Officers of the Indian Defence Service of Engineers (IDSE) under Military Engineer Services (MES), Ministry of Defence celebrated their 77th Raising Day by organising a day-long conference in New Delhi on September 17, 2026. Themed ‘Ethics, Accountability and Excellence towards achieving the aim of Viksit Bharat @ 2047’,
the conference was attended by dignitaries of various departments and ministries such as Ministry of Railways, Central Vigilance Commission, Defence Accounts Department, National Highway Authority, and Public Sector Undertakings.
Addressing the gathering, Engineer in Chief, MES Lt Gen Vikas Rohella highlighted the steps taken in MES to strengthen ethics
and accountability, including the introduction of the Electronic Measurement Book. The entire fraternity of MES, including senior officers of Corps of Engineers and representatives of cadre associations such as Surveyor, Architects, Barrack and Stores, Administration, were present on the occasion.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, Dr. Jitendra Singh, today virtually inaugurated the India's 51st state-of-the-art Doppler Weather Radar at Sambalpur, Odisha, in the presence of Chief Minister of Odisha, Shri Mohan Charan Majhi. The inauguration marks a significant addition to India’s weather observation infrastructure and
and is aimed at strengthening forecasting and early warning capabilities across Western Odisha and adjoining regions.
With the commissioning of the Sambalpur radar, Odisha now has three Doppler Weather Radars, following the installations at Gopalpur and Paradip, while the national network has reached 51 Doppler Weather Radars.
The ‘Aashirwad Ka Diya’ programme was held across Andhra Pradesh as part of the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, organised to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 25 years in public life. People and public representatives in several parts of the state lit lamps at their homes and iconic places as part of the programme.
Union Minister Pemmasani Chandrasekhar participated in the programme at Guntur, and Union Minister Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma took part in the programme at Bhimavaram in West Godavari district. BJP State President P. V. N. Madhav participated in the programme at Tirupati, while Minister Satya Kumar Yadav took part in the programme at Vijayawada.
The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India, inaugurated the "Seva Sankalp, Khadi Mahotsav 2026" , marking the birth anniversary of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, from the KVIC campus at Gandhi Darshan, Rajghat.
The commemoration will be celebrated nationwide from September 17 to October 17, 2026, with public participation. The chief guest, Shri Manoj Goyal, Chairman, KVIC, inaugurated the event.
In order to enhance consumer choice for FASTag users, ‘OneTag’ - a FASTag portability service on National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Rajmargyatra App. The initiative enables FASTag users to change their issuer while retaining the existing FASTag affixed to their vehicle, eliminating the need to obtain a new physical tag.
The availability of ‘OneTag’ FASTag portability has expanded citizen centric services available for National Highway users on Rajmargyatra App, which include FASTag Annual Pass, FASTag Local Pass, Emergency Helpline 1033 among other services.
The Rajmargyatra app guides users through the FASTag portability process.
FASTag users can login to App and enter their vehicle registration number to check eligibility. The user will receive a verification six-digit Mobile Verification Code (MVC) from current issuer bank. Following authorization, the user will be required to select a new issuer, complete customer verification and
and wallet onboarding with the new issuer to complete the portability process. Following successful portability, the existing FASTag ID linked to vehicle registration number will remain unchanged, allowing users to continue using the same physical tag with a different issuer bank.
After portability is completed,
previous issuer will close the existing FASTag wallet and refund the available balance, post applicable adjustments. Also, interoperable FASTag has a cooling period of 6 months before it can be ported again.
The ‘OneTag’ initiative will help to improve FASTag lifecycle management by reducing the need for repeated tag production,
thereby lowering operational costs, dispatching and reissuance expenses. ‘OneTag’ will also help to streamline the issuer-switching journey, enhance customer choice and contribute to a more interoperable and efficient FASTag ecosystem.
The Central Government has appointed Shri Narayan Dewasi and Shri Swaroop Singh Banjara as Members of the Governing Body of the Development and Welfare Board for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities (DWBDNC).The appointments have been made by the Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.
The tenure of the Members shall be three years from the date of their joining or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Shri Swaroop Singh Banjara assumed charge as Member of the Governing Body today and reaffirmed his commitment to the welfare and betterment of De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic (DNT) Communities.
He assured that he would work with dedication towards fulfilling the objectives of the Board and contribute to addressing the needs and aspirations of DNT Communities.
India’s textile sector recorded strong export growth in August 2026, with total exports increasing by 16.1% year-on-year to Rs.29,776 crore, compared with Rs.25,656 crore in August 2025. During April–August 2026, cumulative textile exports reached Rs.1.43 lakh crore, registering growth of 10.3% over the corresponding period of the previous year.
