The prototype of the country’s indigenous light tank Zorawar is ready and will soon be subjected to extensive trials, Defence officials said. The tank was unveiled on July 6. It was jointly developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) along with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) as the lead integrator. The tank is currently powered by a Cummins engine and DRDO has taken up a project to develop a new engine domestically, officials said.

“It has been developed from the drawing board within shortest possible time and capable of operation in the most challenging environment on the earth, i.e. extreme weather and extreme height with minimal logistic support in high altitude area along the northern border of India,” a Defence official said. First prototype is ready after factory acceptance. Shortly, it will be subjected to internal trials in the field area and thereafter handed over to the users for trials, the source stated.

Non-banking finance company Indiabulls Housing Finance on Wednesday announced that it has officially changed its name to ‘Sammaan Capital Limited’, following the receipt for Certificate of Incorporation issued by the Registrar of Companies (RoC), and Certificate of Registration (CoR) as an NBFC-ICC from the RBI.

The company had announced its plans to rebrand the company on May 22, 2023 and January 25, 2024.

In a regulatory filing, the company said that it will shortly submit the requisite applications with the stock exchanges for effecting change of name and trading in the shares of the company in its new name and a new symbol. It also informed that the company will operationalize the change in name across branches, its website, stationery, etc. within this month. Further, customer outreach would be undertaken through appropriate campaigns across various media channels, within this fiscal quarter, it added.

In an effort to uphold consumer rights and respond to evolving concerns regarding hassle-free product repairs, the Department of Consumer Affairs held a meeting with Automobile Associations to onboard companies onto the Right to Repair Portal India.

Speaking at the meeting, Department of Consumer Affairs, Secretary, Nidhi Khare emphasized the need to enhance efforts towards democratization of repair manuals and videos, foster a robust ecosystem for third-party repair services, and establish standards for them. All companies were urged to join the unified Right to Repair Portal India, which aims to facilitate and work as a catalyst for providing relevant repair-associated information between consumers and companies.

The Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA), under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution, Government of India, has launched the Right to Repair Portal India. It provides consumers with easy access to information for repairing their products and enabling them to reuse it, thereby contributing to the circular economy as well as reduction of e-waste in a hassle-free manner.

ICICI Lombard, a leading private general insurer in India, proudly announces the launch of its revolutionary health insurance product, ‘Elevate’. Powered with AI, the first-of-its-kind health product is loaded with cutting-edge features and add-ons, offering personalised solutions to meet the needs of dynamic lifestyles, unforeseen medical emergencies and medical inflation. This significant launch underscores ICICI Lombard’s commitment to pioneering advancements in the insurance industry, delivering exceptional value to its customers.

Anand Singhi, Chief of Retail and Government at ICICI Lombard, stated, “‘Elevate’ embodies our steadfast dedication to pioneering innovation and customer-centricity. As a ground-breaking industry first, powered by an AI engine, ‘Elevate’ will redefine health insurance, ensuring a deeply personalised experience tailored to customers’ needs. With add-ons such as ‘Infinite Care’ and ‘Power Booster,’ we have set a new standard in health insurance, empowering our customers with unparalleled peace of mind in an increasingly dynamic world."

The Government has re-constituted 8 Cabinet Committees with Prime Minister heading six of them. Out of remaining two, one will be headed by the Home Minister and other by the Defence Minister.

The most powerful Appointment Committee of the Cabinet, responsible for appointment of bureaucrats, will be headed by the Prime Minister.

Home Minister Amit Shah will be only member of the Committee. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), responsible for taking key economic decisions, will be a 10-member committee.

Apart from Defence, Home, Finance, Surface Transport and Agriculture Ministers, four other Ministers – Commerce & Industry, Education, Heavy Industries and Panchayati Raj – are part of the Committee.

Noted Tamil writer Sivashankari, who has created a wealth of literature in Tamil, has been selected for Dr. C. Narayana Reddy National Literary Award.

Ms. Sivashankari will be honoured with a cash prize of ₹5 lakh, a memento and a shawl in recognition of her contribution to the field of literature, according to a press release issued by Sushila Narayana Reddy Trust president C. Ganga and general secretary J. Chennaiah here on Thursday.

A recipient of the Saraswati Samman Award, Ms. Sivashankari will receive the ‘Vishwambhara’ award during Dr. C. Narayana Reddy’s 93rd birth anniversary celebrations at Ravindra Bharati in Hyderabad on July 29.

Rachel Reeves, Britain's first woman finance minister, is a former child chess champion and Bank of England economist who has pledged to grow the nation's economy while showing strong fiscal discipline.

Reeves, 45, becomes chancellor of the exchequer after her centre-left Labour party won Thursday's UK general election by a landslide, ending 14 years of rule by the right-wing Conservatives.

"It is the honour of my life to have been appointed chancellor of the exchequer," Reeves wrote on social media platform X after her appointment by new Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Senior Indian Information Service (IIS) officer Dhirendra Ojha has been appointed as the Director General of Press Information Bureau (PIB). Mr Ojha will replace Sheyphali Sharan, who has been appointed as the Director General of the Publications Division.

The Sampoorna Abhiyan has been kicked off in two selected blocks- Tuibong Block and Lamka Block of Churachandpur district of Manipur on Friday (5th July 2024). As part of the launching program, various departments made a progress report on health sectors especially on pregnant women, supplementary nutrition for pregnant women under ICDS, agriculture, Self Help Groups under Social Welfare Department and education sectors. A drawing competition was also conducted and a Sampoornata Abhiyan march was also held.

The 73rd Indian Pharmaceutical Congress began in Hyderabad on Friday, with Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and two ministers reaffirming the government’s commitment to industrial growth with a multi-pronged approach that includes pharma clusters, a skill university and a new energy policy.

“Let us reaffirm our collective resolve to harness the transformative power of the pharmaceutical industry for the betterment of global well-being,” Mr. Bhatti said, asserting there was no issue with power or water availability. A new energy policy focussing on green energy was all set to be unveiled in the State shortly.

Addressing the gathering at the opening of the three-day event, Minister for Industries and IT D. Sridhar Babu said a proposal for pharma clusters, with the objective of geographically decentralising the industry’s growth, was among the policies and initiatives announced by the Congress government within a few months of coming to power.