The theme of the inaugural event, taking place on 20 September in the city of Tromsø, Norway, is “Arctic Cities and Marine Litter”. The event, convened with support from UN-Habitat, GRID-Arendal, and the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, the municipality of Tromsø, the Fram Centre.
On 8 December 2023, the United Nations General Assembly, in its seventy-eighth session, unanimously adopted resolution 78/122 “World Cleanup Day”, which proclaims 20 September as World Cleanup Day. Municipal solid waste generation is predicted to grow from 2.1 billion tonnes in 2023 to 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050.
Against the backdrop of the “Healthy Women, Empowered Families” campaign and National Nutrition Month, Surajpur district of Chhattisgarh has achieved a historic milestone in the direction of social reform and public awareness. A total of 75 village panchayats in the district have been officially declared “Child Marriage-Free Panchayats.”
The state government’s goal is to establish Chhattisgarh as a “Child Marriage-Free State” in the coming years. For this, monitoring mechanisms will be further strengthened, education will be promoted, and active community participation will remain the foundation of the campaign.
This announcement was made by the Surajpur district administration on 17 September 2025 during the launch of the campaign and the beginning of Nutrition Month. The recognition was granted on the basis that not a single case of child marriage was recorded in these panchayats over the past two years.
In a significant step towards strengthening India's self-reliance in critical and strategic mineral sourcing, Oil India Limited and Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on September 19, 2025, to co-operate and collaborate for exploration and development of critical and strategic minerals including Copper and associated minerals.
Hindustan Copper Limited, a Miniratna PSU under the Ministry of Mines, is engaged in mining, production, processing, and marketing of copper and related products. The company is currently focused on mining and beneficiation of copper ore and the sale of copper concentrate.
Oil India, a Maharatna PSU under the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, is a premier integrated oil and gas company with proven expertise in exploration, development, production, and transportation of crude oil and natural gas. Recognizing the growing importance of critical minerals, OIL has diversified into this sector to complement its core energy portfolio.
The collaboration between HCL and OIL represents a crucial milestone in India’s pursuit of mineral security. Aligned with the objectives of the Government of India’s National Critical Mineral Mission, this partnership will play a pivotal role in securing strategic mineral resources essential for the nation’s energy security, industrial growth, and technological advancement.
Indian Coast Guard Ship ‘Adamya’, the first ship of the eight in series Adamya-class Fast Patrol Vessels was commissioned at Paradip Port, Odisha on Sep 19, 2025. The 51-meter FPV has been designed and built indigenously by Goa Shipyard Limited and is a befitting example of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ with over 60% indigenous content leading to strengthening of India's Mariatime.
ICGS Adamya was commissioned by Joint Secretary (AF & Policy), Ministry of Defence Shri Satyajit Mohanty, in the presence of Chief of Staff, Headquarters Eastern Seaboard Inspector General Yoginder Dhaka and other senior dignitaries of the central & state government.
The vessel displaces approx. 320 tons and is propelled by two 3000 KW diesel engines to attain a maximum speed of 28 Knots along with an endurance of 1500 nm at economical speed. ICGS Adamya is 1st ship fitted with indigenously developed 2 Controllable Pitch Propellers and gearboxes offering superior manoeuvrability, operational flexibility and enhanced performance at sea.
India has been re-elected to the Council of Administration (CA) and the Postal Operations Council (POC) of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) during the 28th UPU Congress held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Universal Postal Union, a specialised agency of the United Nations, is the primary forum for cooperation among postal sector stakeholders.
The CA is responsible for policy, regulatory and governance matters, while the POC is the technical and operational body that drives the modernisation of postal services worldwide. India’s re-election reflects the confidence of the international community in India Post’s leadership, reforms, and innovative digital initiatives. India has been a member of the UPU since 1876.
The third round of negotiations for the India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) concluded successfully on 19th September, 2025, in Queenstown, New Zealand. The discussions reaffirmed the shared commitment of both nations to strengthen economic ties and work towards the early conclusion of a balanced and mutually beneficial agreement.
The FTA was formally launched on 16th March, 2025, during the meeting between Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, and New Zealand’s Minister for Trade and Investment, Mr. Todd McClay. The third round, held from 15th to 19th September, 2025, witnessed constructive discussions across all areas of the agreement.
India’s bilateral merchandise trade with New Zealand stood at USD 1.3 billion in FY 2024–25, registering a growth of nearly 49 percent over the previous year. The next round of in-person negotiations is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on 13–14 October, 2025.
Marium Fatima from Bihar has achieved a remarkable milestone by becoming the state’s first Woman FIDE Master (WFM). A brilliant chess player from Bihar, Marium, belongs to Muzaffarpur. The title Woman FIDE Master (WFM) is one of the titles awarded by FIDE (the global chess federation). It is below Woman International Master (WIM) and above Woman Candidate Master (WCM).
