Indian Air Force (IAF) and Drone Federation of India will co-host Bharat Drone Shakti - 2023 at the Indian Air Force airbase in Hindan Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh from the 25th of this month. Defence Ministry said, the usage of drones in India is seeing an increase - both, in the military, as well as in the civil domain.

The two-day Bharat Drone Shakti will present the prowess of the Indian drone industry at full capacity hosting over 50 live aerial demonstrations. It will showcase survey drones, agriculture drones, fire suppression drones, and tactical surveillance drones and witness participation from more than 75 drone start-ups and corporates. The event is expected to attract around five thousand attendees, including representatives from central government, state departments, public and private industries, armed forces, paramilitary forces, and representatives from friendly countries. The Ministry said, Bharat Drone Shakti will give a fillip to India's commitment to becoming a global drone hub by 2030. 

In Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the country's first solar city Sanchi today. On this occasion, he said that Sanchi would soon become a net zero city. Mr. Chouhan said that as per the wish of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we have inaugurated the first Solar City in Madhya Pradesh. The Chief Minister called upon the people to plant trees and make maximum use of renewable energy. He also announced the start of an irrigation system with solar pumps for the farmers.

Roof-top solar panels have been installed in all institutions like railway stations, schools, government offices, street lights, and post offices in Sanchi. Solar study lamps are also being used in homes in the city. Annually about 13 thousand 747 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced in Sanchi Solar City, which is equivalent to more than two lakh adult trees. Along with this, there will be a saving of more than seven crore rupees annually in the energy-related expenditure of the government and the citizens.

The rate of groundwater depletion could triple by 2080, if Indian farmers continued to draw groundwater at the current rate, which could threaten the country's food and water security, according to a new study.

Warming climate has compelled farmers in India to adapt by intensifying the withdrawal of groundwater used for irrigation, the study led by the University of Michigan, U.S., found.

The Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB) said that it conducted interviews with 13 candidates on August 30 and September 04 for the position of managing director of the State Bank of India (SBI). The FSIB, on September 04, recommended the name of Vinay M Tonse as managing director of SBI. “Financial Services Institutions Bureau interfaced with 13 candidates on Aug 30 and Sep 04, 2023 for the position of Managing Director (MD) in State Bank of India (SBI). Keeping in view their performance in the interface, their overall experience and the extant parameters, the Bureau recommends Shri Vinay M Tonse for the position of MD in SBI,” it said in a statement.

The National Association of Software and Service Companies (nasscom) has announced the appointment of Rajesh Nambiar, Chairman and Managing Director, Cognizant India as its Chairperson.

Nambiar takes on the new role from his previous role as Vice Chairperson succeeding Anant Maheshwari, Former President, of Microsoft India. Nambiar along with President Debjani Ghosh, will continue to work with the nasscom Executive Council, industry, and the government in strengthening India’s position as a global technology hub while navigating the current volatile macro environment.

REC Limited, the Maharatna Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Power, has signed a Foreign Currency Term Loan Agreement for USD 100 Million, with Export Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank). The proceeds of the loan will be used towards refinance for on-lending to REC’s borrowers in power, infrastructure and logistics sectors for importing capital equipment. The funds will be raised as part of REC's Market Borrowing Programme of Rs. 1.20 lakh crore for the year 2023-24.

This is the first term loan being extended by EXIM Bank to REC. The loan has been tied up for a 5-year tenor and is benchmarked to SOFR (Secured Overnight Financing Rate), which is the benchmark rate for the loans denominated in USD.

Commenting on the occasion, Chairman and Managing Director, REC Limited, Shri Vivek Kumar Dewangan said, “We are delighted to partner with EXIM Bank of India to bridge the financing needs of power, infrastructure and logistics sectors and sign the loan agreement for USD 100 Million.”

India will participate in the 48th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) commencing today. It will continue till the 17th of this month. This year, the focus will be to showcase India as a hub of talent, content, and entertainment. The official Indian delegation to TIFF will be led by Joint Secretary (Films), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Prithul Kumar. Under its extensive participation plan, India will host several sessions to showcase the country's creative as well as technological strengths and invite international stakeholders to co-produce films with India and film in Indian locations.

This year, six Indian films have been shortlisted in the official selection at TIFF. The films include Dear Jassi directed by Tarsem Singh Dhandwar, Kill, directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhatt, and Thank You For Coming, directed by Karan Boolani. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Indonesia on Thursday morning to attend the ASEAN-India and the East Asia summits during which he will discuss the future contours of India's partnership with the countries in the strategically important region.

"PM @narendramodi lands in Jakarta," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi posted on social media platform X.

The Union Cabinet approved a ₹3,760 crore viability gap fund (VGF)—grants aimed at enhancing the viability of infrastructure projects—for battery energy storage systems (BESS), in a boost for the renewable energy sector that banks on storage when green power generation is low or down.

Under the scheme, the government will provide financial support of up to 40% of the capital cost of BESS projects totalling 4,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) till FY31. An official statement on Wednesday said the scheme aims to reduce the levelized cost of storage (LCoS) to ₹5.50-6.60 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), making storage a viable option to manage peak power demand. According to industry estimates, the LCoS currently stands at around ₹10-11 per kWh.

Department of Posts, as part of its ongoing initiatives to create an export ecosystem for e-commerce in the country, entered into an agreement with Bigfoot Retail Solution Pvt Ltd (Shiprocket), one of the leading e-commerce enablement platforms. The collaboration aims to enhance e-commerce exports by leveraging India Post’s extensive presence and reliable shipping solutions.

The agreement was signed today in New Delhi in the presence of Shri Alok Sharma, Director General Postal Services, Chief Postmaster General Delhi Ms Manju Kumar and Shri Saahil Goel, CEO, Shiprocket, marking a significant milestone in India’s cross border e-commerce landscape.