Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah honoured Maharishi Valmiki on his Jayanti by garlanding his statue at the Legislators' House in Vidhana Soudha. He used the occasion to announce key initiatives to promote equality and empowerment for marginalised communities.

In a major move, Siddaramaiah declared that all government residential schools in Karnataka will be renamed as 'Maharshi Valmiki Residential Schools.' Additionally, Raichur University will be renamed as 'Maharishi Valmiki University,' aligning with efforts to honour the contributions of Maharishi Valmiki.

Reiterating the message of social reformer Dr BR Ambedkar, Siddaramaiah highlighted the importance of tackling both economic and social inequalities.

India's central bank barred four non-bank finance companies (NBFCs) from sanctioning and disbursing loans due to "usurious" pricing and breaching regulatory norms, it said in a release on Thursday.
The ban on Asirvad Micro Finance, Arohan Financial Services, DMI Finance and Navi Finserv is effective from the close of business on Oct. 21, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said.

The companies' pricing policies in terms of their weighted average lending rate (WALR) and the interest spread charged over their cost of funds were found to be excessive and did not adhere to regulations, the RBI said.

"In addition to usurious pricing, these NBFCs were variously found to be in non-adherence with the regulatory guidelines on assessment of household income and consideration of existing/ proposed monthly repayment obligations in respect of their microfinance loans," the RBI said.

In the ISSF World Cup Final Shooting, India’s Vivaan Kapoor claimed the silver medal in the trap event at the ISSF World Cup Final in New Delhi this afternoon. Vivaan shot 44 in the final to finish behind gold medal winner Ying Qi of China, while Turkey’s Tolga N. Tuncer won the bronze medal with a score of 35. Earlier, Anantjeet Singh Naruka bagged the bronze medal in the Skeet Final Shotgun event. China remained at the top of the medal tally with a total of 8 medals, which included five gold and three bronze. Meanwhile, India stands in 9th place with a total of 4 medals, which included two silver and two bronze.

Actor Rashmika Mandanna has been appointed as the national brand ambassador of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), an initiative of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India to combat cyber crimes.

Last year, Rashmika Mandanna was a victim of a deepfake video posted online on the Internet, sparking discussions about digital safety.

Cyber Dost, the cyber safety and cyber security awareness handle maintained by the MHA, welcomed Ms. Rashmika as the national brand ambassador of I4C. “Excited to be onboard the pan-India star @iamRashmika as I4C’s National Brand Ambassador. We are joining forces to fortify India’s digital landscape, we’ll tackle cybercrimes head on,” read a post on X.

NITI Aayog will organize a two-day international methanol seminar and expo 2024 from tomorrow in New Delhi. The event will be held in collaboration with the Methanol Institute of the United States. This event will highlight the progress of projects, products, and Research and Development initiatives related to Methanol production, application, and allied technological developments in the world.

The key focus of the seminar will be to highlight the role of Methanol in the world energy transition and the rise of Methanol as a low-carbon fuel in green shipping. In a curtain raiser press conference in New Delhi, a Member of NITI Aayog, Dr V K Saraswat said that methanol is a versatile fuel that can be produced from a wide range of domestic feedstocks, including biomass, coal, and renewable sources. He said that it is one of the cleanest fuel and cheaper than fossil fuel. He said it will play a crucial role in India’s clean energy transition.

Akhil Sheoran spectacularly rose to third place in the rifle 3-position event in the World Cup Final at the Dr. Karni Singh range in Tughlakabad on Wednesday.

It was the second medal for the host after the silver on the opening day by Sonam Maskar. Incidentally, both Akhil and Sonam were two of the four shooters who had got direct entry into the prestigious championship.

The 29-year-old Akhil finished behind two of the finest rifle shooters in the world, Istvan Peni of Hungary and Jiri Privratsky of the Czech Republic after having bridged the gap to 0.6 points before the last shot. He was placed fifth last year in the championship in Doha.

The Seventh Session of the International Solar Alliance Assembly will be held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi from 3rd of next month. The four-day event will continue till 6th of November. The ISA Assembly will deliberate on initiatives of the International Solar Alliance, ISA that impact energy access, security and traditions with a focus on empowering member countries to adopt solar energy and mobilise finance to speed up solar deployment.

In a curtain raiser press conference in New Delhi, Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy and President of ISA Pralhad Joshi said that leaders from across the world will be gathered at the ISA Assembly to promote the widespread adoption of solar power. He emphasised that the widespread adoption of solar energy solutions is one of the most powerful weapons in the battle against global warming. He added, that for this the ISA was established as a joint initiative between India and France to address climate change.

He said, that through initiatives like ISA, India has taken significant strides in progressing the global climate action under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mr Joshi informed that India is today recognised globally for its leadership in renewable energy, climate action and sustainability.

CM Bhupendra Patel gave Letters of Intent (LoI) to at least four eligible leaseholders after auction of minor mineral blocks in districts of Junagadh, Devbhumi Dwarka, Sabarkantha and Kutch Tuesday.

As per a government statement, 25 major mineral blocks have been auctioned so far, and LoIs were given to 20. The state government introduced an “application-based system” for granting leases quickly for minor minerals on private land as part of its Ease of Doing Business initiative, the statement said.

The amendment for minor minerals was put into effect in 2022 to allow application-based leases on private land of up to four hectares.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved significant appointments within the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) on Tuesday.

According to an order issued from the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), IAS officer Akash Tripathi has been entrusted with additional responsibilities as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO) of Digital India Corporation (DIC). He is a 1998-batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre and is currently serving as CEO of MyGov.

The appointment of Tripathi is effective from April 1, 2024, is for a period of six months or until the appointment of a regular incumbent, or until further orders, whichever is the earliest.

Senior IPS officer Praveen Vashista has been appointed as the new Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), according to an official order. Vashista is a 1991-batch IPS officer of the Bihar cadre. Currently, he is serving as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs.

According to an order from the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the curtailment of Vashista’s current role, appointing him as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Home Ministry until December 31, 2024. He will succeed the incumbent, Sivagami Sundari Nanda, who is set to retire on December 31, 2024. Vashista’s tenure as Special Secretary will continue until July 31, 2026.