Project Vijayak of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) celebrated its 15th Raising Day at Kargil, Ladakh on September 21, 2025, expanding infrastructure projects worth over Rs 1,200 crore as it enters its 16th year. The milestone occasion marked a journey of service, resilience and engineering excellence in some of the most challenging terrain in the world.
Over the last 15 years, the Project has built and maintained more than 1,400 km of roads and 80 major bridges across Ladakh, including the record-setting reopening of the strategic Zojila Pass within just 31 days of its winter closure in April 2025, an unprecedented feat in high-altitude connectivity.
Raised in 2010, Project Vijayak was entrusted with the task of linking Ladakh’s remote valleys and forward areas with the national mainstream while fulfilling operational requirements of the Armed Forces. Its contributions have not only enhanced operational preparedness but also transformed connectivity and livelihoods for the people of Ladakh.
The 15th Raising Day celebrations reflected both tradition and pride. The commemorative events included a Sainik Sammelan, cultural programmes, prayers at Mandir and Gurudwara, and the inauguration of the Vijayak Memorial to honour fallen heroes.
The Ministry of Rural Development signed five Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRD&PR), Hyderabad, and four National Resource Organizations (NROs) i. e. State Rural Livelihoods Missions (SRLMs) of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Telangana,
for strengthening interventions under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM). These states have been recognized for their pioneering work in digitisation, with Bihar also leading in Food, Nutrition, Health, and WASH (FNHW) interventions.
Through this MoU, whoch was signed on 19th of this month,
the NIRD&PR will focus on building the capacities of SRLM functionaries and community cadres, creating a multi-thematic pool of resource persons, conducting induction and leadership training, and documenting best practices. It will also extend technical and strategic support to strengthen community institutions, enhance livelihood opportunities, promote digital innovations.
India’s Anandkumar Velkumar clinched gold in the men’s 42km marathon and made history at the 2025 World Speed Skating Championships in China. he won two golds and a bronze. It is his third medal at the ongoing event. The 22-year-old Anandkumar became India’s first-ever speed skating world champion just days after taking gold in the 1000m with a record time of 1:24.92 and,
bronze in the 500m sprint.
His international breakthrough came in 2021 with a silver at the Junior World Championships a first for India followed by a bronze at the World Games earlier this year.
With this landmark performance, Velkumar has firmly placed Indian speed skating on the global map.
The Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG) and the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), in collaboration with the State Government of Andhra Pradesh, are organising the 28th National Conference on e- Governance (NCeG) 2025 on September 22–23, 2025, in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
The theme for this year’s conference is ‘Viksit Bharat: Civil Service and Digital Transformation.’
During the conference, the National Awards for e-Governance 2025 will be conferred upon 19 exemplary initiatives.
US President Donald Trump has announced a new visa programme designed to attract the world’s richest individuals, offering residency permits in exchange for steep payments.
Announcing the initiative on Friday, Trump signed an order creating what he called a revenue-raising scheme.
Trump described the programme as a means to reduce taxes, pay down debt and stimulate American industry.
The executive order directs the commerce secretary to deposit revenue into a dedicated Treasury fund to promote commerce and American industry.
The Trump administration said it would ask companies to pay $100,000 per year for H-1B worker visas, potentially dealing a big blow to the technology sector that relies heavily on skilled workers from India and China.
Since taking office in January, Trump has kicked off a wide-ranging immigration crackdown, including moves to limit some forms of legal immigration. The step to reshape the H-1B visa program represents his administration's most high-profile effort yet to rework temporary employment visas.
India was the largest beneficiary of H-1B visas last year, accounting for 71 per cent of approved beneficiaries, while China was a distant second at 11.7 per cent, according to government data.
Nearly all the visa fees have to be paid by the employers.
The H-1B visas are approved for a period of three to six years.
