Aashish Sethi Joins Bajaj General Insurance as Chief Distribution Officer

Aashish Sethi has joined Bajaj General Insurance as Chief Distribution Officer – Bancassurance & Government Business (Institutional), strengthening the company’s leadership in institutional distribution and partnership-led insurance business.

In his new position, Sethi will be associated with two important distribution channels in the general insurance industry: bancassurance, which enables insurers to distribute products through banking partnerships, and institutional business involving government-related and other institutional relationships.

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Aashish Sethi Joins Bajaj General Insurance as Chief Distribution Officer

Bajaj General Insurance, formerly known as Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, operates in India’s general insurance market, offering insurance products across multiple categories. The company’s distribution strategy includes partnerships and intermediary channels that help connect insurance products with customers.

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9th India-Brazil-South Africa Maritime Exercise IBSAMAR 2026 Concludes in South Africa

The ninth edition of the India-Brazil-South Africa Maritime IBSAMAR Exercise 2026 concluded at Simon’s Town, South Africa.

The exercise brought together the Indian, Brazilian and South African Navies for a series of professional interactions and maritime evolutions aimed at enhancing interoperability, strengthening operational cooperation and fostering greater mutual understanding among the three maritime forces.

Addressing the gathering at the closing ceremony, the Commanding Officer of INS Tarkash highlighted that exercises such as IBSAMAR provide a unique platform for translating longstanding diplomatic relationships into meaningful naval cooperation.

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9th India-Brazil-South Africa Maritime Exercise IBSAMAR 2026 Concludes in South Africa

The closing ceremony marked the culmination of ten days of joint activities conducted during the harbour and sea phases.

The successful conclusion of IBSAMAR underscores the shared commitment of India, Brazil and South Africa to strengthening maritime cooperation and enhancing interoperability in support of safe, secure and open seas underpinned by a rules-based order.

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Asian Para Games: Suvarna Raj Clinches Gold, Swati Chaudhary Wins Silver for India

At the Asian Para Games, Suvarna Raj clinched India’s first gold medal of the day by winning the women’s F-54 discus throw event in Aichi-Nagoya . She topped a field of six athletes with a best throw of 15.66 metres. In para-archery, Swati Chaudhary secured the silver medal in the women’s W-1 category.

In para-badminton, India’s Manisha Ramadass and Pramod Bhagat settled for bronze in the mixed doubles event after losing their semifinal to Indonesia’s Leani Ratri Oktila and Hikmat Ramadani. Meanwhile, India’s Thulasimathi Murugesan and Nitesh Kumar advanced to the final of the mixed doubles SL-3-SU-5 event, where they will face Indonesia’s Leani Ratri Oktila and Hikmat Ramadani.

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Asian Para Games: India achieve spectacular podium sweep, clinching gold, silver, and bronze in men’s shot put F46 event

India achieved a spectacular podium sweep at the Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, as Sachin Sarjerao Khilari, Mohd. Yasser, and Parveen clinched gold, silver, and bronze, respectively, in the men’s shot put F46 event .

Khilari led the Indian triumph with a record-breaking throw of 15.87 metres. Yasser secured the silver medal with a best throw of 15.06 metres, while Parveen claimed bronze with 14.94 metres. These athletes also recorded their Season Best performances, making it a memorable clean sweep for India on the podium.

India’s Praveen Kumar won gold in the men’s high jump T44/64 with a Games record, while Banti clinched silver in the same event in Aichi Nagoya, Japan . Praveen sailed over 2.05m to win the gold while Banti produced a personal best of 1.92m to take the silver. Temurbek Giyazov of Uzbekistan was third with 1.86m.

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Asian Para Games: India achieve spectacular podium sweep, clinching gold, silver, and bronze in men’s shot put F46 event

Ayush Verma also won gold medal in the men’s shot put F53 event, adding a second medal to his tally. Ayush produced a throw of 8.16m in his fifth attempt to take the top spot. Alireza Hemami of Iran was second with 8.09m while Makhambet Serikkaliyev of Kazakhstan finished third with 6.81m. F53 is for field athletes who have movement affected to a high degree in the trunk and legs and hand grip affected to a low level.

