Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone, inaugurated development works worth around Rs 40,000 crore in Purnea, Bihar.
Prime Minister launched the National Makhana Board in Bihar.
The Board will promote production and new technology development, strengthen post-harvest management, promote value addition and processing and facilitate market, export and brand development in Makhana, thereby benefiting the Makhana farmers of Bihar and the country.
The two-day ‘National Agriculture Conference – Rabi Abhiyan 2025’, organised by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare began at Pusa, New Delhi. The theme of the conference — ‘One Nation – One Agriculture – One Team’ — is a significant step towards promoting coordinated efforts and partnerships in the agricultural sector.
The Rabi Conference is being organised as a two-day event for the first time on the initiative of Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Addressing the conference on the first day, Shri Shivraj Singh said that there will be no shortage of food grains, fruits, or vegetables in the country and that India will be made the food basket of the world.
Startup India, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CarDekho Group, an autotech and finance solutions platform, to further strengthen India’s startup ecosystem across mobility, fintech, insurtech, and emerging technology sectors.
Under the collaboration, DPIIT and CarDekho Group will accelerate the growth of DPIIT-recognised startups by providing strategic mentorship, market access, technology infrastructure, and funding opportunities.
Startups will gain access to CarDekho’s diverse platforms—CarDekho, InsuranceDekho, rupyy, BikeDekho, ZigWheels, PowerDrift, Revv, CollegeDekho, Crack-ED and others—opening avenues for collaborations and customer reach.
The partnership will also explore hosting innovation challenges under the Bharat Startup Grand Challenge to promote entrepreneurship in areas such as,
electric mobility, auto-tech, finance and sustainability. Startups will have access to CarDekho’s leadership network for domain-specific guidance and co-investment opportunities through the Girnar Vision Fund (GVF).
Indian Navy's latest indigenously designed and constructed Diving Support Vessel (DSV), INS Nistar made its maiden port call at Changi, Singapore on 14 Sep 2025. The ship functioning under the Command and Control of the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet will be participating in the multinational Exercise Pacific Reach 2025 (XPR 25) commencing 15 Sep 2025.
INS Nistar, commissioned on 18 Jul 2025 is a shining example of India's self-reliance and progress towards achieving Aatmanirbharta in shipbuilding and has been able to achieve more than 80% indigenisation.
The ship with its Side Scan Sonar, Work & observation class ROVs and expansive deep sea diving systems will be carrying out the role of mothership (MoSHIP) for Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV).
Ministry of Tribal Affairs andNorthern Coalfields Ltd (NCL) decided to come together for the up-gradation of infrastructure and capacity building in 42 Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) in the states Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India establishes EMRS to impart quality education to ST children thereby enabling them to avail opportunities in higher and professional educational courses; and thereby get gainful employment in various sectors.
EMRS in addition to imparting high quality education also takes care of their nutrition and overall health and development. As on date there are 479 functional EMRS across the country.
The Hon’ble Prime Minister had launched the Atal Innovation Mission with the objective of inculcating a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across India. Today, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, is rated amongst the world’s largest grassroots innovation movements and has achieved a historic milestone as its flagship initiative,
Mega Tinkering Day 2025, entered the prestigious India Book of Records and Asia Book of Records. This is a new record for the maximum number of students participating in a tinkering activity in a single day.
On August 12, 2025, 4,73,350 students from 9,467 Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) schools came together to design a solution for Swachh Bharat and built their own DIY vacuum cleaners through a live, step-by-step instructional session streamed online.
The record was officially confirmed and formally announced on September 15, 2025, by both the India Book of Records and Asia Book of Records. This recognition stands as a testament to AIM’s mission of fostering innovation and scientific temperament among India’s youth at an unprecedented scale.
Around 21% or one in five sitting Members of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assemblies, and Members of Legislative Councils are from dynastic backgrounds, indicating that a significant share of current elected representatives belong to established political families, according to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
The report noted that the Lok Sabha has the highest dynastic representation at 31% and State Assemblies the lowest at 20%.
The data include a total of 5,204 sitting legislators across State Assemblies, the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha, and State Legislative Councils. Among them, 1,107 are from dynastic backgrounds.
Region-wise, in North India, Uttar Pradesh tops the list at 23%, followed by Rajasthan at 18%. In the South, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are among the highest at 29% and 34% respectively. In the East and Northeast, Bihar has 27% and Assam 9%.
In absolute numbers, among the States, Uttar Pradesh ranks the highest with 141 (23%) out of its 604 MPs, MLAs and MLCs analysed having dynastic political backgrounds. Maharashtra follows with 129 (32%) such members out of its 403 sitting MPs, MLAs and MLCs. In Bihar, 96 (27%) out of 360 sitting MPs, MLAs and MLCs are from dynastic backgrounds,
while Karnataka has 94 (29%) such members out of its 326 sitting MPs, MLAs and MLCs.
When we look at larger States in terms of proportion, Andhra Pradesh has the highest share of dynastic representation, with 86 (34%) out of 255 sitting MPs, MLAs and MLCs coming from political families.