The growth was broad-based across several major textile segments. In August 2026, exports of cotton yarn, fabrics, made-ups and handloom products grew by 24.1%, while man-made yarn, fabrics and made-ups increased by 19.9%. Carpet exports recorded growth of 15.0%, while handicrafts, excluding handmade carpets,
registered particularly strong growth of 41.4%. Ready-made garments of all textiles also maintained positive momentum, growing by 6.1% during the month.
The cumulative performance during April–August 2026 also remained encouraging, with cotton textiles growing by 18.0%, man-made textiles by 13.6%, carpets by 11.9% and handicrafts by 44.0%.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved acquisition of three professional cricket franchises: (i) Rajasthan Royals (India), (ii) Paarl Royals (South Africa) and (iii) Barbados Royals (Barbados) by Westview Cricket Limited and Poonawalla Sports and Fitness Private Limited.
The proposed combination pertains to the acquisition of three professional cricket franchises, (i) Rajasthan Royals (India), (ii) Paarl Royals (South Africa) and (iii) Barbados Royals (Barbados) by Westview Cricket Limited (Westview Cricket) and Poonawalla Sports and Fitness Private Limited (Poonawalla Sports).
Saurabh Kumar, a 2009-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Chhattisgarh cadre, has been appointed as the Government of India Nominee Director on the Board of Bank of Maharashtra, replacing Abhijit Phukon. The appointment took effect from September 10, 2026, and will continue until further orders.
The appointment was notified by the Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance, under the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1970. Kumar is currently serving as Joint Secretary in the Department of Financial Services, Government of India.
Kumar brings more than 17 years of administrative experience across district administration, urban development, revenue administration and policy-related assignments. He has also served as Director in the Department of Revenue, Government of India. He holds a B.Tech degree in Electronics.
Abhinav Trivedi has been appointed as the Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Standard Chartered Capital Limited, effective September 2026.Trivedi brings extensive experience across financial markets, retail foreign exchange, business strategy and financial services. Before taking up his new role,
he served as Executive Director (ED) & Head – Retail FX at Standard Chartered Bank India. He has also served as MD & CEO of Standard Chartered Securities (India) Ltd. During his more than 13-year career with Standard Chartered Bank, Trivedi has held several leadership positions, including Business Planning Manager to the CEO, India;
Director – Financial Markets.
In his new role at Standard Chartered Capital, Trivedi will lead the company’s business as it continues to operate across the financial services and capital markets ecosystem.
novio, the consumer credit platform from Credilio Financial Technologies, has announced a strategic partnership with Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) to launch a co-branded RuPay credit card aimed at expanding access to formal credit and rewarding everyday spending among UPI-active customers. The partnership brings together IOB’s banking infrastructure and
and reach with novio’s digital-first onboarding, UPI-focused experience and rewards ecosystem. The new card is designed to provide customers with a seamless digital application journey while supporting first-time credit users in building their credit profiles.
Founder & CEO, novio - Aditya Gupta
Zimbabwe veteran wicketkeeper-batter Brendan Taylor has broken Sachin Tendulkar 's long-standing record for the longest career span in men's One Day International (ODI) cricket. He achieved the milestone after playing in the first ODI against Australia in Harare.
New record holder: Brendan Taylor (Zimbabwe)
Record: Longest men's ODI career span
Taylor's career span: 22 years and 148 days
Sachin Tendulkar's previous record: 22 years and 91 days (1989–2012)
Made his ODI debut for Zimbabwe in 2004.
Has scored 11 ODI centuries, a national record for Zimbabwe.
Returned to international cricket in 2025 after serving an ICC suspension, helping Zimbabwe prepare for upcoming major tournaments.
The QS Global MBA Rankings 2027 show that India's representation has grown significantly, with 19 Indian business schools making the global list. However, the country's top three Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs)—Bangalore, Ahmedabad, and Calcutta—all slipped in the rankings due to stronger competition from global peers,
particularly on return on investment (ROI), entrepreneurship, and alumni outcomes. In the QS Global MBA Rankings 2027, IIM Bangalore slipped from 52nd to 64th, IIM Ahmedabad from 58th to 70th, and IIM Calcutta from 64th to 95th globally.
Nobel laureate and University of Chicago professor Michael Kremer will take over as the World Bank Group’s chief economist on October 1, heading research for the institution and succeeding Indermit Gill, who retired last month.
