INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Indian Prime Minister Receives Daruma Doll, Iconic Japanese Cultural Symbol

During Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s Japan visit, Rev Seishi Hirose, Chief Priest of Daruma-ji Temple, presented him with a Daruma Doll, a significant cultural symbol in Japan.

Daruma Dolls are considered lucky charms in Japan and vary in size. They are often used to set and achieve goals; the tradition is to fill in one eye when a goal is set and the other once it is accomplished.

The Daruma Doll, made of papier-mâché, is modeled after Bodhidharma, the 5th-century founder of Zen Buddhism.

Bodhidharma, an Indian monk from Kancheepuram, is known in Japan as Daruma Daishi.

Shorinzan Darumaji Temple, built in 1697 in Takasaki, Gunma, is regarded as the place of origin of Daruma.

 

BANKING

IPPB Marks 8th Foundation Day

India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) celebrated its 8th Foundation Day (IPPB Day), highlighting its role in inclusive, accessible, and affordable banking at the last mile.

IPPB is among the largest financial inclusion initiatives globally, leveraging the reach of 1.64 lakh Post Offices and 1.90 lakh Postmen & Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS).

The bank has over 12 crore customers, has processed billions of digital transactions, and provides doorstep banking in rural, semi-urban, and remote regions.

Its expanded services include DBT disbursements, pension payments, credit facilitation, and insurance and investment products through partnerships.

New offerings include DigiSmart (a Digital Savings Account), Premium Aarogya Savings Account (with healthcare benefits), and Aadhaar-based Face Authentication for customer convenience.

Other services such as the RuPay Virtual Debit Card, AePS (Aadhaar-enabled Payment Services), cross-border remittances, and Bharat BillPay integration make IPPB a comprehensive grassroots financial service provider.

Department of Posts Suspends Mail Booking Services to the United States of America

The Department of Posts has decided to completely suspend the booking of all categories of mail to the USA.

The suspension covers letters, documents, and gift items valued up to USD 100.

The reason for the suspension is the inability of carriers to transport U.S.-bound mail and the absence of defined regulatory mechanisms.

Customers who have already booked undelivered items can claim a refund of postage.

The Department is monitoring the situation and aims to restore services at the earliest.

RBI Fines Bandhan Bank ₹44.7 Lakh for Regulatory and Statutory Lapses

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a penalty of ₹44.7 lakh on Bandhan Bank for statutory and regulatory compliance deficiencies.

This action was taken following supervisory findings of non-compliance with RBI directions.

The bank violated norms by paying remuneration in the form of commission to certain employees.

It also carried out manual interventions in account data through the back-end.

The bank did not properly capture audit trails/logs of access with specific user details in the system.

 

DEFENCE

Indian Army Troops Leave for India–US Joint Military Drill Yudh Abhyas 2025

An Indian Army contingent has departed for Fort Wainwright, Alaska, United States of America (USA), to participate in the 21st edition of Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2025, which is scheduled from September 1 to 14, 2025.

The Indian contingent includes personnel from a battalion of the Madras Regiment.

They will train alongside the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment “Bobcats”, which is part of the Arctic Wolves Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division (USA).

Training will cover a wide range of tactical drills, including heliborne operations, employment of surveillance resources, unmanned aerial systems (UAS), rock craft, mountain warfare, casualty evacuation, combat medical aid, and the integrated use of Artillery, Aviation, and Electronic Warfare systems.

Subject-matter experts from both armies will lead working groups on critical domains such as UAS & Counter-UAS operations, information warfare, communications, and logistics.

The exercise will culminate in jointly planned tactical maneuvers, including live-fire drills and high-altitude warfare scenarios.

The primary focus is on enhancing UN peacekeeping capabilities and multi-domain operational preparedness.

Indian Army Conducts Combat Readiness Exercise In Arunachal Pradesh

The Indian Army conducted Exercise Yudh Kaushal 3.0 in the Kameng region, Arunachal Pradesh, to test preparedness for next-generation warfare in high-altitude Himalayan conditions.

The exercise, observed by the General Officer Commanding, Gajraj Corps, involved drone surveillance, precision strikes, real-time target acquisition, air–littoral operations, and synchronized battlefield tactics.

A key highlight was the operational debut of ASHNI platoons, which integrate advanced technology with traditional combat skills for a battlefield advantage.

The exercise showcased the active participation of the Indian defence industry, reinforcing the vision of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat (self-reliance) in defence.

Yudh Kaushal 3.0 validated combat effectiveness in harsh terrain and highlighted the Army’s shift towards multi-domain operations and the use of emerging technologies.

 

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

Insurance Ombudsman Report 2023-24 Highlights Concentration of Complaints Among Few Insurers

The Insurance Ombudsman Annual Report 2023-24 indicates that a few insurance companies received the maximum number of complaints.

