India’s goods and services tax collections crossed the ₹2 lakh crore mark in September for the second time, underscoring resilient domestic demand, stronger import-linked revenues and steady compliance trends. The print has reinforced expectations that the upcoming GST Council meeting could consider further rate and process adjustments as the festive season gathers pace.
Contract and outsourced employees have renewed demands for regularisation, bringing fresh pressure on governments and public employers to address long-standing job insecurity in India’s workforce. The issue sits at the intersection of labour rights, fiscal discipline, and administrative reform, with implications for staffing models across the public sector.
Indian banks are expected to put additional liquidity from FCNR(B) deposits to work in the coming months as festive-season borrowing demand strengthens, Reserve Bank Deputy Governor Rohit Jain said. He added that the central bank will not direct lenders toward any specific sector, leaving deployment decisions to banks based on the quality of credit proposals and prevailing demand across the economy.
Television director Radhakrishna Malineni is marking 26 years in Telugu television with a reflective look at a career shaped by family storytelling, social values and audience trust. His latest work, E TV’s 'Seetaramayya Gari Manavaralu', underscores themes of women’s resilience, generational legacy and the enduring appeal of value-driven drama.
A new photo-illustrated essay book, 'Reel Duniya, Real Duniya: Cinema, Memory, and Leisure in Laggere,' examines how film culture is lived in a working-class neighbourhood of Bengaluru. Created by Eshwari and Mahima under the India Foundation for the Arts’ Project 560 programme, the book treats cinema not just as entertainment but as a social practice shaped by memory, access and everyday life.
Rajiv and Rohit delivered a commanding finish at the Rally of Himalayas, underlining their pace and composure on one of India’s most demanding motorsport stages. In the two-wheeler category, Dhritimaan emerged victorious, adding another notable result to a competition defined by altitude, endurance, and mechanical discipline.
India’s markets regulator has approved initial public offerings for Carlsberg’s local arm and three other companies, opening the door to a new round of listings in a market that has remained active despite global volatility. The approvals cover TMC Transformers, Ujin Pharma and Matangi Rubber, with TMC planning to raise Rs 550 crore through fresh equity to fund a new manufacturing facility.
Singaporean collector Peter Lee’s reflections on Indian checks, chintz and port-city exchange offer a vivid reminder that textiles are not merely decorative objects but historical records of movement, commerce and taste. His comments underscore how Indian cloth helped shape the visual cultures of Asia and beyond through centuries of maritime trade.
The race to build AI products for Indian consumers is colliding with a hard reality: what works in wealthy, English-speaking markets does not automatically work at India’s scale. For startups, the central challenge is not only model quality, but whether products can be delivered cheaply, reliably and in languages and interfaces that millions of users actually adopt. The question now facing founders and investors is whether voice, vernacular design and sharply lower unit economics can turn AI from a demo into a durable business.
Banks are likely to put additional liquidity from FCNR(B) deposits to work in the coming months as festive-season borrowing demand strengthens, Reserve Bank Deputy Governor Rohit Jain said. He indicated that the central bank will not direct lenders toward specific sectors, leaving deployment decisions to banks based on the quality of credit proposals and broader demand conditions.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has notified its Electric Vehicle Policy 2026, setting out a six-year roadmap to expand clean, affordable and weather-resilient electric mobility across the Union Territory. The policy is designed to support wider EV adoption, strengthen charging infrastructure and align transport planning with fiscal and environmental priorities.
SBI Mutual Fund, through multiple schemes, has increased its exposure to Swiggy by purchasing an additional 1.18 crore equity shares in open-market transactions valued at roughly ₹300 crore. The move signals continued institutional confidence in the food-delivery and quick-commerce platform even as the startup sector remains under pressure to prove durable profitability.
Swiss logistics group Kuehne+Nagel has opened a technology centre in Chennai, deepening its India footprint as global supply-chain firms increasingly anchor digital operations in the country. To accelerate the launch and staffing ramp-up, the company is working with Accenture to support workforce build-out, underscoring the growing role of India as a delivery base for logistics technology and enterprise services.
HDFC Bank has appointed Anup Bagchi, a long-serving ICICI Bank executive with deep experience across banking, insurance and financial services, as its new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. His appointment takes effect on October 27, following Reserve Bank of India approval, and he will succeed Sashidhar Jagdishan when the incumbent’s term ends on October 26.
Chanakya International is marking four decades with three exhibitions that place women at the centre of its artistic and cultural narrative. The shows draw a line from the sacred to the domestic, presenting goddesses, craft and lived experience as interconnected expressions of Indian visual culture.
U.S. equity markets are preparing to open an overnight trading window from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. starting December 6, marking one of the most significant changes to exchange hours in years. The move is designed to attract foreign investors and keep pace with 24-hour crypto markets, but it is already drawing caution from institutional traders who warn that thin liquidity and wider spreads could make the new session fragile.
Non-banking finance companies now account for 50% of India’s new-to-credit borrowers, sharply up from 24% in June 2016, according to a TransUnion CIBIL-FIDC report covering about 2,000 NBFCs. The findings underscore how NBFCs have become a critical gateway to formal credit for first-time borrowers, especially in segments tied to mobility, vehicle finance and broader retail lending.
