In line with the commitment towards the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiative, the Army on Monday signed the eighth procurement contract through the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) platform.

The aim of iDEX is to create an ecosystem to foster innovations and encourage technological development in defence and aerospace by engaging research and development institutes, academia, and industries and providing them funding and other support to carry out R&D which has good potential for future adoption by Indian defence and aerospace organisation.

Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 12, 2018, during the Defence Expo India, iDEX under the Defence Innovation Organisation has emerged as a front-runner in establishing the right kind of contact with startups and innovators and has gained substantial traction in the defence start-up community, the defence ministry said in a statement.

The contract for procurement of 'Generation of Quantum Secure Key (Quantum Key Distribution)' with QuNu Labs was signed in the presence of Lt Gen NC Raja Subramani, Vice Chief of the Army Staff, at the South Block here.

"QuNu Labs had proposed a 200 km single hop Quantum Key Distribution in Open Challenge 2.0 under iDEX. It will replace the algorithm-based encryption systems thus enabling greater security as also optimising manpower commitment," the statement said.

10:19 PM

PM Modi to launch sanitation, cleanliness projects worth over Rs 9,600 cr on Oct 2

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will mark the completion of 10 years of the Swachh Bharat Mission launch by participating in the Swachh Bharat Diwas programme on October 2, during which he will launch and lay foundation stones for several projects related to sanitation and cleanliness worth more than Rs 9,600 crore.

The Swachh Bharat Diwas programme will showcase India's decade-long sanitation achievements and those in the recently-concluded "Swachhata Hi Seva" campaign.

"Marking the completion of 10 years of the launch of one of the most significant mass movements for cleanliness -- the Swachh Bharat Mission -- Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will participate in Swachh Bharat Diwas 2024 programme on the occasion of 155th Gandhi Jayanti on 2nd October at around 10 AM in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi," a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.

The projects to be launched include those worth more than Rs 6,800 crore aimed at enhancing urban water and sewage systems under AMRUT and AMRUT 2.0, 10 projects worth over Rs 1,550 crore focused on improving water quality and waste management in Ganga basin areas under the National Mission for Clean
Ganga and 15 compressed biogas (CBG) plant projects worth more than Rs 1,332 crore under the GOBARdhan scheme.

The Swachh Bharat Diwas programme will also set the stage for the next phase of this national endeavour, the statement said.

9:57 PM

Sebi board clears proposal to amend insider trading rules; widen definition of "connected person", "relative"

Sebi board clears proposal to amend insider trading rules, widen definition of "connected person" and "relative". Sebi board clears proposal to introduce a new asset class for high-risk profile investors to bridge gap between MFs and PMS. Sebi board clears proposal to introduce provisions for "summary proceeding" in intermediaries rules for faster disposal of matters.

9:17 PM

Meghalaya proposes projects worth Rs 1.2 trn to 16th Finance Commission

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Monday proposed projects worth Rs 1.2 lakh crore to the Arvind Panagariya-led 16th Finance Commission (XVI-FC), officials said.

Sangma proposed the projects while making a presentation before the XVI-FC, which will make its recommendations available by October 31, 2025, covering an award period of five years commencing April 1, 2026.

Lauding the presentation, Panagariya told reporters, "The chief minister was very engaged. One could see the passion and the engagement he has with the state's development. We were very impressed with what we saw. The presentation itself was very extensive. It covers numerous programmes relating to demography, geography and tourism."

"The state has some very specific suggestions and in particular, the pitch for a larger proportion of the state's share to be devolved based on forests. While the 15th Finance Commission has given a weight of 10 per cent to forest and ecology, Meghalaya's proposal is we raise it to 15 per cent," he said.

Panagariya said the state also suggested the introduction of a new criterion called the rural dispersion of the population.

"In this, they said 2.5 to 5 per cent weight be given. If we are able to do it then this will be a new criterion," he said.

