Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh on Wednesday launched India’s Net Zero Portal and the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) Dashboard on the occasion of World Ozone Day 2026.

The two digital initiatives are aimed at strengthening transparency, coordination and evidence-based climate action in the country. While the Net Zero Portal provides a central platform for voluntary Net Zero commitments by Indian entities, the NAPCC Dashboard enables consolidated monitoring of progress across the National Missions under the climate action plan.

The Net Zero Portal facilitates voluntary registration and disclosure of Net Zero commitments by entities across sectors. Participating entities can disclose their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, declare Net Zero targets and provide annual updates on their progress.

The Ministry of Steel and its Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) will participate in Special Campaign 6.0 from 2 October to 31 October 2026. The campaign aims to strengthen the Ministry’s commitment to cleanliness, sustainability and efficient governance, with a renewed emphasis on effective collection, segregation and disposal of e-waste.

During Special Campaign 5.0 (October 2025), the Ministry and its PSUs made significant progress in clearing pending matters, disposing of obsolete files and optimising space. Subsequent efforts continued to weed out outdated records, streamline scrap disposal and improve grievance redressal.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Jordanian Armed Forces have launched exercise Eager Lion 2026 at Fort Carson in Colorado, marking the first time the United States has hosted the biennial military training event.

According to a CENTCOM statement, the two-week exercise brings together more than 200 military personnel from Jordan and the United States, including National Guard personnel from Colorado and Illinois, to deepen military cooperation between the two nations.

"Our longstanding military-to-military ties with the Jordanian Armed Forces are stronger than ever," said Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander. "Working and training together will further strengthen our collective operational effectiveness and readiness."

The UEFA Executive Committee has confirmed Munich Football Arena in Germany and Camp Nou in Barcelona as the hosts of the UEFA Champions League finals in 2028 and 2029, respectively.

The decision was taken during the UEFA Executive Committee meeting held in Thessaloniki, Greece, where hosts for several UEFA finals were announced, according to the UEFA website.

The Munich Football Arena will stage the 2028 UEFA Champions League final, while Barcelona's Camp Nou has been selected to host the 2029 showpiece event.

The Union Cabinet has enhanced the wage ceiling for mandatory coverage under the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) from 15 thousand rupees to 25 thousand rupees per month.

Addressing the media in New Delhi after the Cabinet meeting yesterday, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the decision is expected to bring more than 51 lakh additional employees within the ambit of mandatory EPFO coverage, significantly widening social security protection for workers. The annual Government outgo on this is estimated at about 11 thousand 339 crore rupees. Mr Vaishnaw said that the revised wage ceiling will come into effect from Vishwakarma Jayanti today.

The minister said the EPFO wage ceiling remained unchanged throughout the decade from 2004 to 2014 before being substantially enhanced to 15 thousand rupees in September 2014. Mr Vaishnaw highlighted that the present decision carries forward this approach by further raising the ceiling to 25 thousand rupees to reflect the sustained wage growth, rising incomes and a continued expansion of formal employment over the intervening years.
Our correspondent reports that the approval will expand access to provident fund savings, pension protection under the Employees’ Pension Scheme.

Veteran Indian actor Anant Nag, known for his impressive work in Hindi and Kannada cinema in movies such as “Minchina Ota“, “Hamsageethe“, “Ankur” and “Manthan“, has been named as the recipient of prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024.

In a career spanning five decades, Nag has portrayed diverse characters in over 300 films across Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil and Marathi cinema including notable works such as Malgudi days. He will be given the award, the highest recognition in Indian cinema, at the National Film Awards ceremony in Kevadia, Gujarat, on September 22.

Congratulating the veteran actor, in a post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “For several decades, his effortless performances, remarkable versatility and brilliance have left a very strong mark on Indian cinema, particularly Kannada cinema. In whichever role he has played, he brought rare depth and authenticity. This is indeed a richly deserved honour for a truly distinguished artist.”

Coimbatore International Airport is awaiting a nod from the Cabinet for its expansion master plan and has already received approval from NITI Aayog, said Airport Director Mohammed Arif on Wednesday.

Addressing media persons at the airport on the sidelines of a briefing ahead of the Yatri Seva Abhiyan, he said the 627 acres required for the master plan had already been acquired and handed over to the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

He also said that by the end of this year, expansion works, such as the construction of pillars in the domestic security hold area would be completed.

Indian para-shooters Millie Shah and Rakesh Nidagundi delivered historic performances for India at the Changwon 2026 WSPS World Championships in South Korea, winning Gold and Silver in the team events.

Vijayi Bharat Foundation (VBF) athlete Millie Shah clinched the Gold Medal in the R2 Team Event, while fellow VBF athlete Rakesh Nidagundi secured the Silver Medal in the R1 Team Event, according to a press release from VBF.

The landmark results mark India’s first-ever team medals in rifle at the Para Shooting World Championships, with the two athletes together securing Gold and Silver for the country and further highlighting India’s growing strength on the international para shooting stage.

Union Minister of Jal Shakti, C R Patil has launched Swachh Seva Aankalan (SSA) during a virtual meeting with States and Union Territories. The Ministry of Jal Shakti said that SSA is an annual, Gram Panchayat level digital self-assessment framework developed for the assessment and monitoring of sanitation service delivery in rural areas. It has been developed by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) 2.0. The Ministry added that the multi-tier evaluation framework envisages the involvement of Gram Panchayats, Gram Sabhas, and State and UT level officials for strengthening sanitation service delivery at grass root level. The meeting was also attended by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, V. Somanna. The Ministry further said that the move will further empower the Gram Panchayats and Gram Sabhas to review their achievements and progress and make focused efforts for improvement in the same.

The World Bank on Wednesday named Nobel laureate and University of Chicago professor Michael Kremer as its next chief economist, succeeding Indermit Gill, who retired last month. Kremer, 61, will take charge on 1 October, shortly before the annual meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Bangkok, Thailand.

Kremer won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences jointly with Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty. He previously taught economics at Harvard University and currently serves as director of the Development Innovation Lab at the University of Chicago.

Kremer is known for using rigorous research to develop solutions to real-world development problems, particularly in developing countries. His research has covered education, health, water, finance and agriculture, while his programmes have supported small farmers and expanded access to vaccines and school health initiatives.