The Consumer Affairs Ministry is developing machine-readable SMART standards using AI to reduce industry compliance burden. This initiative aims to modernise India's standards ecosystem, with the Bureau of Indian Standards transitioning from a regulator to a facilitator, promoting private sector testing and faster processes.
Duvvuri Subbarao on Monday joined as secretary, department of economic affairs, Ministry of Finance. He belongs to the 1972 batch of the Indian Administrative Service (Andhra Pradesh cadre).
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri held extensive discussions with China's Vice Foreign Minister Hua Chunying and other senior officials in Beijing, reviewing bilateral relations, trade, cultural exchanges, and emphasising peace and tranquillity in border areas. His visit aims to advance the vision of both nations as development partners.
A parliamentary panel has strongly recommended that the Indian government appoint a dedicated 'polar ambassador' to enhance its strategic engagement and diplomatic influence in the critical Arctic and Antarctic regions, aligning with global trends and India's growing focus on polar affairs.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to meet secretaries of key Union ministries and departments to review their performance, focusing on ease of living, ease of doing business, and 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiatives, amidst strong speculation of an impending Cabinet reshuffle.
Tarun Bajaj, an old hand at the finance ministry, on Friday assumed charge as the economic affairs secretary. He comes back to North Block at a time when the economy is facing headwinds due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic.
After a subdued start, the southwest monsoon has gathered pace since the beginning of July, narrowing the cumulative rainfall deficit from nearly 30 per cent on June 30 to around 15 per cent as of July 8.
As many as 274 fugitives have been repatriated from 36 countries in the last 7 years, an average of around 40 per year and a 10-fold jump from the 2004-13 period when around four fugitives were brought back every year, the government said on Tuesday.
HDFC Bank's shares experienced a dip on Wednesday after a newspaper report alleged that the bank made illegal payments to the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation to secure large deposits, raising concerns about corporate governance.
It is because dealing with a regulatory system that is largely headed by retired IAS officers then becomes relatively easy, points out A K Bhattacharya.
The Congress escalated its campaign against alleged examination irregularities by marching to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence, transforming the issue into a direct challenge to his political authority and demanding the resignations of top government officials.
The Indian government has issued an updated Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for processing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) applications, aiming to clear all proposals within 12 weeks, a two-week extension from the previous 10-week target, to ensure a fully paperless and transparent process.
HDFC Bank reports a 12% credit growth for the March quarter, alongside the unexpected resignation of its chairman, Atanu Chakraborty, due to ethical concerns.
The United States and Iran are scheduled to hold their initial round of talks in Switzerland on Friday, following a ceasefire agreement virtually signed by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
HDFC Bank has launched an independent review by external law firms following the abrupt resignation of Chairman Atanu Chakraborty, who cited 'ethical concerns and practices within the bank' as the reason for his departure.
The United States and Iran have reached an agreement in principle to immediately and permanently halt all military operations, lift sanctions, and work towards a comprehensive final agreement within 60 days, including a significant reconstruction package for Iran.
India has established a high-level inter-ministerial body, the AI Governance and Economic Group (AIGEG), to steer the country's national AI governance strategy. The AIGEG will coordinate policy across ministries and oversee cross-sectoral governance issues, supported by a Technology and Policy Expert Committee (TPEC).
'Actual implementation of the 14-point agreement is proving hard to achieve let alone striking and sustaining a long-term treaty or deal.'
India's newly formed Artificial Intelligence Governance and Economic Group (AIGEG) is set to advocate for a unified legal framework for AI companies, including developers of large language models and chatbot systems, alongside broader operational rules.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued a statement assuring the public of HDFC Bank's stability and sound financial position following the resignation of its chairman, Atanu Chakraborty, citing ethical concerns.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar amid American demand that countries mediating the peace talks with Iran join the Abraham Accords and establish diplomatic and economic ties with Israel.
'Why not aspire for 8 or 9 or even 10 per cent?'
Atanu Chakraborty has resigned as chairman of HDFC Bank, citing ethical concerns, marking an unusual departure and prompting the appointment of an interim chairman.
Through his commitment to democratic norms, debate, dissent and constitutionalism, Jawaharlal Nehru helped ensure that parliamentary democracy took deep root in independent India. Utkarsh Mishra evaluates Nehru's 17 years as India's first prime minister, examining his role in nation-building, democratic institution-building, economic planning, scientific advancement and foreign policy.
Haryana's Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini reviewed the progress of the Haryana AI Development Programme (HAIDP), a Rs 474-crore initiative developed with the World Bank, focusing on AI skilling, startup incubation, and ethical AI governance.
The United Nations has revised downward India's economic growth forecast for 2026 to 6.4 per cent from an earlier 6.6 per cent, attributing the change to global uncertainties and economic shocks stemming from the ongoing West Asia crisis.
'It will take a long time to recover from the impact of this war.'
The boundary mess between India and Nepal needs a solution in a manner as mentioned by Nepal's Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal: 'On evidence not emotions', counsels Lieutenant General Shakti Gurung (retd).
'We thought everything will be back to normal within one month. Now it's four months and still a final solution is miles away.'
The NDA government has gradually nuanced its position on the issue of demographic challenge.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Pyongyang for his first official visit in seven years, meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to reaffirm their long-standing friendship and pledge further development of bilateral relations amidst Pyongyang's deepening military ties with Moscow and China's assertions against Japan's 'new militarism'.
Through policy interventions, Indian cities need to be reimagined as a network of inter-connected assets and services which serve to strengthen the social contract between citizens and their cities by improving their quality of life, the Economic Survey has flagged.
UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting resigned from the Cabinet, citing a loss of confidence in Prime Minister Keir Starmer's leadership, potentially triggering a Labour leadership contest.
The West Bengal cabinet has decided to discontinue assistance-oriented schemes based on religious categorisation for Imams, muezzins and purohits from June. The cabinet also approved the 'Annapurna' scheme of Rs 3,000 monthly support to women from June 1, and granted in-principle consent for their free travel in state-run buses.
Sarthak Sidhant, a 17-year-old student from Jharkhand affected by CBSE's online marking system, made a presentation before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Tuesday on alleged irregularities in the tendering process for the selection of vendors for online marking of Class 12 answer scripts.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed various aspects of India-US bilateral ties, focusing on defence, trade, energy, and technology. Rubio extended an invitation from President Donald Trump for PM Modi to visit the US.
Pakistan's skewed foreign reserves got a major boost after Saudi Arabia pledged an additional $3 billion in deposits while extending its existing $5 billion facility for a further three years.
The Punjab Cabinet has approved a series of measures aimed at enhancing public safety through forensic science upgrades and boosting rural incomes with a new farm stay policy.
The Indian government has extended the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) mandate to maintain retail inflation at 4 per cent, with a tolerance band of 2 per cent on either side, for another five years until March 2031.
The government on Friday received financial bids for the strategic disinvestment of IDBI Bank, the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (Dipam) said in an official statement on X.