This is followed by Maharashtra with 129 (32%) out of 403, and Karnataka with 94 (29%) out of 326. These figures highlight the continued and widespread prevalence of dynastic politics, particularly in politically significant States, the ADR said in a statement.
NITI Aayog launched two transformative initiatives, AI for Viksit Bharat Roadmap: Opportunity for Accelerated Economic Growth and NITI Frontier Tech Repository under its Frontier Tech Hub.
The Roadmap was launched by Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology, Suman Bery, Vice Chairperson, NITI Aayog, Shri B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, CEO, NITI Aayog and Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology.
Ministry of Ayush is participating in the Swasth Nari Sashakt Parivar Abhiyaan, a national health campaign being launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. In collaboration with State and Union Territory (UT) administrations, Ayush research institutions, educational institutions, industries and private sector, associations, NGOs, and cooperative societies,
the Ministry will organize a series of activities focusing on women’s health promotion and screening for various ailments.
This 16-day campaign will feature Health check-ups and screening camps for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), cancers, anaemia, tuberculosis, and sickle cell disease; Maternal and child healthcare services;
Awareness programs on nutrition and hygiene and voluntary blood donation drive to support public health efforts. Treatment modalities through Ayush for Anaemia, NCD, Poly Cystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD) among women and children is also focused under the campaign.
Self-Help Groups at the Panchayat level will conduct awareness rallies and pledge-taking events to mobilize communities. The campaign will ensure comprehensive women’s healthcare—from pregnancy to palliative care—with daily Ayush health tips on topics such as Anaemia-Free Women, Fit Mother, Stress-Free Women, Herbal Nutrition, and Bone Health shared on social media.
Labour markets showed positive momentum in August as the unemployment rate fell for the second consecutive month to a four-month low of 5.1 per cent from 5.2 per cent in July.
It was on account of the start of the sowing season.
The headline unemployment rate for people of age 15 and above in the current weekly status (CWS) terms for rural areas fell further to 4.3 per cent in August . This is the lowest since the start of the financial year.
Indian lender UCO Bank has received government approval to facilitate trade payments for Nayara Energy Ltd.
The refiner was sanctioned by the European Union in July. Since being blacklisted, Nayara has sought advance payment or letters of credit even before its fuel shipments are loaded, and has cut run rates at its operation. Ships have diverted away from its terminal.
State Bank of India, the country’s largest state-run lender, is among those that have stopped processing trade and foreign currency transactions for Nayara Energy.
Rosneft owns just over 49% of Nayara, which accounts for nearly 8% of India’s refining capacity and 7% of its retail-fuel network.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of L. Satya Srinivas, a 1991-batch IRS (Customs & Indirect Taxes) officer, as Executive Director (India) at the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Satya Srinivas, who is currently serving as Special Secretary in the Department of Commerce, will hold the post until his superannuation on February 28, 2026.
Thereafter, he will continue on a contractual basis for a total tenure of three years, or until further orders.
His appointment will be subject to the standard terms and conditions applicable to re-employed central government officers.
The Union Government and Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a $126.42 million loan agreement to promote rural development through sustainable and climate-resilient tourism in the Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand which sits 5,700 ft above sea level and is one of the most climate-vulnerable and economically disadvantaged regions of the Himalayan State.
According to a communique from the Finance Ministry, the project aims to benefit more than 87,000 residents and 2.7 million annual visitors to the area, which also houses Tehri lake, a man-made reservoir in created by the Tehri Dam on the Bhagirathi River.
The funds will be used to improve tourism planning, upgraded infrastructure, enhanced sanitation and waste management, and disaster preparedness.
The other key interventions under the project includes institutional strengthening, climate-resilient infrastructure,
nature-based solutions to mitigate landslide and flood risks along with planning of an inclusive tourism services led by women, youth, and the private sector.
International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is celebrated on September 16 designed by the United Nations General Assembly.
2025 Theme: From science to global action.
This year, on the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, we celebrate this historic achievement and look forward to another forty years of action.
The Montreal Protocol and Vienna Convention remain crucial for monitoring ozone and UV radiation levels, as well as ozone-depleting substances and other chemicals, such as hydrofluorocarbons (greenhouse gases), being phased out under the Kigali Amendment.
In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 16 September the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, commemorating the date of the signing, in 1987, of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (resolution 49/114).
In September 2022, the General Assembly decided to proclaim 16 September as International Day for Interventional Cardiology and invited stakeholders to observe annually the International Day for Interventional Cardiology in an appropriate manner and in accordance with national priorities,
in order to raise public awareness of cardiovascular diseases and procedures, related complications, as well as prevention and care including through education and mass media.
The first coronary angioplasty was performed by Dr. Andreas Grüntzig on 16 September 1977. Since then angioplasty has been the procedure that has saved the most grams of myocardium at risk worldwide.
On 9 January 2024, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/78/259, officially proclaiming September 16th as the International Day of Science, Technology, and Innovation for the South. The resolution underscores the importance of leveraging scientific and technological achievements for sustainable development, aligning with the 2030 Agenda,
the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, and the SDGs.
The resolution also invites UN member states, specialized agencies, international organizations, academia, civil society, the private sector, and other stakeholders to observe this International Day.
