Australia and India have built an enduring partnership in cyber and critical technologies underpinned by our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the 2020 Framework Arrangement on Cyber and Cyber Enabled Critical Technology Cooperation (2020 Framework), and two decades of collaborative research, operational coordination and policy engagement.
Recognising that supply chains, critical technology and cyber security drive economic growth, are central to national security and can be used to shape values and global norms, Australia and India will build on our pre-existing foundations and elevate our bilateral ambition under an,
‘Australia-India Partnership on Cyber, Critical Technologies and Supply Chains (PACTS)’, succeeding and replacing the 2020 Framework.
The PACTS aims to support our shared interest in national and regional security, empower our partners with greater digital choices, make critical supply chains more resilient, and strengthen global cyber resilience.
Streamlining these efforts under an overall unifying strategic vision will allow us to pursue targeted activities under five pillars of cooperation.
In a significant step towards strengthening the pharmaceutical supply chain and facilitating ease of trade, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has enabled the import of drugs through the recently inaugurated Navi Mumbai Airport in Maharashtra.
The amendment to Rule 43A of the Drugs Rules, 1945 now includes Navi Mumbai in the list of airports through which drugs may be imported into the country. The notification has been issued after consultation with the Drugs Technical Advisory Board under the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
With this amendment, Navi Mumbai Airport joins the list of designated airports permitted for the import of drugs under the Drugs Rules, 1945. Total number of ports of entry(road/rail/ship/air) becomes 42 with the latest addition.
The amendment is expected to facilitate smoother movement of pharmaceutical consignments, strengthen logistics infrastructure, and provide greater flexibility to importers by adding a new alternative for import of medicines into India.
The Centre has decided to expand the Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs (PM-SETU) scheme beyond its pilot phase to all 200 identified Industrial Training Institute (ITI) clusters across the country. It has also approved strategic investment plans worth Rs. 1,237.58 crore under the programme.
The approvals were cleared at the fourth meeting of the national steering committee (NSC) under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). The nationwide rollout will be taken up by states and union territories based on implementation readiness and the availability of industry partners, according to a press statement by MSDE.
The committee approved five ITI clusters across Odisha, Gujarat, and Telangana, with private sector firms selected as anchor industry partners to implement the projects.
In Odisha, Jindal Naveen Avasar Limited will anchor a Rs. 240.21 crore cluster led by the Government ITI Barbil as the hub.
ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India will lead a Rs. 240.18 crore cluster centred on the Government ITI Surat in Gujarat.
Telangana accounts for the remaining three projects. Apollo MedSkills Limited will anchor a Rs. 241.01 crore cluster based at Government ITI Old City.
ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India will lead a Rs. 240.18 crore cluster centred on the Government ITI Surat in Gujarat.
Telangana accounts for the remaining three projects. Apollo MedSkills Limited will anchor a Rs. 241.01 crore cluster based at Government ITI Old City.
Siddharth Infratech & Services (India) Pvt. Ltd. will lead a Rs. 275.24 crore cluster centred on Government ITI Patancheru and Neuland Foundation will anchor a Rs. 240.94 crore cluster led by Government ITI Sangareddy as the hub.
PM-SETU received Union Cabinet approval in May 2025 after being announced in the Union Budget for 2024-25. The scheme aims to upgrade 1,000 government ITIs through 200 hub-and-spoke clusters with industry participation. The scheme received its first budgetary allocation of Rs. 6,140.50 crore in the Union Budget 2026-27 for its implementation.
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs today launched TribeX, a first-of-its-kind digital learning platform dedicated to tribal arts, culture, traditional knowledge and skill development. The platform was launched by Hon'ble Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Shri Jual Oram during the National Workshop on Strengthening Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs), in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha.
The platform currently hosts 20 free certificate courses across a diverse range of tribal art forms, including paintings, handicrafts, handloom, artefacts and traditional musical instruments, with a roadmap to expand to over 100 certificate courses.