Star Health and Allied Insurance topped the list with 13,308 complaints, with over 10,000 of those complaints being related to claim rejections.

CARE Health had the second-highest number of complaints with 3,718, followed by Niva Bupa Health Insurance in third place with 2,511.

The only public sector insurers in the top five were National Insurance Co. Ltd (2,196) and The New India Assurance Co. Ltd (1,602).

The top three companies that received the most complaints were all stand-alone health insurers.

IRDAI has mandated that each insurance company establish an Internal Insurance Ombudsman (IO) to handle complaints up to ₹50 lakh.

This Internal Ombudsman will be responsible for reviewing complaints that remain unresolved after 30 days or those that were partially or completely rejected and are being appealed by the policyholder.

 

AGREEMENT & MoUs

Indian Railways and State Bank of India Sign MoU

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Indian Railways (IR), one of the largest rail networks in the world, and the State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest public sector bank.

Under the MoU, insurance coverage for Railway employees maintaining salary accounts with SBI has been significantly enhanced.

In case of accidental death, the insurance benefit has been raised to ₹1 crore, compared to the current ₹1.20 lakh, ₹60,000, and ₹30,000 for Group A, Group B, and Group C employees respectively covered under the Central Government Employees Group Insurance Scheme (CGEGIS).

All Railway employees holding only a salary account with State Bank of India (SBI) will now be eligible for natural death insurance coverage of ₹10 lakh, without premium payment or medical examination.

Nearly 7 lakh Railway employees maintaining salary accounts with State Bank of India (SBI) will benefit from this agreement, reflecting a major welfare initiative for railway staff.

Complimentary insurance covers under the MoU include:

Air Accident Insurance (Death) Cover of ₹1.60 crore plus an additional up to ₹1.00 crore on RuPay Debit Card.

Personal Accident (Permanent Total Disablement) Cover of ₹1.00 crore.

Personal Accident (Permanent Partial Disability) Cover of up to ₹80 lakh.

The agreement is employee-centric and compassionate, designed to bring exclusive benefits to frontline railway personnel, especially those in Group C and other categories.

Department of Posts Signs MoU with ESRI India

The Department of Posts (DoP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) India Technologies Private Limited, a leading Geographic Information System (GIS) software and solutions provider.

Under this MoU, the Department of Posts will use ESRI India’s high-resolution imagery and street basemaps for its Digital Pincode (DIGIPIN) portal.

The collaboration will enable the integration of the Digital Pincode (DIGIPIN) with ESRI India’s Living Atlas portal, making it accessible to the wider Geographic Information System (GIS) community.

Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) India will provide technical support to the Department of Posts for seamless integration of its services with the Digital Pincode (DIGIPIN).

The partnership aims to make the Digital Pincode (DIGIPIN) system more robust, accurate, and citizen-friendly, thereby supporting efficient service delivery.

The MoU was signed at Dak Bhawan, New Delhi, by designated representatives of the Department of Posts and Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) India.

This MoU represents a major step towards ground-level implementation of the Digital Pincode (DIGIPIN) initiative by integrating the Department of Posts’ nationwide postal network with Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) India’s mapping capabilities

 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Air Marshal Sanjiv Ghuratia AVSM VSM Takes Charge as Air Officer-in-Charge Maintenance

Air Marshal Sanjiv Ghuratia AVSM VSM assumed charge as Air Officer-in-Charge Maintenance (AOM) at Indian Air Force (IAF) Headquarters on September 1, 2025.

He was commissioned into the Aeronautical Engineering stream of the IAF in September 1988.

Throughout his 37 years of distinguished service, he has held key command and staff appointments in the IAF and a UN Mission abroad.

Prior to his current role, he served as the Senior Maintenance Staff Officer at HQ Maintenance Command.

His notable awards and honors include the Vishisht Seva Medal (2016) and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (2025), awarded by the President of India.

He was also commended by the Force Commander of the UN Mission in Congo for his service.

 

IMPORTANT DAYS

Skyscraper Day

Skyscraper Day is celebrated on September 3 every year.

Skyscrapers Day is celebrated every year on September 3, on the birth anniversary of Louis H. Sullivan, often called the 'father of modern skyscrapers.

Celebrate this unofficial holiday by climbing or taking the elevator/lift up a skyscraper and by acknowledging the architectural and engineering feats that make such buildings possible.

Tall buildings are called skyscrapers because their tops seem to scrape the sky. The term was first applied to buildings in the 19th century and was used to describe buildings over 10 stories tall.

In cities such as New York, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Detroit, tall buildings were erected during the middle of the 19th century, but the first steel-frame skyscraper wasn’t built until 1885.

The world's first skyscraper came up in Chicago in 1885

Skyscraper Day can be observed by simply taking the time to visit a local skyscraper and take a trip up it.