National Affairs

28th National Conference on e-Governance (NCeG) 2025

• Host & Venue: Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh; co-hosted by DARPG, MeitY, and the AP Government.
• Theme: ‘Viksit Bharat: Civil Service and Digital Transformation’.
• Inaugurated By: Dr. Jitendra Singh (Union MoS, MoPPG&P) and N. Chandrababu Naidu (CM of Andhra Pradesh).
• National Awards for e-Governance (NAeG) 2025: 19 initiatives were honored (10 Gold, 6 Silver, 3 Jury Awards) across 6 categories.
• Key Outcome: Adoption of the ‘Visakhapatnam Declaration’, mapping out India’s future digital transformation roadmap.

MSJE Launches Senior Citizen Initiatives: ‘Vriddha Mitra Toolkit’ & ‘Shrinkhala HUM’

• Organizer: Launched by Dr. Virendra Kumar Khatik, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE), under the SAHAJ Program (Supportive Action for Healthy Aging in the Community).
• Vriddha Mitra Toolkit: Created by the NGO SCHOOL to strengthen community-based elder care and bridge grassroots action with policymaking.
• Shrinkhala Talk Series (2nd Edition): Organized under the theme ‘(HUM)- Anubhav aur Ustaah ka Sangam’, showcasing real-life senior citizen stories to foster collective community responsibility.

MIB Expands WaveX with 7 New AVGC-XR Incubation Centres

• The Announcement: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) expanded its startup accelerator, WaveX (launched March 2025 under the WAVES initiative).
• Locations: Established at premier institutes including IIMC (Delhi, Jammu, Dhenkanal, Kottayam, Amravati), FTII Pune, and SRFTI Kolkata.
• Target & Support: Dedicated to Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics (AVGC), and Extended Reality (XR) startups. Batches of 15 startups will get access to advanced tech labs (8K Red Raptor cameras, 4K Dolby preview theaters, IndiaAI Compute Portal) for a monthly fee of ₹8,500 + GST.

7th Anniversary of Ayushman Bharat Yojana

• Milestone: September 23, 2025, marked 7 years since Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the world’s largest health assurance scheme in Ranchi, Jharkhand (2018).
• Structure: Implemented by the National Health Authority (NHA) under MoHFW, the flagship scheme comprises two components: Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY).

Mission Mausam: NCMRWF and NSIL Partner for Satellite DBNet Stations

• The Pact: National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) signed an MoU with New Space India Limited (NSIL).
• Objective: Establish two Direct Broadcast Network (DBNet) stations in Delhi and Chennai under the ₹2,000-crore Mission Mausam project.
• Impact: Direct, real-time data reception from Indian (Oceansat) and global (NOAA, MetOp) satellites will eliminate centralized ground station delays, cutting weather data processing time to under 5 minutes for rapid cyclone, flood, and monsoon warnings.

Ministry of Education Launches ‘Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025’

• The Initiative: Touted as India's largest school hackathon, launched by Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
• Partners: Organized by DoSEL (MoE) alongside Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, and AICTE.
• Themes: Focused on Vocal for Local, Atmanirbhar Bharat, Swadeshi, and Samriddhi.
• Timeline: Registrations open from Sept 23 – Oct 31, 2025, with over 1,000 winners to be felicitated in January 2026.

DFPD and FCI Sign MoU for Foodgrain Management

• The Pact: Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) and Food Corporation of India (FCI) signed an agreement for FY 2025–26.
• Focus: Introduce technology-driven solutions to optimize food subsidies, minimize storage/transportation losses, maximize warehouse space, and accelerate supply chain digitization.

Banking & Finance

Paytm Money Partners with JioBlackRock for India’s First SAE Fund

• The Launch: Launch of JioBlackRock Flexi Cap Fund, India’s first Systematic Active Equity (SAE) fund for retail investors.
• Tech Stack: Combines human expertise with BlackRock's AI-driven models and the Aladdin® platform for portfolio risk management.
• Details: Minimum investment of ₹500 (Lumpsum/SIP), competitive expense ratio of 0.50%, and zero exit load.

