A World Bank report highlights how Artificial Intelligence-powered weather forecasts have enabled small farmers in Telangana, India, to save up to USD 560 by adapting their farming practices to specific risks. The report, "The Promise of Artificial Intelligence," advocates for developing countries to rapidly adopt small, low-cost AI tools to enhance productivity, improve government services, and avoid missing out on the AI revolution.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini met with a World Bank delegation to discuss advancing Artificial Intelligence, digital governance, and skill development in the state. The discussions focused on leveraging technology to enhance citizen services, with plans to showcase Haryana's AI Sandbox globally and develop a dedicated AI model for the state.
The World Bank's "World Development Report 2026" urges developing countries to adopt low-cost AI tools to accelerate progress in healthcare, education, and judicial services. The report highlights AI's potential to boost productivity and improve public services, while noting that jobs in high-income countries are more at risk from automation than those in developing nations.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is beginning to alter hiring patterns in South Asia, with multinational companies (MNCs) and firms integrated into global value chains (GVCs) reducing recruitment more sharply than domestic firms, signalling the technology's early impact on the region's export-oriented services sector, according to the World Bank's World Development Report 2026.
'Applying AI to change the lives of Indians and at population scale -- just like we did with DPI [digital public infrastructure] -- is really where it's going to go.'
India's largest retirement fund manager, the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), is enhancing its investment governance and fund management practices, following the Reserve Bank of India's recommendations.
Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar stated that the Indus Waters Treaty remains valid and binding, rejecting India's decision to revoke it following a terror attack. He emphasised the treaty's role in regional peace and warned of "profound consequences" if Pakistan is deprived of its allocated waters. PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also proposed an international convention against the weaponisation of waterways.
The World Bank has increased India's economic growth projection for FY27 to 6.6 per cent, citing resilient domestic demand, while simultaneously cutting its global economic growth outlook due to the conflict in West Asia.
Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has issued a war threat against India, citing water security as a national concern. This comes as Pakistan grapples with a severe internal water crisis, attributed by experts to mismanagement, and India maintains its suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty following a terror attack. Asif accused India of "weaponising water" but admitted to lacking current data on the situation.
India strongly criticised Pakistan at the United Nations, labelling it a "Frankenstein state" for its alleged support of terrorism. The remarks came after Pakistan and the OIC raised the Kashmir issue, which India firmly rejected, reiterating Jammu and Kashmir's integral status. India also deemed the Indus Water Treaty "outdated" given Pakistan's policies.
Thousands of yoga enthusiasts across the world marked the International Day of Yoga on Sunday, as Indian missions abroad organised events to highlight the ancient practice's role in fostering health and well-being.
The Sri Lankan government attributes the sharp depreciation of the rupee against the US dollar to the ongoing conflict in West Asia, citing increased costs for essential imports like gas, fertiliser, and oil.
The World Bank has affirmed India's strong position to withstand the current global energy shock, citing high foreign exchange reserves, fiscal space, and low inflation as key buffers supporting continued growth despite international headwinds.
Mizoram police and Assam Rifles seized methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 38.7 crore in Champhai district, bordering Myanmar, arresting three individuals including a Myanmar national.
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.
India emerged reasonably well from 2025. But now, the oil shock and war-related supply disruptions have again driven funds out of India and significantly weakened the rupee, points out Ajay Chhibber.
India is conducting a special audit of 101 cities to assess ease of living from the citizen's perspective, Comptroller and Auditor General K Sanjay Murthy said.
Ashok Lahiri, a distinguished economist with experience in government, the private sector, and electoral politics, has been appointed as the new Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog, tasked with strengthening India's reform trajectory and policy-making.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will virtually deliver the keynote address at the Harvard Kennedy School's AI symposium, focusing on the global AI landscape.
World Bank South Asia Chief Economist Franziska Ohnsorge advocates for the removal of obstacles hindering the adoption of artificial intelligence to foster business growth and job creation, particularly in South Asia.
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.
S&P Global Ratings warns that a sustained rise in crude oil prices to $130 per barrel could significantly slow India's economic growth, weaken fiscal metrics, and strain corporate and banking sector performance, potentially reducing growth by up to 80 basis points.
In a world fractured by uncertainty, India stands out for its policy consistency, paired with sustained ambition, points out Pritam Banerjee.
India's state-level fiscal rules have improved headline deficits, but the gains are fragile and uneven with major states still grappling with high debt levels, a World Bank report submitted to the 16th Finance Commission (FC) said. According to the report, despite nearly two decades of adoption of fiscal responsibility laws (FRLs), debt levels have not converged.
The invitation comes as the US administration moves forward with formalising the "Board of Peace" structure linked to Trump's broader Gaza roadmap.
'There are new job roles that are emerging because of AI.'
A Pakistani senator has warned that India's approval of a hydel power project on the Chenab River will further inflame tensions between the two countries, particularly in light of the suspended Indus Waters Treaty.
India's real GDP grew 8.2 percent in the second quarter of 2025-26, up from 7.8 percent in the first quarter and 7.4 percent in the fourth quarter of the last fiscal.
Pakistan has voiced concerns over the alleged variations in the flow of the Chenab River and has written a letter to India seeking clarification. They also commented on an incident in Bihar involving the removal of a Muslim woman's veil.
The Indian economy is likely to grow at 7.4 per cent in 2025-26, up from 6.5 per cent in the previous fiscal, mainly on account of better performance of manufacturing and services sectors, as per the government data released on Wednesday.
India, the world's fourth largest economy, is set to maintain the 'goldilocks' phase with tailwinds of good growth, low inflation and robust banking performance as well as reform initiatives poised to sustain the economic pace witnessed during 2025.
Jan Suraaj Spokesperson and one of the key architects of the Party, Pavan Verma, levelled serious allegations that funds from the World Bank meant for some other project were diverted for the Bihar Assembly elections by the central government and distributed to women voters in the state.
The World Bank on Tuesday raised India's growth forecast for the current fiscal to 6.5 per cent from 6.3 per cent estimated earlier, and said the country is expected to remain fastest-growing major economy, underpinned by continued strength in consumption growth.
Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party reiterated its promise to scrap the liquor ban in Bihar if elected, planning to use the revenue to secure loans from international financial institutions.
What is currently perceived as a massive, low-tech liability could become a high-value, export-oriented economic engine, points out Ajit Balakrishnan.
What appeared to be a generous act of friendship was, in truth, a manoeuvre within a much larger strategic game. The United States used the 1962 war not just to aid India but to test how far it could be pulled into the Western fold, points out Dr Kumar.
About 85 per cent of the digital payment transactions take place through UPI in India, and the country can be a case study in inclusive, secure, and scalable Digital Public Platforms (DPPs), Reserve Bank Governor Sanjay Malhotra has said. He was speaking at a "High-Level Dialogue on Forging Economic Resilience through Digital Public Platforms" organised by RBI on the sidelines of the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC on Tuesday.
Voters are weighing a stark trade-off -- between preserving a socially driven policy and reversing course to revive revenue, restore fiscal balance, and rein in the underground liquor economy.
If he cannot do it this term by using his bureaucracy and experts from different fields, it will be a tragedy, asserts Ramesh Menon.
The World Bank must become Archimedes's lever to help change the world into a more prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable planet in the 21st century. The change in leadership now provides that opportunity, observes Ajay Chhibber.
