Bihar is set to receive another major boost in the field of modern rail connectivity. Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary will dedicate seven trains to the state from Patna Junction, which include three Amrit Bharat Express trains.
The Amrit Bharat Express, which has gained a distinct identity as a popular train among the middle class and common people, currently operates 12 services across the country, of which 10 run from Bihar. With the launch of three more Amrit Bharat Express trains, the total will rise to 15, out of which 13 will operate from Bihar.
World Food India 2025, organized by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), concluded on a historic note with investment commitments of unprecedented scale. Over the course of the four-day event, 26 leading domestic and global companies signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) worth a total of Rs. 1,02,046.89 crore,
marking one of the largest investment announcements in India’s food processing sector. These MoUs are projected to generate direct employment for over 64,000 people and create indirect opportunities for more than 10 lakh individuals, reinforcing the government’s vision of positioning India as a global hub for food processing.
A significant highlight of these partnerships is their pan-India footprint, with investments spread across multiple states including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, and the North-Eastern region.
Invest India, the national investment promotion and facilitation partner, assisted the Ministry of Food Processing Industries in signing these MoUs.
World Food India 2025 has not only attracted record investment commitments but also reaffirmed India’s position as a trusted global destination for food processing.
EY raised India's real gross domestic product (GDP) projection for the financial year 2025-26 (FY26) to 6.7 per cent, up from the previous 6.5 per cent on the back of strong growth in the June quarter and goods and services tax (GST) reforms.
In its 'Economy Watch' report for September 2025, EY said, "With 1QFY26 real GDP growth at 7.8 per cent and stimulation of demand through GST reforms on the one hand, constrained by global headwinds affecting India’s export prospects, both in goods and services, we expect India to still show an annual real GDP growth of 6.7 per cent in FY26."
The report further added that the base of India’s export destinations and import sources is "narrow".
Under the GST 2.0 rollout earlier this month, rates were rationalised at 5 per cent and 18 per cent, with a special rate of 40 per cent. This is likely to benefit several sectors, including automobiles, health, and textiles.
The central government has issued operational guidelines for the rollout of around 72,300 public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the country, with an allocation of ₹2,000 crore under the ₹10,900-crore PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) scheme.
The guidelines set out a tiered subsidy framework to facilitate the establishment of EV charging infrastructure at multiple locations. Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has designated as the project implementation agency (PIA) for the rollout. Subsidy disbursal will take place in two instalments, linked to the achievement of specified compliance and performance milestone.
India's Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve, perched high in the trans-Himalayan region, is among the 26 new biosphere reserves across several countries, designated by UNESCO, the organisation announced (September 27, 2025).
With this addition, India now has 13 biospheres listed in UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR).
The Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve of northern India spans approximately 7,770 sq. km. across the landscapes of Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul-Spiti district, according to UNESCO.
Encompassing windswept plateaus, glacial valleys, alpine lakes, and rugged high-altitude deserts, it is one of the coldest and driest ecosystems in WNBR.
“UNESCO designates 26 new biosphere reserves across 21 countries — the highest number in 20 years. The World Network of Biosphere Reserves now includes 785 sites in 142 countries, with an additional one million sq. km. of natural areas brought under protection since 2018 — equivalent to the size of Bolivia,” the world body said in a statement.
This year, six countries welcome their first biosphere reserve, while Sao Tome and Principe becomes the first state to have its entire territory designated as a biosphere reserve, UNESCO said.
Six countries saw the designation of their first biosphere reserve on Saturday: Angola, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Iceland, Oman and Tajikistan, it said.
In addition to these six, new reserves have also been designated in Albania, China, Ethiopia, France, Greece, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mongolia, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and Sweden, it added.
Biosphere reserves safeguard some of the planet’s richest and most fragile ecosystems.
Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve harbours 732 species of vascular plants, including 30 endemics and 157 near-endemics of the Indian Himalayas, according to UNESCO.
Altitudes in this reserve range from 3,300 to 6,600 m, covering the Pin Valley National Park and Kibber and Chandratal Wildlife Sanctuaries, it said.
In a bid to streamline the return filing process for employers and establishments, the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has launched a revamped electronic challan-cum-return (ECR) facility, effective from the wage month of September, according to a notification issued by the Central Provident Fund Commissioner.
