The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (17 October) underscores that ending poverty is about dignity, justice, and belonging, not just income. This year's theme focuses on ending social and institutional maltreatment by ensuring respect and effective support for families, with a clear goal.
Supporting families advances multiple SDGs (SDG-1, SDG-2, SDG-3, SDG-4, SDG-5, SDG-8, SDG-10, SDG-16) through coherent, jointly delivered policies across social protection, education, health, housing, and employment.
NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform and DP World announced a joint initiative‘We Rise-Women Entrepreneurs Reimagining Inclusive and Sustainable Enterprises’.This programme,under the aegis of WEP’s Award to Reward initiative, aims to help women entrepreneurs in India to scale their businesses globally through trade facilitation, mentorship, and strategic partnership
NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform and DP World announced a joint initiative‘We Rise-Women Entrepreneurs Reimagining Inclusive and Sustainable Enterprises’.This programme,under the aegis of WEP’s Award to Reward initiative, aims to help women entrepreneurs in India to scale their businesses globally through trade facilitation, mentorship, and strategic partnership
As part of this effort, WEP and DP World have joined hands to empower product centric women entrepreneurs. With over 90,000 women entrepreneurs already engaged on the WEP platform, this partnership represents a unique public-private collaboration focused on expanding trade access and unlock opportunities for women businesses to grow exponentially.
The Department of Posts (DoP), in collaboration with Department of Ex-servicemen (DESW), has launched a dedicated service to facilitate the pickup, booking, transmission, and doorstep delivery of medicines that are not available at ECHS polyclinics under Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS).
Under this initiative, medicines will be procured and packaged through Village Level Entrepreneurs Common Service Centre (CSC) stationed at ECHS polyclinics, while logistics and delivery will be managed by India Post’s trusted delivery network. This arrangement ensures that medicines reach ECHS beneficiaries efficiently, securely, and across all corners of the country.
The service was first piloted in Delhi on 31st July 2025 where it received an encouraging response and subsequently expanded to the NCR region, covering Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Building on the success of the pilot wherein more than 1700 packets of medicines were delivered a comprehensive mapping of 458 ECHS locations across the country has been completed.
The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has introduced two plans, Jan Suraksha and Bima Lakshmi, offering guaranteed additions and financial protection features for diverse customer segments. Under this regime, effective from September 22, there is no GST on individual life and health insurance policies.
Brazilian aerospace company Embraer inaugurated its India office and marked the occasion by signing a Strategic Cooperation Agreement with the Mahindra Group to advance the C-390 Millennium military transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force.
The milestone event was graced by Brazil’s Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, Brazil’s Minister of Defense Jose Mucio, Indian Minister of Civil Aviation K Rammohan Naidu and the Ambassador of Brazil to India Kenneth Felix Haczynski da Nobrega.
The agreement with Mahindra Group builds upon the Memorandum of Understanding signed in February 2024 at the Embassy of Brazil in New Delhi and deepens the scope of cooperation to include joint marketing, industrialisation and developing India as a manufacturing and support hub for the C-390 Millennium to serve domestic and regional requirements, said a press statement,
adding that the two companies will work closely with stakeholders in the country and engage with India’s military and aerospace ecosystem to “identify opportunities for local manufacturing, assembly facilities, supply chain and MRO activities.”
Embraer also plans to build capacity in India to capitalise on opportunities within the country’s aerospace and defense industry,
which will include growing teams across corporate functions and specialised units focused on procurement, supply chain and engineering.
President & CEO of Embraer- Francisco Gomes Neto.
World Spine Day is being celebrated across the globe today. It is celebrated on October 16 every year to promote spinal health. This year’s theme, ‘Invest in Your Spine for a Healthier Future,’ highlights the vital role our daily choices play in preventing spinal pain and disability.
Spinal pain, especially low back pain (LBP), is now the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting people across all ages and backgrounds.
In 2020, 619 million people suffered from LBP – a number expected to rise to 843 million by 2050. Yet, most spinal issues are preventable through education, early action, and healthy habits.
The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways handed over the Haldia Multi-Modal Terminal (MMT) — a World Bank-funded project — to IRC Natural Resources. This comes on the back of the government’s efforts to push public-private partnership (PPP) in the inland waterways sector.
Built by IWAI with financial and technical assistance from the World Bank, the Haldia MMT in West Bengal has a capacity of 3.08 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA). It was being operated without a private player after its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2023.
IRC Natural Resources emerged as the highest bidder by quoting a royalty of Rs 105.03 per metric tonne of cargo handled, payable to IWAI.
JMVP aims to enhance the capacity of the 1,390-km stretch of National Waterway-1 (Ganga–Bhagirathi–Hooghly river system), which passes through the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.
India-Japan Fund (IJF), a fund managed by National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited (NIIF), has invested ₹500 crore in Eka Mobility, a leading electric vehicle manufacturer focusing on commercial vehicles.
