The government's e-marketplace platform, GeM, is significantly enhancing public procurement through the integration of AI, advanced analytics, and digital monitoring systems. This strategic adoption has led to substantial savings for the exchequer and improved transparency, while also playing a crucial role in health sector procurement.
Researchers at IIT Madras have discovered that rare 'specialist' marine microorganisms play a crucial and previously underestimated role in maintaining the stability of ocean ecosystems. Their global analysis of bacterial communities, published in 'mSystems', reveals these microbes act as vital connectors within microbial networks, significantly impacting ecosystem resilience and informing conservation efforts.
NeoGeoInfo Technologies, a spatial intelligence solutions provider, has secured a Series A investment of approximately USD 20 million from Neev II Fund and Aavishkaar Capital. This funding will fuel the company's R&D, expand its international presence in the Middle East and Americas, and strengthen its team for complex projects.
Broadband technology firm GX Group is set to commence manufacturing operations at its advanced photonics facility in India from December, investing Rs 500 crore. This initiative aims to strengthen domestic manufacturing, create skilled jobs, and reduce dependence on imported optical components crucial for high-speed data networks and AI data centres.
While opening new accounts, banks can check if the name appears in any mule data. In case it does, the bank can conduct enhanced due diligence.
Google's AI Search marks a shift from information discovery to information delivery.
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.
Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi has voiced significant reservations regarding a proposal by World Chess and FIDE to convert online rapid and blitz ratings into official FIDE ratings. He highlights fundamental integrity issues, such as mouse slips and the lack of physical supervision in home-based online play, making it difficult to ensure fair play. Erigaisi also commented on World Champion D Gukesh's recent form and dismissed the idea that AI diminishes creativity in chess.
ServiceNow has announced an expansion of its AI Control Tower offering with new capabilities that give enterprises control over every AI system, agent, and workflow, regardless of where it runs.
The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has completed a decade since its launch, becoming the backbone of India's digital payments ecosystem. It has seen exponential growth in transaction volume and value, expanding financial inclusion and setting a global benchmark for real-time payments.
Haryana is institutionalising drone technology as a key governance tool, deploying AI-powered surveillance and high-resolution geospatial mapping. This initiative aims to detect illegal constructions, monitor mining activities, map civic infrastructure, and track pollution across the state. The Chief Secretary reviewed progress on various projects, including an AI-powered Change Detection Application and digital mapping of municipal assets, highlighting the state's commitment to evidence-based governance and improved public service delivery.
An independent study reveals that while Geographical Indication (GI) registration has boosted the identity of Kerala's traditional handloom products, it has not uniformly translated into economic benefits across weaving clusters. Challenges include an ageing artisan population, competition from powerloom products, rising raw material costs, and inadequate marketing.
The Maharashtra government is setting up a ministerial task force, led by Minister Ashish Shelar, to ensure the effective implementation of its drone policy. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced this, emphasising the need for a "policy of policies" to integrate R&D, manufacturing, testing, and subsidies, and to strengthen the state's drone ecosystem, including developing a 'Drone City'.
'This system will be of immense help in agricultural planning, disaster management and water resources management.'
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant stated that the Supreme Court views technology as an aid to human reasoning, not a replacement, and emphasised developing "Swadeshi Jurisprudence" tailored to India's unique conditions. He highlighted efforts to create an indigenous AI ecosystem for the judiciary and stressed that AI cannot substitute human judgment, empathy, or ethical discernment.
The White House has launched a major crackdown on the 'Great Transhipment Scam', accusing India and over 40 other nations of helping Chinese exporters bypass US tariffs by misrepresenting the origin of goods. The US plans to use AI-driven monitoring and anti-transhipment clauses in future trade agreements to strengthen enforcement.
The National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) has initiated a probe into Rajesh Exports following capital markets regulator Sebi's findings of Rs 15.5 lakh crore in revenue misstatements. NFRA chairperson Nitin Gupta also emphasised the critical need for genuine board independence in promoter-driven companies and human oversight in financial reporting, especially with the increasing integration of AI.
The National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) has initiated a probe into Rajesh Exports following capital markets regulator Sebi's findings of Rs 15.5 lakh crore in revenue misstatements. NFRA chairperson Nitin Gupta also emphasised the critical need for genuine board independence in promoter-driven companies and human oversight in financial reporting, especially with the increasing integration of AI.
The Supreme Court of India has directed all states and Union territories to operationalise a single helpline number '112' for emergency responses and establish a functional good samaritan grievance redressal system within three months, emphasising that the right to trauma care is an integral part of the right to life.
