Gujarat is preparing to release water from Kadana Dam to cushion farmers against a sharp rainfall shortfall that has deepened in early October. The state recorded just 0.3 mm of rain between October 1 and 10, far below the seasonal average of 11 mm, raising concerns over moisture stress in standing Kharif crops. Officials are moving to stabilize irrigation supplies as the monsoon withdrawal period leaves agriculture increasingly dependent on reservoir management.
State-run NTPC Limited has invited Expressions of Interest from commercial and industrial entities willing to take a 26% equity stake in its co-generation projects, signalling a push to broaden participation in captive and industrial power solutions. The move could help NTPC deepen its footprint in distributed energy while giving industry partners a route to share in project ownership and long-term operational benefits.
Veteran Indian actor Nana Patekar died in the early hours of Thursday, October 8, 2026, at his Goa residence after suffering a cardiac arrest, triggering an outpouring of grief across the film industry. Leading stars including Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar and Jr NTR were among those who paid tribute, underscoring Patekar’s rare standing as a performer admired across languages and generations.
Senior officials have begun reviewing arrangements for the President’s visit scheduled for October 14, with attention focused on security, protocol, and movement coordination. The preparatory exercise reflects the high administrative sensitivity attached to presidential travel and the need to align multiple agencies ahead of the visit.
Shah Rukh Khan has penned a long and emotional tribute to veteran actor Nana Patekar after news broke that the acclaimed performer died on Thursday morning following a cardiac arrest. The message has drawn attention across India’s film industry, underscoring the deep respect Nana Patekar commanded among peers and audiences alike.
The Special Investigation Team is set to take custody of R. Veeramani in a second case registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, police sources said, intensifying the legal pressure on the Gem Granite figure already facing multiple criminal proceedings. The development marks the sixth POCSO-related case linked to Veeramani, underscoring the widening scope of the investigation and the seriousness with which authorities are pursuing the allegations.
Veteran actor Nana Patekar, one of Indian cinema’s most distinctive and forceful performers, has died at the age of 74, closing a career that spanned more than four decades across film, theatre and public life. A three-time National Award winner, he was widely admired for his intensity, moral authority on screen and his ability to inhabit roles that were both socially rooted and emotionally combustible.
The 11-day Mysuru Dasara festivities began on a traditional note, reaffirming the festival’s role as one of Karnataka’s most visible cultural and civic showcases. The opening rituals set the tone for a celebration that blends heritage, tourism, and state patronage, drawing attention to Mysuru’s enduring place in India’s public festival calendar.
India’s Chief Economic Adviser has called for a more tailored approach to classifying non-performing assets for micro, small and medium enterprises, arguing that standard lending rules can misread the sector’s uneven cash flows and working-capital cycles. The Finance Ministry, according to policy signals, is open to reviewing the framework, underscoring a broader effort to balance credit discipline with the realities of small-business financing.
A new wave of medical technology is moving from the lab into mainstream healthcare, with sensors, wearables, 3D-printed skin, reconstructed organs and personalized medicine reshaping how diseases are detected, treated and monitored. The shift is drawing growing attention from markets and IPO investors, who see a long runway for companies that can turn clinical innovation into scalable commercial platforms.
OpenAI, Anthropic and other leading AI developers are reportedly preparing for public and political backlash in the event of a catastrophic AI incident, underscoring how quickly the industry’s risk calculus is shifting. The planning reflects growing concern that a major failure could trigger regulatory scrutiny, reputational damage and a broader public reckoning over frontier AI safety.
India’s coal stock drawdown has eased from the September trough, but the Coal Ministry says the system has not yet entered a meaningful rebuilding phase. The ministry said the current stock position must be assessed alongside the improvement in supplies since the low point, underscoring that recovery remains partial and vulnerable to demand swings.