An MoU was signed between Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India and the Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, Varanasi for the PG Diploma Courses. TribeX offers five UGC-recognized one-year hybrid diploma programmes namely,
1. Tribal Language: Santali (Ol Chiki)
2. Sustainable Tribal Culture Based Livelihood Practices
3. Museology and Tribal Museum Management
4. Tribal Arts and Crafts of India
5. Tribal Textiles
The platform further integrates a robust Learning Management System (LMS), and a Repository Management System providing a secure and seamless digital ecosystem for learning, knowledge management and progress tracking.
Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC), the technical arm of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL), a Mini Ratna Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB),
to collaborate on joint studies, technical contributions and standardization activities in the areas of Convergence and Broadcasting technologies.
The collaboration aims to strengthen national capabilities in standardization and innovation in converged and broadcasting technologies while supporting national initiatives such as Digital India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL) is a Mini Ratna Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India.
The Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC) is the technical arm of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India.
India has climbed two places to become the world’s 11th-largest recipient of foreign direct investment (FDI), according to a UN agency’s latest trade report. Inflows surged nearly 44 per cent to $38.89 billion in 2025, helping the country recover ground lost after it slipped out of the global top 10 two years prior.
India had ranked 13th among global FDI recipients in 2024, with inflows of $27.09 billion.
India’s rebound contrasted with a relatively subdued trend across developing economies, where FDI inflows increased just 2 per cent. Developing economies in Asia recorded a 3 per cent rise.
Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh will lead the Indian delegation that will participate in the inaugural United Nations’ Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva from July 6-7, the MEA said on July 5, 2026.
The Global Dialogue is a unique opportunity to advance international governance of artificial intelligence (AI) in ways that complement international, regional, national and multi-stakeholder efforts, it said.
Minister of State for External Affairs and Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Mr. Singh, will be leading the Indian delegation to Geneva, Switzerland.
The Global Dialogue on AI Governance is a universal, multi-stakeholder UN forum established under General Assembly Resolution 79/325, following the Global Digital Compact adopted as part of the Pact of the Future in September 2024.
Adani Enterprises Ltd's copper unit, Kutch Copper Ltd (KCL), has secured London Metal Exchange (LME) registration for its 'Adani Copper' Grade A cathodes, allowing the brand to be delivered against LME copper futures contracts from July 10.
The approval makes Adani Copper an LME Good Delivery brand, placing it among producers whose cathodes meet the exchange's quality and responsible sourcing standards.
"Kutch Copper Ltd (KCL), a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL), has earned LME certification for 'Adani Copper'.
The certification is a key milestone for Kutch Copper, a wholly owned subsidiary of Adani Enterprises, as it seeks to establish itself in the global refined copper market. The company operates a 500,000-tonnes-per-year copper smelter at Mundra, which it says is one of the world's largest single-location custom copper smelting facilities.
South Indian Bank on Wednesday said the RBI has approved the appointment of Mahesh Muralidhar Pai as Managing Director and CEO of the lender for 3 years, effective October 1.
The Kerala-based private sector lender said the appointment of Pai as MD and CEO will be placed before the Board in the meeting on July 16, and shareholders' approval will be obtained thereafter.
The Reserve Bank of India vide its letter dated July 7, 2026, has conveyed their approval for the appointment of Mahesh Muralidhar Pai as Managing Director and CEO of the Bank for a period of three years with effect from October 1, 2026.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has been roped in as a brand ambassador of insurtech platform InsuranceDekho.
The campaign draws on Ganguly's defining identity, the captain who played without fear, backed his team, and built a generation of winners.
The organisers said 'Khul Kar Khelo' would be the call for insurance advisors on the platform and added, "The partnership will be brought to life through a new TVC campaign rolling out across digital and broadcast platforms.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully carried out the flight acceptance hot test of its CE20 cryogenic engine designated for the seventh operational mission of the LVM3 launch vehicle (LVM-M7).
