New Delhi, Aug 22: Bitcoin surged toward the $80,000 mark on Saturday, on track for its strongest weekly gain in more than three years amid optimism of traders related to a spike in bond yields.

The cryptocurrency jumped as much as 4.8 per cent over 24 hours and was trading around $78,588 as of 9:10 am. Bitcoin (BTC) gained 0.6 per cent in the past hour and 24.5 per cent across the past week, marking a strong weekly rally as traders assessed a new initiative from the US aimed at fiscal consolidation.

Such a weekly advance was not experienced by the cryptocurrency since March 2023. Bitcoin last traded near $80,000 in May 2026.

Analysts said the rally was driven partly by a US Treasury announcement that it would double its long‑dated bond buybacks, a move that pushed long yields lower and lifted risk appetite across markets.

The announcement forced the liquidation of billions of short positions, amplifying the price move in crypto, market participants said.

Meanwhile, gold also reached its highest level since May after concerns rose among investors that the intervention in the bond market will weigh on the dollar.

US President Donald Trump’s meeting with executives from crypto firms such as Coinbase Global and Payward was also taken as a positive indication about the administration’s favourable stance to crypto.

Institutional buyers returned to the market this week, with the US-listed spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds set to clock their largest weekly inflows since January.

Collectively, 13 ETFs have seen inflows of over $1 billion so far this week, further driving the bullish mood in crypto.

Bitcoin remains far below its peak near $126,000 seen in October 2025, followed by a major sell-off that bottomed out at $58,642 in late June 2026.

Mumbai, Aug 21: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday directed officials to submit a proposal to establish the ‘Maha CSR Authority’ to ensure a more effective, transparent, and coordinated utilisation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds in Maharashtra.

He noted that because various CSR initiatives are currently being executed independently at different levels, a central authority is needed to provide a unified platform for these efforts.

The CM will head the Authority, while senior state officials and industry representatives will serve on the Governing Council. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will work as Member-Secretary of the Governing Council and Head of the Executive Council.

CM Fadnavis stated that the proposed ‘Maha CSR Authority’ should focus on coordinating, monitoring, and ensuring the proper deployment of CSR funds.

He directed authorities to prepare a high-quality “project bank” aligned with government priorities and make it accessible to corporations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

He also said the authority should help eligible Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) select suitable projects and NGOs, while promoting exemplary CSR practices across the state.

The core objective of this initiative is to extend financial backing to priority government projects through CSR funding when necessary.

The initiative will also place special emphasis on maintaining and repairing projects funded through CSR.

CM Fadnavis pointed out that many projects become non-functional after a few years because they lack maintenance funds.

To avoid this, he instructed that the proposed CSR authority prioritise the upkeep and repair of older projects.

The Chief Minister also suggested exploring the concept of ‘Diaspora Connect’ to mobilise CSR and social development funds through the participation of Maharashtrians residing abroad and outside the state.

Mumbai A complete ban has been imposed on the sale and purchase of open cooking oil. It is harmful to health and poses a risk of fatal diseases. Therefore, FDA Commissioner Takaram Munde has issued an order to ban it. This order has been issued earlier. In this effective manner, FDA will comply with it. A state-wide comprehensive compliance order has been issued by the Food Safety Commissioner, in which the entire supply from producer to retailer and online seller has been banned and it is prohibited. No concession will be made in the matter of safety of cooking oil, which is directly related to the daily diet of citizens. Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, Commissioner of Food Safety and Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration, Maharashtra, Takaram Munde has issued a comprehensive state-wide compliance and enforcement order for the edible oils and fats sector. The fourteen-point order is effective with immediate effect and is not limited to retailers but is mandatory for the entire supply chain, from oil expeller unit to online sellers.
The Food and Drug Administration’s inspection has found widespread and consistent lack of compliance in the edible oil supply chain. Operating a business without a valid license or in the wrong business category, mixing cheap and undeclared oil with declared oil, sale of substandard oil with acid value and industrial trans fat exceeding the limit, illegal adulteration of mustard oil, re-labeling to hide the source and date of origin of oil, re-packing of expired oil, use of packaging unfit for food, in view of these issues, this order has been issued to provide a uniform and clear compliance framework across the state. This order will be applicable to oil expeller units, solvent extraction units and oil refiners
Producers of banaspati, interesterified banaspati fat, bakery shortening, margarine and table spreads
Blenders of multi-source edible vegetable oil
Repacking and re-labeling importers, wholesalers, distributors, superstockists and transporters
Granny shops, supermarkets, departmental stores and e-commerce and online sellers
Groundnuts, This order is applicable to all edible oils and fats like mustard, soybean, sunflower, cardi, banola, rice bran, palm and palmolein, coconut, sesame, corn, multi-source edible vegetable oil and banaspati, irrespective of the size and business of the establishment. There are 497 edible oil producers in Maharashtra: Centrally licensed: 212, State licensed: 285, Total: 1247. A total of 1142 edible oil samples were taken in the year 2025-2026, out of which 1142 were found to be substandard, 77* substandard, 13 unsafe and 15 mislabelled.
Important instructions of the order
A valid FSSAI license or registration is mandatory under “License and Laboratory”. The license should be prominently displayed in the establishment.

• As per other provisions of Schedule 4, Part-2, it is a condition of eligibility for a license for the edible oil producer to have its own laboratory for sample testing. The agreement with an external laboratory is only additional and not a substitute.
  Mode of sale
  Edible oil shall be sold only in sealed, tamper-proof and fully labelled packs. Sale of open and unpackaged oil is prohibited. The producer or distributor supplying open oil shall be the principal violator. He shall be liable under sections 26 and 27. The retailer shall reject unsealed or tampered goods and give the information of the supplier to the Food Safety Officer.