Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh will inaugurate DefConnect 4.0 at Manekshaw Centre, Delhi Cantt, a significant step towards advancing indigenous innovation and celebrating the growing defence ecosystem of the country. The event is being organised by Innovations for Defence Excellence - Defence Innovation Organisation (iDEX-DIO), Department of Defence Production.
DefConnect 4.0 marks a milestone in India's defence innovation journey, bringing together the Armed Forces, Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), industry leaders, innovators, start-ups and MSMEs, academia, incubators, investors and policymakers.
Till date, iDEX has launched 11 editions of Defence India Start-up Challenges and has garnered over 9,000 applications.
It is currently collaborating with more than 450 start-ups/MSMEs on important projects. Launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in 2018, iDEX continues to provide a unified platform for various stakeholders in the defence and aerospace sectors, contributing to the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047.
SAI Sports Complex of Kandivali will become a significant sports centre in the upcoming Olympic games for Indian athletes, said Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Commerce, and Industry Minister. He was talking at the event of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between the Government of Maharashtra and the Sports Authority of India.
The MoU signing event comes in the wake of Maharashtra cabinet decision dated 30/09/2024 to allocate land at Akurli, Malad and Vadhavan in Kandivali, Mumbai to Sports Authority of India for the establishment of National Centre of Excellence. This decision has paved way for SAI to now develop the land free from any hurdles related to land ownership.
Sports Authority of India plans to develop modern sports infrastructure of international standards at the said land parcel of 37 acres which has been leased for 30 years at the rate of Rs.1 per annum to SAI.
SAI plans to utilise the 37 Acres land to operate its National Centre of Excellence and regional administrative centre with jurisdiction across the state of Maharashtra
Goa and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu while implementing central govt. schemes such as Khelo India and Fit India.
The MoU signing event comes in the wake of Maharashtra cabinet decision dated 30/09/2024 to allocate land at Akurli, Malad, and Vadhavan in Kandivali, Mumbai to the Sports Authority of India for the establishment of the National Centre of Excellence.
International Naval Exercise Malabar 2024 is scheduled to take place from October 8 to 18, beginning with the Harbour Phase in Visakhapatnam, followed by the Sea Phase.
Hosted by India, this year’s exercise will see the participation of Australia, Japan, and the United States of America.
Malabar Exercise, which began in 1992 as a bilateral naval drill between the United States and Indian Navy, has evolved into a key multilateral event aimed at enhancing interoperability, fostering mutual understanding, and addressing shared maritime challenges in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific region.
The exercise will feature the participation of various Indian naval platforms, including guided missile destroyers, multi-purpose frigates, submarines, fixed-wing multi-role fighter aircraft, and helicopters.
While Australia will deploy HMAS Stuart, an Anzac Class Frigate with its MH-60R helicopter and P8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft,
the United States Navy will field the USS Dewey, an Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyer with its integral helicopter and P8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft.
Japan will join the exercise with JS Ariake, a Murasame-class Destroyer. Special Forces from all four nations will also be participating in the Exercise.
Nepal's President Ramchandra Paudel appointed Prakash Man Singh Raut as the new Chief Justice of the country.
Mr. Paudel administered the oath of office and secrecy to Chief Justice Raut at a special ceremony organised at Sheetal Niwas, the President’s Office, according to officials.
Mr. Raut's name was recommended for the post by the Constitutional Council on September 16. His appointment comes after the retirement of outgoing Chief Justice Bishowambhar Prasad Shrestha, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 65.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday unveiled the logo and mascot for the Women's Asian Champions Trophy-2024, which will be held in Rajgir from November 11-20.
The mascot, named 'Gudiya', is inspired by the state bird of Bihar, Sparrow.
The Women's Asian Champions Trophy-2024 is a joint venture of Hockey India and the Bihar government and,
will be held at the newly developed Rajgir Hockey Stadium.
The state cabinet recently sanctioned Rs 10 crore to Hockey India for the purpose.
Six countries, including India, China, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, are participating in the championship.
The hockey stick in Gudiya's hand is the symbol of the hockey competition and the goalkeeper's glove in the hand,
and the defensive posture reflect the strategic qualities of alertness, a statement issued by the chief minister's office here said.
The design of the 'logo' of this competition is a symbol of the rich cultural heritage and all-round progress of glorious Bihar. The Bodhi tree and hockey stick have been kept in the logo.
The Bodhi tree is a symbol of knowledge, power, harmony, tolerance and development which connects people with the rich spiritual and cultural history of Bihar. Hockey stick is the symbol of India's national sport hockey.
The Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), the largest government-owned steel producer in India, and the leading global resources company, BHP, are collaborating to support steelmaking decarbonisation, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the parties.
This collaboration is an important step for SAIL and BHP in promoting lower carbon steelmaking technology pathways for the blast furnace route in India.
Under this MoU, the parties are already exploring several workstreams supporting the potential decarbonisation at SAIL’s integrated steel plants which operate Blast Furnaces (BF),
with an initial study to assess various strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).
Chairman, SAIL Shri Amarendu Prakash commented, “SAIL is looking forward to this collaboration with BHP in taking a step forward towards engaging in developing sustainable ways to produce steel.
In a significant leap towards sustainable energy and reducing carbon emissions, Union Minister of State for Coal and Mines, Shri Satish Chandra Dubey, remotely inaugurated 51 rooftop solar power plants of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) from Ranchi, under the ongoing Special Campaign 4.0. With a cumulative capacity of 2.428 Mega Watts (MW),
these solar installations mark another milestone in BCCL’s commitment to fostering a greener and more self-reliant India.
BCCL, a key subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL) and India’s largest producer of coking coal, has been pivotal in contributing to the "Mission Coking Coal" under the visionary Aatmnirbhar Bharat initiative.