Teenage Indian pair of para-archers Sheetal Devi and Payal Nag clinched a silver medal after losing in the compound women’s doubles final today. Sheetal, who was born without arms, and Payal, a quadruple amputee, went down 141-150 to the Chinese duo of Xu Xueqing and Zhao Jing. Sheetal had won a silver medal in this event in the last edition of the Games partnering Sarita Devi.

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Asian Para Games: India achieve spectacular podium sweep, clinching gold, silver, and bronze in men’s shot put F46 event

In the men’s 100m T35 event Anubhav Choudhary secured Bronze medal. He clocked a personal best of 12.72 seconds to win the medal. Rakeshbhai Bhatt also won bronze medal in men’s 100 meter T37 event.

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New form of carbon found: diamondiyne

Scientists have created a new form of carbon called diamondiyne. It is a three-dimensional network of carbon atoms that resembles a diamond but with a more open structure. Researchers first proposed the existence of this form more than three decades ago and it has finally been synthesised. The researchers who succeeded, from the University of Gothenburg, Stock University, and the Chalmers University of Technology, all in Sweden, did so by making the material at a boundary between water and chloroform, with the chemical reaction slowly releasing the building blocks and allowing them to link up at a rate the team could control. (The ‘y’ in the material’s name comes from the presence of carbon-carbon triple bonds.)

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New form of carbon found: diamondiyne

The cage-like structure of diamondiyne also offers the additional prospect of containing other atoms within. Synthesising diamondiyne confirms to scientists that the prediction more than 30 years ago was correct, which in turn validates the process scientists used to make that prediction.

Finally, the technique by which the team synthesised the material could help researchers make other previously inaccessible materials with useful properties.

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Core sector grew at 7.9% in September; industrial outlook remains uncertain

Driven by strong performances in iron ore, electricity and cement, India’s core sector, comprising nine infrastructure industries, grew by 7.9 per cent in September, up from 5.9 per cent in August, according to the Commerce and Industry Ministry. This marks a 30-month high. However, experts remain divided on whether this momentum will translate into strong overall industrial growth when the data is released on October 28. Core sector growth was 3.1 per cent in September last year. The data tracks growth across nine industries: coal, natural gas, crude oil, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement, electricity and iron ore.

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Core sector grew at 7.9% in September; industrial outlook remains uncertain

Data released by the ministry showed that iron ore output rose by 18.4 per cent, electricity generation by 11.4 per cent, coal production by 10.7 per cent and refinery product output by 10.3 per cent. Cement production increased by 9.8 per cent and steel production by 4.9 per cent in September compared with the same period last year.

However, weakness persisted in three sectors. Fertiliser production contracted 11.7 per cent in September, marking its seventh consecutive month of decline, although the contraction narrowed slightly from 12.4 per cent in August. Natural gas output fell 4.6 per cent, extending its prolonged contraction, while crude oil production declined 1.4 per cent, compared with a 3.6 per cent fall in August.

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India’s private investment pipeline hits Rs. 99.7 lakh crore as IT services and power lead growth

India’s announced private capital expenditure pipeline has increased 39 per cent year-on-year to Rs 99.7 lakh crore in September 2026, led by a surge in IT-enabled services and conventional power projects, although the growing concentration of investments in a few sectors and states poses risks to the next phase of the investment cycle, according to a report by Union Bank of India (UBI) Research.

The pipeline had expanded 87 per cent over two years, indicating a sharp increase in planned corporate investments. However, the number of projects rose only 18 per cent during the same period, suggesting that the increase was driven largely by larger projects rather than a broad-based rise in investment activity.

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India’s private investment pipeline hits Rs. 99.7 lakh crore as IT services and power lead growth

IT-enabled services (ITES) and conventional power accounted for 87 per cent of the latest year’s net increase, adding Rs 16.8 lakh crore and Rs 7.6 lakh crore, respectively. The ITES pipeline expanded from Rs 2.2 lakh crore to Rs 18.9 lakh crore in a year across 160 projects.

Manufacturing and electricity together accounted for 74 per cent of the outstanding pipeline, at Rs 41.3 lakh crore and Rs 32.2 lakh crore, respectively. The services sector recorded the fastest annual growth of 347 per cent, reaching Rs 21.9 lakh crore. Maharashtra remained the largest destination for announced investments, accounting for Rs 28.6 lakh crore, or around 29 per cent of the total. Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh together contributed 94 per cent of the pipeline’s annual increase.

