The Hon'ble Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri C.R. Paatil digitally launched the newly developed “Bhu-Neer” portal on 19th September 2024 during the concluding ceremony of India Water Week 2024. The “Bhu-Neer” is an advanced portal developed by Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA), under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
For improved groundwater regulation across the country. This portal will serve as a one-stop platform for managing and regulating groundwater resources, aimed at ensuring transparency, efficiency, and sustainability in groundwater usage.
“Bhu-Neer” is designed to provide comprehensive details regarding the legal framework governing groundwater extraction, and regulations at the state and national levels. Its centralized database will allow users to access critical information on groundwater compliance, policies, and sustainable practices.
The portal is developed with several user-friendly features to offer streamlined process flow to the project proponents seeking groundwater withdrawal permits. Having a simplified yet informative interface, and features like PAN PAN-based single Id system, NOC with QR code etc., “Bhu-Neer” marks a significant improvement over its previous version NOCAP.
The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has opened the G20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro with the launch of an alliance to combat hunger, which he described as the “ultimate symbol of our collective tragedy”.
Brazil holds the rotating presidency of the group and is hosting the meeting attended by all but two – Russia and Saudi Arabia – of the 19 member countries.
The Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty has a total of 148 signatories, including 82 countries, 26 international organisations, 9 financial institutions, and 31 philanthropic foundations and non-governmental org.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday unveiled a specially minted Rs. 100 commemorative coin to mark the centenary of SBI’s iconic Horniman Circle Branch.
Alongside the coin launch, she also unveiled the 5th edition of The Evolution of the State Bank of India, chronicling a transformative era in the bank’s journey between 1981 and 1996.
“From 100 branches at the time of the 1920 amalgamation to 22,640+ branches today, with plans to add 500 more in FY 2025, SBI continues to expand its reach. “
“The bank operates 63,000+ ATMs, engages 80,300 banking correspondents, and serves over 50 crore customers. Its digital prowess is demonstrated by 132 million and 287 million internet banking, YONO, and YONO Lite app.
SBI commands a 25% share in debit card spending, 22% in mobile banking transactions, and a 29% ATM footprint.
C.S. Setty, Chairman of SBI, said: “As SBI embarks on a new era, this milestone is a testament to our enduring legacy and reinforces our unwavering dedication to serving the diverse financial needs of every Indian, making us truly ‘The Banker to Every Indian’.”
Elets Technomedia, in collaboration with The Banking & Finance Post Magazine, is hosting the 18th Elets NBFC100 Tech Summit. at ITC Maratha, Mumbai. Presented by Acies and powered by Lenovo, this summit will drive dynamic discussions and showcase future-ready innovations in the NBFC sector.
Industry leaders, experts, and visionaries from across the country will gather at the summit to explore the latest trends, challenges, and innovations shaping the future of Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs).
As India’s largest and longest-running NBFC congregation, the summit will unite over 100 leading NBFCs and top technology providers for an invaluable platform of knowledge exchange and collaboration.
The summit will also host stimulating Trialogue Chats and Fireside Chats, focussing on key trends such as omni-channel lending and the next generation of credit scoring.
Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd (SECI), under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, signed a MoU with H2Global Stiftung to establish a collaborative framework to promote Green Hydrogen initiatives. This aims to enhance knowledge exchange on market-based mechanisms and foster cooperation between India and importing countries,
thereby contributing to the global advancement of the green hydrogen economy. This collaboration offers India the opportunity to work on joint tender design concepts, particularly in structuring joint tenders that aligns with India’s ambition to become export hub of Green Hydrogen and its derivatives.
The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog marked a significant milestone today with the formal recognition of its fourth cohort of Community Innovator Fellows (CIFs). This year, the program has been further strengthened with the support of Capgemini India, marking a key partnership in fostering grassroots innovation across the country.
The CIF initiative continues to empower local innovators, enabling them to address community-specific challenges through creative and sustainable solutions. AIM, through its Atal Community Innovation Centers (ACIC) program has envisaged to serve the unserved/underserved areas of the country and provide support to every grassroots innovator,
and work towards accelerating the pathway to reach SDGs 2030. The CIF Program is a one-year intensive initiative designed to provide aspiring innovators from all socio-economic backgrounds with the infrastructure, training, and mentorship necessary to scale their ideas and build sustainable businesses.
Capgemini India, a global leader in consulting, technology services, and digital transformation, is supporting this cohort by providing grants of INR 1 lakh each to 15 CIFs, helping them scale their innovative solutions. SRF Foundation is leading the program's implementation in collaboration with AIM and Capgemini.
Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) and the International Kho Kho Federation have announced that the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup will take place in India in 2025. The event will witness the participation of 24 countries from 6 continents and will feature 16 men’s and as many as women’s teams.