In addition to the 2.428 MW Rooftop Plant, a 3 MW Rooftop Solar Plant is planned for the financial year 2024-25. Furthermore, a 20 MW ground-mounted solar project is currently being installed at Dugdha Washery, with expected completion by 2024, and a 25 MW ground-mounted solar project at Bhojudih Coal Washery, scheduled for completion by March 2025.
The Ajinkya Rahane-led Mumbai cricket team will be felicitated by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) in a grand ceremony after ending a 27-year wait for their Irani Cup victory. The iconic Wankhede Stadium will host the event, marking a proud moment for Mumbai Cricket as they claimed their 15th Irani Cup title.
Mumbai set an imposing 450-run target for ROI, with limited time left on the final day, leading to an agreement between ROI(rest of india) skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rahane to call the game, sealing Mumbai's victory.
This win continues Mumbai's legacy of domestic dominance and adds another chapter to their cricketing history.
Nepal, India and Bangladesh signed a tripartite agreement to facilitate cross-border electricity trade, officials here said.
As per the agreement, Nepal will export its surplus electricity to Bangladesh via India from June 15 to November 15 every year. India will make arrangements to supply electricity from Nepal to Bangladesh.
The rate per unit of electricity has been fixed at 6.4 cents. From the export of electricity, Nepal will make an annual income of around $ 9.2 million, Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) officials said.The MoU was signed in Kathmandu between NEA Executive Director Kulman Ghising, NTPC Vidyut Byapar Nigam CEO Deino Naran,
and Bangladesh Power Development Board Chairman Mohamad Rizwan Karim, Nepal's Ministry of Energy officials said.Nepal's Energy Minister Dipak Khadka and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sayeda Rijwana Hasan were also present on the occasion, the officials said.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a loan of $162 million to support tourism development in Himachal Pradesh. According to Vivek Vishal, ADB's Senior Project Officer, the loan will help unlock the state's tourism potential through the enhancement of cultural and heritage sites and the creation of new infrastructure aimed at strengthening the tourism sector.
Restoration, modernisation plans across key districts.
The Sustainable and Inclusive Tourism Development Project targets the promotion of heritage and cultural sites in the Mandi and Hamirpur districts. It will also see the restoration of the historic Naggar Castle in Kullu, improvements to public spaces, and the construction of a new convention centre in Kangra.
Upgrades to facilities along key travel routes in Kullu, Hamirpur, and Kangra are also part of the plan, with a focus on incorporating environmentally friendly technologies such as solar-powered lighting and electric vehicles. These initiatives aim to improve accessibility for the elderly, women, children, and people with disabilities.
In addition to these enhancements, the project will develop wellness centres, recreational facilities, an adventure sports hub, and a water park complex. Cycling trails will also be introduced, which, alongside the other new facilities, are expected to create employment opportunities for local communities and stimulate the local economy.
On the directions of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Department of Pension & Pensioners' Welfare launched an online platform named ‘Anubhav’ in March 2015 to enable ‘eligible’ retiring/retired government employees to share their experiences of working with the Government.
Thereafter, an Annual Awards Scheme was devised in 2015 to incentivize and encourage the submission of the experiences through write ups. Till date, 10,886 write-ups have been published and 78 outstanding write ups have been conferred with 59 Anubhav Awards and 19 Jury Certificates in seven Anubhav Awards Ceremonies.
Government of India has notified the National Anubhav Awards Scheme, 2025. To participate in the scheme, Central Government employees/pensioners are required to submit their Anubhav write ups. Thereafter, the write-ups published after assessment by the concerned Ministries/Departments up to 31.03.2025 will be shortlisted for five Anubhav Awards and 10 Jury Certificates.
The National Anubhav Awards Scheme, 2025 is the watershed moment in the history of the Anubhav Portal as for the first time, apart from the employees of the Central Government, employees of Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs), including Public Sector Banks, will also be eligible for submitting their write-ups.
With this, invaluable experiences, insights and best practices prevalent in the strong and vibrant Public Sector of India will also enrich the ever-growing treasure trove of Anubhav Portal. Further, the existing time limit of one year of the retirement within which, the pensioners could submit the write ups, has now been extended up to three years.
Arka Fincap Limited, an NBFC and part of the Kirloskar Group, launched ‘’Uday’, a new Small Ticket Loan Against Property (STLAP) product offering, in line with their ongoing focus and commitment to supporting India’s burgeoning MSME sector and bridging the financing gap. MSME business owners can obtain loans ranging from ₹10 lakh to ₹30 lakh.
This product is designed to meet the expanding credit needs of small enterprises in Tier 2, 3, and 4 cities and towns, providing critical financial support for their growth and expansion.
‘Uday’ will be initially rolled out in five important places in Tamil Nadu: Salem, Vellore, Tirupur, Porur, and Coimbatore.
This launch marks the start of a larger, pan-India push deeper into Bharat. Arka Fincap Limited has ambitious ambitions to expand the product’s accessibility to MSMEs across the country, ensuring that small business owners in all regions may take advantage of this accessible and flexible lending solution.
Reliance Nippon Life Insurance Company Limited, a leading private life insurer, has unveiled a new deferred annuity plan, the Reliance Nippon Life Nishchit Pension, which is designed to provide a guaranteed lifelong income, allowing customers to streamline their retirement income and protect against any decline in long-term interest rates.
RNL Nischit Pension solves significant retirement-related concerns such as establishing lifetime income guarantees, ensuring income for the last surviving couple, and leaving a legacy for future generations.
RNL Nishchit Pension provides a lifelong rate guarantee for self and family, which is critical for good retirement planning.
Customers can choose their annuity start date by postponing payouts, as well as the frequency of their income payouts (monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or yearly) to meet their specific demands.
