India will host the first BIMSTEC Business Summit in New Delhi from August 6-8. The Ministry of External Affairs, in association with the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), will host the three-day event.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will inaugurate the Business Summit. Union Minister of Commerce and Industries Piyush Goyal and other leaders will deliver key note addresses, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a press release.

Several Ministers of the BIMSTEC Member States from the ambit of Trade, Commerce and Industry, as well as Energy, along with high-ranking Government officials, policy makers, entrepreneurs and industry associations, will participate in the event.

President Droupadi Murmu was conferred with ‘The Order of Fiji’, the country’s highest civilian award, by Fijian President Ratu Wiliame Maivalili Katonivere on Tuesday.

The award was presented during President Murmu’s three-day state visit to Fiji, marking the first-ever visit by an Indian head of state to the South Pacific nation.

In a special briefing, Jaideep Mazumdar, Secretary (East) of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, highlighted the significance of the award and other key events of the visit. “President Murmu deeply appreciated the honor,” Mazumdar stated. He also noted that the President addressed the Fijian Parliament and held a brief interaction with the local Indian community in Suva.

Upon her arrival in Suva, President Murmu was accorded a Guard of Honor by the Fiji Military Police, followed by a traditional welcome attended by Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. The warm reception extended to the streets, where hundreds of schoolchildren lined up to greet the visiting dignitary.

The government has informed that, in the last 10 years, an additional 106 waterways have been declared as National Waterways. In a reply to supplementary questions in Rajya Sabha Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said, Cargo shipping through waterways has increased by 6 times in the last 10 years. In 2013-14 more than 18 million metric tonnes of cargo was shipped through waterways. In 2023-24 this capacity was increased to 133 million metric tonnes, he added. Mr. Sonowal said,  waterways reduce the logistic cost and it is most feasible for cargo shipping.  

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has given clearance to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) to produce 200 Astra air-to-air missiles for its Su-3O and LCA Tejas fighter aircraft.

The clearance was given to the DRDO and public sector firm BDL, during a recent visit by Indian Air Force Deputy Chief Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit to Hyderabad.

While DRDO is the development agency for the project, BDL is the production agency for it, senior defence officials told India Today TV.

India has begun the groundwork for the Business-Ready or B-Ready index, the World Bank‘s new flagship report benchmarking the business environment and investment climate in economies worldwide. B-Ready is replacing the World Bank’s Doing Business index that ranked countries based on their business enabling environment.

As part of the exercise, the commerce and industry ministry has asked traders, clearing agents and freight forwarders for details such as total time and cost involved in social trade, especially when exporting digitally ordered goods.

The B-Ready report focuses on 10 topics in the life cycle of businesses such as business entry, labour, financial services, international trade and taxation.

The topic on international trade seeks to assess the efficiency of importing and exporting goods, services, customs clearances and engaging in digital trade. Digital trade refers to transactions that promote access to cross-border digital markets and increase the participation of end consumers.

At the Tata Group’s ₹27,000-crore greenfield semiconductor assembly and test facility in Assam, which is expected to be operationalised by next year, around 15 billion chips will be packaged annually for customers globally.

For India’s first indigenous facility for assembly and testing of semiconductor chips, the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony was performed on Saturday.

The chips, which will be packaged at the Jagiroad facility in Assam, will power electric vehicles, healthcare devices, mobile phones, laptops, and other key products of leading global companies around the world.

Speaking on the occasion, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran said the Tata Group has taken a very holistic view and has a unique positioning in the entire value chain of the electronics ecosystem.

Daljit Singh Chawdhary, the Director General of Sahastra Seema Bal (SSB), took over the additional charge of Director General Border Security Force on Saturday said.

"On 03rd August 2024, Shri Daljit Singh Chawdhary ,IPS Director General SSB took over the additional charge of Director General Border Security Force, the largest Border Guarding Force of the world," a press release stated on Saturday.

Daljit Singh Chawdhary is a 1990 batch officer of the Indian Police Service, Uttar Pradesh cadre. He assumed the charge of DG SSB on January 23, 2024, the press release added.

In his 34 years of service, he has served in different capacities in Uttar Pradesh and also has the privilege of serving on Central Deputation since 2017, as ADG in Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and as SDG in Central Reserve Police Force.

RailTel, a premier telecom and ICT solutions provider PSU, has announced a strategic collaboration with Cylus, a leading cybersecurity firm specializing in the rail industry on Friday. This partnership aims to enhance the cybersecurity framework of Indian Railways' extensive infrastructure.

According to RailTel, it will integrate and deploy Cylus' proprietary cybersecurity solution, CylusOne™. The partnership will focus on fortifying the security of railway signalling systems, including trackside, onboard, and SCADA systems.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) on Friday said that it has received the first ever order for the demonstration of methanol firing in a Gas Turbine at the 350 MW Kayamkulam Combined Cycle Power Plant (CCPP) of NTPC installed at Alappuzha district in Kerala. This will be the first such demonstration project of its kind in India.

Significantly, this demonstration will pave the way for reviving unutilised gas turbine sets in the country which are inoperative due to unavailability of natural gas and naphtha, the company added.

Notably, Kayamkulam CCPP comprising two gas turbines of 115 MW each and one steam turbine of 120 MW was set up by BHEL on turnkey basis in 1998-99.

State-owned Coal India Ltd (CIL) has entered into non-disclosure pacts with companies from different nations to check the viability of potential investment in critical mineral projects, the government said on Monday. Critical minerals are the foundation on which modern technology is built.

From solar panels to semiconductors, wind turbines to advanced batteries for storage and transportation, the world needs critical minerals to build these products.

Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy in a written reply to Rajya Sabha said, "CIL (Coal India Ltd) has signed non-disclosure agreements with companies from different countries.... in the critical mineral projects."