The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed Ravi Shankar as new Executive Director with effect from July 1, 2026.

In his new role, Shankar will look after the Department of Statistics and Information Management. Prior to his promotion as ED, he was serving as Adviser-In-Charge of the Department of Statistics and Information Management of the Bank.

As a career central banker statistician, Shankar has over three decades experience in the RBI having worked in the areas of corporate, banking statistics, government securities market and settlement systems, debt management, and surveys in the Reserve Bank, per a Central bank statement.

India and Japan on Thursday rolled out an ambitious roadmap for cooperation in artificial intelligence, spanning governance and cybersecurity to chip supply chains and talent mobility, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Takaichi Sanae used a bilateral summit to deepen ties in a technology both leaders described as reshaping the global order.

The joint statement, issued in the capital, frames AI as a defining technology whose governance choices today will shape economic security and international power balances for decades. New Delhi and Tokyo agreed to align their cooperation with India's MAHASAGAR outreach initiative and Japan's revamped Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy, positioning the partnership as part of a broader push to build resilient, growth-oriented economic networks across the region and the wider Global South.

NITI Aayog on Thursday released a report titled “Strategic Roadmap for Making Ayurveda Global”, laying out a long-term strategy to transform Ayurveda into a globally recognised, evidence-based healthcare system by 2047. The report, prepared by NITI Aayog’s Health Division in collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), assesses Ayurveda’s global footprint and identifies key opportunities and challenges in expanding its international presence.

The report was launched by Dr. Ashok Kumar Lahiri, Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, in the presence of Prof. (Dr.) M. Srinivas, Member, NITI Aayog, and Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush. Senior officials from the Ministries of Ayush and External Affairs, along with representatives from government agencies, research institutions, industry associations and other stakeholders, also attended the event.

Speaking at the launch, Lahiri said the globalisation of Ayurveda presents India with a unique opportunity to emerge as a global leader in traditional medicine while generating economic value, creating jobs, boosting exports and strengthening the country’s cultural soft power. He stressed that achieving this vision would require a coordinated, whole-of-government approach and time-bound implementation.

Industry leaders on Thursday welcomed the Delhi Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy, 2026, saying it will accelerate electric vehicle adoption, reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels, and position the national capital as a leader in clean mobility.

Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of ASSOCHAM's National Conference on "Building India an Electric Mobility Hub for Viksit Bharat", ASSOCHAM President and Uno Minda Group Chairman Nirmal K. Minda said the policy would provide a major boost to the country's transition towards sustainable transportation while supporting the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

"The biggest benefit will be to the environment, while our dependence on imported fossil fuels will reduce, helping us move towards the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat," Minda said, congratulating Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on introducing the policy.

Nagaland’s Paralympian Hokato Hotozhe Sema has added another feather to his cap by climbing to the World No. 1 in the men’s Shot Put F57 category. According to the latest World Para Athletics Rankings, Subedar Hokato Hotozhe Sema of the 9 Assam Rifles secured the top position.

Sema recently became the first Paralympian to be conferred the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal. He is also a recipient of the Arjuna Award and has won the bronze medal in the men’s Shot Put F57 event at the Paris Paralympics 2024. Fellow Indian athletes Rana Soman and Juyal Shubham were ranked second and third, respectively, in the latest rankings, underscoring India’s strong presence in the event.

As Gujarat rapidly emerges as India’s semiconductor manufacturing hub, the state is now turning its attention to building the talent pipeline needed to support the sector. A ₹190-crore semiconductor research and training centre, christened SAMARTH (Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Research and Training Hub), will be established at IIT Gandhinagar to train engineering students, faculty members and industry professionals.

The facility, being jointly funded by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the Gujarat government’s Department of Science and Technology, and IIT Gandhinagar, aims to create a steady pool of “fab-ready” engineers as semiconductor manufacturing gathers pace in the country. The institute has already initiated the procurement of advanced equipment and the appointment of consultants for construction of the centre, which will focus on semiconductor research, workforce development and industry-oriented training.

The government has confirmed that two mobile applications linked to concerns over the remote shutdown of e-rickshaws have been removed from app stores, following reports that certain vehicles could be disabled through the Chinese smartphone application BAT-BMS.

Speaking on the sidelines of a CII Cybersecurity Summit on Friday, IT Secretary S Krishnan said the apps were taken down after they came to the government's notice. He also stressed that app stores must exercise greater due diligence before hosting applications that could pose cybersecurity risks.

Confirming the action, Krishnan said, "That is right. There are a couple of apps, which came to our notice yesterday and both of them have been taken down from the app stores."

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has revised the appointment terms of IAS officer Lokhande Prashant Sitaram, assigning him the additional charge of Chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) while appointing him as Additional Secretary in the Department of Home under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

CBSE 10th Second Board Result 2026 Live Updates

According to an official order issued by the ACC, Lokhande, a 2001-batch AGMUT cadre IAS officer, will serve as Additional Secretary in the Department of Home, Ministry of Home Affairs, and concurrently hold the additional charge of CBSE Chairperson. The order states that this arrangement will continue until a regular Chairperson is appointed or until further orders are issued, whichever is earlier.

The Central government on Thursday amended the Drugs Rules, 1945, bringing stem cell derived products, gene therapeutic products and xenografts under the ambit of the Centrally Licensed Approving Authority (CLAA) framework to enhance regulatory oversight of new and emerging therapies.

Under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, certain drugs and biological products are under joint regulatory supervision of the Central and State regulators. These include vaccines, large volume parenterals and r-DNA based medicines.

With this amendment, this set is being expanded to cover additional emerging technologies, the health ministry said in a statement.

Cell and genetic therapies are complex and rapidly evolving fields with several cutting-edge cancer treatments, including the Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T). With high costs of the patented therapies, many Indian companies are making their own immunotherapy to treat blood cancer.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday launched ‘Delhi Next – Code, Create and Change’, describing it as the country’s largest civic-tech innovation programme aimed at using technology-driven solutions to address the Capital’s civic and urban challenges.

Gupta said the initiative would bring together young innovators, start-ups, researchers and educational institutions to develop solutions for challenges such as waterlogging, traffic management, smart parking, air pollution, waste management, the electric vehicle ecosystem, digital governance and citizen grievance redressal.

Calling the initiative “more than just a hackathon”, the Chief Minister said the selected innovations would move beyond demonstrations and be implemented as pilot projects in government departments.