India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), a 100% Government of India-owned entity under the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications, has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India,to provide doorstep Digital Life Certificate (DLC) services to its pensioners under,
under the Employees' Pension Scheme, 1995 (EPS- 95).
Under this collaboration, IPPB will leverage its wide network of over 1.65 lakh Post Offices and 3 lakh+ postal service providers (Postmen and Gramin Dak Sevaks) equipped with Doorstep Banking devices,using of digital process of Face Authentication technology and Fingerprint biometric authentication,
to assist EPFO pensioners in submitting their Digital Life Certificates conveniently from their homes, eliminating the need for them to visit bank branches or EPFO officesto submit traditional paper-based certificates.EPFO will bear the cost of issuing Digital Life Certificate entirely, making the service free for their pensioners.
Shri Sanjay Garg, a senior civil servant of IAS-1994 batch from the Kerala cadre, has assumed charge as the Director General of the Bureau of Indian Standards, the National Standards Body of India, with effect from 1 November 2025.
Prior to joining BIS as DG, he served as Additional Secretary, DARE (Department of Agriculture, Research and Education) and,
and Secretary, Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR). In DARE and ICAR, he spearheaded the digital transformation through application of IT in Research Management and Administration. He also played a pivotal role in scaling up and expansion of Kisan Sarathi portal which connects farmers directly to agricultural scientists.
His experience includes management and administration of World Bank Projects in India, promotion and the deregulation of defence industry sector, other industrial promotions initiatives including promotion of leather industry sector.
As the Director General of BIS, Shri Garg will also serve as the President of India’s national committee in IEC.
The Union Government has released the Fifteenth Finance Commission (XV FC) Grants for Rural Local Bodies in Odisha during the Financial Year 2025–26. The release includes the second installment of Untied Grants amounting to Rs. 342.5964 crores for 20 eligible District Panchayats (Zilla Parishads), 296 eligible Block Panchayats (Panchayat Samitis),
and 6,734 eligible Gram Panchayats in the State. Additionally, ₹101.7815 crores, representing the withheld portion of the first installment of Untied Grants for FY 2025–26, has been released to 20 eligible Zilla Parishads, 233 eligible Panchayat Samitis, and 649 eligible Gram Panchayats.
The Government of India, through the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and the Ministry of Jal Shakti (Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation), recommends the release of Fifteenth Finance Commission (XV FC) Grants to States for Panchayati Raj Institutions and Rural Local Bodies. The Ministry of Finance subsequently releases these grants in two installment each financial year.
Untied Grants may be utilized by PRIs and RLBs to meet location-specific needs under the 29 subjects listed in the Eleventh Schedule, excluding salaries and establishment costs. Meanwhile, Tied Grants are to be used for essential services such as sanitation, waste management, and maintenance of ODF status, as well as for drinking water supply, rainwater harvesting.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Rohan Bopanna, among India’s most accomplished tennis players, announced his retirement on November 1, 2025.
Bopanna, 45, achieved great heights as a doubles player. He rose to the world number one spot in doubles last year, becoming the fourth Indian after Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza to reach the summit.
Apart from a booming serve, the Kodava counts longevity as a major asset. After capturing the 2024 Australian Open men’s doubles title alongside Matthew Ebden, Bopanna became the oldest first-time world number one. The Australian Open victory also made Bopanna the oldest Grand Slam men’s doubles champion.
Hurricane Melissa, catastrophic tropical cyclone that struck the island countries of Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas in late October 2025. In addition, Hurricane Melissa grew from a tropical storm to a category 5 hurricane with winds of 160 miles (about 257 km) per hour in about 39 hours.
When it made landfall in southern Jamaica on October 28 with winds of 185 miles (about 298 km) per hour, it became the first category 5 storm to strike Jamaica in the country’s history. Early estimates of damage linked to the storm approached $8 billion, and 50 people had been confirmed dead by the evening of October 31.
The system that would become Hurricane Melissa began as an atmospheric disturbance near western Africa in mid-October 2025. After the system made its way to the Caribbean Sea, it became more organized, coalescing from an area of scattered thunderstorms into a tropical storm during the late morning of October 21.
At that time officials at NOAA’s National Hurricane Center and the World Meteorological Organization named the system. Tropical Storm Melissa stalled in the central Caribbean, hovering above and drawing strength from the warm water below. Between October 21 and October 28, Melissa moved at a sluggish pace toward the west-northwest at 3 miles (about 5 km) per hour.
