A microsite for banknotes has been launched by the Reserve Bank of India. The microsite provides members of the public, a platform to access information on banknotes such as details of the design and security features through a 360-degree view of the banknotes, multimedia (video, audio and animation), interactive games etc.,
with simple and efficient navigation. The microsite also has a dedicated section for information on exchange of banknotes. The new microsite replaces the earlier microsite.
Crores of farmers across India depend on rainfall for Kharif farming—their main source of income and livelihood. If farmers receive advance forecasts about the monsoon, it can help them make better decisions about what to plant, how much, and when. This is now possible, thanks to a revolution in weather forecasting driven by artificial intelligence (AI).
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoAFW) is harnessing the power of AI for farmers. In a novel public initiative, MoAFW sent AI-based monsoon forecasts via SMS (m-Kisan) to nearly 3.8 crore farmers across 13 states this year. This forecast was available earlier than ever before—up to four weeks ahead of the rain.
AI-based models made it possible to design forecasts specifically for farmers’ needs, giving farmers a critical tool for planning their Kharif agricultural decisions. This is the first-of-its-kind targeted dissemination of AI weather forecasts to date, marking MoAFW as a world-leader in applying AI weather forecasting to directly benefit farmers.
This year, the monsoon arrived early but there was a pause in the northward progression–stalling rains mid-season for 20 days. The AI-based forecasts distributed by the MoAFW correctly identified this pause in monsoon progression. The government sent updated information to farmers every week until continuous rains arrived in their area.
AI Revolution in Weather Forecasting
Since 2022, an AI-driven revolution has transformed the science of weather forecasting, delivering more accurate predictions in many settings. These models can be tailored to meet user needs and are enhancing our ability to predict complex phenomena, such as the Indian monsoon, weeks in advance.
The forecasts used by MoAFW were a blend of two open-access models—Google’s Neural GCM and ECMWF’s Artificial Intelligence Forecasting Systems (AIFS). In rigorous evaluations, these models were shown to clearly outperform other available forecasts at predicting the start of the monsoon locally for farmers.
INS Aravali, Indian Navy's latest Naval Base, was commissioned at Gurugram in presence of Adm Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of the Naval Staff on 12 Sep 2025.
In an impressive commissioning ceremony, CNS was presented a 50-men Guard of Honour. Captain Sachin Kumar Singh, the first Commanding Officer of the unit, recited the invocation in Sanskrit followed by,
reading of the commissioning warrant. After the unveiling of the commissioning plaque by Mrs Shashi Tripathi, President NWWA, the Naval Ensign was hoisted to the tune of the National Anthem. With the last note of the National Anthem, the commissioning pennant was broken on the mast.
The 4th edition of the global mega food event, World Food India (WFI) 2025, is set to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, on 25th September 2025 at 6:00 PM at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The inaugural ceremony will also be graced by the presence of Shri Chirag Paswan, Union Minister of Food Processing Industries.
Organized by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), Government of India, World Food India 2025 will be held from 25–28 September 2025. Recognizing the transformative potential of the food processing sector, this flagship global event aims to position India as the “Food Hub of the World” by fostering collaboration, innovation, and,
investments across the food processing value chain.
Building on the remarkable success of its earlier editions, the fourth edition of World Food India will serve as a premier international platform, bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, researchers and,
This year, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia have been designated as Partner Countries, while Japan, UAE, Vietnam, and Russia will participate as Focus Countries. Their participation will further deepen bilateral ties, enhance knowledge exchange and create new opportunities for trade and investment in the food processing sector.
The Union Government today announced the annual licensing policy for crop year 2025-26 during the Opium Crop Year from 1st October, 2025 to 30th September, 2026, of license for cultivation of opium poppy, for the farmers in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
As per the general conditions enshrined in the policy, nearly 1.21 lakh farmers are estimated to be eligible for the grant of licenses for opium cultivation in these states. This represents a 23.5% increase over the number of licenses actually issued in the previous crop year.
The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Patna under the Ministry of Textiles, announced a significant partnership with Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABFRL) through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the presence of Union Minister of Textiles Shri Giriraj Singh.
This initiative seeks to transform the lives of rural women by equipping them with industry-relevant skills and providing direct access to employment opportunities in Bihar’s growing textile sector.
