Tata Power on Wednesday said Deepesh Nanda has been appointed as President-Renewables and CEO & MD of its subsidiary Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL). His appointment is effective November 1, 2023, Tata Power said in a statement.

Nanda will be responsible for driving the growth and profitability of Tata Power's renewable energy portfolio, which encompasses solar, wind, hybrid, and B2C green energy solutions. He will also lead innovation and digital transformation initiatives in the renewable energy sector.

Nanda brings with him 28 years of extensive experience across companies like GE, Flowserve and Tyco. He joins Tata Power from GE Gas Power, where he was the Chief Executive Officer for South Asia, overseeing operations in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, and Nepal. He was additionally President & CEO of GE's Aero-derivative Gas Turbine business segment for Asia.

The iconic British-era 'Throne Room' at the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata has been named after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of Independent India

Raj Bhavan sources said the naming of the “Throne Room” after Patel has been done following a decision of Governor C.V. Ananda Bose on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the freedom fighter on Tuesday. The room will henceforth be known as 'Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Unity Room'.

The Governor has also taken a decision that a new academic chair named after Patel will be set up at the Calcutta University, where Bose by virtue of his chair is also the Chancellor.

The 'Throne Room', as the name suggests, has a collection of thrones of iconic historical personalities such as Lord Wellesley and Tipu Sultan, among others.

Vihaan Talya Vikas, a remarkable 10-year-old from Bengaluru, has made headlines by clinching the top prize in his category at the renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY) competition, held in the heart of London. This prestigious competition, organized by the Natural History Museum, is often referred to as the 'Oscars of Photography' and serves as a global platform for showcasing the world's most exceptional wildlife photography.

Vihaan's winning photograph captures a spider in an intriguing position with a sculpture of Lord Krishna, nestled on the outskirts of his city. The image is not only striking but also thought-provoking. It wonderfully captures the spider, seemingly entranced by the divine notes of Krishna's flute. This captivating image stood out among the 50,000 entries from 95 countries, ultimately earning Vihaan the coveted award in the under-10 category.

The Second Rohini Nayyar Prize for outstanding contribution to rural development was presented to Deenanath Rajput, an engineer-turned-social worker, for his work on empowering tribal women in Bastar, Chhattisgarh.

The prize was presented in memory of late economist-administrator Dr Rohini Nayyar. It came with a trophy, a citation and cash prize of Rs 10 lakh.

The prize was presented by chief guest N K Singh, Chairman, Fifteenth Finance Commission. The jury that selected the winner of the award were Dr. Ashok Khosla of Development Alternatives, Dr. Rajesh Tandon of Participatory Research in Asia, Renana Jhabvala of the Self-Employed Women’s Association and Professor Seeta Prabhu. Dr Deepak Nayyar, Emeritus Professor of Economics, JNU was also present at the event.

Cayman Islands’ exit from the FATF grey list last week will bolster global private equity funds looking to invest into non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) based in India.

The region was put on the grey list for increased monitoring by the FATF, or the Financial Action Task Force, a global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog, in February 2021.

Several US and European funds prefer setting up holding companies and funds in Cayman Islands for investments into India, according to experts.

Leading digital transformation solutions company UST has won the 2023 Mahatma Awards for sustainable and impactful contributions to corporate social responsibility (CSR) in areas such as education, health, livelihood, environment, and disaster relief. An initiative of Aditya Birla Group, the award was presented on Gandhi Jayanti.

A highlight of the company’s CSR drive is its Adopt-a-School programme which impacts over 32,000 students in India and Mexico, a spokesperson said here. UST supports over 104 schools, promoting accessible, quality education for all. Its initiatives include medical support for those with disabilities and habitat restoration projects in Kerala.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will attend the commemoration of the bicentennial anniversary of the arrival of India-origin Tamils in Sri Lanka, Naam 200 in Colombo today. She will also address the India Sri Lanka Business Summit, focusing on the theme of 'Enhancing Connectivity: Partnering for Prosperity', fostering bilateral economic cooperation and trade. She is also scheduled to hold discussions with the Sri Lankan leadership, reinforcing the strategic importance of the diplomatic relationship between the two countries. The minister will oversee signing of the MoU for Solar Electrification of Religious Places in Sri Lanka under Indian assistance of 82.4 crore rupees. The Finance minister will also inaugurate two new branches of State Bank of India at Jaffna and Trincomalee.

Mrs. Sitharaman reached Colombo yesterday on a three day visit of Sri Lanka. She paid obeisance at the Sri Dalada Maligawa temple at Kandy. Mrs. Sitharaman met the Chief prelate of Malwatte Venerable Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thero and Chief prelate of Asgiriya Venerable Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana. She reiterated the strong connect between the two countries reflected through Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visits to Sri Lanka. Both religious leaders recounted the generous and timely assistance provided by India to Sri Lanka during the economic crisis last year. The minister also paid her respects at the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi at Anuradhapura. The Maha Bodhi was brought to Sri Lanka from India by Emperor Ashoka’s daughter Sanghamitra over two thousand two hundred years ago.

India and Sri Lanka have relaunched the negotiations for the Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ECTA) after a five year hiatus, the government said Wednesday.

The two sides held the 12th round of negotiations on the ETCA in Sri Lanka from October 30-November 1. They had held 11 rounds of bilateral talks from 2016 to 2018. after which the talks were paused.

“During this round, both sides reviewed the progress on implementation and decided to drop nine issues as being resolved,” commerce and industry ministry said in a statement.

Issues such as the quota on apparel and pepper and the procurement of pharmaceuticals were also discussed and both sides decided to continue the discussion and explore new options for resolution of the matter.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with India's Asian Para Games contingent at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi today. The programme is an endeavour by the Prime Minister to congratulate the athletes for their outstanding achievement at the Asian Para Games 2022 and to motivate them for future competitions. India won a total of one hundred eleven medals including 29 gold medals in Asian Para Games 2022.
 
The total medal tally at the Asian Para Games 2022 witnessed a 54 per cent increase over the previous best performance in 2018. The programme will be attended by the athletes, their coaches, officials from the Paralympic Committee of India, Indian Olympic Association and representatives from National Sports Federations.

NITI Aayog organised a workshop on India-AU Collaboration for a Better inclusive World in partnership with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) at the Taj Palace, New Delhi today. The workshop focused on deliberations to implement the commitments laid out in the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration (NDLD) which was signed recently concluded G20 Conference.

Dr. V K Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog, analysed the various aspects of India-AU cooperation and said that India and the AU have a lot to offer each other in terms of knowledge, skills, and resources. He urged the participants to come up with concrete proposals for cooperation in the three key areas of inclusive growth, sustainable infrastructure, and migration management.

Prof. Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI Aayog, spoke about the importance of agricultural growth and potential mutual learning between the two regions. He said that India and the AU can learn from each other’s experiences in agriculture and agribusiness. He also highlighted the need for cooperation in areas such as agricultural research, technology transfer, and market access.