Punjab National Bank has launched a 2026 festive retail loan campaign offering concessions across home, car and other consumer loans, in a move aimed at lifting borrowing demand during the holiday season. The package includes a full waiver of upfront and processing fees on home loans, a 5-basis-point rate concession, and a full fee waiver on car loans.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tribute to Maharaja Agrasen, invoking the ancient ruler’s legacy of social welfare, community service, and economic self-reliance. The gesture, while ceremonial, carried political and cultural significance by reaffirming the government’s emphasis on inclusive development and respect for India’s civilizational traditions.
Police teams led by Commissioner Prakash Nikam carried out coordinated raids across more than 40 bars, pubs and clubs in Belagavi, uncovering instances of alcohol being served to minors and violations linked to loudspeaker use. The operation signals a sharper enforcement push on licensing, public order and underage drinking in one of Karnataka’s fast-growing urban centres.
Orthodox tea prices firmed at Kochi auctions after overseas buyers returned to the market, with traders linking the renewed demand to the settlement of pending payments from earlier sales. The improvement in cash flow has enabled fresh orders to be placed, giving a timely lift to auction sentiment in a sector closely watched for export demand signals.
The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has approved a proposal to name the upcoming Jewar airport after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, advancing a politically significant branding decision for one of India’s most closely watched infrastructure projects. The proposed name, Narendra Modi International Airport Noida Jewar, comes as the first phase of the airport is being built with one runway and one passenger terminal designed to handle 12 million passengers annually.
Gujarat is preparing to release water from Kadana Dam to cushion Kharif crops after the state’s early-October rainfall deficit widened sharply. Between October 1 and 10, the state received just 0.3 mm of rain against a seasonal average of 11 mm, a shortfall of about 97%, intensifying concerns for standing crops and irrigation reliability.
The move underscores the pressure on water managers to balance immediate agricultural needs with reservoir conservation as the monsoon withdrawal period leaves large parts of the state exposed to dry conditions.
Bengaluru FC opened their Indian Super League campaign with a hard-fought win over SC Delhi in a lively season opener that combined pace, pressure and late-game tension. The result underlined Bengaluru’s greater composure in key moments, even as Delhi showed enough resilience to suggest they will be competitive this season.
The Reserve Bank of India has moved to tighten oversight of rupee-linked foreign exchange derivatives, sharply limiting the rebooking of cancelled contracts and reducing the threshold for trades without underlying exposure to $5 million from $100 million. The central bank has also added stricter checks for hedging activity and imposed a 20% cash reserve requirement on certain transactions, signalling a tougher stance on speculative use of the market.
The Uttar Pradesh cabinet has approved a startup procurement scheme designed to make it easier for young companies to sell products and services to state government departments. The move is intended to widen market access for local startups, reduce entry barriers in public procurement, and strengthen the state’s emerging innovation ecosystem.
Amazon and Flipkart have reported a robust start to India’s 2026 festive shopping season, with both platforms citing unusually strong day-one activity and heavy participation from shoppers in non-metro markets. Amazon said products ordered rose 100% year on year, while Flipkart said it hit peak traffic of 6.3 million concurrent users per minute, underscoring the scale of online retail demand at the start of the season.
India has unveiled a long-term steel policy that sets an ambitious target of 604 million tonnes of installed capacity by 2047, aligning the sector with the country’s broader industrial and infrastructure expansion plans. The framework also places unusual emphasis on cutting emissions and improving access to iron ore and coking coal, two inputs that will shape both the pace and the cost of the industry’s growth.
Two people, including a company executive and a business partner engineer, died after gas exposure at the ESL Steel plant in Jharkhand, according to a company spokesperson. The incident has renewed scrutiny of industrial safety protocols at heavy manufacturing sites, where exposure risks can escalate rapidly and demand immediate containment and medical response.
