Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution & New and Renewable Energy, Shri Pralhad Joshi, launched the retail of Bharat Chana Dal Phase – II in Delhi-NCR by flagging off mobile vans of NCCF, NAFED and Kendriya Bhandar, in the presence of Ministers of State, Shri B.L. Verma and Smt. Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya.
In Phase - II of Bharat Chana Dal, 3 lakh tons of Chana stock from the price stabilisation buffer is being converted to Chana Dal and Chana Whole for retail sale to consumers at MRP of Rs.70 per kg and Rs.58 per kg, respectively. Apart from Chana, the government had also expanded the Bharat brand to Moong and Masur Dals.
The Bharat Moong Dal is retailed at Rs.107 per kg, Bharat Moong Sabut at Rs.93 per kg and Bharat Masur Dal at Rs.89 per kg. The resumption of Bharat Chana Dal at this time will enhance the supplies to consumers of Delhi-NCR in this festive season.
India's premier recurve archer Deepika Kumari won her fifth silver medal at the World Cup Final after losing the summit clash 0-6 to China's Li Jiaman, here.
Returning to the World Cup Final after three years following the birth of her daughter in December 2022, four-time Olympian Deepika was seeded third in the eight-archer field.
It was Deepika's ninth appearance at the World Cup Final where she has also bagged a bronze.
Dola Banerjee is the only Indian archer to have won a gold in the World Cup Final, having topped the podium in Dubai in 2007.
India’s fourth nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), referred to as S4*, was launched into water at the Ship Building Centre in Visakhapatnam, official sources confirmed. This submarine is bigger and more capable than the first, INS Arihant (S2), which is essentially a technology demonstrator developed under the Advanced Technology Vessel programme.
The S4* was launched into water on October 16 at SBC, It has significant indigenous content, with Indian industry being extensively involved.
India currently has two SSBNs operational. INS Arihant was quietly commissioned into service in August 2016. It has a displacement of 6,000 tonnes and is powered by an 83 MW pressurised light-water reactor with enriched uranium.
The second SSBN, INS Arighaat (S3), which retains the same reactor and dimensions with several technological upgrades, was commissioned end-August. The 3rd SSBN Aridhman (S4) is currently undergoing sea trials and is expected to be commissioned, into service next year, sources said.
Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Minister of Communications and Development of North Eastern Region launched the ‘International Incoming Spoofed Calls Prevention System’, in the presence of Minister of State for Communications & Rural Development Dr Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar.
This is another milestone of DoT’s efforts towards building a safe digital space and protecting citizens from cyber-crime.
Department of Communications (DoT) and Telecom Service (TSPs) have collaborated and devised a system to identify and block such incoming international spoofed calls from reaching the Indian telecom subscribers.
There could be cases where fraudsters succeed through other means. For such calls, you can help by reporting such suspected fraud communications at the Chakshu facility on Sanchar Saathi. The DoT remains committed to proactively combating cybercrime.
National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) launched the Third Phase of the ‘Amazon Future Engineer Program’ in 50 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) spread across Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana and Tripura. The third phase would include an orientation on blockchain, artificial intelligence, coding,
block programming and AI sessions.
The Commissioner, NESTS Shri Ajeet Kumar Srivastava also inaugurated the four-day in-person teachers’ training workshop as well as the EMRS Coders Expo, an exhibition of Top 20 Coding Projects from EMRSs during the previous academic year, in New Delhi.
The third phase of the Amazon Future Engineer Program will be rolled out across 410 proposed EMRSs in India. The Amazon Future Engineer Program has been running for two years, has already introduced over 7,000 students in grades 6 to 8 to the fundamentals of computer science and block programming, with over 50 teachers trained in the previous phases.
Additionally, project-based virtual sessions will be provided for class 10 students, further aligning with the CBSE AI Skills Curriculum.
NESTS remains committed to fostering technological literacy and modernizing education for tribal students across the nation.
The Competition Commission of India has approved the proposed acquisition of Aavas Financiers Limited by Aquilo House Pte. Ltd.
Aavas Financiers Limited (Acquirer) is a newly incorporated entity, wholly and indirectly held by the Relevant CVC Funds which are certain investment funds or vehicles managed and/or advised by members of the CVC Network.