India advanced to the Asian Games 2026 final after a hard-fought win over Pakistan, setting up a title clash with Malaysia. The defending champions controlled the opening half-hour with authority, but the contest became increasingly scrappy as Pakistan forced India into a more physical, less fluent battle.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir has delivered a sharp critique of the Guwahati surface after an ODI produced five centuries and more than 800 runs, arguing that such conditions distort the balance between bat and ball. His remarks framed the match as a warning sign for the sport’s competitive integrity, with bowlers reduced to spectators on a pitch that offered little assistance.
India’s Department of Commerce has extended Component II of the RELIEF scheme, a targeted logistics support measure designed to help exporters absorb disruptions linked to West Asia. The September 30 notification, issued under the Export Promotion Mission, signals a policy response aimed at preserving shipment reliability, easing cost pressures, and protecting trade flows at a time of elevated regional uncertainty.
For founders, investors, and professionals navigating uncertainty, the right books can act as practical decision tools rather than passive reading. A curated set of seven titles offers frameworks for clearer judgment, better risk assessment, and more disciplined thinking in both startups and everyday life.
Banks across India are expected to operate normally on September 28 after the proposed strike by bank unions was deferred following discussions with the Indian Banks' Association. A high-level committee will now examine unresolved demands, including the issue of declaring Saturdays as holidays, while customers are advised to confirm local branch timings before visiting.
Australian sound producer Victor Van Vugt, known for his work with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and other international acts, is entering Malayalam cinema with the film 'Tharkkam'. His first visit to India has also become a creative immersion in Kerala’s sonic landscape, marking a notable cross-border collaboration for the regional industry.
At Delhi’s Sunder Nursery, Anuradha Kapur’s Virasat offers a searching reimagining of Mahesh Elkunchwar’s Wada trilogy, turning a landmark of Indian theatre into a contemporary meditation on inheritance, decay and denial. The production argues that the desire to preserve a collapsing past can become its own form of violence, even as modernity proves no automatic remedy.
Anup Bagchi, a long-serving ICICI Group executive with deep experience across retail and wholesale banking, is set to join HDFC Bank as managing director after receiving Reserve Bank of India approval. His appointment marks a significant leadership transition at India’s largest private-sector lender, following Sashidhar Jagdishan’s tenure at the helm. Bagchi’s reputation for operational discipline, institutional memory and an unusually informal leadership style will be closely watched as the bank navigates a more competitive and regulated environment.
A probe into a controversy surrounding a BAPS visit to the Eiffel Tower has concluded that the Hindu organisation did not ask for women employees to be removed from the visitor route, according to BAPS Paris. The finding narrows a dispute that had raised questions about discrimination, protocol, and the handling of a high-profile cultural visit in France.
Federal Reserve officials have pushed back against expectations for an imminent October rate hike, with Philip Jefferson and John Williams emphasizing patience, caution and a data-dependent approach. Their remarks, paired with softer market pricing, suggest investors now see a lower probability of tighter policy this month, even as persistent inflation and upcoming consumer price data keep the decision finely balanced.
‘Avaraachan and Sons’ arrives as an old-fashioned family entertainer wrapped in contemporary packaging, but its writing rarely rises above routine. The film remains watchable largely because Biju Menon brings warmth, timing, and credibility to material that is otherwise flat and predictable.
Canvas is preparing to launch 'Project Maya' in the first week of October, positioning the title as India’s first original short-form anime created entirely by Indian talent. The release marks a notable step for the country’s animation sector, which has long contributed to global production pipelines but rarely been credited with an original anime-format property of its own.
The premiere arrives as Indian streaming platforms increasingly test compact, mobile-friendly storytelling formats aimed at younger audiences. If the series lands with viewers, it could help broaden the commercial case for locally developed anime-inspired content and open a new lane for Indian creators working in genre animation.
Ahead of the release of his new film, Fahadh Faasil describes 'Don't Trouble The Trouble' as a family-friendly story with layered appeal for adult audiences. In a wide-ranging interview, he also reflects on shooting in real Hyderabad locations, working across Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil cinema, and marking 24 years in the industry.
Manufacturing startups are confronting a widening financing gap as investor attention moves from easily replicated software to capital-intensive physical capabilities. The shift is sharpening scrutiny on companies building power electronics, storage components and grid equipment, where demand may be rising faster than production capacity.
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to address a cattle rearers’ convention in Bhopal and inaugurate a state-level exhibition focused on the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, placing two politically significant themes—rural livelihoods and criminal justice reform—at the center of one visit. The event underscores the government’s effort to link cooperative development, livestock-based rural incomes, and the rollout of the new criminal law framework in a single public outreach exercise.
Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor Rohit Jain said banks can no longer treat technology as a back-office support function, arguing that it has become the core of their risk architecture. He urged lenders to elevate technology resilience to the same level as financial resilience, with tighter governance, cybersecurity, third-party oversight and controls on artificial intelligence.
Union ministers Dr. Virendra Kumar and B. L. Verma distributed 662 assistive devices worth more than ₹10 lakh to 114 senior citizens in Delhi-NCR under the National Vayoshri Scheme. The exercise underscores the government’s continuing emphasis on low-cost, targeted welfare for elderly citizens with age-related disabilities and mobility constraints.
India’s power consumption rose 11.35% year-on-year to 162.19 billion units in September, reflecting firmer underlying demand even as usage tapered in the second half of the month. Analysts expect industrial and commercial activity, along with festival-season demand, to help sustain electricity consumption in the near term.
