Indian Navy and the State Bank of India on October 4 launched ‘Nav-eCash’ card, a unique e-cash card that can work in both online and offline mode.

On the launch of Nav-eCash card, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said, “India is leading the world with over 100 billion digital financial transactions being recorded annually and the number is steadily growing.”

This is a giant step as India eyes complete Self-reliance and digital transformation. The SBI Nav-eCash card will be implemented pan Navy.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Wednesday said it has appointed Muneesh Kapur as Executive Director (ED) with effect from October 3, 2023. As executive director, he will look after the Department of Economic and Policy Research.

Before being promoted to the post of ED, Kapur was Adviser-in-Charge of Monetary Policy Department and secretary to the Monetary Policy Committee, the Reserve Bank said in a statement.

The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund and Japan Bank for International Cooperation, JBIC have tied up to launch a 600 million US dollar India-Japan Fund. This joint initiative will facilitate collaboration and investment between India and Japan in the field of climate and environment.

According to the Finance Ministry, the Government of India will contribute 49 per cent of the corpus and the remaining 51 per cent will be contributed by JBIC. This fund mechanism will promote Japanese investments in India by focussing on investing in environmental sustainability and low carbon emission strategies. The Finance Ministry has termed this collaboration a key milestone in the strategic and economic partnership between India and Japan.

State Bank of India has unveiled a ‘mobile handheld device’ for its financial inclusion customers for enhancing accessibility and convenience in availing banking services such as cash withdrawal, cash deposit, fund transfer, balance inquiry and mini statement.

The country’s largest lender, in a statement, said the device will bring kiosk banking directly to customer’s doorstep.

SBI underscored that the device offers greater flexibility to customer service point (CSP) agents, enabling them to reach out to customers wherever they are.

Bihar government on Tuesday announced 10 per cent reservation for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in the judicial services and state-run law colleges and universities.

The announcement came just a day after the government released the first set of data from state’s caste survey.

The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, news agency PTI reported.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh on October 5, 2023. He will lay the foundation stone and dedicate multiple development projects worth about Rs 5000 crore in sectors like road, rail, aviation, health and higher education in the state of Rajasthan.

PM Modi will lay the foundation stone of important projects for strengthening the Health infrastructure in Rajasthan. The projects include 350 bedded ‘Trauma Centre and Critical Care Hospital Block at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur’, and seven Critical Care Blocks under Pradhan Mantri – Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) to be developed across Rajasthan.

The 50th India International Knit fair will be held from 12th to 14th October at the India Knit Fair Association complex (IKFA) in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu. The main theme of the fair is Active and Sportswear, Environmental Social Governance, Artificial Intelligence and digitalisation. Seventy exhibitors from Tiruppur, Chennai, Coimbatore, Karur, and Gujarat will take part in the fair. 

Chairman of the Association, A. Sakthivel said  that the IKFA has tied up with Sourcing Consultants Association, Association of Buying Agents for Textiles, Brand Sourcing Leaders, and the NIFT Alumni. Leading buyers and their representatives from Europe, US, UK and other countries have been invited for the fair.

The Centre has declared all factions and wings of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) as unlawful groups on Tuesday.

The declaration, made under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, is effective from Wednesday (October 3), and will remain valid for a duration of five years, encompassing all factions, wings, and front organisations affiliated with these outfits, the reports said.

“Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967), (hereinafter referred to as the said Act) the Central Government hereby declares the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) along with all its factions, wings and front organisations and the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) along with all its factions, wings and front organisations as unlawful associations”, the government said in a statement issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, quoted India Today report.

Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh today launched the Navy's updated indigenous programme Swavalamban 2.0. Speaking at the Indian Navy's Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) seminar 'Swavlamban' in New Delhi, Mr. Rajnath Singh said that self-reliance is the utmost priority since the Modi government came to power. He said that the Government is making all possible efforts to make India self-reliant in the Defence sector. Mr. Singh added that India is now moving forward in mission mode in the research and development, because of the policies framed by the Government.

During the event, also released the fifth Positive Indigenisation list of 98 items at the event. Speaking about the list, Raksha Mantri said that it shows the major step in the Indigenisation process of the Armed forces. He added that these 98 items in this list are a big step in the self-reliance of the Defence sector. The Minister said the work done by the Modi Government in the fields of defence, infrastructure, economy, health, and education is important and it instilled confidence in the people of India.

The 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus and Alexei I. Ekimov for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said in Stockholm.

Quantum dots have unique properties and now spread their light from television screens and LED lamps. They catalyse chemical reactions and their clear light can illuminate tumour tissue for a surgeon, the Academy said in a press release.

Researchers have primarily utilised quantum dots to create coloured light. They believe that in the future quantum dots can contribute to flexible electronics, miniscule sensors, slimmer solar cells and perhaps encrypted quantum communication.