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Shriram Group renames Way2Wealth as Shriram Financial Services, appoints new CEO

The Shriram Group rebranded its broking arm Way2Wealth — acquired in 2020 — as Shriram Financial Services Pvt. Ltd. (Shriram FS), consolidating its capital markets business under the Shriram brand. The company has appointed Amit Golia as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer to lead the venture.

Golia, a 26-year capital markets veteran, previously held senior roles at Motilal Oswal, Axis Securities, and SBI Securities. He will spearhead the company’s Assisted DIY (Do-It-Yourself) investment platform, targeting retail and high-net-worth individual (HNI) investors who seek a blend of self-directed investing and professional guidance.

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Shriram Group renames Way2Wealth as Shriram Financial Services, appoints new CEO

Shriram FS will offer a broad range of products including equities, derivatives, commodities, mutual funds, IPOs, portfolio management services (PMS), the National Pension Scheme (NPS), Demat accounts, fixed income products, and loans against securities and mutual funds.

South African financial services major Sanlam Group, a long-standing partner of Shriram, will provide strategic support drawing on its global expertise in insurance and wealth management. Subhasri Sriram, MD and CEO of Shriram Capital Ltd., said the platform was designed to help customers navigate an increasingly complex investment landscape by combining technology, advice, and the Shriram brand’s trust.

The rebranding comes as retail participation in Indian capital markets continues to grow, driven by rising financial literacy and digital adoption.

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Fibe’s NBFC arm EarlySalary gets ‘A’ ratings for loans and NCDs

EarlySalary Services Pvt Ltd, the non-banking financial company (NBFC) arm of fintech firm Fibe, has received rating upgrade from Crisil and India Ratings and Research.

India Ratings has upgraded the rating on the company’s non-convertible debentures (NCDs) to ‘IND A’/Stable from ‘IND A-Positive’.Crisil Ratings has assigned a ‘CRISIL A/Stable’ rating to EarlySalary’s long-term bank loan facilities of Rs 700 crore and NCDs of Rs 800 crore.

The rating actions reflected progress in building a financially resilient lending business, supported by strong capitalisation, diversified funding, disciplined underwriting and improved collections

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TCS expands Indian Bank partnership, deploys BaNCS for Treasury in Sri Lanka

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has expanded its long-standing partnership with Indian Bank, to deploy TCS BaNCS for Treasury at its Colombo branch in Sri Lanka, marking the company’s entry in the country.

Following the successful deployment of TCS BaNCS for Treasury across Indian Bank’s operations in India and at GIFT City in Gujarat, the platform is now being extended to the bank’s Colombo branch, reinforcing a unified approach to treasury operations across geographies.

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TCS expands Indian Bank partnership, deploys BaNCS for Treasury in Sri Lanka

TCS will help Indian Bank modernise its overseas treasury operations across money markets, investment management, and foreign exchange. The transformation will enable Indian Bank’s Colombo branch to move to a single, integrated treasury platform that supports unified deal processing, real-time position visibility, stronger risk and limit controls, and compliance-ready reporting. The Bank will be able to reduce manual intervention, improve straight-through processing, and strengthen audit and regulatory readiness through a single source of truth. With seamless deployment and continued maintenance, TCS will help the bank accelerate time-to-value while ensuring smooth integration with its existing systems and international market infrastructure.

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Canara HSBC Life launches Dollar-denominated ULIP for NRIs via GIFT City on Policybazaar

Canara HSBC Life Insurance launched the Global Wealth Plan, a USD-denominated unit-linked life insurance product available through GIFT City, distributed exclusively via Policybazaar. The plan targets non-resident Indians seeking combined insurance and global investment exposure in US dollars. The product allows policyholders to invest across global equities, precious metals including gold and silver, and debt funds. It carries no allocation or administration charges, meaning a larger share of premiums remains invested. The plan comes in three variants: Wealth, focused on long-term wealth creation; Wealth Plus, which includes a Premium Funding Benefit that continues future premium payments on behalf of the insurer if the policyholder dies before maturity; and Wealth Forever, a whole-life option designed for legacy planning. All three include life cover.

