NATIONAL NEWS

Ahmednagar Railway Station in Maharashtra Renamed as ‘Ahilyanagar’

The Ahmednagar Railway Station in Maharashtra has been officially renamed as Ahilyanagar Railway Station to honour Lokmata Devi Ahilyabai Holkar (1725–1795), the revered Maratha queen known for her benevolent rule, public welfare initiatives, and temple-building works.

The renaming aligns with the recent name change of Ahmednagar district to Ahilyanagar, reflecting public sentiment to preserve India’s indigenous legacy.

The proposal was initiated by the Maharashtra government, supported by local citizens and leaders. It was approved by the Union Home Ministry, following a request from Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The Railway Board issued a notification after approval, enabling implementation across the Indian Railways system.

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India Has Been Elected As A Member Of The Interpol Asian Committee

India has been elected as a member of the Interpol Asian Committee during the 25th Interpol Asian Regional Conference held in Singapore.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which functions as India’s National Central Bureau (NCB) for Interpol matters, represented the country.

The Interpol Asian Committee is an advisory body that guides the Interpol Asian Regional Conference, meeting annually to address security threats such as organised crime, cybercrime, terrorism, human trafficking, and drug trafficking.

India’s election was multi-stage and competitive, reflecting the confidence of Asian nations in India’s policing and security capabilities.

The election comes amid rising digital crimes, terror financing, and transnational trafficking syndicates in Asia, making India’s role crucial in shaping collaborative regional responses.

India can now push for standardised cybercrime frameworks, stronger extradition treaties, and capacity-building programs for smaller police forces across Asia.

 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

AIIMS Launches AI-Based ‘Never Alone’ Mental Health Initiative To Prevent Student Suicides

AIIMS Delhi has launched “Never Alone”, an AI-powered mental health and wellness programme that provides 24×7 screening, counselling, intervention, and follow-up care through a secure web-based app accessible on WhatsApp.

The initiative was launched at AIIMS Delhi, AIIMS Bhubaneswar, and IHBAS Shahdara, with plans to expand across other AIIMS institutions via the Global Centre for Integrative Health (GCIH).

The “Never Alone” app is designed to break the stigma around mental health and provide immediate, anonymous support, linking students with counsellors, psychiatrists, and faculty members.

According to AIIMS data, 7,27,000 people die by suicide globally each year (one every 45 seconds).

As per NCRB estimates, India recorded 1.7 lakh suicides in 2022, the highest in 56 years, with youth between 18–30 years being the most vulnerable.

 

BANKING

Reserve Bank Of India Gives Phonepe Final Nod To Function As A Payment Aggregator

PhonePe, a fintech major, has received final approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as an online payment aggregator.

The approval came over two years after PhonePe first received in-principle clearance from RBI.

A Payment Aggregator (PA), also known as a merchant aggregator, is a third-party service provider that enables merchants to accept payments from customers by integrating payment services into their websites or apps.

A Payment Aggregator in India is incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013.

In 2025, other companies that received the payment aggregator licence include Pine Labs Online, Easebuzz, BharatPe, and PayU, among others.

With this approval, PhonePe joins a list of over 50 firms that have obtained a full RBI licence as payment aggregators.

PhonePe has 650 million registered users and a digital payments acceptance network across 45 million merchants.

The company processes more than 360 million transactions daily, with an annualised total payment value (TPV) exceeding ₹150 trillion.

Bima Sugam India Federation Launches Official Website Of IRDAI-Backed Electronic Insurance Marketplace Bima Sugam

The Bima Sugam India Federation (BSIF) has launched Bima Sugam, envisioned as the world’s largest integrated online insurance marketplace.

Bima Sugam is a unified digital marketplace for life, health, motor, travel, property, agricultural, and general insurance products, where users can buy, renew, manage, and claim policies on a single platform.

The platform will securely store policy documents and function similar to UPI, creating Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for insurance.

It will cover life insurance products, including term plans, savings products, annuity and pension plans, and ULIPs.

Bima Sugam is part of IRDAI’s Bima Trinity initiative—Bima Vistaar, Bima Vahak, and Bima Sugam. It is launched to enhance insurance penetration by focusing on availability, affordability, and accessibility.

The initiative is backed by the Life Insurance Council and the General Insurance Council (GIC).

