The Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya National Academy of Social Security (PDUNASS) of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) hosted the 22nd edition of Reimagining Governance: Discourse for Excellence (RGDE), featuring Gurcharan Das, noted author, public intellectual, and former CEO of Procter & Gamble India.
About 800 officers from across India participated in the session, which continues the Academy’s monthly effort to bring distinguished thinkers to engage with EPFO officers on ethics, public service, and excellence in governance.
Kumar Rohit, Director- PDNASS
The Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has notified significant amendments to the Legal Metrology (Government Approved Test Centre) Rules, 2013. These amendments mark a major milestone in expanding India’s verification infrastructure for weights and measures, ensuring transparency, accuracy, and fairness in trade.
The revised Rules aim to strengthen consumer protection, promote ease of doing business and align India’s system of verification with international best practices.
In order to enhance convenience and improve the overall customer experience, NHAI has simplified the Know Your Vehicle (KYV) process for FASTag users. Under the revised guidelines issued by Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL),
FASTag services will not be discontinued for non-compliant vehicles and users will be provided sufficient opportunity to complete the KYV process.
Under the simplified KYV guidelines, side photographs of Car/Jeep/Van will no longer be required. Only the front picture showing the number plate and FASTag will be required to be uploaded.
Also, provisions will be made to automatically fetch RC details from Vahan when the user enters the Vehicle Number, Chassis Number, or Mobile Number. If multiple vehicles are registered against a single mobile number, the user will be able to select the vehicle for which they wish to complete KYV.
To maintain continuation of services, FASTags issued before the KYV policy shall remain active unless complaints are received for loose tags or misuse. Also, issuer banks will send SMS reminders to the users to complete KYV.
The Department of Social Justice & Empowerment (DoSJE), Government of India, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with M/s Persolkelly India Pvt. Ltd., one of India’s leading human resource and staffing solutions companies, to enhance employment opportunities for candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Backward Classes (BC) communities.
Under this reform initiative, Department of Social Justice & Empowerment (DoSJE) is partnering with professional HR consultants to connect SC and BC candidates with suitable job opportunities across sectors.
Verified candidate data will be shared with the HR partner to facilitate placements, while beneficiaries will receive free counselling, resume support, interview preparation, and placement assistance. The collaboration ensures strict data privacy, transparency, and accountability through regular monitoring.
It will benefit candidates through improved employability, the Government by turning welfare into real jobs, and the private sector by providing access to a verified, diverse talent pool that supports inclusive hiring and CSR goals.
The collaboration between the Department of Social Justice & Empowerment and Persolkelly India Pvt. Ltd. marks an important milestone in advancing inclusive employment and social equity. By bridging the gap between welfare and workforce, this initiative reinforces the Government’s commitment to ensuring that empowerment translates into real livelihoods, dignity.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for development projects worth Rs. 1219 crore in Kevadia on the eve of Sardar Patel’s 150th Jayanti.
The projects include the Birsa Munda Bhavan- an iconic centre dedicated to Bhagwan Birsa Munda- a residential complex for GSEC and SSNNL employees, the first phase of the hospitality district, and a Bonsai Garden
Shri Modi flagged off of a fleet of electric buses in Kevadia.
The initiative will ensure comfortable and sustainable transport facilities for people visiting the region.
As part of the celebrations marking the 150th Jayanti of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Prime Minister also released a special commemorative coin and postage stamp in tribute to the Iron Man of India.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi also attended a cultural programme in Kevadia that depicted the inspiring life and legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Justice Surya Kant was on October 30, 2025 appointed as the 53rd Chief Justice of India. He will assume charge on November 24 and will remain CJI for nearly 16 months, till February 9, 2027.
The notification of the appointment of Justice Surya Kant was issued by the Department of Justice in the Union Law Ministry.
Justice Surya Kant succeeds Justice Bhushan R. Gavai, who demits office on November 23.
In 1985, he shifted to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chandigarh, specialising in Constitutional, Service, and Civil matters. On July 7, 2000, he earned the distinction of being appointed the youngest Advocate General of Haryana and was also designated as a Senior Advocate.
He served as the Advocate General until his elevation as a permanent Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on January 9, 2004.
As a Judge, he served on the Governing Body of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) from 2007 to 2011 and later earned a First Class First in his Master’s degree in Law in 2011.
He was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court on October 5, 2018 and thereafter was elevated to the Supreme Court of India on May 24, 2019. Since May 14, 2025, he has been the Executive Chairman of NALSA and also serves on several committees of the Indian Law Institute.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the National Seeds Corporation’s (NSC) state-of-the-art seed processing plant in New Delhi. Addressing the inauguration, Mr Chouhan emphasized that these plants will ensure easy availability of high-quality seeds to farmers, significantly increasing agricultural productivity.
Mr. Chouhan also virtually inaugurated five NSC seed processing plants located in Bareilly, Dharwad, Hassan, Suratgarh, and Raichur. In this regard, the Minister noted that the Beej Bhawan in Pusa has a processing capacity of one ton per hour, while the other five plants can each process four tons per hour.
