The Election Commission of India has designed in-house software for complete Candidate and election management through ‘ENCORE’ which stands for Enabling Communications on Real-time Environment.

This provides a seamless facility for Returning Officers to process candidate nomination, affidavit, Voter turnout, counting, results and data management. 
The ENCORE counting application is an end-to-end application for returning officers to digitize the votes polled, tabulate the round-wise data and then take out various statutory reports of counting.

Another application called ENCORE Scrutiny Application allows Returning Officers to do scrutiny of the nominations filed by the candidates on-line. After  verification of the nomination the status is marked as Accepted, Rejected or Withdrawn helping the Returning Officer to prepare the final list of contesting candidates and assign the symbols.

Indian rifle shooter Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and the mixed trap team including Manisha Keer and Prithviraj Tondaiman bagged gold medals at the Asian Shooting Championships 2023 in Changwon on Wednesday.

Aishwary scored 463.5 in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions event final to take home the gold medal. China's Tian Jiaming claimed a silver medal with a score of 462.7 while his compatriot Du Linshu bagged a bronze medal with 450.3.

Indian rifle shooter was the only Indian shooter to finish in the top eight in the qualification round, finishing fifth with a score of 591. Akhil Sheoran finished ninth with a score of 587, while Swapnil Kusale finished 11th with a score of 586. The trio's cumulative score enabled them to win the silver medal in the team event.

Even as India geared up to face Sri Lanka in a 2023 ICC ODI World Cup match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, the day prior to the game saw a special ceremony for a special cricketer who had carried the hopes of the nation on the cricket field for 24 years.

Sachin Tendulkar was born in Mumbai, played all his junior and domestic cricket in Mumbai and later, retired from international cricket at the Wankhede Stadium in 2013. On Wednesday, a statue of the 50-year-old was unveiled at the venue in the presence of his family and other dignitaries.

Reacting to the statue unveiling at the venue, Tendulkar recalled the first time he stepped onto the Wankhede Stadium and later had some memorable moments at the venue. "I still remember our joyous chants, the camaraderie of that group, and the overwhelming support from the North Stand over the years. To think that I first stepped foot in Wankhede as a fan, then went on to be the ball boy in the '87 World Cup, lifted the 2011 World Cup, and played my last international game here – it is a journey words can't capture," Tendulkar wrote on Thursday.

Tata Power on Wednesday said Deepesh Nanda has been appointed as President-Renewables and CEO & MD of its subsidiary Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL). His appointment is effective November 1, 2023, Tata Power said in a statement.

Nanda will be responsible for driving the growth and profitability of Tata Power's renewable energy portfolio, which encompasses solar, wind, hybrid, and B2C green energy solutions. He will also lead innovation and digital transformation initiatives in the renewable energy sector.

Nanda brings with him 28 years of extensive experience across companies like GE, Flowserve and Tyco. He joins Tata Power from GE Gas Power, where he was the Chief Executive Officer for South Asia, overseeing operations in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, and Nepal. He was additionally President & CEO of GE's Aero-derivative Gas Turbine business segment for Asia.

The iconic British-era 'Throne Room' at the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata has been named after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of Independent India

Raj Bhavan sources said the naming of the “Throne Room” after Patel has been done following a decision of Governor C.V. Ananda Bose on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the freedom fighter on Tuesday. The room will henceforth be known as 'Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Unity Room'.

The Governor has also taken a decision that a new academic chair named after Patel will be set up at the Calcutta University, where Bose by virtue of his chair is also the Chancellor.

The 'Throne Room', as the name suggests, has a collection of thrones of iconic historical personalities such as Lord Wellesley and Tipu Sultan, among others.

Vihaan Talya Vikas, a remarkable 10-year-old from Bengaluru, has made headlines by clinching the top prize in his category at the renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY) competition, held in the heart of London. This prestigious competition, organized by the Natural History Museum, is often referred to as the 'Oscars of Photography' and serves as a global platform for showcasing the world's most exceptional wildlife photography.

Vihaan's winning photograph captures a spider in an intriguing position with a sculpture of Lord Krishna, nestled on the outskirts of his city. The image is not only striking but also thought-provoking. It wonderfully captures the spider, seemingly entranced by the divine notes of Krishna's flute. This captivating image stood out among the 50,000 entries from 95 countries, ultimately earning Vihaan the coveted award in the under-10 category.

The Second Rohini Nayyar Prize for outstanding contribution to rural development was presented to Deenanath Rajput, an engineer-turned-social worker, for his work on empowering tribal women in Bastar, Chhattisgarh.

The prize was presented in memory of late economist-administrator Dr Rohini Nayyar. It came with a trophy, a citation and cash prize of Rs 10 lakh.

The prize was presented by chief guest N K Singh, Chairman, Fifteenth Finance Commission. The jury that selected the winner of the award were Dr. Ashok Khosla of Development Alternatives, Dr. Rajesh Tandon of Participatory Research in Asia, Renana Jhabvala of the Self-Employed Women’s Association and Professor Seeta Prabhu. Dr Deepak Nayyar, Emeritus Professor of Economics, JNU was also present at the event.

Cayman Islands’ exit from the FATF grey list last week will bolster global private equity funds looking to invest into non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) based in India.

The region was put on the grey list for increased monitoring by the FATF, or the Financial Action Task Force, a global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog, in February 2021.

Several US and European funds prefer setting up holding companies and funds in Cayman Islands for investments into India, according to experts.

Leading digital transformation solutions company UST has won the 2023 Mahatma Awards for sustainable and impactful contributions to corporate social responsibility (CSR) in areas such as education, health, livelihood, environment, and disaster relief. An initiative of Aditya Birla Group, the award was presented on Gandhi Jayanti.

A highlight of the company’s CSR drive is its Adopt-a-School programme which impacts over 32,000 students in India and Mexico, a spokesperson said here. UST supports over 104 schools, promoting accessible, quality education for all. Its initiatives include medical support for those with disabilities and habitat restoration projects in Kerala.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will attend the commemoration of the bicentennial anniversary of the arrival of India-origin Tamils in Sri Lanka, Naam 200 in Colombo today. She will also address the India Sri Lanka Business Summit, focusing on the theme of 'Enhancing Connectivity: Partnering for Prosperity', fostering bilateral economic cooperation and trade. She is also scheduled to hold discussions with the Sri Lankan leadership, reinforcing the strategic importance of the diplomatic relationship between the two countries. The minister will oversee signing of the MoU for Solar Electrification of Religious Places in Sri Lanka under Indian assistance of 82.4 crore rupees. The Finance minister will also inaugurate two new branches of State Bank of India at Jaffna and Trincomalee.

Mrs. Sitharaman reached Colombo yesterday on a three day visit of Sri Lanka. She paid obeisance at the Sri Dalada Maligawa temple at Kandy. Mrs. Sitharaman met the Chief prelate of Malwatte Venerable Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thero and Chief prelate of Asgiriya Venerable Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana. She reiterated the strong connect between the two countries reflected through Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visits to Sri Lanka. Both religious leaders recounted the generous and timely assistance provided by India to Sri Lanka during the economic crisis last year. The minister also paid her respects at the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi at Anuradhapura. The Maha Bodhi was brought to Sri Lanka from India by Emperor Ashoka’s daughter Sanghamitra over two thousand two hundred years ago.