Shai Hope produced a career-defining unbeaten 102 off 45 balls and Sherfane Rutherford blasted 84 from 37 deliveries as West Indies overhauled India’s total in the second T20 international. The Men in Maroon completed their highest successful chase in T20 cricket, with Sanju Samson’s effort for India ultimately left in vain.
YourStory’s weekly Lateral Sparks quiz returns with Edition 253, challenging readers to think like founders confronting real startup dilemmas across design, artificial intelligence and social impact. The latest edition frames entrepreneurship as a test of judgment, not just knowledge, and asks participants to weigh creativity, business logic and execution under pressure.
India has set out an ambitious long-term steel roadmap that envisages demand rising to 505 million tonnes by 2047, with installed capacity scaled up to 604 million tonnes, according to the National Steel Policy. The plan underscores the centrality of steel to India’s industrialisation, infrastructure build-out and manufacturing expansion over the next two decades.
Omnichannel menswear brand KISAH has secured ₹35.9 crore in a Series A round led by Fireside, marking a significant step in its push to widen its retail and distribution presence across India. The funding underscores continued investor interest in digitally enabled apparel brands that can translate online traction into scalable offline growth.
The Reserve Bank of India has moved to make the Account Aggregator framework interoperable, allowing consumers to share financial data across participating platforms without being locked into a single provider. The change is designed to improve convenience, reduce friction in consent-based data sharing, and strengthen the digital rails that support lending and financial services.
Tukaram Mundhe has been appointed secretary to the committee tasked with overhauling the Maharashtra Public Service Commission, a move that helped defuse a prolonged protest by civil services aspirants. In a related development, MPSC chairman Vivek Bhimanwar said he had gone on leave until the inquiry into the matter is completed, signalling a significant reset in the commission’s handling of the controversy.
Mohammed Shami spearheaded a disciplined Bengal bowling effort as Delhi were dismissed for 240, giving the visitors the upper hand in a keenly watched domestic contest. The performance underlined Bengal’s new-ball threat and Delhi’s ongoing struggle to convert starts into a commanding first-innings total.
India is set to remove a long-standing restriction on input tax credit for companies buying insurance cover, marking a notable easing in the goods and services tax framework. The change will also allow credit when businesses buy and resell certain services in the same line of business, including restaurant and catering services, hotel rooms priced up to ₹7,500 a night, and fitness services.
Airlines operating at Mumbai airport have asked for structural safety reports for Terminal 1, along with a detailed redevelopment blueprint covering scope, phased execution and firm timelines, according to people familiar with the matter. The request underscores growing industry scrutiny over infrastructure readiness as carriers seek clarity on safety, continuity of operations and the commercial impact of the terminal’s overhaul.
DBS Bank chief executive Tan Su Shan said strong demand for FCNR(B) deposits reflects continued overseas confidence in India even as foreign selling has weighed on the rupee. She pointed to India’s digital infrastructure, export potential and emerging advantage in artificial intelligence as reasons for sustained optimism about growth and investment flows.
R.K. Fashion Accessories is scheduled to list today after its Rs 35 crore initial public offering, priced at Rs 82 per share at the upper end of the band. The issue was entirely a fresh offering of 42.67 lakh shares, with no offer-for-sale component, placing the spotlight on demand, grey market sentiment and the stock’s opening price discovery.
Vijayawada Utsav 2.0 opened with traditional dances and cultural performances, setting a celebratory tone for a festival positioned as a showcase of the city’s hospitality, traditions and spiritual heritage. Addressing the gathering, Vijayawada MP emphasized that the event is intended to project the city nationally while reinforcing its identity as a cultural and devotional centre.
Mayank Yadav delivered a sharply improved fast-bowling performance in the second T20I against West Indies, showing he had absorbed the simplest instruction in elite pace bowling: bowl fast, and bowl with control. His spell underlined India’s growing confidence in raw speed as a tactical weapon in the shortest format. The outing also reinforced the sense that Mayank is quickly learning how to translate express pace into sustained international value.
