Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) has rolled out its 2,500th electric locomotive, a WAP-7 class engine with 6,000 horsepower. The locomotive features air-conditioned cabins, real-time monitoring systems, regenerative braking, and a modified gear ratio for operations at 140 kilometres per hour. BLW achieved this feat in just 8 years, having started electric locomotive production in 2017.

Speaking to the media, BLW General Manager Naresh Singh said the factory has produced 10,822 locomotives to date, including 7,498 diesel engines, and has recently exported locomotives to Mozambique. In the financial year 2024-25 alone, 472 electric locomotives were produced, and the factory aims to produce 553 locomotives this year.

The three-day Youth Spiritual Summit on the topic of Drug-free Youth for Developed India concluded today with the Kashi Declaration. The resolution expressed commitment to a nationwide campaign for drug-free youth. On this occasion, Union Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has considered the youth role very important to achieve the goal of a developed India. A roadmap has been prepared through the Kashi Sankalp Patra to make the youth drug-free in the construction of a developed India.

On the last day of the conference, Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla also addressed the session. Mr. Shukla said that this three-day discussion has planted the seeds of a national consciousness against drug addiction.

Union Minister of State Raksha Nikhil Khadse and several state government ministers also graced the event. More than 600 youth representatives from more than 120 spiritual organizations participated in this summit.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said that it would be unwise to jump to any conclusions based on the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s preliminary report regarding the Ahmedabad plane crash. Making any comments until the final report comes out is not a good exercise.

While inaugurating the ten new commercial flights from Hindon Civil Terminal, Gaziabad, the union minister slammed western media and said that they may have a vested interest in the kind of articles they are trying to publish. He praised AAIB for decoding the black box in India itself.

The Union Minister said that direct air service from Hindon Terminal to ten major cities of the country has started today. These include Bengaluru, Kolkata, Varanasi, Indore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Patna, Goa and Mumbai. All these flights will now be available directly from Ghaziabad so that the passengers of the region will not have to depend on Delhi Airport. He added that flight services from Hindon Terminal will open a new door of development not only for the NCR region but also for the entire Western Uttar Pradesh.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) says, India leads the world in fast payments with Unified Payments Interface (UPI) recording 18.39 billion transactions worth over 24.03 lakh crore rupees in June this year. According to a recent IMF note titled ‘Growing Retail Digital Payments: The Value of Interoperability’, UPI has revolutionized India’s payment ecosystem, processing over 18 billion transactions monthly.

Akashvani’s correspondent reports that launched in 2016 by the National Payments Corporation of India, UPI has revolutionised the country’s payment ecosystem by enabling users to link multiple bank accounts to a single mobile app and make instant transactions with ease, IMF said. It has not only simplified peer-to-peer payments but also enabled millions of small businesses to accept digital payments at minimal cost.

The Assam government has launched a scheme to provide subsidy of 5 rupees per litre of milk to farmers in a bid to boost the dairy sector in the state.

Akashvani’s correspondent reports that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma speaking at the ‘bhoomi pujan’ programme for doubling the processing capacity of a plant of West Assam Milk Producers’ Cooperative Union Ltd at Guwahati informed that the State government has formally rolled out the subsidy scheme for dairy farmers. He said that from now onwards the dairy farmers will receive subsidy of Rs 5 per litre for the milk they give for processing at cooperative societies.

According to the Chief Minister, this scheme will encourage dairy farmers to increase production, boost their income and bring a dairy revolution in the rural areas. As per official sources, this initiative is expected to benefit over 20,000 dairy farmers across the state.

Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis jointly inaugurated the first campus of the Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT) at the NFDC Complex in Mumbai today. Mr. Vaishnaw announced that IICT will offer advanced, industry-aligned training in VFX, post-production, XR, gaming, and animation, in collaboration with global tech giants like Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Apple. He said the first batch will educate 300 students, along with professionals and trainers in AVGC-XR. He added that a new campus is coming up in Maharashtra’s Film City, designed to blend with the natural surroundings.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said WAVES has now become a global movement and that IICT will further boost India’s creative economy. The Union Minister and the Chief Minister presided over the MoU exchange between Prasar Bharati and the Maharashtra Film, Stage & Cultural Development Corporation Limited to establish a film and TV media hub promoting innovation and global competitiveness. Mr. Vaishnaw and Mr. Fadnavis also inaugurated the WAVES Bharat Pavilion at Gulshan Mahal, launched the IICT logo and 17 industry-aligned courses, and released the Outcome Reports of WAVES 2025’s first edition.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has launched a pioneering Endowment Scholarship Scheme in partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) to support meritorious students from economically weaker sections of society. This initiative, under HAL’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, aims to provide equal access to quality education at one of India’s premier engineering institutions.

A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) formalising the initiative was signed by HAL's General Manager (HR) Pradeep Kumar and Dean-in-charge – IIT Madras Prof. Manu Santhanam. The signing ceremony was attended by Dr. D. K. Sunil, Chairman and Managing Director, HAL; Dr. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras; Mr. M. G. Balasubrahmanya, Director (HR), HAL; Dr. S D Premkumar, Independent Director, HAL, along with other senior officials.

Public sector Indian Overseas Bank has drawn up plans to raise Rs 4,000 crore during this financial year through various instruments, including Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP), a top official said on Friday.

With the proposed plan to fund raise, the Government of India's shareholding in the Chennai-headquartered bank is expected to come down to 90 percent from the current 94 percent, the bank's Managing Director and CEO Ajay Kumar Srivastava said.

"Last year, we raised about Rs 1,440 crore in March. This year we are looking for about Rs 4,000 crore to raise. For that we are talking to various authorities for their approval," he told reporters after declaring the financial performance of the bank.

Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has announced the appointment of Chitta Ranjan Mohapatra as the Director-in-Charge of Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP), effective July 15. The appointment follows the nomination by the Government of India through an order issued by the Ministry of Steel on July 14, and subsequent approval by the SAIL Board.

The company has confirmed that Mohapatra is not debarred from holding the office of director by any SEBI order or any other competent authority.

An accomplished technocrat with more than three decades of experience, Mohapatra began his career with SAIL in October 1989 as a Management Trainee (Technical) at Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP). He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Regional Engineering College, Rourkela (now NIT Rourkela), completed in 1988.