This aligns with IJF’s objective to invest in the climate segment and further accelerate investments in the India-Japan corridor.
The capital infusion from IJF is expected to support Eka Mobility’s plans to increase its manufacturing capacity and advance research and development initiatives. It will also help improve the company’s supply chain infrastructure and enhance its marketing efforts in domestic and international markets.
Eka Mobility, a subsidiary of Pinnacle Industries, has one of the widest ranges of electric commercial vehicles developed with in-house R&D and technological capabilities. This is supported by indigenous software and engineering expertise.
India's gold reserves crossed the $100 billion mark for the first time, according to the Reserve Bank of India's latest foreign exchange reserves data, buoyed by a global price rally even as the central bank's purchases slowed sharply this year.
India's gold holdings rose by $3.595 billion to $102.365 billion in the week through October 10, RBI data showed, while overall foreign exchange reserves declined $2.18 billion to $697.784 billion.
The share of gold in India's total reserves climbed to 14.7%, the highest since 1996-97, according to traders.
Gold's share in India's foreign exchange reserves has almost doubled over the past decade - from below 7% to nearly 15% - reflecting both steady central bank accumulation and a surge in global bullion prices.
That's led to the $100 billion milestone being hit despite a marked slowdown in the RBI's gold purchases this year.
The central bank bought gold in only four of the first nine months of 2025, compared with near-monthly additions in 2024, according to World Gold Council data.
Cumulative buying from January to September stood at just 4 tons, sharply lower than 50 tons in the same period a year earlier.
Gold has surged about 65% in 2025, powered by a potent mix of macroeconomic, institutional and psychological drivers.
India is the world's second-largest consumer of gold and relies on imports to meet demand. Buying gold is deeply rooted in Indian culture, driven by tradition and its role as both an investment and a status symbol.
State Bank of India (SBI) raised Rs. 7,500 crore on Friday at a coupon rate of 6.93 per cent through Basel III compliant Tier 2 bond issuance.
The bond issuance, which is for a tenor of 10 years, with call option after 5 years and each anniversary dates thereafter, is its first for the current financial year.
India’s largest bank, in a statement, noted that the issue attracted a strong response from investors’, with bids approximately 3 times against the base issue size of ₹5,000 crore.
The total number of bids received was 101 indicating participation from diverse set of qualified institutional bidders.
he investors were across provident funds, pension funds, mutual funds, banks etc, the Bank said.
C S Setty, Chairman, observed that the wider participation and heterogeneity of bids demonstrated the trust investors place in SBI. Based on the response, the Bank has decided to accept ₹7,500 crore.
Earlier this year, SBI had raised ₹25,000 crore equity via QIP (Qualified Institutions Placement).
Further, the Bank also mopped up $500 million via senior unsecured fixed rate notes having maturity of 5 years and coupon of 4.50 percent.
Lxme, India's leading financial platform for women, has announced the launch of LxmePay, the country's first Unified Payments Interface (UPI) exclusively for women. Designed to transform everyday transactions into powerful financial opportunities, LxmePay is more than just a payment tool, it's a step towards smarter, more conscious money management for women.
While UPI has made payments faster and more convenient than ever, it has also made it easier to overspend, miss out on meaningful rewards, and lose track of where money goes, especially with the speed and frequency of daily transactions.
Many women face the common challenge of reaching month-end unsure of where their earnings disappeared, despite using digital payments throughout.
LxmePay is designed to solve these exact challenges. Unlike other platforms, transactions on LxmePay earns digital gold, helping women users accumulate real, long-term value instead of fleeting cashbacks.
Built specifically for women, it empowers them to spend smartly, budget effortlessly, track their expenses, save and grow their wealth. With features like Expense tracker, Bill payments, deals on women brands and many others- Lxme provides a seamless, intuitive interface for women to manage and grow their wealth.
The Indian passport has taken a tumble in the latest global passport rankings, slipping several spots to 85th place, tied with Mauritania. Holders of an Indian passport can now travel visa-free to 57 countries, according to the latest Henley Passport Index released by London-based consultancy Henley & Partners.
Earlier this year, India was ranked 77th, with access to 59 destinations without needing a visa. The drop reflects changing global mobility agreements and tightening border policies among several nations.
India and Panama have entered a new phase in their bilateral ties with the establishment of a 20-member inter-parliamentary friendship group, the Embassy of India in Panama announced.
Earlier in September this year, on the sidelines of the UNGA Meeting, Panama President Jose Raul Mulino, in an exclusive conversation with ANI, underlined the importance of India-Panama ties, describing India as a strategic partner and highlighting prospects for greater collaboration.
Panama and India have enjoyed cordial, warm, and friendly relations, based on mutual understanding and growing bilateral trade and comprehensive cooperation.
