The second edition of the Indian Army’s flagship international seminar, the Chanakya Defence Dialogue, culminated in Delhi today. This two-day event brought together policymakers, strategic thinkers, academia, defence personnel, veterans, scientists, and subject matter experts from India and abroad to examine India’s strategic directions and developmental priorities. Prominent speakers from India, the United States, Russia, Israel, and Sri Lanka offered a global perspective on how security influences India’s developmental trajectory toward Viksit Bharat in 2047.

On the second day, the Chairman of ISRO, Dr. S. Somanath, emphasised the pivotal role India’s space sector plays in strengthening national security. The ISRO Chief discussed the significance of space in modern times, especially given the growing congestion and competition within the realm of satellite communication, navigation, space science, and earth observation.

Former Permanent Representative of India to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj, gave a lecture on India’s evolving and influential role in shaping today’s multilateral world.

The 18th edition of the NFDC Film Bazaar has announced its official selection for the Co-Production Market featuring 21 feature films and 8 web series from seven countries. Film Bazaar is organized every year alongside the prestigious International Film Festival of India (IFFI) scheduled to take place from 20th to 28th November, 2024 in Goa. This year, the Film Bazaar will be taking place from 20th to 24th November 2024, at the Marriott Resort in Goa.

This year’s official selection showcases a rich tapestry of languages, including Hindi, English, Assamese, Tamil, Marwari, Bengali, Malayalam, Punjabi, Nepali, Marathi, Pahadi, and Cantonese. In the Film Bazaar, Filmmakers from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Australia, the UK, Germany, and Hong Kong will pitch their projects to a range of industry professionals, including producers, distributors, festival programmers, financiers, and sales agents.

The National Centre for Good Governance completed the 34th Capacity Building Programme for Maldivian Civil Servants in New Delhi today. The two-week program began on the 14th of this month in collaboration with the External Affairs Ministry. The program was attended by 35 civil servants from the Maldives, including directors, assistant directors, and senior administrators, among others. Further, this was the second program under the second phase for civil servants of the Maldives following the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding to train 1,000 Maldivian civil servants.

In wrestling, India bagged one Silver and a Bronze at the Under 23 Wrestling World Championship 2024 in Tirana, Albania last night. India’s Anjli clinched Silver in the women’s 59kg category. She finished in second place after losing to Solimiia Vynnyk of Ukraine in the final.

In Another win for India, Monika in the 68 kg scored a 5-3 victory over the Chinese opponent Xinze Du to grab a bronze medal. Earlier yesterday, India’s Vishvajit Ramchandra More bagged the Bronze medal by defeating Adam Ulbashev, 14-10, in the Men’s 55 kg Greco-Roman category.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has invited applications for Sports Awards 2024. Sports Awards are given every year to recognize and reward excellence in sports. The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award is given for spectacular and outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson. The Arjuna Award is given for consistent outstanding performance by a sportsperson. The Arjuna Award (Lifetime) has been introduced and will be given for lifetime contribution to sports development. The Dronacharya Award goes to coaches for producing medal winners at prestigious international sports events. The applications of eligible sportspersons, coaches, and entities for the awards must be submitted at the online portal dbtyas-sports.gov.in by 14th November.

GM Arjun Erigaisi made history on Thursday by becoming the youngest Indian and only the second from the country after Viswanathan Anand to surpass the coveted 2800 Elo rating mark.

Arjun — playing for team Alkaloid in the European Chess Club Cup 2024 — beat Russia’s Dmitry Andreikin in the fifth round with White pieces to achieve the feat. This win also helped him become the World No. 3 in the live rating list.

Arjun became the 16th player to cross the 2800-rating mark.

Frenchman Alireza Firouzja, at 18 years and five months, is the youngest player to cross the 2800 barrier. Five-time World Champion, Magnus Carlsen sits second on this list.

Indian women’s hockey legend Rani Rampal has announced her retirement as player. Rani played 254 international matches and scored 120 goals since making her debut at just 14 years old in 2008 during the Olympic qualifiers in Kazan, becoming the youngest woman to represent India at the senior level in hockey. Rani also played a key role in the Indian team that won a silver medal at the Asia Cup in 2009 and helped secure a bronze at the Asian Games in 2014.

In honour of Rani Rampal’s remarkable contributions to Indian hockey, Hockey India retired her iconic No. 28 jersey later in the day.

The queen of Indian hockey, Rani, will now be seen coaching and nurturing the future stars of the sport, as she was named the coach of India’s under-17 team by Hockey India in 2023. This year, she also took on the role of coach and mentor for the Soorma Hockey Club in the upcoming Hockey India League.

BEML Limited on Wednesday announced the induction of two highly experienced professionals into its board. According to the company, Rajeev Kumar Gupta has joined as Director (Rail & Metro) while Sanjay Som has taken on the role of Director (Mining & Construction) on the board of the defence PSU.

Gupta holds a degree in Electronics Engineering from BIT Sindri and brings over 35 years of public sector experience. His distinguished career includes leadership roles at SAIL and BHEL, showcasing his vast expertise in manufacturing, marketing, project execution, IT, strategic management, corporate communication, and international business.

Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (Power Grid), a Maharatna CPSU under Ministry of Power, celebrated its 35th raising day across the country with great zeal and enthusiasm.

The Union Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy Shripad Yesso Naik joined the 35th Raising Day celebrations with Power Grid family at Gurugram on October 23. He congratulated Power Grid CMD RK Tyagi and team for enabling One Nation, One Grid, One Frequency and realizing the dream of making one of the largest synchronous grids of the world.

He also praised Power Grid's role in Energy Transition.

State-run NLC India Limited (NLCIL) has announced its decision to form two joint ventures (JV) with Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RRVUNL) which will focus on setting up a lignite-based thermal power station and establishing Renewable Energy (RE) projects in Rajasthan. The two companies have signed a joint venture agreement in this regard. Neyveli Lignite Corporation said that the decision to set up two JV companies is in line with the PSU’s corporate plan for aggressive capacity addition.

“With the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, for energy security with sustainable energy generation, under the guidance of Union Minister of Coal and Mines Shri G Kishan Reddy and Minister of State for Coal and Mines Shri Satish Chandra Dubey, and in line with the corporate plan for aggressive capacity addition, NLC India Ltd has entered into Joint Venture Agreements for formation of two significant Joint Ventures (JVs) with Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RRVUNL),” said a statement.