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has upgraded its official data portal to be directly readable by AI models, aiming to prevent reliance on non-credible sources. This initiative includes standardising 288 priority datasets and addressing semantic interoperability challenges to improve public service delivery.
A top SBI official has highlighted the challenges bankers face in lending to MSMEs using only GST data, advocating for the integration of alternative data sources like power consumption and telecom records through credit bureaus to improve credit assessment.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav launched Indore's first district drone unit, equipping the police with advanced aerial systems for law enforcement, crowd management, and surveillance.
Five Indian tennis players were excluded from the Asian Games squad because they did not meet the Sports Ministry's stringent international ranking criteria, a decision that has drawn criticism from veteran players like Rohan Bopanna but is being upheld by authorities to maintain administrative integrity.
Former Asian silver medallist and Olympian javelin thrower Shivpal Singh has been suspended for 10 years by NADA for a second doping offence involving methandienone, potentially ending his career. This follows a previous ban in 2022 which was reduced to one year after he claimed contaminated supplements.
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is preparing to significantly increase its silver jewellery testing capabilities and expand its national laboratory network, driven by a shift in consumer demand from gold to silver and a broader push for enhanced product certification and surveillance.
The Sports Ministry is set to commence the nomination process for the National Sports Awards next month, following a delayed announcement of the 2025 awards. The delay was due to a re-evaluation process aimed at preserving the integrity of the honours, which resulted in no Khel Ratna awardee for 2025 and fewer Arjuna awardees than recommended. The article also details the criteria for these prestigious awards and highlights some of the notable Arjuna awardees for 2025.
A study conducted on older adults in India suggests that the health of the brain's white matter wiring can help mitigate the cognitive effects of gray matter loss, supporting overall cognitive health. Researchers found that healthier superficial white matter is linked to stronger language skills and may act as a source of resilience against cognitive decline.
As India marks a decade of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the focus is shifting towards enhancing efficiency through artificial intelligence, data sharing, and process simplification. The reform, which unified India's indirect tax system, has significantly broadened the tax base and boosted revenues, with future plans including a streamlined two-tier rate structure and continued technological integration to reduce compliance costs and combat evasion.
Researchers at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad have secured a patent for a novel temperature-independent optical sensor designed to precisely measure structural tilt in two directions. This lightweight sensor, utilising Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) technology, offers enhanced monitoring capabilities for various applications including bridges, robotics, aerospace, and geotechnical systems, promising low maintenance and long-term stability checks.
Hindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL) plans to generate 2,000 crore in value by implementing artificial intelligence-driven solutions across its mining and manufacturing operations. This initiative is part of a broader industry trend to adopt digital technologies for cost reduction, margin improvement, and enhanced environmental and social governance.
Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava highlighted the strong health cooperation within BRICS, emphasising the critical role of digital health and artificial intelligence in ensuring continuity of care. Speaking at the 16th BRICS Health Ministers' meeting, she noted shared challenges among member nations and showcased India's advancements in digital health infrastructure and AI strategy.
The IndiaAI Mission, under MeitY, has selected 10 Indian AI startups for its Global Acceleration Programme, aimed at fostering international growth and innovation.
Wipro has launched its AI-Data Centre solution, integrating NVIDIA's AI Enterprise platform, to accelerate enterprise-scale AI adoption and modernise data centre environments.
Acer has launched its new Aspire 5 AI laptop in India, featuring Intel Core Ultra 7 processors, a 14-inch WUXGA display, up to 32 GB LPDDR5 memory, and a starting price of Rs 79,999.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has issued an interim statement on the probe into the Air India AI171 plane crash that killed 260 people last year, confirming that the investigation is ongoing and the final report will be released after all processes are complete.
Olympic medallist PV Sindhu has initiated the 'PV Sindhu Centre for Sports Excellence' in Visakhapatnam, with Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh performing the groundbreaking. This integrated sports and education ecosystem aims to provide world-class coaching, sports science, and academic support across seven disciplines, establishing Visakhapatnam as a national sports hub.
Is this one car with options, or three distinct vehicles? Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com finds out.
A senior US official has emphasised the importance of openness and security in the development of artificial intelligence between India and the US, urging both nations to avoid dependencies on adversarial countries.
OpenAI and Anthropic are not simply enabling new software capabilities, they are moving directly into enterprise execution, workflow ownership, and decision orchestration.
'We can integrate AI and tech into education, but that is just a means and not an end.' 'Ultimately, we need to control what happens in a classroom and we need to let teachers innovate their teaching style to suit the needs of Gen Z and beyond.'