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Canara HSBC Life launches Dollar-denominated ULIP for NRIs via GIFT City on Policybazaar

Additional features include Loyalty Additions and Maturity Boosters, which are designed to enhance overall fund value depending on the plan option chosen.

GIFT City’s status as an International Financial Services Centre enables NRIs to access internationally diversified investments within a regulated Indian framework while transacting in dollars — a structure seen as relevant for customers whose financial obligations span multiple geographies.

Canara HSBC Life Insurance is jointly promoted by Canara Bank, HSBC Insurance (Asia-Pacific) Holdings, and Punjab National Bank, and operates 107 branches across India as of September 2026.

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India's Hunger Score Improves, But Child 'Wasting' Remains High

India continues to face serious hunger challenges despite long-term improvements in nutrition indicators.

India has made progress in reducing hunger over the past two decades, but its progress remains uneven.

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2026, ranked India 100th among 122 countries. With a score of 24.1, India remains in the "serious" hunger category. The index measures hunger using four indicators: undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and under-five mortality.

Together, these capture different aspects of food insecurity and malnutrition, rather than simply measuring how much food a country produces. A higher GHI score indicates a more severe hunger situation.

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CCO's SUVIKALP Initiative Advances Sustainable Mine Repurposing, Receives SKOCH Gold Award 2026

The Coal Controller Organisation (CCO), under the Ministry of Coal, has undertaken initiatives to promote scientific mine closure and sustainable repurposing of post-mining land.

CCO has developed SUVIKALP, an in-house Mine Repurposing Tool, to assist stakeholders in selecting suitable mine repurposing projects through a structured and data-driven decision-making process. The tool evaluates and ranks repurposing projects based on multiple technical, environmental, social and economic criteria.

Once a suitable project is identified, users can explore implementation pathways through PRISM (Post-Mining Repurposing Implementation Strategy Model). PRISM provides project concepts, implementation approaches, case studies, sample Detailed Project Reports (DPRs), tender documents and information on agencies working in similar sectors.

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CCO's SUVIKALP Initiative Advances Sustainable Mine Repurposing, Receives SKOCH Gold Award 2026

The innovation and utility of SUVIKALP received national recognition through the SKOCH Gold Award 2026 under the category “Digital Operational Efficiency – Data Driven Decision Making” on 26 September 2026. The SKOCH Awards recognise excellence in governance, technology, innovation and transformational initiatives delivering public value.

CCO has also undertaken the SUVIKALP Samvaad Webinar Series as a structured knowledge-sharing and capacity-building initiative to support informed decision-making on mine closure and sustainable repurposing. The national webinar series brought together coal companies, government officials, technical experts, academic institutions and other stakeholders to share practical solutions, innovative models and best practices related to post-mining land use.

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CCO's SUVIKALP Initiative Advances Sustainable Mine Repurposing, Receives SKOCH Gold Award 2026

A total of 12 thematic webinars were conducted under the series, covering the RECLAIM and L.I.V.E.S. frameworks, SUVIKALP Mine Repurposing Tool, PMU establishment, community engagement, tourism and destination development, livelihood opportunities, financing mechanisms, innovative uses of abandoned mine voids, and national and international experiences of mine transition.

The series has strengthened the institutional understanding of coal companies on the multidimensional aspects of mine closure, moving beyond regulatory compliance towards environmental restoration, livelihood generation, community development and economic diversification. Expert-led deliberations and knowledge exchange have provided practical insights and scalable approaches for planning and implementing sustainable repurposing projects.

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Hon’ble President of India Smt. Droupadi Murmu presents 65th National Exhibition of Art and 3rd Print Biennale India awards

The Hon’ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, graced the award ceremony of the 65th National Exhibition of Art and the 3rd Print Biennale India 2026, organised by the Lalit Kala Akademi under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi. The Union Minister of Culture and Tourism, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, welcomed the Hon’ble President and presented her with a Gond painting as a token of gratitude, reflecting the richness of India’s indigenous artistic traditions. A special film showcasing the journey of the Lalit Kala Akademi and the evolution of the National Exhibition of Art since its inception in 1955 was also screened on the occasion.