The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal launched the Industrial Park Rating System (IPRS) 3.0 in New Delhi. Developed by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB),
the initiative aims to further strengthen India’s industrial ecosystem and enhance the competitiveness of industrial infrastructure.
Building on the pilot phase in 2018 and IPRS 2.0 in 2021, the third edition introduces an expanded framework with new parameters, including sustainability, green infrastructure, logistics connectivity, digitalization, skill linkages,
enhanced tenant feedback.
Under IPRS 3.0, industrial parks will be benchmarked and categorized as Leaders, Challengers, and Aspirers based on their performance across key indicators. This will provide investors with transparent and credible information, foster healthy competition among States and Union Territories, and guide policymakers in designing targeted interventions.
For States and UTs, the initiative offers an opportunity to showcase best-performing parks, identify gaps for improvement, attract investments, generate employment, and strengthen their industrial ecosystem. The exercise is expected to make India a more sustainable, inclusive, and globally competitive investment destination.
The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal in New Delhi launched Logistics Data Bank (LDB) 2.0, advancing India’s journey toward a digitally empowered, investment-ready, and export-competitive economy. Shri Goyal said that LDB 2.0 will provide critical insights into the availability of facilities and infrastructure across the logistics ecosystem.
The system will enable real-time tracking and assessment of logistics performance, supporting better planning, higher efficiency, and cost reduction. He added that the initiative will serve as an important tool for both industry and government to strengthen competitiveness, improve supply chain management, and make logistics in India more efficient and business-friendly.
Developed by NICDC Logistics Data Services (NLDSL), LDB 2.0 is a significantly enhanced logistics tracking platform that enables export container tracking on high seas along with multi-modal shipment visibility.
The Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, today in New Delhi released the Guidebook on Mapping of Harmonized System of Nomenclature (HSN) Codes, prepared by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
The Guidebook allocates 12,167 HSN Codes across 31 Ministries and Departments, and is expected to enable targeted policymaking and support effective trade negotiations. Shri Goyal said that with India strengthening its role in global value chains, establishing product-level linkages has become a priority to ensure sectoral growth is guided by domain expertise.
Mapping each HSN code with the respective line ministry will help industry understand processes related to their sectors, simplify coordination for businesses, and strengthen India’s position in trade negotiations. Greater awareness and use of the HSN system will improve efficiency, reduce compliance burdens, and support efforts to make logistics and trade more competitive.
The maiden edition of the bilateral maritime exercise between the Indian Navy and the Hellenic Navy concluded on 18 Sep 2025 in the Mediterranean Sea, marking an important milestone in the growing defence cooperation between India and Greece. The exercise was conducted in two phases - a harbour phase held from 13 to 17 Sep 2025 at Salamis Naval Base,
followed by the sea phase on 17 and 18 Sep 2025. The Indian Navy was represented by guided missile stealth frigate INS Trikand.
The sea phase witnessed complex maritime manoeuvres and tactical exercises between units of both navies, which included night VBSS operations, replenishment-at-sea procedures, joint Anti-Submarine Warfare,
coordinated gun firing and cross-deck helicopter operations to enhance interoperability. These exercises not only validated the professional skills of both navies but also underscored their ability to operate jointly in challenging maritime scenarios.
On the recommendation of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award Selection Committee, the Government of India today announced that Shri. Mohanlal will be conferred with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2023. The legendary actor, director, and producer is being honoured for his iconic contribution to Indian Cinema.
The award will be presented to him at the 71st National Film Awards ceremony on 23rd September, 2025.
The International Day of Peace (“Peace Day”) is observed around the world each year on 21 September.
2025 Theme: Act Now for a Peaceful World
The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly. Two decades later, in 2001, the General Assembly unanimously voted to designate the Day as a period of non-violence and cease-fire.
The United Nations’ ActNow Campaign has helped millions of people around the globe choose issues they care about, commit to action, and track their impact. You can download the ActNow mobile app and see the difference your actions make for a more peaceful world.