The test took place at the ISRO Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu, according to a statement released by ISRO.
LVM3, formerly known as GSLV MkIII, is ISRO's heaviest rocket and uses the CE20 cryogenic engine to power its upper stage.
In the latest flight acceptance hot test, the CE20 engine was examined with a thrust level of 22 tonnes using the nozzle protection system (NPS) for the first time.
The government on Wednesday rolled out the upgraded Centralised IT Enabled Services (CITES 2.01) platform for the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), migrating about 340 million member accounts from over 120 decentralised databases to a unified national system.
The upgraded platform is expected to significantly improve claim processing, service delivery and member access. It will also enable crediting of provident fund interest for 2025-26 by July 15, months ahead of the usual October-November timeline.
Launching the platform, Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said EPFO had completed the migration of its entire member database to a single centralised architecture, replacing the earlier system under which each field office maintained separate databases.
The upgraded platform will provide members with a unified digital interface through the EPFO member portal, allowing them to access membership details, provident fund balances, claim status, pensionable service records and benefits availed from a single platform. Information that was earlier spread across multiple systems will now be available in one place.
The system also introduces automated pre-validation of claims to flag discrepancies before processing and inform members of the corrections required. Members will be able to view the eligible withdrawal amount under different categories before filing a claim.
Uttar Pradesh government has launched the cashless health scheme for teachers as well as non-teaching staff in the state. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched the ‘Chief Minister’s Teachers’ Cashless Medical Scheme’ from Varanasi, which will offer medical coverage of up to 5 lakh rupees to more than 15 lakh teaching staff.
Under the scheme, teachers across the state and their families will gain access to cashless medical facilities worth up to 5 lakh rupees. About 15 lakh teachers and non-teaching staff associated with basic and secondary education will benefit from the scheme.
An MoU was also signed with the State Bank of India to provide social security cover to the teachers and their families.
Under the scheme, contractual employees drawing a monthly salary of more than rupees 10,000 will receive a personal accident insurance cover ranging from 30 lakh rupees to 80 lakh rupees.
n cases of permanent disability, insurance benefits between 30 lakh rupees and 80 lakh rupees will be provided, while partial disability will be covered for 15 lakh rupees to 40 lakh rupees.
The scheme also includes air accident insurance, along with add-on benefits to support the education of employees’ children and the marriage of daughters in the event of an unforeseen tragedy.
Union Minister of Science & Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh called for a wider public understanding and inclusive participation in India’s biotechnology mission, stating that every Indian is a stakeholder in the country’s bioeconomy.
Speaking here during the nationwide celebration of World Bioproduct Day – The BioE3 Way, the Minister reiterated the government’s commitment to realizing a $300 billion bioeconomy by 2030.
The event, organized by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and its agencies BIRAC and iBRIC+, marked a novel national experiment — ‘Voices Across the Cities: A Synchronized National Hourly Dialogue Series’.
Celebrated annually on July 7, World Bioproduct Day highlights the critical role that bio-based products play in building a sustainable, circular economy. It encourages individuals and industries worldwide to replace traditional fossil-based items with renewable, nature-derived alternatives.
Kamarajar port in North Chennai has become Indian’s second major port after Visakhapatnam to offer a draft of 18 metres.
It has now emerged as a deep-water port capable of handling Capesize vessels, with the successful completion of its Capital Dredging Phase VI project.
It has now emerged as a deep-water port capable of handling Capesize vessels, with the successful completion of its Capital Dredging Phase VI project. With an operational draft of 18 m the port can now accommodate vessels carrying cargo parcels of up to 1,70,000 DWT, says a release.
The project costing Rs. 440 crore make Kamarajar port ‘Cape Compliant’, involved deepening of the outer approach channel from 20 m to 23 m, the inner entrance channel from 19 m to 22 m, alongside berths to handle 18 m draft and the harbour basin along with associated navigational areas, the release said.
