Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of one of India's biggest conglomerates, Tata Sons, has died at 86.
Ratan Tata became chairman of the $100 billion steel-to-software conglomerate in 1991 and ran the group founded by his great-grandfather more than a hundred years ago until 2012.
He founded the telecommunications company Tata Teleservices in 1996 and took IT company Tata Consultancy Services public in 2004.
Mr Tata was twice the Chairperson of the Tata Group conglomerate, from 1991 to 2012 and from 2016 to 2017. Although he stepped back from the company's day-to-day running, he continued to head its charitable trusts.
In 2008, he received the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honour. He had received the Padma Bhushan, the third highest, in 2000.
The Union Government has released tax devolution of ₹ 1,78,173 crore to State Governments on 10th October 2024, as against the normal monthly devolution of ₹89,086.50 crore. It includes one advanced installment, in addition to the regular installment due in October 2024.
This release is given the upcoming festive season and to enable States to accelerate capital spending, and also finance their development/welfare-related expenditure.
The International Day of the Girl Child celebrated annually on October 11, serves as a powerful reminder of the need to empower and protect girls worldwide. This day highlights the importance of gender equality, education, and opportunities for young girls.
This day acts as a reminder to create an environment where girls can thrive, ensuring they are equipped with the tools to lead and shape their futures.
The theme of this year’s International Day of the Girl Child is “Girls’ Vision for the Future." Research by UNICEF shows that girls, despite facing numerous challenges,remain hopeful and determined to create a better future.
Nestlé India, the local arm of Swiss food and beverage major Nestlé, has announced the nomination of former Amazon country head Manish Tiwary as its new managing director, effective August 1, 2025. This transition comes as the current chairman and managing director, Suresh Narayanan, prepares to retire after a 26-year tenure with the Nestlé group.
Tiwary brings nearly three decades of diverse experience to the role, currently serving as a director at Amazon Digital Services and More Consumer Brands. He is set to step down from this position on October 30; earlier, he had a successful stint as country manager at Amazon India.
In an election that was criticised by rights groups, Tunisia’s President Kais Saied has won a second term with more than 90% of the vote, the electoral commission has said.
Only two candidates out of more than a dozen other hopefuls were allowed to stand against President Saied in ballot, where only 29% of the more than nine million registered voters took part.
Saied's closest challenger, businessman Ayachi Zammel, won 7% of the vote despite being sentenced to 12 years in prison for falsifying documents - just five days before the poll.
The government will set up 10 new ESIC medical colleges and extend the unemployment allowance scheme for ESI Corporation members until June 2026, the Labour & Employment Ministry said.
Labour & Employment Mansukh Mandaviya at a meeting of ESI Corporation here announced several key decisions for further strengthening the infrastructure and medical facilities of ESIC.
Mandaviya announced the establishment of 10 New ESIC Medical Colleges across various locations in the country. This decision will support the announcement made by Prime Minister during the Independence Day (2024) speech of creating new 75000 medical seats in the next 5 years.
He has given an extension to Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojna for a period of another two years starting July 1, 2024, upto June 30, 2026.
The scheme introduced in 2018 intends to provide support in the form of an Unemployment Allowance during the period when an insured person searches for a new engagement for earnings.
Besides, it was also decided to provide medical care to ESIC beneficiaries under a convergence program of ESIC with Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) on pan India basis There shall not be any expenditure limit for insured persons of ESIC in emapanelled hospitals under PMJAY.
Lupex, a joint endeavour by ISRO and JAXA, is a component of India's comprehensive lunar plan to eventually land an astronaut on the Moon and return them home securely. Following Chandrayaan-3, India is ready to move forward with its lunar goals as the National Space Commission approved the fifth lunar mission—the Lunar Polar Exploration Mission, also known as Lupex.
The unique aspect of this mission is its length, as it could last up to 100 days on the moon's surface, which is more than five times longer than Chandrayaan-3's mission, according to ISRO. The collaborative moon expedition, set to touch down at the precise southern tip of the moon (90-degree latitude), is focused on exploring the moon for water and other valuable resources
As stated by both agencies, Lupex will also examine the amount and spread of water on the surface and underground of the moon, as well as how water interacts with dry regolith - the layer of loose rock and dust covering the moon's bedrock.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that India has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, marking a significant milestone in the global fight against preventable blindness.
The news positions India alongside Nepal and Myanmar in WHO’s South-East Asia region — and 19 other countries worldwide — as having overcome this scourge.
India’s journey to elimination began in 1963 when its Ministry of Health and Family Welfare initiated a trachoma control project with support from WHO and UNICEF. This effort evolved into a comprehensive programme that implemented the WHO-recommended SAFE strategy: Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness, and Environmental improvement.