Bank of India (BoI) Launches ‘Trade Easy’ with Cashinvoice

• The Initiative: A digital credit platform built to disburse instant working capital loans to MSMEs within 30 minutes of application.
• Goal: Aims to disburse ₹1,000 crore to over 200,000 MSMEs over the next 4 to 6 months using an automated digital credit onboarding framework.

Economy & Business

OECD Raises India’s FY26 GDP Growth Forecast to 6.7%

• The Report: Interim Economic Outlook titled ‘Finding the Right Balance in Uncertain Times’.
• Key Numbers for India:
  • FY26 GDP: Raised by 40 bps to 6.7% (up from 6.3%) due to fiscal easing and GST reforms.
  • FY27 GDP: Revised slightly downward to 6.2% (from 6.4%).
  • Inflation: CPI expected to drop by 120 bps to 2.9% for FY26.
• Global Outook: Global growth projected at 3.2% (CY25) and 2.9% (CY26).

Cochin Shipyard Partners with South Korea’s HD KSOE

• The Project: Strategic long-term collaboration for advanced shipbuilding aligned with Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.
• Infrastructure Boost:
  • CSL's 310m dry dock will manufacture up to 6 massive vessels (Suezmax tankers, Capesize bulk carriers) annually.
  • A ₹3,700-crore Block Fabrication Facility (BFF) spanning 80 acres is planned at Kochi, Kerala.
  • Plans laid out for a mega ₹15,000-crore Greenfield Shipyard in Tamil Nadu.

L&T and BEL Team Up for India's 5th-Gen Fighter Jet (AMCA)

• The Partnership: Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) allied to manufacture the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)—a twin-engine, 5th-generation stealth fighter jet for the IAF.
• Timeline: Project led by DRDO's Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA). Prototype expected by 2028–29, IAF induction by 2034, and series mass production by 2035.

Akasa Air Links with OpenAirlines for Eco-Flying Platform

• The Tech: Integration of the SkyBreathe 360 Eco-flying platform to leverage flight data and optimize fuel management.
• Impact: Expected to cut fuel consumption by up to 5% and massively lower CO2 emissions across Akasa’s expanding Boeing 737 MAX fleet.

Awards & Recognitions

UK PM Keir Starmer Conferred the ‘Living Bridge’ Award

• The Award: Presented by the India Business Group (IBG) at the House of Lords, London, celebrating contributions to India-UK bilateral trade and the Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
• Other 2025 Honorees: GMR Group (Infrastructure), G.P. Hinduja (Chairperson, Hinduja Group), Bina Mehta (Chair, KPMG UK), and the University of Southampton.

Goldman Sachs Expands ‘10,000 Women’ Program with IIM-A & IIM-L

• New Academic Partners: IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Lucknow Enterprise Incubation Centre (EIC) join existing partner IIM Bangalore (NSRCEL).
• Objective: Empower women entrepreneurs to support India's Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, targeting 1,000 graduates in 2026 and scaling to 10,000 participants by 2033.

Science & Technology

Agnikul Cosmos Opens India’s 1st Private Large-Format 3D Printing Facility

• Location: IIT-Madras Research Park, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• Capability: Enables seamless, end-to-end additive manufacturing of space-grade rocket engine components up to 1 meter tall.
• Benefit: Features an indigenous de-powdering post-processing machine that enhances component reliability while dropping traditional manufacturing costs by 50%.

Important Days

International Day of Sign Languages 2025 – September 23

• Theme: “No Human Rights Without Sign Language Rights.”
• Significance: Commemorates the founding of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) in 1951. Observed alongside the International Week of Deaf People (IWDP).
• Symbol: The Blue Ribbon, representing the global push for equality and linguistic recognition.

National Service Scheme (NSS) Day 2025 – September 24

• Background: Marks the official launch of the NSS on September 24, 1969, by then Education Minister Dr. V.K.R.V. Rao. It was originally conceptualized by Major General Jagannath Rao Bhonsle.
• Key Facts: Administered by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS).
  • Motto: “Not Me But You”
  • Symbol: Inspired by the giant Rath wheel of the Konark Sun Temple in Odisha.