It is the third-highest ranking exclusive to women after the woman grandmaster and the woman international master titles. Like other official FIDE titles, once a player is awarded the WFM title, it is held for life. The WFM title is only attainable by women players. They can obtain it by achieving a FIDE classical rating of at least 2100.
V. Mohan, diabetologist and chairman of Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre and Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, has been presented with the inaugural Diabetes Global Impact Prize 2025 by the European Association for the Study of Diabetes during its 61st Annual Conference at Vienna in Austria.
He is the first recipient of this prestigious award, which recognised his decades-long contributions to diabetes healthcare, research, education, training, charity, awareness and policy. He has published over 1,800 papers, trained thousands of professionals, and conducted over 25,000 free diabetes camps.
More than 75% of the items rural Indians spend money on will face either a nil rate of Goods and Services Tax (GST) or 5% once the new rates come into effect on September 22, according to an analysis published by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI). For urban Indians, this proportion will be 66%.
The report, prepared by Thought Arbitrage Research Institute (TARI) for the FICCI Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy (CASCADE), noted that this situation was a significant improvement over the current GST rate structure. About 56% of rural household monthly expenditure currently attracts either nil GST or a 5% rate.
Under GST 2.0, the nil slab will comprise 29.9% of the total items. The items in this slab will account for 36.5% and 32.9% of rural and urban monthly expenditure, respectively. About 14.7% of the total items face a 5% GST rate, and account for 20.3% and 18.2% of the rural and urban monthly expenditure. From September 22 onwards, the 5% slab will comprise 40.5% of the items
The 18% slab currently accounts for 26.6% of the items under GST, and 15.4% and 16.9% of the rural and urban monthly expenditure. Under GST 2.0, this slab will comprise 23.1% of the items and 12.3% and 14.1% of the rural and monthly expenditure. The 12% slab currently accounts for 21.5% of the items, and 14.4% and 10.8% of the rural and urban monthly expenditure.
ISRO signed a formal agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Wednesday (September 10, 2025) for the transfer of technology for the production of Small Satellite Launch Vehicles (SSLV), marking a significant step in industry participation in the space sector.
The agreement, the 100th transfer of technology agreement facilitated by space sector promoter INSPACe, was inked in Bengaluru by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) and INSPACe with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which outbid a consortium led by Adani Group-backed Alpha Design Technologies.
ISRO, HAL, NSIL and INSPACe coming together for the SSLV technology transfer signals a vital leap towards this endeavour. It reflects the Government of India’s vision to empower the space industry and establish India as a global hub for affordable and reliable launch services.
Fintech major PhonePe has received final approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as an online payment aggregator. The approval comes more than two years after the Bengaluru-based company first secured in-principle clearance from the banking regulator.
Other companies that have received the licence this year include Pine Labs Online, Easebuzz, BharatPe, and PayU, among others. PhonePe has over 650 million registered users and a digital payments acceptance network spanning 45 million merchants. The company processes more than 360 million transactions daily, with an annualised total payment value of over Rs 150 trillion.
OpenAI has signed a deal with Apple device assembler, Luxshare, to make a consumer device, the Information reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. The device is currently a prototype under development and is expected to be pocket-sized and aware of context, designed to work closely with the ChatGPT parent's artificial intelligence models.
OpenAI bought hardware startup io Products, founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive, earlier this year in a $6.5 billion deal, underscoring its push to move beyond software into consumer hardware. Luxshare, a major assembler of Apple's iPhones and AirPods, would bring large-scale manufacturing capabilities to OpenAI's effort.
The Japanese credit rating agency, Rating and Investment Information (R&I), on Friday upgraded India’s sovereign credit rating by a notch to BBB+ from ‘BBB’ with a stable outlook backed by the country’s demographic dividend, robust domestic demand, and sound government policies.
This is India’s third rating upgrade by a sovereign credit rating agency this year, following S&P’s upgrade to ‘BBB’ from BBB- in August 2025 and Morningstar DBRS’ upgrade to ‘BBB’ from BBB (low) in May 2025. The government has set a target of achieving a fiscal deficit at 4.4 per cent of GDP in FY26.
R&I in its report has projected the Indian economy to maintain GDP growth rate in the mid-6 per cent range from FY26 onwards, backed by the population growth, the catch-up effect of income, and the government’s public investment and economic policy among other factors.
Coratia Technologies, an Odisha-based startup, has signed a contract worth ₹66 crore (approx. $7.5 million) with the Indian Navy. The deep-tech robotics startup will supply and maintain its indigenously developed Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles (UWROVs), stated the company in a press release.
The agreement, signed in the presence of high-ranking Indian Navy officials, represents the first large-scale induction of India-built UWROVs into active naval operations. Coratia Technologies developed underwater robots, Jalasimha and Jaladuta, as well as Navya (ASV), enabling sonar-based mapping and real-time data analytics powered by AI and ML, serving a dual-use purpose
Coratia Technologies recently also raised ₹17.4 crore (approx. $2 million) in a Pre-Series A round led by MGF Kavachh, supported by Pontaq Ventures India in July 2025, with plans to scale up R&D initiatives, IPR, and grow its exports to tap rising global demand. The underwater robotics market stands at $5.08 billion in 2025, forecasted to reach $9.53 billion by 2030.
