Ministry of Civil Aviation is celebrating the 9th anniversary of the Regional Connectivity Scheme – UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik). The main celebration was held in New Delhi, chaired by Secretary (Civil Aviation) and attended by Chairman, Airports Authority of India (AAI), Members, AAI and other senior officers of the Ministry.
Civil Aviation Secretary Shri Samir Kumar Sinha, highlighted that the UDAN, launched on 21st October 2016 under the National Civil Aviation Policy, has been a transformational initiative aimed at making air travel affordable and accessible to the common citizen.
The first UDAN flight, inaugurated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 27th April 2017 between Shimla and Delhi, marked a new era in regional aviation connectivity.
The second edition of Indian Navy’s biannual Commanders’ Conference 2025 is scheduled to be held over a period of three days at New Delhi from 22 to 24 Oct 2025. The Conference assumes greater significance in the backdrop of ‘Operation Sindoor’ and the Navy’s high tempo of operations and combat preparedness.
The Navy’s focus on enhancing combat capabilities, interoperability, and joint Operations with Indian Army, IAF, and ICG underscores its resolve to deter emerging threats and showcase maritime prowess in the IOR and Indo-Pacific.
The conference serves as a platform for close interaction with national leadership and bureaucrats, and fine tune Navy’s outlook towards mitigating multi-dimensional challenges in current geo-strategic environment.
The conference also features addresses by the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of the Air Staff and embedded discussions with senior naval leadership.
On a broader canvas, Navy’s apex leadership will review its Operational preparedness on Western and Eastern Seaboards,boosting indigenisation and innovation under Make in India scheme furthering GoI’s vision of MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security Across all Regions), and promoting Indian Navy as the Preferred Security Partner in the IOR and Indo-Pacific.
The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has released a comprehensive Consultation Paper titled “Alignment of Valuation Guidelines with the core objectives of Long-only Funds when investing in Government Securities and calculation of Net Asset Value (NAV)”.
The framework proposed is part of PFRDA’s ongoing commitment towards improving governance, protecting subscriber interests and contributing for India’s broader financial and infrastructural growth.
The Union Government has released XV Finance Commission (XV FC) Grants during the Financial Year 2025–26 to strengthen Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) in Gujarat and Haryana.
In Gujarat, the 2nd installment of Untied Grants for the Financial Year 2024–25 amounting to ₹522.20 crores has been released for all 38 District Panchayats, 247 eligible Block Panchayats, and 14,547 eligible Gram Panchayats of the State.
India has upgraded its Technical Mission in Afghan capital Kabul to an embassy. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the upgrading took place with “immediate effect”.
This decision underscores India’s resolve to deepen its bilateral engagement with the Afghan side in all spheres of mutual interest,” said the MEA in a statement.
Multiple major powers such as Iran, China, Russia, Gulf countries and Central Asian republics have engaged the Taliban but Russia alone has granted recognition to the Taliban as the de jure ruler of Afghanistan. Sources indicated that it may be sometime before India sent a formal ambassador to take charge of the embassy in Kabul.
India had shut its embassy in Kabul and withdrew the existing staff in August 2021 when law and order had broken down as Taliban overthrew the government of President Ashraf Ghani.
The Indian consulates in Mazaar-i-Sharif, Jalalabad, Kandahar and Herat had also been closed as the conflict intensified in early 2021.
In a historic moment for the anime industry, veteran voice actor Masako Nozawa — best known as the voice of Goku in Dragon Ball — has become the first voice actor ever to receive Japan’s prestigious Person of Cultural Merit recognition.
Announced by Nippon TV, Nozawa is among 21 individuals chosen for the 2025 honors, which celebrate exceptional contributions to the advancement of Japanese culture. Established in 1951, the Person of Cultural Merit distinction provides honourees with a lifelong pension of 3.5 million yen per year, and acknowledges figures from diverse fields, including art, science, and
entertainment. The honorees are selected annually by Japan’s Prime Minister, with the Order of Culture later awarded to select recipients from this group.
Nozawa, now 88, has had a career spanning more than six decades.
The official ceremony for both the Person of Cultural Merit and the Order of Culture awards will take place on November 3 in Tokyo.
The Centre has launched ₹600 crore “Kapas Kranti Mission” to promote high-yield, long-staple cotton cultivation through scientific research, technological innovation, and extension services. Farmers in Maharashtra, particularly in the Akola region, have adopted High-Density Plantation (HDP) methods, significantly increasing yields.
The plan is to replicate these practices in suitable regions of Telangana by taking farmers to Maharashtra to witness these methods first-hand, supply them with appropriate seeds, and motivate them to adopt HDP techniques.
With regard to the current cotton procurement, Mr. Reddy told a press conference that currently around 24 lakh farmers in Telangana are engaged in cotton cultivation, making the State the top cotton producer in India. From October 21 to 24, agriculture and marketing officials will conduct a five-day awareness drive across villages to promote the app and procurement process.
A dedicated mobile application, “Kapas Kisan App,” will also be launched to facilitate slot booking and streamline the selling process for farmers. The Minister urged farmers to use the app which will go ‘live’ post Diwali enabling farmers to book slots for selling their produce to schedule their sales and avoid middlemen, ensuring fair prices and transparency.
The flow of money from overseas Indians into non-resident Indian (NRI) deposit schemes moderated to $4.7 billion during the April–July 2025 period from $5.8 billion in the same period last year, latest data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) showed.
This decline was primarily because of reduced inflows into Foreign Currency Non-Resident (Bank) [FCNR (B)] deposits.
According to the data, outstanding NRI deposits stood at $167.86 billion at the end of July 2025, down from $168.32 billion a year ago.
NRI deposit schemes include Foreign Currency Non-Resident (FCNR) deposits, Non-Resident External (NRE) deposits, and Non-Resident Ordinary (NRO) deposits.
As much as $772 million flowed into FCNR (B) accounts in April–July 2025, down from $2.8 billion in April–July 2024. The outstanding amount in FCNR (B) accounts stood at $33.58 billion at the end of July 2025.
Meanwhile, NRE deposits saw an inflow of $2.41 billion in April–July 2025, compared to $1.78 billion in April–July 2024.
Outstanding NRE deposits stood at $102.02 billion in July 2025.
Outward remittances under the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) liberalised remittances scheme (LRS) declined 17.7 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) in August 2025 to $2.6 billion. This is owing to a decline in international travel and overseas education amid visa restrictions by the United States.
According to data released by the RBI in its monthly bulletin, outward remittances under the scheme stood at $3.21 billion in August 2024.
India has climbed to the ninth spot globally in total forest area and retained its third rank in annual forest area gain, according to a new report released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
The Environment Ministry said this reflects the success of India's large-scale afforestation and community-led forest protection efforts under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said India's rise from the 10th to the ninth position marks a "major achievement" in sustainable forest management and ecological conservation.
