Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran has urged the industry to invest in skilling, capability development, and innovation to counter the challenges posed by artificial intelligence, particularly for Global Capability Centres (GCCs). He noted that while the government has supported GCCs through Budget measures like simplifying transfer pricing and promoting expansion into tier-II/III cities, industry must move beyond low-cost execution to thrive in an an AI-driven landscape. Nageswaran emphasised that AI displaces routine tasks, necessitating a focus on higher-value work and continuous skill enhancement to maintain India's competitive edge.
IIT Ropar's ANNAM.AI, in collaboration with Syngenta and Google, has launched 'HACK CORE 2026', a national AI hackathon. It invites innovators to develop AI-driven solutions for critical agricultural challenges like crop health, pest management, and climate-resilient farming, offering significant prizes and mentorship.
Specialty chemicals maker Anupam Rasayan India Ltd has become the first company globally to commercialise Ethyl trifluoroacetate (ETFA) production using its proprietary continuous flow chemistry platform. This innovative technology offers significant advantages over traditional methods, and ETFA is a crucial component for pharmaceuticals, life sciences, and performance materials, with a global market estimated at USD 500-600 million.
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar announced the establishment of India's first government-driven Artificial Intelligence University and an AI Hub in Bengaluru. This initiative aims to position Karnataka as a global leader in responsible AI innovation, fostering talent, research, and collaboration. The state seeks to become an AI-native state, leveraging AI to improve governance and daily life across various sectors.
Senior Indian officials highlight the indispensable role of the private sector in translating India-US cooperation in AI, semiconductors, quantum technologies, and critical minerals into tangible outcomes. The collaboration aims to build trusted, resilient technology ecosystems and position India as a global electronics and semiconductor hub.
Drone technology company ideaForge Technology has successfully raised Rs 500 crore through a Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP). The funding, which saw strong interest from domestic and international institutional investors, will be used to accelerate innovation, expand its product portfolio into combat drones and autonomous systems, and strengthen its working capital to meet growing demand in defence, homeland security, and civil sectors.
Drone technology company ideaForge Technology has successfully raised Rs 500 crore through a Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP). The funding, which saw strong interest from domestic and international institutional investors, will be used to accelerate innovation, expand its product portfolio into combat drones and autonomous systems, and strengthen its working capital to meet growing demand in defence, homeland security, and civil sectors.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his three-nation tour in New Zealand, where he and his counterpart Christopher Luxon elevated bilateral ties to a strategic partnership. The visit focused on doubling trade by 2030 and expanding cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, marking the first visit by an Indian PM in 40 years.
BikeWo Green Tech and Kwik Flite Support have signed an initial pact to develop an integrated air cargo, aviation logistics, and multimodal freight platform. This collaboration aims to combine road mobility with aviation capabilities to serve various industries, focusing on high-value and time-sensitive logistics across India, including Tier-II and Tier-III cities.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated 11 years of the Digital India initiative, highlighting its role in redefining governance, empowering citizens, and accelerating all-round development. He emphasised its impact on digital payments, direct benefit transfers, and expanding digital public infrastructure, making technology a powerful instrument for 'Ease of Living' across India, including tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
The aim is to win over the country's enterprises, developers and startups as AI systems shift from answering questions to autonomously executing tasks.
A NITI Aayog report outlines India's potential to scale its bioeconomy to USD 691 billion by 2035 and USD 2.6 trillion by 2047, creating over 30 million high-value jobs. The report stresses the need for coordinated national execution, regulatory reforms, a strengthened talent pipeline, and a significant BioEconomy Growth Fund to achieve this vision, positioning India among the top biotechnology powers globally.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to New Zealand culminated in the elevation of bilateral ties to a strategic partnership, with a focus on doubling trade and enhancing cooperation in sports and the Indo-Pacific region. Modi and his counterpart Christopher Luxon attended a sports showcase, acknowledging a century of sporting ties and discussing future collaborations, including India's preparations for the Commonwealth Games 2030. The visit also saw 18 concrete outcomes and 10 agreements signed, alongside discussions with business leaders.
A new MoU between the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) and Imperial College London has paved the way for deepening India-UK ties in the life sciences sector.
India is waiting for assurance from the US on comparative advantage over other economies under the deal.
Researchers at CSIR-CIMFR have developed India's first mobile Smart Algal Liquid Tree (SALT), an innovative air-purification system using microalgae to absorb CO2 and release oxygen. Designed for polluted urban areas, this compact unit offers a sustainable solution where conventional tree planting is challenging, also providing public utility features.
Inflows into foreign currency non-resident (bank), or FCNR (B), deposits have significantly underperformed market expectations, leading to a more than 1 per cent depreciation of the rupee against the dollar this week. Analysts point to fading RBI support measures, tepid interest due to rising global bond yields, and narrowing interest rate spreads compared to 2013 as key challenges.
L&T Technology Services (LTTS) has announced a strategic partnership with Anthropic to integrate its Claude AI models into LTTS' engineering processes and AI platforms. This collaboration aims to redefine engineering work by enabling faster decision-making, streamlining workflows, and accelerating innovation for global clients, coinciding with Anthropic's new rupee-denominated pricing for Indian customers.
Notwithstanding the economic complementarities and the host of agreements for deepening economic relation on a host of areas, both sides share common viewpoints on the foreign policy domain and seek common grounds to serve as a counterweight to China, notes Dr Rajaram Panda.