The Special Investigation Team is set to take custody of R. Veeramani in a second case registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, police sources said on Wednesday. The development marks the sixth POCSO case linked to the Gem Granite figure, intensifying scrutiny of the investigation and the broader handling of child protection complaints in Tamil Nadu.
The Public Grievance Redress System (PGRS) will not be held in NTR district on October 12 and 19, according to an official announcement. The cancellation creates a short-term gap in the district’s routine grievance-handling mechanism, placing greater importance on alternative administrative channels for citizens seeking urgent resolution.
India’s oil palm strategy is shifting from a long period of caution to a more aggressive push for scale, with policymakers framing the crop as a strategic lever for edible oil security, farm incomes and import reduction. The new phase reflects a broader attempt to move from pilot success and agronomic know-how to faster acreage expansion, processing capacity and supply-chain coordination.
Actor-producer Richa Chadha has described her non-fiction travel series 'Musafiri' as an attempt to help audiences see familiar places with fresh eyes. Speaking about her choice to begin with Mumbai, she said the show was designed to reacquaint people with the cities they live in, while motherhood has deepened her sense of observation and purpose.
Indian banks are likely to post a 25.4% year-on-year jump in net profit in the second quarter of FY27, supported by healthy loan growth, stronger income and lower provisioning, according to Emkay Research. However, higher foreign currency deposits and the normalization of FCNR-B funding are expected to keep pressure on lending margins before a gradual recovery in the second half.
Venture capital inflows into Indian startups fell sharply in the second week of October, underscoring how dependent weekly funding totals remain on a handful of large transactions. The decline was driven primarily by the absence of blockbuster deals, even as early-stage and mid-sized financings continued to appear across the ecosystem.
Mysuru’s 11-day Dasara festivities began on Wednesday with a traditional start, underscoring the festival’s enduring role as both a cultural landmark and a state-backed public celebration. The opening rituals set the tone for a programme that blends heritage, tourism, and civic administration in one of Karnataka’s most closely watched annual events.
Bank lending accelerated across major sectors in August, with personal loans emerging as a key driver of credit expansion, according to Reserve Bank of India data. Outstanding personal loans rose 16.9% year-on-year to ₹72.9 lakh crore, up sharply from 11.9% a year earlier, underscoring resilient consumer borrowing even as lenders navigate a tighter regulatory and rate environment.
HDFC Bank has appointed Anup Bagchi, a long-serving ICICI Bank executive with deep experience across banking, insurance and financial services, as its next Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. His appointment, effective October 27, follows regulatory approval from the Reserve Bank of India and comes as outgoing CEO Sashidhar Jagdishan’s term ends on October 26.
RJ and DJ Rohit Barker has opened Bahati, a new club in central Bengaluru that leans into house and Latin music at a time when the city’s nightlife is becoming more segmented, more curated, and more competitive. The venue reflects both Barker’s long-standing ear for dance floors and a broader shift in how urban Indian audiences are choosing where, and how, they want to go out.
India’s digital lenders have posted a 28% jump in personal-loan portfolios over the past year, even as the number of outstanding accounts edged down to 5.64 crore, signalling a clear shift toward larger ticket sizes rather than broader account growth. New loan sanctions rose 50%, underscoring resilient demand from younger borrowers and customers with thin credit histories who continue to rely on app-based lenders for quick access to unsecured credit.
Central Bank of India reported a sharp 30% year-on-year rise in credit growth for the second quarter, underscoring strong loan demand and improved business momentum. As of September 30, 2025, advances stood at Rs 2.93 lakh crore, deposits rose 14% to Rs 5.08 lakh crore, and total business expanded 21% to Rs 8.89 lakh crore.
Around 14 listed companies, including Tata Consultancy Services, Vedanta and Ola Electric Mobility, are set to trade ex-record date between October 12 and 16, with corporate actions spanning dividends, bonus issues, rights issues, stock splits and share consolidations. The clustered schedule is likely to draw investor attention as markets assess payout visibility, capital structure changes and near-term trading adjustments.