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Hon’ble President of India Smt. Droupadi Murmu presents 65th National Exhibition of Art and 3rd Print Biennale India awards

The journey of the Lalit Kala Akademi established in 1954 and the evolution of the National Exhibition of Art, began at Jaipur House in 1955 with approximately 1,200 entries.

This year's edition received 6,175 artworks from 2,495 artists representing 27 States and Union Territories. A total of 270 artworks were selected for exhibition, and 20 artists were chosen for the Awards.

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India hosts Agrivoltaics World Conference 2026 for the first time in the Global South

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare of India Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Education and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Pralhad Joshi jointly inaugurated the three days AgriVoltaics World Conference 2026. Agrivoltaics policies must be designed to meet the practical requirements of India’s small and marginal farmers, who constitute more than 85 per cent of the farming community. The agricultural sector had sustained a growth rate of 4.5 per cent and that agricultural exports had reached a record USD 52.55 billion. The Union Agriculture Minister drew attention to the structural challenges faced by agriculture sector, noting that the average landholding in the country was only 0.96 hectares. He emphasised that agrivoltaics models must allow farmers to continue cultivation instead of replacing farming with solar power generation.

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India hosts Agrivoltaics World Conference 2026 for the first time in the Global South

India’s non-fossil fuel-based installed electricity capacity had reached 308.03 GW, accounting for more than 55 per cent of the country’s total installed electricity capacity of approximately 560 GW. A study by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) that estimated 47.5 million hectares, or approximately 30 per cent of India’s 160 million hectares of cropland, were technically suitable for agrivoltaics. One deployment scenario covering 16 million hectares estimated annual electricity generation of 12,775 TWh, potentially comparable to or exceeding India’s projected electricity demand of 5,250–10,020 TWh by 2050. The Minister noted that these were technical estimates and that actual deployment would depend on local conditions and feasibility. Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh together accounted for nearly 50 per cent of India’s estimated agrivoltaic potential

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India hosts Agrivoltaics World Conference 2026 for the first time in the Global South

the average cost of electricity supply had been around Rs 7 per unit in 2025–26, while some agrivoltaic assessments indicated potential generation costs of Rs 3.20–Rs 3.30 per unit under specific assumptions. He highlighted that competitive project designs and financing models could help make agrivoltaics commercially viable.

Referring to international experience, the Minister noted that the global agrivoltaics market had surpassed 18.4 GW of installed capacity in 2025. He highlighted Italy’s €1.7 billion funding programme for farmers, solar developers and research institutions; Japan’s opening of all categories of farmland to agrivoltaics and support for small-scale systems through preferential tariffs; and Germany’s linkage of support to continued agricultural use and minimum crop-yield requirements.

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India hosts Agrivoltaics World Conference 2026 for the first time in the Global South

The Minister emphasised the importance of international partnerships in developing agrivoltaic solutions suited to the needs of the Global South. He acknowledged the contributions of German partners, the Indo-German Cooperation on Agrivoltaics, the International Solar Alliance and other institutions working to advance the sector. He noted that countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America faced common challenges relating to smallholder farmers, water stress, reliable clean energy and affordable technologies, and called for cooperation based on mutual learning and locally adapted solutions. The launch of the Global Agrivoltaics Climate-Zone Technical Framework as an important step towards wider adoption of the technology. The framework was intended to support governments, farmers, developers, researchers and financiers in making informed decisions, establishing technical standards and moving from isolated pilot projects towards broader implementation.

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India's Hunger Score Improves, But Child 'Wasting' Remains High

India's GHI score declined from 37 in 2006 to 24.1 in 2026. It stood at 28.8 in 2012 and 25.8 in 2018. The share of children under five affected by stunting fell from 50 per cent in 2000 to 29.3 per cent in 2026. Stunting affects a child's growth and is often linked to prolonged undernutrition and repeated illness. The latest figure means that nearly three in every ten children under five are still affected.

Child wasting has followed a different path. It occurs when a child is too thin for their height and can indicate acute undernutrition. The share of children affected stood at 18 per cent in 2000, rose to 20 per cent in 2006 and fell to 15 per cent in 2012. By 2026, it had climbed to 19 per cent.

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