The Reserve Bank of India has tightened rules for rupee-linked foreign exchange derivatives, sharply reducing the scope for rebooking cancelled contracts and lowering the threshold for trades without underlying exposure to $5 million from $100 million. The move is aimed at strengthening market discipline, improving risk management and limiting speculative use of derivative structures. The central bank has also added checks for hedging activity and introduced a 20% cash reserve requirement for certain transactions.
Siennor Trio’s new 11-track album, 'Ninaivu Maaligai,' arrives as a live-recorded statement of intent: rooted in remembrance, but determined not to remain there. The project draws on Sufi, rock and other textures to create a layered listening experience that frames the past as something to honour, not inhabit indefinitely.
ChampaTree has expanded beyond Delhi with a new art space in Hyderabad, housed inside the Jubilee Hills furniture showroom Artyk. The venue is designed to present contemporary art and design in a more domestic, lived-in context, reflecting a growing market for cross-disciplinary cultural spaces in Indian cities.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy has called for a ban on cement imports from Pakistan, arguing that such trade could be used as a cover for smuggling contraband, weapons and ammunition into India. His remarks add a security dimension to an otherwise commercial issue, potentially sharpening scrutiny of cross-border trade policy. The intervention comes at a time when market-linked policy debates are increasingly intersecting with national security concerns.
The Marathas produced a commanding all-round performance to blank the Chiefs in a one-sided contest, while the Yodhas edged a tense thriller in a finish that kept the result in doubt until the final moments. The contrasting outcomes underlined both the depth of the Marathas’ control and the Yodhas’ composure under pressure in a high-stakes evening of India sports action.
Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar has publicly challenged BJP state president N. Ramchander Rao to set a date for producing voters who claim they were denied their voting rights, along with documentary proof. The remarks sharpen the political dispute over voter disenfranchisement claims and place the burden of evidence squarely on the opposition.
Prices for orthodox tea firmed at the Kochi auctions as overseas demand returned, with traders linking the pickup to the settlement of pending dues from earlier sales. The improved payment cycle has enabled foreign buyers to place fresh orders, lending support to the market and improving sentiment across the trade.
The Indian rupee recovered marginal ground on Friday after the Reserve Bank of India intervened through state-owned banks, but the currency still closed weaker than its intraday high as persistent dollar demand from companies capped gains. The rupee ended at 96.73 against the US dollar, underscoring how official support has not yet fully offset market pressure.
Former Bengaluru police commissioner and BJP leader Bhaskar Rao has asked the Union Home Secretary to conduct a thorough verification of YouTuber and commentator Dhruv Rathee’s nationality and visa conditions. The request comes amid a fresh political flashpoint over citizenship scrutiny and the boundaries of public commentary in India.
Apple Pay has officially entered the Indian market, enabling Axis Bank credit card holders to make contactless payments using Visa and Mastercard cards on Apple devices. The launch adds a new premium layer to India’s fast-evolving digital payments landscape, with a strong emphasis on security, privacy and convenience. For consumers, it broadens payment choice; for banks and merchants, it raises the competitive bar in a market already dominated by UPI and QR-based transactions.
Flashman, Minari, Rivayat and Saint Sizzle delivered standout performances in a closely watched India sports and cricket showcase, underlining the depth and volatility that continue to define the domestic and developmental circuit. The results offered an early read on form, temperament and momentum, with each contender making a distinct case in a field where margins remain thin and reputations are built quickly.
Former NITI Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar has warned that introducing merchant charges on UPI could slow India’s digital payments momentum and drive some users back to cash. His remarks come after the government announced a 0.4% merchant discount rate on UPI payments above Rs 2,000 from October 15, while keeping consumer transactions free.
Canara HSBC Life Insurance reported a 5% year-on-year rise in net profit to Rs 43 crore for the September quarter, up from Rs 41 crore a year earlier, underscoring steady operating momentum in a competitive life insurance market. The insurer also posted higher total income of Rs 2,511 crore, while net premium collections and first-year premiums both advanced, signalling healthy demand across its product portfolio.