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2 November as the ‘International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists’ in General Assembly Resolution A/RES/68/163. The Resolution urged Member States to implement definite measures countering the present culture of impunity.
The date was chosen in commemoration of the assassination of two French journalists in Mali on 2 November 2013.
This year, the global commemoration of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists takes place on 2 November 2025 in Paris as a virtual event.
The Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) approved a capital infusion of $20 million into Kshema General Insurance, the insurer said. The capital will be used to scale up financial resilience among small and marginal farmers and their families, who constitute 86 per cent of India’s farmers, against climate change vulnerabilities.
The capital received will be utilised to expand Kshema’s offerings to reach a wider number of uninsured farmers and their crops, strengthening its underwriting capacity. It will also be used to enhance Kshema’s technological platform — the Kshema Cognitive Engine — to offer not only curated insurance solutions to rural India but also provide services such,
weather alerts and proactive information on crop health, apart from promoting sustainable agricultural practices.
By partnering with national institutions to deploy innovative insurance solutions, GCF is helping protect rural livelihoods from climate shocks while promoting more sustainable and resilient agricultural systems.
The support from GCF boosts Kshema’s endeavour to follow the government and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India’s (IRDAI’s) recent policy directions to expand insurance access across Tier-II and Tier-III towns and complements national efforts to achieve ‘Insurance for All’ by 2047.
In Shooting, India’s Avani Lekhara clinched gold in the Women’s 10 metre Air Rifle Standing SH1 at the 2025 Para Shooting World Cup in Al Ain, Dubai yesterday. She overtook Anna Besnon of Sweden to bag the title.
Meanwhile, Thailand’s Wannipa Leungvilai clinched the bronze medal.
Meanwhile, Thailand’s Wannipa Leungvilai clinched the bronze medal. India delivered another brilliant performance in Mixed 50 metre Pistol SH1 event, securing a double podium with gold and silver medals in the individual, along with a silver in the team event.
In the Individual final, Akash shot 223.1 in the final to win the gold medal ahead of compatriot Sandeep Kumar, who settled for a silver medal. The duo, combined with Rudransh Khandelwal, also bagged the team silver medal, just behind Iran.
New Zealand’s Kane Williamson has announced that he will retire from T20 international cricket with immediate effect. Williamson retires having played 93 T20 international matches for the Black Caps and having scored more than 2500 runs in the shortest format.
The New Zealand legend will continue to play Test and ODI cricket for the Kiwis. Williamson made his T20 international debut in 2011 and led the Black Caps on 75 occasions, taking them to two T20 World Cup semi-finals (2016 and 2022) and a final in 2021.
Indian Oil Mumbai clinched the 42nd Indian Oil Servo Surjit Hockey Trophy for the third consecutive time, and seventh time overall, by defeating Indian Railways Delhi 2-1 in the finals held at the Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar.
The winning team scored both goals through penalty corners, whereas Indian Railways managed to score a field goal.
The winning team was awarded the winner’s trophy along with a cash prize of Rs. 5.51 lakh, while the Indian Railways team was awarded the runner-up trophy along with a cash prize of Rs. 2.50 lakh.
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who was the Chief Guest, appreciated the players and announced Rs. 25 lakh to Surjit Hockey Society.
Talwinder Singh of the Indian Oil team was declared the best player of the tournament, while Punjab Police team Captain Olympian Harmanpreet Singh was declared the best scorer of the tournament and awarded with a cash prize of Rs. 51,000.
India delivered its best-ever performance at the 2025 Asian Youth Games in Manama, Bahrain, winning 48 medals including 13 gold, 18 silver, and 17 bronze, surpassing previous tallies from 2009 and 2013.
Among 222 Indian athletes, standout moments included the girls’ kabaddi team winning India’s first gold, Priteesmita Bhoi setting a world youth record in weightlifting, and a strong finish with seven golds on the final day, led by boxing and beach wrestling.
India’s first medal came from Khushi, who won bronze in girls’ kurash, while Ranjana Yadav earned the first athletics medal with silver in the 5000 meter race walk. The girls’ kabaddi team secured India’s first gold by defeating Iran, and Priteesmita Bhoi set a world youth record in the girls’ 44kg clean and jerk to clinch the nation’s first individual gold.
On the final day, Indian athletes delivered a strong finish with 15 medals, including seven golds four from boxing and three from beach wrestling. India’s medal haul also served as a qualifier for the 2026 Youth Olympics in Dakar, Senegal, in West Africa marking a historic milestone for Indian youth sports.
IOA president- P.T. Usha.