Additionally, the Minister launched the Seed Management 2.0 system and an online seed booking platform, which will allow farmers to book their seed requirements online, ensuring greater transparency and availability.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday announced that India has been granted a six-month exemption from US sanctions on Iran’s Chabahar Port. The port holds strategic importance as it provides India with direct access to Afghanistan and Central Asia, as well as eastern Russia, bypassing Pakistan.
The exemption comes as a relief for India, which is developing a terminal at the Chabahar Port on the Gulf of Oman. Last year, New Delhi signed a 10-year agreement to operate the port, a move aimed at boosting regional trade and connectivity through the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
US revokes 2018 sanctions waiver
Last month, the US government revoked the sanctions waiver that had been in place since 2018 for the Iranian port. The US Department of State had said that the move was consistent with President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure policy" aimed at isolating the Iranian regime.
Chabahar has long been a crucial part of India’s regional connectivity and humanitarian initiatives. In 2023, India used the port to send 20,000 tonnes of wheat as aid to Afghanistan. Similarly, in 2021, it facilitated the shipment of eco-friendly pesticides to Iran.
The project, first proposed in 2003, has been seen as a cornerstone of India’s strategy to improve trade links with Afghanistan and Central Asia, while reducing dependence on routes passing through Pakistan.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has notified new prudential norms for derivatives on the Nifty Bank Index (Bank Nifty), mandating a broader and more balanced composition.
As per the new rules, the index must include a minimum of 14 constituents, compared with the current 12,
while the weight of the top constituent will be capped at 20 per cent – down from 33 per cent presently.
Additionally, the combined weight of the top three constituents cannot exceed 45 per cent, compared with 62 per cent now.
The changes, aimed at reducing concentration risk and improving diversification, will primarily impact the top three heavyweights, which include HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and State Bank of India, whose weights will be gradually reduced in four tranches until March 31, 2026.
Currently, Bank Nifty constituents include IDFC First Bank, Canara Bank, Punjab National Bank, Federal Bank, Bank of Baroda, State Bank of India, AU Small Finance Bank, Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank.
The first adjustment will take place in December 2025, followed by three more rebalancing rounds.
Sebi noted that the rebalancing process will be gradual to ensure ‘orderly adjustment of assets under management (AUM)’ in funds tracking the index.
The freed-up weights from the top banks will be redistributed among other constituents, with potential new entrants such as YES Bank, Indian Bank, Union Bank of India, and Bank of India under consideration.
For other financial indices, BSE’s Bankex and NSE’s FinNifty, the adjustments will be implemented in a single tranche by December 2025.
The move follows Sebi’s May 2025 circular setting eligibility criteria for derivatives on non-benchmark indices to ensure better risk management and investor protection.
Markets regulator Sebi allowed Investment Advisers (IAs) to give a second opinion on a client's assets that are already under a pre-existing distribution arrangement, like those managed by another distributor.
The move is aimed at making business easier for IAs and giving investors more flexibility to seek professional opinions.
Earlier, IAs were not allowed to charge fees on such assets.
Now, IAs can charge a fee of up to 2.5 per cent annually of the asset value for providing a second opinion, Sebi said in its circular.
"In order to provide investors the opportunity of obtaining a second opinion on assets under pre-existing distribution arrangement with other entity, if so desired, it has been decided -- IAs may charge fee on such assets subject to a limit of 2.5 per cent of such assets value per annum," it said.
However, IAs are required to disclose and get annual consent from clients, informing them that apart from the advisory fee, they will also continue to bear distributor-related costs on those assets, it added.
Under the Sebi's rule, if a client's assets are already managed under another distributor, those assets must be excluded when calculating fees.
It means Investment Advisers cannot charge fees based on such assets.
However, industry bodies argued that this restriction stops IAs from giving a second opinion on those assets.
Accordingly, they requested Sebi to allow IAs to charge a fee for providing such second-opinion services.
The circular takes immediate effect.
India won the Asia Cup 2025, remaining undefeated throughout the tournament.
In the final, India beat Pakistan national cricket team by 5 wickets.
Key individual performances:
Abhishek Sharma finished as the highest run-scorer of the tournament with 314 runs.
World Cities Day brings Urban October to an end on 31 October each year and was first celebrated in 2014. As with World Habitat Day, a global observance is held in a different city each year and the day focuses on a specific theme.
It aims to raise international awareness of urbanization trends, challenges, and visions for sustainable urban development, promote international cooperation, and contribute to global efforts to build equitable, prosperous, sustainable, and inclusive cities that provide their communities with better living environments and quality of life.
2025 Theme: People-Centred Smart Cities,
On 31 October 2025, the Global Observance of World Cities Day will take place in Bogotá, Colombia, under the topic of people-centred smart cities. It will showcase how data-driven decision making, technology, and AI can be used to improve urban life and recover from current shocks and crises