Google Cloud executive Rajesh Shewani is set to headline a TechSparks 2026 masterclass on how businesses can convert Gemini’s capabilities into measurable enterprise advantage. The session comes as Indian startups and larger firms race to move beyond AI experimentation and into practical deployment, productivity gains, and new product design.
India’s oil palm strategy is entering a more ambitious phase as policymakers seek to move the crop from pilot success to large-scale commercial adoption. The shift reflects a broader fiscal and food-security calculation: reducing dependence on imported edible oils while building a domestic supply chain that can support farmers, processors and state revenues.
Karnataka’s coffee cultivation area has remained largely stagnant, underscoring mounting pressure on planters facing weak state support, limited access to long-term low-cost capital and a shortage of climate-resilient varieties, according to the Karnataka Planters’ Association. The warning comes as growers contend with rising climate volatility and higher input costs, even as the state remains central to India’s coffee output.
The Marathas produced a commanding shutout over the Chiefs, underlining their control in a one-sided contest that never allowed the opposition to settle. In the day’s other headline result, the Yodhas prevailed in a tense thriller, sealing a hard-fought win that showcased composure under pressure and late-match resilience.
Anup Kumar Saha is poised to take over as chief executive of Kotak Mahindra Bank in January 2027, bringing to the role a reputation for disciplined execution, numerical rigor and a management style that prizes brevity over theatrics. His elevation comes at a time when the bank will be expected to accelerate loan growth while widening and diversifying its deposit base in a competitive Indian banking market.
Paramount Syntex’s Rs 82-crore SME initial public offering was subscribed 1.35 times by the end of the second day of bidding on the BSE SME platform, driven overwhelmingly by qualified institutional buyers. The QIB portion was booked 119.29 times, while retail and non-institutional investor demand remained subdued, underscoring a sharply uneven response to the issue ahead of its October 6 close.
India’s women athletes continue to deliver historic performances on the global stage, reinforcing the country’s sporting rise and expanding the visibility of women in elite competition. Yet the same moment also exposes a stark domestic contradiction: young women across India are again taking to the streets to demand safety, dignity, and the freedom to live without fear.
At a recent baithak, musicians and scholars examined the many forms of kajri within Purab Anga Gayaki, underscoring both the richness of the tradition and the growing difficulty of preserving its individuality. The discussion reflected a broader cultural concern: how a living folk-classical form can remain recognisable while adapting to changing audiences and performance spaces.
OpenAI, Anthropic and other leading artificial intelligence companies are reportedly preparing for intense public and political backlash if a major AI-related catastrophe were to occur. The planning reflects a growing recognition in Silicon Valley that the reputational, regulatory and legal consequences of a severe failure could be immediate and far-reaching.
The reported preparations come as governments, investors and safety advocates press the industry to prove that frontier AI systems can be deployed responsibly, even as the technology advances faster than the policy framework around it.
HSBC has appointed Paras Jain, the former Cantor Fitzgerald banker who built the firm’s technology investment banking franchise, as global head of TMT investment banking, according to people familiar with the matter. He is expected to join in November, as HSBC sharpens its push into sectors where it believes it can win more business, particularly technology across Asia and the Middle East.
The Indian rupee opened sharply higher on Monday, rising 1% to 95.76 against the US dollar after the Reserve Bank of India moved to curb dollar demand and speculative activity in the currency market. The measures, including tighter rules on derivative rebooking and higher hedging costs, are aimed at easing pressure on the currency, though analysts warn the impact on pricing and liquidity could be mixed.
Host Bengal begin their Ranji Trophy season against Delhi with a chance to set the tone early, backed by a formidable pace unit featuring Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar. Delhi, meanwhile, arrive with a clear objective: push into the knockout stage for the first time since the 2017-18 season and turn a long absence from the business end into a renewed challenge.
