India's capital markets have added a new thematic benchmark with the introduction of the BSE Saatvik 100 Index, a first-of-its-kind offering designed for investors seeking to align financial goals with ethical values. Announced by BSE Index Services Pvt. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of BSE, the new index draws its constituents from the broader BSE 500 Index. The selected companies are screened for adherence to Saatvik principles, which emphasise ethical conduct, responsibility, and purity in business practices.

The launch reflects a growing shift among investors who increasingly consider non-financial factors when making investment decisions. Similar to the rise of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing, the Saatvik Index seeks to provide exposure to companies that align with value-based investing philosophies while maintaining strong market representation.

Some animals live much longer than humans, but one tortoise has lived through nearly two centuries. Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise from St Helena, is now recognised as the oldest-known terrestrial animal and the oldest turtle ever recorded, reported Guinness World Records.

Jonathan is 194 years old. Born around 1832, he is older than the Victorian Age, London's Tower Bridge, and Paris's Eiffel Tower. The Seychelles giant tortoise, scientifically known as Aldabrachelys gigantea Hololissa, currently lives on the South Atlantic island of St Helena.

The Supreme Court on Friday endorsed a proposal to create a "Young Lawyers' Professional Assistance Fund" to provide financial support to young advocates during the formative years of their legal careers, observing that financial hardships often drive talented lawyers away from litigation practice.

The proposal found favour with a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice V Mohana while hearing a public interest petition filed by women advocates concerning infrastructural deficiencies in courts and the challenges faced by young members of the Bar. The Court said a dedicated fund could help address the steep economic barriers confronting first-generation lawyers and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) is set to play a key role in strengthening India’s energy security, with plans to develop and stock the country’s next strategic petroleum reserve (SPR) facility. According to a report by Economic Times citing sources familiar with the development, the project could require an investment of nearly ₹15,000 crore ($1.6 billion).

The government’s push comes in the wake of the Iran conflict, which highlighted India’s relatively limited strategic crude reserves and its vulnerability to disruptions in global oil supplies. In response, authorities have reportedly asked ONGC to spearhead the development of a new emergency oil storage facility to enhance the country’s preparedness against future supply shocks.

India's Professor Jainendra K Jain, one of the world's leading theoretical physicists, has been awarded the prestigious Wolf Prize in Physics for his groundbreaking discovery of composite fermions, a breakthrough that revolutionised the understanding of the quantum world.

The award was presented by Israeli President Isaac Herzog at a state ceremony in Jerusalem on June 18, making Jain the first person of Indian origin to receive the Wolf Prize in Physics since the award was established in 1978.

Often regarded as one of the highest honours in science after the Nobel Prize, the Wolf Prize has an impressive record of recognising future Nobel laureates. Twenty-seven previous recipients of the physics prize have later gone on to win the Nobel.

For the second consecutive year, IIT-Delhi ranked highest among Indian institutions in the QS World University Rankings 2027, climbing five places to 118th globally — the highest ever for an Indian institution, first achieved by IIT-Bombay in the 2025 rankings.

IIT-Bombay, which topped the country’s list in the past, dropped from 129 to 134. Last year, too, it had dropped 11 ranks.

Globally, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) topped the list for the 15th year, followed by Stanford University, Imperial College, University of Oxford and Harvard University.

Tamil Nadu is restructuring its renewable energy administration, with the state granting approval to the Tamil Nadu Green Energy Corporation Limited (TNGECL) to create five new Non-Conventional Energy Source (NCES) zones across the state to speed up the implementation of wind and solar power projects, Electricity Minister C T R Nirmalkumar said on Friday.

The move comes shortly after the closure of the NCES circles at Tirunelveli and Udumalpet and the recent suspension of a superintending engineer and an executive engineer.

The restructuring is looking to improve administrative efficiency and speed up the execution of wind and solar power projects. The new zones will coordinate, monitor and implement renewable energy projects under the supervision of assistant executive engineers. Additional project monitoring and implementation responsibilities have also been created at the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board headquarters in Chennai.

Telangana Government’s ambitious breakfast scheme for students from pre-primary to 12 standard (junior colleges) at government institutions was launched in Hyderabad on Monday (June 15, 2026), which also marked the beginning of the academic year 2026-27. Text books and note books too were distributed to the students.

Under the breakfast scheme, different food items are served for breakfast from Monday to Saturday, with one item repeated on two days, including millet based food. Either milk or ragi jawa is served too.

In a significant move aimed at modernising military traditions and reinforcing an indigenous identity, the Indian Army has introduced Army Uniforms–2026, a revised dress regulations pamphlet that progressively removes residual colonial-era practices, terminology and non-essential accoutrements.

The new policy reflects the Army’s effort to align its dress regulations with contemporary Indian values while maintaining the service’s rich traditions and professional standards. The Army has described the uniform as a symbol of identity, discipline, order and collective belonging.

India’s AI ambitions received a major boost on Monday as Bengaluru-based Sarvam announced a fresh $234 million funding round, pushing its valuation to $1.5 billion and making it India’s newest AI unicorn. The funding comes at a time when governments and businesses around the world are increasingly looking to build local AI capabilities rather than relying entirely on foreign technology providers.

The round is led by HCLTech, which will contribute $150 million as a strategic investor. Existing backers including Bessemer Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, and Peak XV Partners also participated. Sarvam said it aims to expand the round to $300 million in total.

The investment is a big step forward for Sarvam, which has emerged as one of the few Indian startups attempting to build a complete AI ecosystem. Unlike many companies that focus only on applications, Sarvam is working across AI model development, computing infrastructure, and enterprise software solutions.