Kremer, 61, was awarded the 2019 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences (Nobel Prize in economics) jointly with Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo “for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty”. He is the first chief economist to join with a Nobel; other Nobel laureates, including Joseph Stiglitz and Paul Romer,
received the honour after serving as the bank’s chief economist.
With a PhD from Harvard University, Kremer previously taught economics at Harvard and is currently a professor at the University of Chicago, where he also serves as director of its Development Innovation Lab. He has been a research associate with the National Bureau of Economic Research
Delhi topped the India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI) 2025 released by the NITI Aayog on Wednesday. Delhi ranked first with 84 points, followed by Maharashtra (78 points), Karnataka (73), Chandigarh (71), and Goa (65 points). The report, first published last year, noted that the median score across states and UTs rose to 40 in 2025 from 36 in 2024,
while the top score increased from 77 to 84 over the same period.A comparison of 2025 performance with 2024 also showed that the top-performing states and UTs: Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Chandigarh, maintained their leading positions. However, some jurisdictions recorded declines in their positions.
NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman - Rajiv Gauba
A recent report by the Academic Freedom Index (AFI) stated that India's academic freedom is "severely restricted," citing increasing government influence over higher education institutions. It points to concerns over political influence in university governance, restrictions on academic expression, and limits on campus freedoms.
India is placed in the "severely restricted" category, indicating significant constraints on academic freedom compared with countries having greater institutional independence. The AFI is produced by the V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) Institute at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, in collaboration with other research partners.
According to the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Gender Gap Index, India remained at 131st place globally, while Iceland retained the top position for the 16th consecutive year.
India's Rank: 131
Top-ranked Country: Iceland (retained No. 1 position)
The index measures progress in closing gender gaps rather than overall levels of development.
Iceland retained the top position in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Index, followed by Finland, Norway, the United Kingdom, New Zealand in the top 5 rankings.
Purpose: To measure gender parity across 146 economies using dimensions:
-Economic Participation and Opportunity
-Educational Attainment
-Health and Survival
-Political Empowerment
Released by: World Economic Forum
Launched in: 2006
Chhattisgarh has secured the first position in the country in the third phase of the Ministry of Jal Shakti’s ‘Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari’ (JSJB) campaign, emerging as a national example of community-led rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge.
Five districts of the state- Surajpur, Mahasamund, Balod, Balodabazar-Bhatapara and Kabirdham- have also featured among the country’s top 10 districts for water conservation.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah presented the President's Colour to the Goa Police in Panaji, recognizing over 80 years of the force's service, bravery, professionalism, and contribution to internal and coastal security.
Key points:
President's Colour: Awarded to Goa Police for its history of discipline, courage, and professional excellence.
- Tribute to Martyrs: HM Shah honored Balaram Shinde, Abhishek Sher, Shailesh Gaonkar, and Vishwas B. Deykar for their sacrifices.
- AI-powered Cyber Helpline 1930: Goa Police launched an AI-based call agent supporting Konkani, Marathi, and Hindi, with plans to expand to all Eighth Schedule languages.
- Faster Emergency Response: The 112 helpline response time has been reduced from 18 minutes to 8 minutes, with a target of under 6 minutes.
- Tourist Police Wing: Highlighted as a model that other tourist-heavy states can adopt.
-Implementation of New Criminal Laws: Goa Police achieved 93.38% implementation progress, ranking second nationally, and increased its conviction rate from 23% to 53% within a year.
-Anti-Narcotics Drive: Goa Police was urged to play a leading role in the MHA's 2026–2029 roadmap to make villages and cities drug-free.
Tavengwa Mukuhlani, the chairman of Zimbabwe Cricket , has been appointed as the Deputy Chair of the International Cricket Council
(ICC).
Current Role: Chairman of Zimbabwe Cricket.
Significance: He will support the ICC Chair in global cricket governance, policy decisions, and the development of the sport.
Experience: Mukuhlani has been a member of the ICC Board and has played a key role in Zimbabwe Cricket's administration and international engagement.
Importance for Africa: His appointment strengthens African representation in the ICC's top leadership.
Governing Body: The ICC is the global governing body for cricket.
ICC Founded: 1909
ICC Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Andhra Pradesh Government's decision to elevate Engineers' Day into an official State-level event and allow qualified engineers to use the professional prefix "Er." before their names. Eligible and qualified engineers are permitted to use the prefix "Er." before their names as professional recognition.
The initiative aims to acknowledge engineers' contributions to infrastructure, technology, innovation, and public development. The State Government will organize formal celebrations and programmes on Engineers' Day.
