
