A three-day 'AI Champions for Digital Governance' programme has commenced in New Delhi, hosted by ITDC, SCOPE, and LBSNAA. The initiative aims to train senior leadership and operational teams in applying artificial intelligence within public sector organisations, aligning with the IndiaAI Mission. Experts highlighted AI's role in improving efficiency, productivity, and public service delivery, while also emphasising responsible adoption and data quality. The programme seeks to build an AI-ready nation and contribute to India's vision of future-ready governance systems.
A three-day 'AI Champions for Digital Governance' programme has commenced in New Delhi, hosted by ITDC, SCOPE, and LBSNAA. The initiative aims to train senior leadership and operational teams in applying artificial intelligence within public sector organisations, aligning with the IndiaAI Mission. Experts highlighted AI's role in improving efficiency, productivity, and public service delivery, while also emphasising responsible adoption and data quality. The programme seeks to build an AI-ready nation and contribute to India's vision of future-ready governance systems.
EY India has launched its Cyber Performance Management (CPM) platform, an integrated solution designed to help enterprises quantify and manage cyber risk in real-time. This platform leverages AI and cybersecurity to provide decision intelligence, enabling organisations to identify and address threats proactively and translate cyber exposure into financial insights.
Rockwell Automation's CEO Blake Moret highlights India as the centrepiece of the company's Asian growth strategy, detailing its four-decade presence, significant employee base, and support for the 'Make in India' initiative. The company sees major opportunities in pharmaceuticals, automotive, food and beverage, and consumer products, with AI playing a crucial role in simplifying industrial automation and boosting productivity for Indian manufacturers, including MSMEs.
90 per cent of institutions recorded no improvement in international student metrics, despite government initiatives such as the Study in India programme, UGC regulations on internationalisation, and efforts to attract foreign students.
India's IT Secretary S Krishnan announced that the government is considering a dedicated regulatory framework for Artificial Intelligence, moving beyond existing IT rules to address challenges like deepfakes and synthetic content. This comes as global policymakers grapple with AI's rapid emergence and its implications.
Experts highlight India's significant market potential for assistive technologies, estimated at Rs 75,000-95,000 crore by 2030. They advocate for a National Assistive Technology Policy to address current gaps in access and service delivery, fostering inclusion, independence, and economic participation for persons with disabilities and the elderly.
The Northern Railway is expected to soon announce the date for the commencement of commercial operations of the country's first hydrogen-powered train after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated it on the Jind-Sonipat route in Haryana on Friday.
The appointment comes as Agnikul prepares for Mission 02, a flight that will attempt, for the first time on Indian soil, the recovery of an orbital-class rocket booster and the extension of a rocket's upper stage into an on-orbit platform.
Union Health Minister J P Nadda has launched the Unified Health Interface (UHI), an interoperable digital network under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). UHI aims to connect patients and healthcare providers across various digital platforms, addressing fragmentation in India's digital health ecosystem and improving access to verified services, especially in rural areas.
Amazon plans to significantly expand its use of automation and advanced robotics, including systems like the SLAM labeler, across its Indian fulfilment centres. The company, which has committed substantial investments in India, also highlighted its global rollout of autonomous robots like Proteus and cautioned against premature AI regulation that could stifle innovation.
Switzerland will host the next global AI summit in June 2027 in Geneva, aiming to establish stable processes for AI governance and promote its responsible use. Building on previous summits, including one in New Delhi, the event will focus on AI as a driver of prosperity and human-centred innovation, bringing together governments, organisations, and civil society to address global challenges.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and announced the company's intention to invest an additional USD 13 billion in India by 2030, focusing on expanding AI and cloud infrastructure.
A senior US official has warned against the weaponisation of digital and artificial intelligence sovereignty by political voices, urging nations to avoid costly re-invention of existing technology. The official highlighted the economic dangers of rebuilding entire tech stacks and emphasised India's crucial role as an indispensable partner in global technological leadership due to its engineering talent and innovation ecosystem.
Jamco Interiors, a global supplier of aircraft cabin systems, has opened a Centre of Excellence (COE) in Pune. This strategic move aims to meet the increasing demand for advanced cabin interiors in India's rapidly growing commercial aviation market and leverage local engineering talent for global aerospace programmes.
A delegation of Indian startup founders and leaders visited the UK to explore collaborations in artificial intelligence and technology, aiming to strengthen the India-UK innovation corridor.
IIT Madras, in partnership with Herbalife International India, has inaugurated India's first Centre of Excellence for plant cell fermentation technology. This new facility aims to be a national hub for sustainable innovation, research, and development, focusing on producing herbal biomass, enriched extracts, and high-value phytochemicals, while bridging the gap between lab research and industrial applications.
State Bank of India has launched a suite of AI-powered digital innovations on its YONO platform, enhancing both retail and business banking services. These new features include a 3-in-1 digital onboarding process, a sustainability tracker, integrated trade finance, and an AI virtual assistant, aiming to provide intelligent and future-ready banking experiences for its 53 crore customers.
Mijwan Welfare Society, founded by legendary Urdu poet Kaifi Azmi, that works for empowerment of women and the girl child was proud to announce that the exquisite chikankari craftsmanship of its women artisans was showcased at Paris Haute Couture Week Fall/Winter 2026 as part of Manish Malhotra's collection, Maa.
India is adopting a two-pronged strategy for artificial intelligence development, focusing on open-source models and indigenous innovation to counter global access restrictions on advanced AI technologies. The government aims to support local developers and ensure AI creates tangible economic impact across various sectors, rather than being solely driven by market speculation.
The National Jute Board has developed a jute-viscose blended apparel for Indian athletes participating in the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow, marking the first time jute-based attire will be featured at an international multi-sport event, promoting sustainable textiles and India's jute industry.