8:41 PM

Women participated more in 17 seats in first two phases of J&K polls: CEC Kumar

The turnout of women was more as compared to male electors in 17 of the 50 constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir where polls have been held, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said on Monday.

Talking to reporters on the eve of the final phase of assembly elections in the Union territory in which the remaining 40 seats will go to polls, he also underlined that as per rules, the votes polled by each candidate will be displayed after every round of counting.

Responding to a question, Kumar said the rules are already in place in this regard and people should not fall for misinformation being spread about the counting procedure.

The votes will be counted on October 8.

He said the last two phases saw a higher voter participation coupled with more number of candidates in the fray as compared to the past.

CEC Kumar also noted that the UT was ahead in seeking clearances on the Suvidha application for rallies and processions. He described this as an overall increase in participation in democratic process.

8:36 PM

PM Modi speaks to Israel PM Netanyahu, says terrorism has no place in our world

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu about the recent developments in West Asia and asserted that terrorism has no place in our world.

It is crucial to prevent regional escalation and ensure the safe release of all hostages, Modi said.

“Spoke to Prime Minister @netanyahu about recent developments in West Asia. Terrorism has no place in our world. It is crucial to prevent regional escalation and ensure the safe release of all hostages,” Modi said on X.

India is committed to supporting efforts for an early restoration of peace and stability, PM Modi said.

While PM Modi did not mention any specific incident, Israeli strikes in Lebanon last week killed seven high-ranking commanders and officials from the Hezbollah militant group, including the group's leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah had been firing rockets and missiles into northern Israel after Hamas' October 7 attack from Gaza into Israel sparked a war there.

8:34 PM

I pray you live till 125; Modi will continue to be PM for long: Rajnath's dig at Kharge

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday took a jibe at Mallikarjun Kharge's remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he prays that the Congress president lives till 125 years as Modi will continue to remain the PM for a long time.

At an election rally in Jammu on Sunday, Kharge felt dizzy but resumed his speech after a brief pause, saying he won't die before Modi is removed from power.

Addressing a rally in poll-bound Haryana's Charkhi Dadri, Rajnath Singh said the Congress president has said that he would remain alive till Modi is not removed from the chair.

8:11 PM

Crucial to prevent regional escalation, ensure safe release of hostages: PM Modi after speaking with Netanyahu

It is crucial to prevent regional escalation, ensure safe release of all hostages: PM Modi after speaking with Israeli PM Netanyahu.

8:07 PM

States suggest employment data creation, adoption of focused approach for creating quality jobs

Several states on Monday called for creation of employment data and adoption of a focused approach for creating quality jobs.

The suggestions were made at the fifth regional meeting of the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment with all states and Union Territories.

The meeting focused on discussions around labour reforms, the e-Shram portal, building and other construction workers (BoCW), and employment generation, reflecting the government's commitment to inclusive development and welfare of all sections of the workforce, the Ministry of Labour & Employment said in a statement.

Timely and regular submission of employment returns and job fair details to the Directorate General of Employment through the modules on the National Career Service portal were also discussed, it said.

Besides, adopting a consultative and consensual approach to framing state reform was also discussed in the meeting, the ministry said.

6:09 PM

Govt keeps interest rates unchanged on small savings schemes for third quarter starting October 1: Statement

5:05 PM

Kolkata rape-murder case: SC peruses status report of CBI on progress made so far in probe.

Supreme Court directs Ministry of Electronics and IT to notify a nodal officer in relation to any uploading of unauthorised publication.

4:56 PM

Current account deficit widens to 1.1% of GDP in April-June against 1% last year

Current account deficit widens on increase in merchandise trade gap to $65.1 billion in Q1 FY25 from $56.7 billion a year ago, says RBI.

4:44 PM

SC issues notice on Delhi CM Atishi, Kejriwal's plea in defamation case

The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from the Delhi government and BJP leader Rajiv Babbar on a plea of Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal challenging the high court order refusing to quash a defamation case against them. A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti issued a notice in the matter and stayed the proceedings in the trial court.