Under this collaboration, women from self-help groups, popularly known as Jeevika Didis, will be trained at NIFT Patna in garment manufacturing techniques, quality control, and machinery operation. The comprehensive training programme has been designed to prepare participants for employment at ABFRL’s upcoming textile manufacturing unit in Begusarai district,
thereby creating a structured pathway from skill development to secure livelihoods.
The Jeevika Didis represent the backbone of Bihar’s Jeevika programme, implemented by the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (BRLPS) with support from the Government of India and the World Bank.
India’s retail-inflation rate, based on the consumer price index (CPI), recorded a slight uptick in August to 2.07 per cent from an eight-year low of 1.61 per cent in July owing to a low base effect and reduced deflation in food prices.
The inflation data, released by the National Statistics Office (NSO), showed retail prices rose 1.69 per cent in rural India and 2.47 per cent in urban areas.
Economists reckon while low prices bode well for consumers, with the recent cuts in goods and services tax (GST) rates expected to further lower the inflation print up to 90 basis points (bps) this financial year.
However, it is not good for the government’s balance sheet with the impact of slower gross domestic product (GDP) growth visible and rise in tax collection trailing the FY26 Budget targets.
The latest inflation print is in sync with the downward revision in price projections by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its bimonthly policy review last month, with the average pace for 2025-26 (FY26) estimated at 3.1 per cent from 3.7 per cent.
While consumer prices increased an average of 2.69 per cent in the first quarter this fiscal year (Q1FY26),
the RBI expects Q2 price rise to average 2.1 per cent before reaching 3.1 per cent in Q3 and 4.4 per cent in Q4.
The data showed food prices recorded a reduced deflation rate in August (-0.69 per cent) as compared to minus 1.8 per cent in July. This was largely driven by a 16.92 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) rise in tomato prices, the sharpest in seven months.
Among 22 major states and Union Territories (UTs) having a population of more than 5 million for which data is available, 10 states/UTs recorded an inflation rate higher than the national average.
Kerala recorded the highest retail inflation rate of 9.04 per cent, while Assam (-0.66 per cent) and Orissa (-0.55 per cent) recorded deflation.
India’s agrochemical exports nearly trebled in 10 years to $3.3 billion in FY25, up from $1.3 billion in 2014-15, making the country the third-largest exporter of agrochemicals after China and the US, a report by the Agro-Chemicals Federation of India (ACFI) and Deloitte released.
To sustain the momentum, ACFI has urged the government to introduce a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme and tax holidays for the sector. It said these measures would reduce import dependence for key molecules and help establish agrochemical manufacturing hubs across India, thereby boosting domestic production.
Nepal President Ram Chandra Poudel appointed former Chief Justice Sushila Karki as the country’s new Prime Minister and dissolved the Parliament September 12, 2025, as days of political turmoil showed signs of abating in the Himalayan nation. He also announced fresh elections on March 5, 2026.
President Poudel has announced elections to the House of Representatives for March 5, 2026. The House dissolution comes soon after Ms. Karki was sworn in as the Prime Minister of an interim Cabinet.
Ms. Karki, 73, the first woman Chief Justice of Nepal, is now the country’s first woman Prime Minister.
Former Meghalaya Chief Minister Donwa Dethwelson Lapang passed away at a hospital in Shillong on September 12, 2025. He was 93.
The late Lapang started his political career by contesting and winning the Nongpoh Assembly constituency as an independent candidate in 1972, the year Meghalaya was carved out of Assam as a separate State.
He later joined the Congress party.
His first stint as the Chief Minister was from 1992 to February 1993. He returned to the post in March 2003, but dissidence within the Congress-led coalition government forced him to step down in June 2006.
He was sworn in for the third time in March 2007. After the Assembly elections the following year, he was sworn in again on March 10, 2008, but resigned nine days later.
His fourth and final tenure as the Chief Minister began on May 13, 2009, following two months of President’s Rule in the State. He resigned on April 19, 2010.
After more than 40 years of association with the Congress party, the late Lapang joined the Conrad K. Sangma-headed National People’s Party in 2018. He was made the Chief Advisor to the Meghalaya government that year.
