Author: News Desk

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will undertake a three-day official visit to Sri Lanka from September 8 to 10, as India looks to further strengthen its defence and maritime partnership with the island nation. During the visit, Singh will hold consultations with Sri Lankan leadership on a range of bilateral and regional issues and interact with the Indian diaspora in Colombo. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising senior officials from the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of External Affairs. The visit comes amid efforts to deepen India-Sri Lanka cooperation in regional security, defence and maritime affairs. The…

State Bank of India (SBI) plans to hire around 11,000–12,000 employees and add up to 250 new branches during the ongoing financial year, SBI Chairman C.S. Setty said. The hiring will cover both clerical and officer-level positions, with the final number expected to depend on retirements and the bank’s evolving workforce requirements. SBI is expected to moderate technology-focused hiring this year after a major recruitment drive in FY26. SBI recruited 25,633 employees in FY26, including 4,640 officers, 19,340 associates and 1,653 contractual staff. A significant portion of last year’s recruitment was driven by the addition of around 1,500 specialist IT…

India is targeting 50 space launches every year by 2030, as the country looks to scale up its commercial space ecosystem and expand the role of private industry, said IN-SPACe Chairman Pawan Goenka. Goenka highlighted the rapid growth of India’s private space sector, with the number of registered space startups rising to around 440 by August 2026, from just one in 2014. The broader ecosystem is now estimated at more than 450 startups. According to Goenka, India’s decision to open the space sector to private participation was driven by two objectives: enabling ISRO to focus on new frontiers while allowing…

Indian Bank is set to expand its overseas presence with a new representative office in Dubai, following board approval for the move. The initiative is aimed at strengthening the bank’s international operations and tapping business opportunities among the large Indian diaspora in the UAE. The Dubai office is part of Indian Bank’s broader overseas expansion strategy, which includes plans to increase its presence in Southeast Asia and other key international markets. The bank is looking to leverage growing trade, remittance and business links between India and these regions. Indian Bank has identified the sizeable Indian diaspora as an important market…

Dulquer Salmaan’s Malayalam action thriller I’m Game has maintained a steady run at the box office, collecting ₹19 crore net in India in its first four days. According to Sacnilk figures cited by Hindustan Times, the film opened with ₹5.40 crore on Thursday, followed by ₹4.90 crore on Friday. It collected ₹4.35 crore each on Saturday and Sunday. Its India gross collection has reached ₹22.20 crore across 2,190 shows. The film is now just around ₹2 crore short of the reported box office collection of Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Khalifa, giving Dulquer’s latest release another milestone to chase. Directed by Nahas Hidhayath,…

Adani Airports Holdings Ltd (AAHL) has entered the final stage of a major fundraising exercise, with the airport business seeking a valuation of more than $20 billion, according to a Moneycontrol report. Global investors are showing interest in the capital raise, with Temasek and Alpha Wave Global among the investors expected to participate. US investment giant BlackRock is also in exploratory discussions for a potential investment in AAHL. The fundraising could mark a significant milestone for Adani Airports as it seeks to attract more global institutional capital into its rapidly expanding airport portfolio. AAHL operates a large network of airports…

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has rejected reports and speculation about its possible privatisation or a diminished role, calling such claims “baseless and incorrect”. The clarification comes amid ongoing reforms aimed at expanding private participation in India’s space sector. ISRO said it will remain the country’s principal institution for advanced space research and technology development, national and strategic missions, space science and exploration, and critical and frontier space capabilities. The space agency clarified that the growing participation of private companies, startups, academia and PSUs is aimed at expanding India’s overall space ecosystem, rather than reducing ISRO’s importance. Under the…

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is set to deliver the first batch of HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft to the Indian Air Force, with three aircraft now ready for handover. Two of the aircraft have been built at Bengaluru and one at Nashik. The IAF had ordered 70 HTT-40 aircraft for ₹6,838 crore to train rookie pilots. HAL was originally scheduled to deliver 12 aircraft during FY2025-26 but could not deliver any due to engine shortages. The supply situation has since improved after US-based Honeywell delivered the first batch of TPE331-12B turboprop engines. HAL can now produce up to 20 HTT-40 aircraft…

Kerala has launched a dedicated GCC Boilerplate designed to help global companies establish and operationalise Global Capability Centres (GCCs) with minimal procedural hurdles. The framework was unveiled by Electronics & IT Department Special Secretary Sriram Sambasiva Rao at the second edition of the Economic Times GCC World Surge. Industry, IT and AI Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty attended the event online. The Kerala GCC Boilerplate serves as a comprehensive roadmap covering the process from an MNC’s decision to invest in Kerala to the point when its GCC becomes fully operational. It brings together three key components — physical infrastructure, the Kerala GCC…

India needs a “UPI moment” for cybersecurity to make digital safety as accessible, standardised and widespread as digital payments, said Dr Saji Gopinath, Vice-Chancellor of Kerala Digital University, at the Kerala Cyber Suraksha Summit. He stressed that cybersecurity has moved beyond being a technical concern and is now critical to economic resilience and public safety as digital technology becomes deeply embedded in businesses, institutions, startups and households. Dr Gopinath identified digital hygiene and mass awareness as the first step towards building cyber resilience. With varying levels of digital literacy across society, people need greater awareness of what technologies to use,…