Fourteen smallcap stocks advanced in each of the five trading sessions from October 5 to 9, outpacing the broader market and underscoring a renewed appetite for selective risk in Indian equities. Alok Industries and Modern Insulators led the pack with gains of 28% each, highlighting how momentum has concentrated in a narrow set of names even as the wider market remained uneven.
Razorpay-backed POP has expanded beyond UPI, rewards and commerce with the launch of POPchop, a buy-now-pay-later product that lets eligible shoppers split purchases into three interest-free instalments over three months. The move signals a broader fintech shift: platforms with large consumer funnels are increasingly turning to credit as a monetisation lever, even as they navigate tighter scrutiny around underwriting, repayment behaviour and regulatory risk.
Kotak Mahindra Bank has appointed Executive Director Anup Kumar Saha as its next Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer for a three-year term beginning January 1, 2027. The move signals continuity at the top of one of India’s most closely watched private-sector lenders, with a long-serving internal executive set to take charge after more than three decades in financial services.
Nasscom has said only a small share of H-1B workers ultimately transition to permanent residency through the PERM process, underscoring the limited scale of the pathway in the broader US talent system. The industry body also stressed that Indian IT companies operate in more than 80 countries and remain fully compliant with local laws and regulations.
As Navaratri begins to draw cultural attention across India, the enduring relevance of Syama Sastri’s three swarajatis comes into sharper focus. These compositions are widely regarded as among the Carnatic master’s finest works, combining structural sophistication with a deeply personal devotion to Goddess Kamakshi.
Flashman, Minari, Rivayat and Saint Sizzle emerged as the standout performers in a closely watched racing card that offered both form confirmation and fresh clues for the weeks ahead. The results sharpened the competitive picture across the India sports and cricket-adjacent betting and racing ecosystem, where momentum, consistency and timing remain decisive factors.
Bitcoin climbed back above $82,500 on Saturday after briefly sliding to a nearly three-week low earlier in the week, helped by a modest improvement in exchange-traded fund flows and a firmer risk tone across parts of the crypto market. Analysts, however, cautioned that institutional outflows, geopolitical tension involving the United States and Iran, and rising AI-related security concerns continue to cloud the outlook even as traders hunt for a short-term rebound.
Police on Friday made a second visit in a week to Trinamool Congress leader and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee’s Kalighat residence in Kolkata, serving a fresh notice for questioning in connection with the billboard case. The repeated summons underscores the continuing investigative pressure in a matter that has drawn political attention in West Bengal and beyond.
The long-running food-versus-fuel argument is increasingly being framed too narrowly, with policymakers and critics treating it as a zero-sum choice between farm security and energy transition. The deeper issue is whether India can build the scientific, logistical, and fiscal capacity to expand agricultural productivity, protect consumers, and scale cleaner fuels at the same time.
India’s satellite communications market has entered a sharper phase of contestation, with Elon Musk publicly accusing unnamed domestic interests of obstructing competition as regulatory and allocation decisions move closer to commercial reality. At the same time, the Reserve Bank of India’s new FEMA-related rules are adding a fresh compliance layer for startups and venture-backed companies navigating cross-border capital, ownership, and reporting structures.
Chagall, Enrich and New Star delivered standout performances in a closely watched set of results that sharpened the competitive picture in India’s racing circuit. The showing has strengthened their profiles among trainers, owners and punters looking for early indicators of form, fitness and future progression.
Amravati archer Kumkum is emerging as one of India’s most closely watched young prospects, combining ambition with a notably disciplined approach to the sport. As she sets her sights on the Los Angeles Games, she says she remains inspired by Virat Kohli’s work ethic and hopes to meet the cricket star one day.
‘Beware Boiúna’ leans into creature-feature pleasures with enough slashing momentum and monster spectacle to keep audiences engaged, even when its limited visual scope blunts the dread. The film’s biggest weakness is its lack of panoramic framing, which undercuts the scale of the threat, but its giant grinning snake and brisk genre instincts still deliver a watchable ride.
The Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) has accused the authorities of creating an “open emergency-like situation,” escalating its criticism of the state’s handling of dissent and civic space. At a media briefing, CJP co-convenor Saurav Das said the state was effectively “at war with its own citizens,” and vowed that the organisation would continue its protests despite mounting pressure.
Leaders of the Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) have vowed to continue their protest until the Chief Election Commissioner resigns, sharpening a confrontation over alleged illegal detentions linked to the demonstration. The Opposition and CJP say the arrests were unlawful, while Delhi Police maintains the detentions were preventive and carried out under due legal procedure.
West Indies batter Shai Hope has emerged as the standout performer of the tour, compiling 432 runs across five matches in India after three ODIs and two T20Is against the Men in Blue. His upward batting graph has offered the visitors a rare source of stability and belief as they look to convert individual form into a meaningful result in the remaining contests.
ChampaTree has expanded beyond the capital with a new Hyderabad outpost housed inside Artyk, a Jubilee Hills furniture showroom. The space is designed to present contemporary art in a more domestic, lived-in setting, blurring the line between gallery viewing and interior design. The move signals a broader push to make art more accessible to collectors and design-conscious audiences outside Delhi.
The Union Jal Shakti Ministry is not expected to move quickly on a technical appraisal of the Polavaram Right Main Canal Link Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS), as it awaits the final decision of the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II on water sharing. The delay underscores how inter-state river governance remains tied to unresolved legal and allocation questions, even as irrigation planning continues to face pressure from regional demands.
Several organisations in Dharwad staged a protest condemning the arrest of anti-SIR activists in New Delhi, accusing the Union government and police of using repressive methods to silence dissent. The demonstration reflects growing unease among civil society groups over the handling of political activism and the shrinking space for protest in the national capital.
The Prime Minister on Tuesday paid tribute to social reformer and rural development icon Nanaji Deshmukh on his birth anniversary, underscoring the enduring relevance of his work in strengthening India’s villages and grassroots institutions. The message framed Deshmukh’s legacy as central to the country’s broader development narrative, particularly in the areas of self-reliance, community participation, and rural upliftment.
Around 14 listed companies, including Tata Consultancy Services, Vedanta and Ola Electric Mobility, are scheduled to turn ex-record date between October 12 and 16, setting up a busy week of corporate actions across dividends, bonus issues, rights offerings, stock splits and share consolidations. The calendar underscores how Indian equities continue to use capital allocation events not only to reward shareholders, but also to reshape liquidity, capital structure and market perception.
The National Housing Bank has initiated a forensic audit of SRG Housing Finance as regulators intensify scrutiny over alleged dubious lending practices. The probe will examine claims of fictitious loans, unsupported accounts and repayment mismatches, with earlier internal findings suggesting questionable loans could total between ₹300 crore and ₹400 crore.
India has unveiled a long-range steel policy that targets 604 million tonnes of capacity by 2047, a scale-up designed to support infrastructure, manufacturing and export ambitions as the economy expands. The plan also places unusual emphasis on cutting sector emissions and improving access to iron ore and coking coal, underscoring the twin pressures of industrial growth and decarbonisation.
Axis Bank is preparing to significantly expand its lending to India’s data centre industry, with exposure to the sector expected to double from about Rs 8,688 crore over the next three years. The move reflects a broader shift in banking as artificial intelligence, cloud computing and digital services drive demand for large-scale computing infrastructure.
The opportunity is being supported by a more enabling policy environment, but lenders still face the usual risks tied to long-gestation infrastructure assets, including execution delays, power availability and customer concentration.
Mayank Yadav delivered the kind of raw pace that can alter a T20 contest in a matter of overs, underlining why India view him as one of their most intriguing fast-bowling prospects. In the second T20I, he showed a clear understanding of his brief: bowl fast, bowl straight, and make the opposition react rather than dictate.