Ahead of the World Cup, the KKFI plans to take the sport to 200 schools across 10 cities to promote the sport. The federation will also run a membership drive for the school students with the aim of registering at least 50 lakh players ahead of the mega tournament. The tournament will feature a week-long series of matches, with top-tier athletes from across the globe.
The Kho Kho World Cup aims to elevate this indigenous Indian sport to an international stage. Kho Kho has its roots in India, and the World Cup will highlight the rich cultural heritage and competitive spirit of the sport. The sport that started in the mud and now gone to the mat has a global presence with 54 countries playing the sport across the world.
Tennis legend Rafael Nadal officially retired following Spain’s quarter-final exit from the Davis Cup, marking the end of his career with a final pro match loss to world No. 80 Botic van de Zandschulp.
Nadal was used to winning in the Davis Cup, earning 29 singles victories in a row in the tournament. He helped Spain win the Davis Cup in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2019.
Rafael Nadal burst onto the tennis scene in 2005, arriving at the French Open as a teenager and leaving as a champion. That victory marked the beginning of an extraordinary career, culminating in his 22nd and final Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in 2022, at the age of 36. That triumph was also his last major championship—a fitting finale to a storied journey.
Morgan Stanley on Monday lowered India's growth forecast for FY25 from 7 per cent to 6.7 percent, on the back of weaker-than-expected high-frequency growth data for the second quarter, which is anticipated to grow at a slower pace of 6.3 percent.
However, Morgan Stanley projected that growth may rebound to approximately 6.7-6.8 percent in the second half of FY25, driven by improved agricultural output and increased government spending.
Inflation is projected to moderate to 4.3 percent in FY26, lower than 4.9 percent in FY25, attributed to prudent monetary policy and stable commodity prices.
Karnataka will establish three dedicated global innovation districts in Bengaluru, Mysuru and Belagavi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced after kicking off the three-day Bengaluru Tech Summit. This initiative was an extension of the global capability centres (GCC) policy the government came up with, becoming the first state to do so.
These will be dedicated parks for GCCs to set up shop here in the state, he said, at an event in the presence of hundreds of overseas delegates. In Bengaluru, the global innovation district will be part of the Knowledge, Wellbeing, and Innovation City (KWIN City), about 45 minutes from the international airport. These districts will serve as a global hub for innovation.
Siddaramaiah announced that his government signed five MoUs with Microsoft, Intel, Accenture, IBM and BFSI consortium which would train about one lakh people with the necessary skills. Karnataka’s startup ecosystem seen remarkable growth, with an 18.2% increase from 2022 to 2023, totalling 3,036 startups and making the southern state the leader with 8.7% of total startups.
Karnataka’s collaboration with the Indian Venture and Alternate Capital Association (IVCA) has connected more than 200 startups with 100 funding firms, providing capital, mentorship, and growth opportunities. Siddaramaiah announced an electronics manufacturing cluster (EMC) at Kochanahalli in his home district of Mysuru.
The government has launched many mega projects to improve ease of living and ease of business in Bengaluru, including the tunnel project and Bengaluru Business Corridor, deputy CM DK Shivakumar said.
In July 1989, the Organization of African Unity (O.A.U.) conducted its 25th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Africa Industrialization Day was announced on November 20 during this session.
Within the framework of the Second Industrial Development Decade for Africa (1991-2000), the United Nations General Assembly, in December 1989, proclaimed 20 November “Africa Industrialization Day” (A/RES/44/237). Since then, the United Nations System has held events on that day throughout the world to raise awareness about the importance of Africa’s industrialization.
World Children’s Day was first established in 1954 as Universal Children's Day and is celebrated on 20 November each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children's welfare.
November 20th is an important date as it is the date in 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child.
It is also the date in 1989 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Since 1990, World Children's Day also marks the anniversary of the date that the UN General Assembly adopted both the Declaration and the Convention on Children's rights.
In a ground breaking step for India’s biotechnology sector, Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh formally launched the first indigenous antibiotic "Nafithromycin" for resistant infections.
The antibiotic "Nafithromycin" has been developed with the support of "Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council" (BIRAC), a unit of the Department of Biotechnology and has been brought to market under the trade name "Miqnaf" by pharma company "Wolkardt". It is the country's first indigenously developed antibiotic aimed at tackling Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
This innovation is designed to treat Community-Acquired Bacterial Pneumonia (CABP), a severe illness caused by drug-resistant bacteria, which disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, including children and the elderly as well as immune compromised hosts like Patients with Diabetes, Cancers etc.
Nafithromycin marks a historic breakthrough as the first new antibiotic in its class to be developed globally in over 30 years.
The development of Nafithromycin represents 14 years of dedicated research and an investment of Rs. 500 crores, with clinical trials spanning the U.S., Europe, and India.