Among other features, the revamped facility separates the return submission process from the payment generation process and introduces system-based validations to prevent the submission of incorrect ECRs.
It will also include provisions for the calculation of damages and interest under Sections 14B and 7Q of the Employees’ Provident Fund Act.
The Reserve Bank on Friday issued revised norms for the settlement of claims on deceased customers' bank accounts and lockers within a 15-day timeframe and prescribed compensation to nominees for delays in the settlement.
The revised instructions are aimed at streamlining the divergent practices followed by banks in the settlement of claims in respect of deceased customers.
It has also standardised the documentation to bring improvement in the quality of customer service.
The central banks said the 'Reserve Bank of India (Settlement of Claims in respect of Deceased Customers of Banks) Directions, 2025' revised instructions will be implemented as expeditiously as possible, but not later than March 31, 2026.
The central banks said the 'Reserve Bank of India (Settlement of Claims in respect of Deceased Customers of Banks) Directions, 2025' revised instructions will be implemented as expeditiously as possible, but not later than March 31, 2026.
A deposit account where a depositor had made a nomination or where the account was opened with a survivorship clause, the payment of the outstanding balance upon the death of the depositor(s) to the nominee(s)/ survivor(s) shall be considered a valid discharge of a bank's liability, the RBI said.
In shooting, India’s Anushka Thokur won gold in the women’s 50-meter rifle 3-positions event at the ISSF Junior World Cup at Dr Karni Singh Range in Delhi. This was Thokur’s second gold in the competition, following her earlier win in the 50-meter rifle prone event.
In the junior men’s 50-meter 3-position, Adriyan Karmakar secured the silver medal. India currently leads the medal tally with four gold, six silver, and three bronze medals.
The government has appointed Shirish Chandra Murmu as a deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India, effective October 9, for a three-year term.
Murmu, currently an executive director at the RBI, will succeed Rajeshwar Rao, whose tenure ends on October 8. Rao has been overseeing banking regulation and other portfolios.
The central bank has four deputy governors, spanning departments including monetary policy, financial markets regulations, banking supervision and regulations.
Mr. Murmu’s portfolio allocation has yet to be announced.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched a dedicated licensing and registration window for Ayurveda Aahara products on its Food Safety Compliance System (FoSCoS) portal, marking a significant step towards formalising the traditional Ayurvedic food sector.
The new framework, operating under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, will enable manufacturers across the country to apply for licences to produce and market traditional Ayurvedic foods through a streamlined process.
The initiative introduces a 'Kind of Business' (KoB) framework specifically for Ayurveda Aahara, designed to align traditional recipes documented in authoritative Ayurvedic texts with contemporary food safety and quality standards.
This regulatory pathway is expected to provide a major boost to both food and Ayurveda industries.
To ensure a smooth industry transition, FSSAI has published a comprehensive list of 91 approved Ayurveda Aahara recipes through an order dated July 25, 2025. This pre-approved reference provides food business operators with clear guidelines for manufacturing products under the new category while maintaining both authenticity and regulatory compliance.
This approach is designed to benefit both industry stakeholders and public health outcomes.
The licensing window is now available on the FoSCoS portal, with the official order containing the approved Ayurveda Aahara recipes accessible through the FSSAI website.
On 17 November 2015, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared 28 September as International Day for Universal Access to Information. Considering that several civil society organizations and government bodies in the world have adopted and currently celebrate this observance,
the UN General Assembly also adopted 28 September 2019 as the International Day for Universal Access to Information.
UNESCO and its intergovernmental programs - the International Programme for Development of Communication and the Information for All Programme - provide a platform and frame for all the stakeholders,
to participate in international discussions on policy and guidelines in the area of access to information. Both programs also enable positive environment for ATI to flourish through the development of projects aimed to strengthen open science, multilingualism, ICTs for disabled and marginalized, and media and information literacy.
Ensuring Access to Environmental Information in the Digital Age
The theme for the 2025 observance focuses on the vital importance of timely, comprehensive, and cross-border access to environmental information in an increasingly digital world.
The International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW) is observed every year on September 29 to call for action and strengthen efforts to reduce food loss and waste and build more resilient food systems.
Established by the United Nations, it aims to highlight the significant economic, environmental, and social impacts of food loss and waste, as well as promote innovations and collaborations to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 of halving global food waste by 2030.