The “CVC Network” or “CVC Group” is a global alternative investment manager focused on private equity, credit, secondaries and infrastructure, consisting of CVC Capital Partners plc. (CVC PLC) and each of its subsidiaries from time to time. CVC PLC is a public limited company whose shares are listed and admitted to trading on the Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange.
Competition Commission of India has approved an increase in the percentage shareholding of Bharti Airtel Limited (Bharti Airtel) in Indus Towers Limited (Indus Towers) to 50.005% pursuant to buy back of shares by Indus Towers.
Bharti Airtel is a communications solutions provider, operating under the brand name “Airtel”.
Indus Towers is a passive telecom infrastructure provider. It deploys, owns, and manages passive telecom infrastructure for various mobile operators.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) revealed its new logo and introduced seven digital services on October 22, focusing on secure, affordable, and reliable connectivity across India.
The launch event was led by Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya M Scindia in New Delhi.
The company also introduced automated SIM kiosks offering 24/7 services with UPI payment options and an intranet TV service providing 500+ channels through its FTTH network at no additional cost.
BSNL’s security-focused services feature an automatic spam-blocking system and a dedicated network for disaster relief operations.
The company launched a national Wi-Fi roaming service for FTTH customers and pioneered private 5G connectivity for mining operations in collaboration with C-DAC.
The new logo incorporates green and white arrows surrounding India against an orange backdrop, emphasizing nationwide coverage and inclusivity.
The company’s tagline, “Connecting Bharat,” underscores its mission to bridge the digital divide between urban and rural areas.
These developments represent BSNL’s strategic push to modernize its services and strengthen its position in India’s competitive telecommunications market.
The two-week United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16) started in Colombia to assess historic commitments to halt and reverse the loss of nature. Environmental leaders from nearly 200 countries are expected to participate, where 196 countries signed an ambitious global treaty, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, to protect biodiversity.
At COP 16, governments will be tasked with reviewing the state of implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Parties to the Convention are expected to show the alignment of their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) with the Framework.
COP 16 will further develop the monitoring framework and advance resource mobilization for the Global Biodiversity Framework. Among other tasks, COP 16 is also due to finalize and operationalize the multilateral mechanism on the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Egypt as malaria-free, marking a significant public health milestone for a country with more than 100 million inhabitants. The achievement follows a nearly 100-year effort by the Egyptian government and people to end a disease that has been present in the country since ancient times.
Egypt is the third country to be awarded a malaria-free certification in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region following the United Arab Emirates and Morocco, and the first since 2010. Globally, a total of 44 countries and 1 territory have reached this milestone.
Vietnam elected Luong Cuong, a military general, as its new president, the fourth official to fill the role in 18 months.
Cuong, 67, was elected by the National Assembly to replace To Lam, who remained president even after he was formally appointed as the general secretary of the ruling Communist Party in August.
The role of the general secretary is the most powerful position in Vietnam while the presidency is largely ceremonial.
Cuong, who has served in the Vietnamese army for over four decades, has been a Politburo member since 2021.
Vietnam's leaders are next due to convene a Communist Party Congress in early 2026.
Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has been awarded with SHRM - HR Excellence Awards for ‘Excellence in Inclusion, Equity & Diversity’ and ‘Excellence in Managing the Distributed Workforce’ categories at the prestigious SHRM India Annual Conference 2024 held in New Delhi, recently.
The awards are a testimony to the pioneering HR practices and initiatives being undertaken across SAIL, at its various Plants and Units spread nationwide, for inclusive growth of the workforce in the organization. The company regards its employees as fundamental to its success and at the heart of all its operations.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on kept its growth forecasts for India unchanged at 7 percent and 6.5 percent for FY25 and FY26, respectively.
It held that pent-up demand accumulated during the pandemic has been exhausted as the economy “reconnects” with its potential growth.
IMF notes that important sectoral and regional shifts underpin the stable global outlook with goods prices remaining elevated compared with those for services. This is a lingering effect of the pandemic and its aftermath.
J P Morgan Chase Bank India said it will elevate Pranav Chawda as its chief executive officer.
The unit of American banking major J P Morgan said it has received the Reserve Bank's approval for Chawda's appointment as the CEO of the banking entity in India.
Chawda joined J P Morgan in 2019 and has been heading the commercial banking vertical. His responsibilities will now get expanded, under which he will also head the corporate banking entity, as per an official statement.
Chawda joined J P Morgan as head of client banking and specialised industries that serve midsized India-headquartered companies, the statement said.