Global tech giant IBM on Thursday announced a tie-up with Bharatgen to advance the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Bharatgen, an IIT-Bombay consortium, will be using its sovereign multimodal and Large Language Models (LLMs), tailored to India's linguistic and cultural landscape, along with IBM's AI expertise in data, governance and model training technology.
As part of the collaboration, BharatGen and IBM will work to develop solution templates for Indic use cases by leveraging BharatGen’s models and data with IBM’s AI technologies, including IBM Granite models. The initiative focuses on developing and scaling multimodal and language-specific AI models, and expanding their applications across sectors.
Just around a third of rivers across the globe had water within the normal range in 2024 and almost 60 per cent of them either showed too much or too little water for the sixth year running, according to the ‘The Status of Global Water Resources in 2024 Report’ from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
The report contains input from a wide network of hydrological experts, including National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, Global Data Centres, global hydrological modelling community members. Lake surface temperatures were anomalously high in 2024, and nearly all out of 75 main lakes across the globe saw above average water levels.
It cited a UN assessment, saying an estimated 3.6 billion people face inadequate access to water for at least a month per year and this is expected to increase to more than 5 billion by 2050. Region wise, the report found that in 2024, it was wetter than normal in Kazakhstan, Southern Russia, Pakistan, Northern India, Southern Iran, and North-Eastern China.
The Inaugural India-Norway Maritime Security, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Dialogue was held on Sep 11, 2025 in Oslo, Norway. The Indian delegation was led by Ms Muanpuii Saiawi, Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, and the Norwegian delegation by Mr Jon Elvedal Fredriksen, Director General, Department for Security Policy and the High North.
The two sides conferred on ways to sustain a secure and safe maritime environment in accordance with international law, including UNCLOS, conducive to economic growth, peace and progress in maritime matters. It was agreed to hold the next round of the Dialogue in New Delhi on a mutually convenient date.
The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) announced the introduction of a Multiple Scheme Framework (MSF) for non-government sector subscribers under the National Pension System (NPS), effective from October 1, 2025.
According to the official PFRDA notification, the new system marks a significant departure from the existing structure where subscribers were restricted to a single investment choice per tier and linked to one Central Recordkeeping Agency (CRA).
Astronomers have announced that they have discovered a new neighbour in the earth’s skies: asteroid 2025 PN7, confirmed in September 2025 to be the planet’s latest quasi-satellite. (The prefix ‘quasi’ means almost.) 2025 PN7 follows an orbit very similar to that of the earth, making it appear to ‘hover’ nearby even though it’s not gravitationally bound to the planet.
First spotted on August 2 by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii, 2025 PN7 is a member of the Arjuna asteroid class — named for the protagonist of the ‘Mahabharata’ who is believed to be fast-moving and difficult to catch.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on September 17 formed an independent Advisory Group on Regulation (AGR), comprising of external experts, to channel industry feedback into the periodic review of regulations through the Regulatory Review Cell.
The RBI has decided to strengthen the institutional mechanism for review of regulations and has constituted a Regulatory Review Cell (RRC), in continuation of the Framework for Formulation of Regulations. The mandate of the RRC is to ensure that all the regulations issued by the Bank are subject to a comprehensive and systematic internal review every 5 to 7 years.
Ajay Seth, Chairman of the Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India (IRDAI) on September 17, launched the official website of Bima Sugam India Federation (BSIF). The launch took place at the headquarters of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) in Hyderabad.
AU Small Finance Bank (AU SFB), India’s largest small finance bank, has entered into a strategic partnership with Kiwi, a leading Credit on UPI platform, to introduce the AU KOSMO Credit Card. Built on the RuPay network, this card offers a fully digital onboarding journey, seamless UPI integration, and best-in-class rewards on UPI transactions.
In August 2025, UPI P2M payments saw a 26% year-on-year growth, crossing ₹7.2 lakh crores in value. RuPay’s credit card market share has also grown significantly, rising from 3% in FY23 to nearly 12% in FY25, with around 28% of all credit card transactions now powered by RuPay.
Switzerland remains the world's innovation leader in 2025. China enters the top 10 for the first time, while middle-income economies – India, Türkiye, Viet Nam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Morocco, Albania and Iran – are the fastest climbers since 2013. Sweden and the United States of America retain their 2nd and 3rd positions for the third year in a row.
India strengthens its lead in Central and Southern Asia, rising to 38th place. It performs exceptionally well in areas such as ICT services exports (1st), Late-stage VC deals (4th), Intangible asset intensity (8th), and Unicorn valuation (11th), reflecting its growing innovation-driven economy.