Trachoma, a leading cause of blindness globally, has been a formidable challenge in India for decades. It is an eye disease caused by infection with the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. The infection spreads from person to person through contaminated fingers, flies and surfaces bearing discharge from the eyes or nose of an infected person.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved construction of 2,280 km roads in border areas of Rajasthan and Punjab at an investment of Rs 4,406 crore emphasizing development of infrastructure in border areas.
The project is a result of a change in mindset that has accorded a special focus on development of border areas with facilities,
similar to other parts of the country.
This decision will have a major impact on the road and telecom connectivity, and facilities of water supply, health and education. It will also enhance rural livelihood, ease travel, and ensure connectivity of these areas with rest of the highway network.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the continuation of the universal supply of Fortified Rice under all schemes of the Government including Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and Other Welfare Schemes etc. in its present form, from July 2024 and upto December 2028.
The rice fortification initiative will continue as a central sector initiative with 100% funding by the Government of India as part of PMGKAY (Food Subsidy), thus providing a unified institutional mechanism for implementation.
Food fortification has been used globally as a safe and effective measure to address anaemia and,
micronutrient malnutrition in the vulnerable population. Rice is an ideal vehicle for supplying micronutrients in the Indian Context as 65% of India's population consumes rice as a staple food. Rice fortification involves the addition of Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK) enriched with micronutrients (Iron, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12) as standards prescribed by FSSAI regular rice.
On the occasion of World Post Day, the Department of Posts, Government of India, unveiled a special set of commemorative postage stamps celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union (UPU). The stamps were released by Ms. Vandita Kaul, Secretary (Posts), during a ceremony held at Meghdoot Bhawan, New Delhi.
Established on October 9, 1874, in Bern, Switzerland, the UPU is a cornerstone of modern postal cooperation, with India being one of its oldest and most active members. The UPU has played an integral role in standardizing international postal regulations, ensuring seamless mail exchange among its 192 member countries, and making postal services accessible to all.
A set of three commemorative stamps released today reflects India’s strong connection with the UPU and symbolizes the shared values of cooperation, innovation, and inclusivity. They highlight the essential role postal services play in bridging distances, facilitating communication, and connecting people across the globe.
The National e-Governance Division (NeGD) has announced the integration of the UMANG app with DigiLocker- India’s Digital Wallet. This collaboration aims to provide citizens with seamless access to a wide range of government services bringing greater convenience and allowing users to manage multiple services through a single platform.
This integration makes it easier for citizens to interact with the Government in an efficient, digital-first manner. DigiLocker has always been a pioneer in simplifying access to personal and official documents, and after integration with UMANG, it has expanded the range of services you can access on the go.
About DigiLocker-
DigiLocker is a flagship initiative under the Digital India program aimed at providing secure cloud-based storage of essential documents. By integrating with e-governance services such as UMANG, DigiLocker further is committed to further enhance accessibility and ease of living.
World Mental Health Day takes place every year on October 10 to spotlight mental health around the world, raise awareness of mental health issues and encourage efforts to support those experiencing mental health issues. The World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) announced the theme for World Mental Health Day 2024, ‘Mental Health at Work’.
The overall objective of World Mental Health Day is to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health.
The Day provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide.
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on, October 9, kept the repo rate unchanged at 6.5 percent for the tenth consecutive meeting, with a majority vote of 5-1. The MPC, however, unanimously decided to change its stance to "neutral" from the earlier "withdrawal of accommodation".
Five out of six MPC members voted in favour of maintaining the current rate.
Consequently, Das announced that the standing deposit facility (SDF) rate was kept at 6.25 per cent, while the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the bank rate remained at 6.75 per cent.
A neutral stance allows the RBI to adjust interest rates according to inflation trends, unlike the previous approach of withdrawing accommodation, which ruled out the option of cutting rates.
In early October, the central government appointed three new external members to the RBI's six-member Monetary Policy Committee.
The new members include economist Saugata Bhattacharya, Nagesh Kumar, Director and Chief Executive of the Institute for Studies in Industrial Development, and Ram Singh, Director of the Delhi School of Economics at the University of Delhi. They now serve alongside Governor Shaktikanta Das, Executive Director Rajiv Ranjan, and,
Deputy Governor Michael Debabrata Patra on the committee.
Bhattacharya, Kumar, and Singh replaced outgoing members Ashima Goyal, Shashanka Bhide and Jayanth R. Varma.
The RBI Governor said that the MPC decided to remain “watchful” of the evolving outlook in the coming months. “The global economy has remained resilient since the last meeting of the MPC in August,” he said.