4:35 PM

India's April-August fiscal deficit at 27% of full-year target

India's fiscal deficit for April-August was Rs 4.35 trillion ($51.93 billion), or 27% of the estimate for the financial year, government data showed on Monday.

3:49 PM

Exploring legal options on BJP MLA''s claim on toppling govt, says Deputy CM Shivakumar

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Monday said legal options would be explored in the wake of a senior BJP MLA claiming that a "great leader" of his party has set aside a huge amount of money to topple the Congress government and become Chief Minister. The BJP legislator Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, however, also said on Sunday that his party's central leadership and MLAs are opposed to any such "operation and horse-trading", adding, the government would fall on its own. He did not reveal the name of the "great leader" who he alleged had set aside Rs 1,000 crore to bring down the government and "become Chief Minister."

Govt keeps interest rates unchanged on small savings schemes for third quarter starting October 1, says statement.

India's infrastructure output in August contracted 1.8% year-on-year, compared to a growth of 6.1% in July, government data showed on Monday.

India's current account deficit has increased to 1.1 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) to $9.7 billion in the April-June quarter of current fiscal (Q1FY25).

India's fiscal deficit for April-August was Rs 4.35 trillion ($51.93 billion), or 27% of the estimate for the financial year, government data showed on Monday.

While hearing the pleas over allegations of use of animal fat in ghee used to make laddus at Andhra Pradesh's Tirupati temple, the Supreme Court took note the timing of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu releasing a lab report claiming traces of fish oil, beef tallow, and lard in the ghee.

The Supreme Court has taken strong note of former CJI Ranjan Gogoi being made a party to a PIL and seeking of an in-house inquiry against him for dismissing a plea earlier related to a service dispute.

The Congress today rejected as "half-truths" the government's assertions of creating eight crore employment opportunities between 2021 and 2024 and 6.2 crore net subscribers joining the EPFO database, and said no "spin-doctoring" can take away from the fact that 2014-24 has seen "jobloss growth".

The SpaceX crew, that will retrieve two astronauts currently stranded on the ISS, successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, as shown in a live broadcast. The mission began with a Falcon 9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 1:17 PM Eastern Time (17:17 GMT) on Saturday. The Dragon spacecraft, carrying the Crew-9 mission, made contact with the ISS at 5:30 PM on Sunday. After the docking procedure was completed, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov entered the space station shortly after 7:00 PM. They were greeted with embraces by their fellow crew members already aboard the ISS. When Hague and Gorbunov depart the ISS in February, they will be accompanied by Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams. Wilmore and Williams' stay on the ISS was extended by several months due to issues with their Boeing-designed Starliner spacecraft.

Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy has criticised Lokayukta ADGP M Chandrashekhar for showing "arrogance" in conducting an inquiry against the staff of the governor's office, alleging that he is receiving protection from "corrupt" officials in the Congress. While releasing a statement, Kumaraswamy responded to some ministers who questioned whether the tainted officer did not work during his government.

Finishing ahead of the governing conservatives after tapping into anxieties about immigration, inflation, Ukraine, the Freedom Party bagged the first far-right national parliamentary election victory in post-World War II Austria on Sunday. But its chances of governing were unclear. The Freedom Party finishing first with 29.2 per cent of the vote and Chancellor Karl Nehammer's Austrian People's Party was second with 26.5 per cent, according to a near-complete count, according to a report from national public broadcaster ORF.

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Topics :Narendra Modi Rahul Gandhi BJP Congress Hezbollah Haryana Israel-Palestine Donald Trump Ukraine

First Published: Sep 30 2024 | 8:51 AM IST

Highlights: Govt keeps interest rates unchanged on small savings schemes for 3rd qtr starting Oct 1

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Key Events

Army signs 8th procurement contract through iDEX