The Centre plans to build a 10,000-strong workforce of medical and allied healthcare professionals for de-addiction services by 2029 as part of its goal of achieving a Nasha Mukt Bharat, Union Health Minister JP Nadda said on Monday.

Launching a capacity-building programme for healthcare professionals engaged in drug de-addiction services, Nadda said the ministry aims to train 2,000 service providers in the current financial year, followed by 3,000 in 2027-28 and 5,000 in 2028-29.

The programme aims to improve access to evidence-based, patient-centred addiction care and strengthen the prevention, identification, assessment, treatment and management of substance use disorders.

The 61st Meeting of the International Committee of Legal Metrology commenced in New Delhi today. For the first time, India is hosting this international meeting, bringing together delegates, senior officials and technical experts from across the world to advance cooperation in measurement standards, consumer protection and fair trade.

Addressing the gathering, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare emphasised that accurate and internationally harmonised measurements are fundamental to fair trade, consumer confidence, industrial innovation and economic growth. Highlighting India’s commitment to consumer protection alongside ease of doing business, the Secretary referred to the Jan Vishwas reforms of 2023 and 2026.

She said that these reforms have introduced measures such as decriminalisation of specified offences, improvement notices and graded penalties, promoting a more proportionate and business-friendly regulatory framework while retaining essential consumer safeguards. She highlighted the expansion of Government Approved Test Centres to augment verification capacity and the development of the e-Maap National Portal to provide integrated digital services in legal metrology.

India and Canada today held the inaugural meeting of the India-Canada Migration and Mobility Dialogue in New Delhi. The meeting was co-chaired by Secretary (Consular, Passport, Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs) in the External Affairs Ministry Sripriya Ranganathan and Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship of Canada, Ted Gallivan.

During the meeting, the two sides signed the Terms of Reference for the Dialogue and reaffirmed their shared conviction that people are the strongest bridge between India and Canada. Discussions also focused on the mobility of students, skilled workers, professionals and business visitors as well as cooperation on migration management. The next meeting of the dialogue will be held in Canada.

Tata Communications will invest close to $450 million to build a 10,000-km high-speed fibre network connecting India's artificial intelligence (AI) data centre corridors and key business hubs, as the company looks to meet growing demand for connectivity from cloud providers and enterprises.

The company disclosed the investment in a stock exchange filing on Monday, October 26, saying the proposed expansion would add around 6 petabits per second (Pbps) of network capacity. The additional capacity is planned to be added between FY2030 and FY2036.

The investment will be funded through operating cash flows, according to the filing submitted to the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and BSE.

In a significant push to retain experienced and talented judges at the grassroots, the Supreme Court on Monday expressed it a satisfaction with the fact that 14 states have consented to raise the retirement age of district judicial officers from 60 to 62 years.

The Bench of the Supreme court, headed by the CJI Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, however, firmly shut the door on individual judges rushing to the apex court for personal extension.

Refusing urgent listing of pleas by judges who are about to demit office at 60 or have just retired, the CJI also clarified that "This pertains to the persuasive jurisdiction of this court. The issue is between the Supreme Court and the states."

Renowned Indian painter and former Rajya Sabha member Jogen Chowdhury has passed away at the age of 87. He breathed his last at a private hospital in Kolkata this morning following a prolonged illness. Chowdhury used to be considered as One of India’s most celebrated contemporary artists. Born in Faridpur, now in Bangladesh, in 1939, he moved to Kolkata after Partition.

He studied at the Government College of Art and Craft in Kolkata and later got training from Paris. He received the Kalidas Samman in 2001 and also served as Keeper of Art at Rashtrapati Bhavan and as a professor at Kala Bhavana, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan. Apart from his artistic career, he was active in public life and represented West Bengal in the Rajya Sabha as a Trinamool Congress member from 2014 to 2020.

Ladakh has become India’s first fully organic Union Territory, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena said on Sunday, marking a major step in the region’s drive to eliminate chemical fertilisers , protect its fragile Himalayan ecosystem and promote sustainable agriculture.

In a post on X, Saxena credited farmers for the achievement, saying their dedication and hard work had made the milestone possible.

He said the transition to organic farming reflected the administration’s commitment to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of chemical-free agriculture, environmental conservation and sustainable livelihoods.

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) today announced that Ahmedabad will host the Senior World Weightlifting Championships in 2029. This will be the first time that India hosts the senior edition of the prestigious global event. The decision was taken at the IWF Executive Board meeting held in Ningbo, China. The IWF also awarded the hosting rights for the 2030 Senior World Weightlifting Championships to Moscow, the capital of Russia. Additionally, the IWF Executive Board decided to award the hosting rights for the 2028 World Youth Championships to Prishtina, Kosovo, and the World Junior Championships to Caracas, Venezuela.

ISRO Chairman V Narayanan has said that India will expand its space operations significantly with four functional launch pads by the year 2029. Mr. Narayanan said, these include a 2000 acre dedicated Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) complex at Kulasekarapattinam in Tuticorin district of Tamil Nadu and a third launch pad at Sriharikota, to meet the global demand for satellite launches. He was addressing convocation of a private university at Porur near Chennai.

The ISRO chief said that the upcoming Kulasekarapattinam spaceport facility will feature crucial infrastructure such as integration buildings, launch pads, rail-track systems, telemetry, tracking, and command systems.

Mr. Narayanan stated that ISRO plans to conduct the first uncrewed Gaganyaan test within the next two months, followed by two subsequent uncrewed tests before the crewed mission. These preliminary tests will evaluate environmental control, safety systems, crew escape mechanisms, and module interiors under varying pressure, temperature, and humidity conditions. ISRO successfully conducted approximately 8 thousand ground-based experiments for the mission, and four astronaut-designates are currently undergoing specialised training.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated a Rs 150 crore textile manufacturing plant of Ahmedabad-based Arvind Limited in Khochwan, Mirzamurad, in his parliamentary constituency, Varanasi.

Built on around 7-8 acres, the facility is the company's first large manufacturing plant in the Purvanchal region and is expected to generate employment opportunities for local residents.

During his visit, the Prime Minister interacted with women workers undergoing training and enquired about their work, the challenges they face and the manufacturing activities at the facility.