Ajay Seth, Chairman of IRDAI, unveiled the website and emphasized security, compliance, and phased rollout of services.

The phased rollout will start as an information hub and later enable real-time transactions, renewals, and claims once insurer integrations are completed.

The objective of Bima Sugam is to empower policyholders, deepen insurance penetration, ensure transparency, reduce friction in policy servicing, and lower costs.

Government Clears UCO Bank To Handle Trade Payments For Nayara Energy

UCO Bank has received government approval to handle trade payments for Nayara Energy Limited., nearly two months after the company was sanctioned by the EU in July 2025.

Nayara Energy, which is 49% owned by Russia’s Rosneft, faced reduced operations and diversion of ships due to the EU sanctions.

UCO Bank, with limited offshore presence and past experience in facilitating Iran oil trades, was directed to lead Nayara’s transactions.

SBI and other large lenders halted Nayara’s trade and FX transactions due to caution over Western sanctions.

Nayara Energy contributes around 8% of India’s refining capacity and 7% of its retail-fuel network, highlighting its strategic importance.

Baroda BNP Paribas Mutual Fund To Merge Banking and PSU Bond Fund Into Short Duration Fund

Baroda BNP Paribas Mutual Fund has announced the merger of two debt funds – Banking and PSU Bond Fund (merging scheme) with Short Duration Fund (surviving scheme).

The merger will be effective from October 17, 2025.

The merger is considered a change in fundamental attributes under Regulation 18(15A) of SEBI Mutual Fund Regulations, 1996.

SEBI has given a no-objection for the merger of the merging scheme into the surviving scheme.

Unitholders are given 30 days’ notice (from September 17 to October 16, 2025) with an option to exit without exit load during this period.

 

DEFENCE

Border Roads Organisation ’s Project Vijayak Marks 15th Raising Day in Kargil

Project Vijayak of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) celebrated its 15th Raising Day at Kargil, Ladakh on September 21, 2025, marking expansion of infrastructure projects worth over ₹1,200 crore.

In 15 years, Project Vijayak has built and maintained more than 1,400 km of roads and 80 major bridges across Ladakh.

Project Vijayak achieved the record-setting reopening of Zojila Pass in just 31 days of its winter closure in April 2025, an unprecedented high-altitude connectivity feat.

Project Vijayak was raised in 2010 with the aim of linking remote valleys of Ladakh and fulfilling operational requirements of the Armed Forces.

The 15th Raising Day celebrations included Sainik Sammelan, cultural programmes, Vijayak Memorial inauguration, bike rally to Drass War Memorial, painting competitions, Pagal Gymkhana, and Barakhana.

Future plans worth ₹1,200 crore include widening of roads, construction of tunnels and bridges, use of geotextiles, advanced surfacing, slope stabilisation, digital monitoring, and eco-friendly construction practices.

Project Vijayak is a symbol of resilience and lifeline for Armed Forces and locals in Ladakh, embodying BRO’s motto of connectivity in toughest terrains.

 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Indusind Bank Appoints Viral Damania As New Chief Financial Officer

IndusInd Bank appointed Viral Damania as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Key Managerial Personnel (KMP), effective 22 September 2025.

With this appointment, the additional responsibilities of Santosh Kumar as Special Officer-Finance & Accounts (KMP) will cease immediately, but he will continue as Deputy CFO.

Viral Damania has 27 years of banking experience, having served as CFO of Bank of America India and worked with Citibank North America, BofA Securities India, Citibank N.A. (India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka) and PwC.

In August 2025, Rajeev Anand took charge as Managing Director & CEO (MD&CEO) for 3 years, after Sumant Kathpalia resigned in April 2025 over accounting lapses.

Former Deputy CEO Arun Khuran also resigned in April 2025 due to the same issue.

 

SPORTS

World Athletics Championships 2025

American sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won the women’s 400 metres gold at the World Athletics Championships 2025 in Tokyo.

She clocked 47.78 seconds, the fastest women’s 400m time since 1985, marking her successful transition from 400m hurdles to flat 400m.

McLaughlin-Levrone’s 47.78s is the second-fastest women’s 400m time in history.

The world record of 47.60s was set by Marita Koch (East Germany) in 1985 during the era of state-sponsored doping.

She also set a new American record, surpassing her 48.29s semifinal performance.

With this performance, she is in contention to break the longest-standing track world record.