Author: Bhakti Narayanan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s annual student interaction program, Pariksha Pe Charcha (PPC), is set to return in 2025 with a refreshed format and an expanded lineup of notable personalities. The initiative, designed to help students handle exam pressure, will now include insights from figures like Deepika Padukone, Mary Kom, Avani Lekhara, Vikrant Massey, Bhumi Pednekar, Rujuta Diwekar, Technical Guruji, Radhika Gupta, Sonali Sabharwal, and FoodPharmer. The event will take place at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi in a town hall-style format. Launched in 2018, PPC has grown into a national movement, with its eighth edition in 2025 receiving 35.6 million…

Apple CEO Tim Cook has announced that Apple Intelligence will debut in India with localized English in April, alongside support for several other languages, including French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese. Speaking to analysts after Apple’s fiscal Q1 2025 results, Cook emphasized the company’s commitment to expanding its AI capabilities globally. During the quarter ending December 28, 2024, Apple posted a revenue of $124.3 billion, reflecting a 4% year-over-year growth. Cook highlighted that the active installed base of iPhones reached an all-time high across all geographic regions, with the iPhone ranking as the top-selling model in…

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently announced that India’s long-awaited large language model (LLM) is expected to be completed within the next 10 months. This initiative is part of the broader India Artificial Intelligence (AI) Mission, designed to create AI models that incorporate the country’s diverse languages and cultures. The AI project will be supported by the India AI Compute Facility, which has acquired 18,693 Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) to develop the model, tailored specifically for India’s needs. Vaishnaw emphasized India’s growing AI capabilities, noting that the country now has 15,000 advanced GPUs, positioning its infrastructure on par with global leaders…

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has achieved a remarkable milestone—its 100th mission. This landmark accomplishment highlights India’s growing space capabilities, and ISRO is already setting ambitious goals, planning another 100 missions in the next five years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated ISRO on X, praising the dedication of scientists and engineers. He also emphasized the increasing role of private companies in India’s space endeavors. “Congratulations to @isro on this historic 100th launch! This milestone reflects the vision and commitment of our scientists. With private sector collaboration, India’s space journey will continue to soar,” Modi stated. Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister…

India’s Ministry of Mines has earmarked approximately $1.9 billion to strengthen its critical minerals sector, a move designed to secure essential raw materials like lithium for its growing energy and infrastructure needs. To lessen dependence on imports, the country identified 30 key minerals in 2023, with lithium being a top priority. Sources indicate that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet is likely to approve an initial investment of around $300 million this week. A significant portion of the funding will come from the National Mineral Exploration Trust, which is set to contribute over $1 billion. Additionally, the Department of Science and…

The United Payments Interface (UPI) has established itself as the leading platform in India’s digital payment sector, accounting for 83% of total payment transactions in 2024, a significant leap from 34% in 2019, according to the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Payments System Report. UPI transaction volumes skyrocketed from 3.75 billion in 2018 to an astounding 172.21 billion by 2024, out of a total digital payment volume of 207.87 billion. The value of these transactions surged remarkably, growing from $67.71 billion in 2018 to $2,852 billion in 2024, reflecting a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 89.3% in volume and…

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to achieve another major milestone with its 100th launch, the GSLV-F15 mission, scheduled for January 29 at 6:23 am from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. This mission will deploy the NVS-02 satellite, further enhancing India’s Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) system. Marking the 17th flight of the GSLV, this mission includes the 11th use of an indigenous cryogenic stage and the eighth operational flight featuring fully indigenous technology. The rocket will launch from the Second Launch Pad (SLP) using a 3.4-meter metallic payload fairing. Its key goal is to place…

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has carried a personal letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for US President-elect Donald Trump, according to news sources. Representing PM Modi as his special envoy, Jaishankar will attend Trump’s inauguration in Washington DC. This event marks a historic milestone as Trump becomes the 47th President of the United States, regaining office after a four-year interval. Trump is only the second US president, after Grover Cleveland, to reclaim the presidency following an electoral defeat. The tradition of Indian ministers attending presidential inaugurations abroad continues with this visit. Previously, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended Nigeria’s presidential…

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has undertaken extensive measures to guarantee safe and hygienic food for the millions attending Maha Kumbh 2025 in Prayagraj. Partnering with Uttar Pradesh’s Food Safety and Drug Administration, FSSAI has deployed 10 Mobile Food Testing Labs (Food Safety on Wheels) and stationed food analysts across the event. These mobile labs perform on-the-spot tests for food adulteration and spoilage while educating food vendors and visitors about proper food safety practices. The event is divided into five zones and 25 sectors, with 56 Food Safety Officers (FSOs) monitoring hygiene and food quality. Each…

California Congressman Ro Khanna has called for a thorough and transparent investigation into the death of Suchir Balaji, a whistleblower who accused OpenAI of violating federal copyright laws. Balaji’s allegations had gained national attention last year, making him a controversial figure in the tech world. Khanna’s statement followed the preliminary findings by the San Francisco County Medical Examiner, which ruled Balaji’s death as a suicide. The 26-year-old was discovered deceased in his San Francisco apartment nearly two months ago. However, his family has raised doubts about the cause of death and commissioned an independent autopsy, with results still pending. Expressing…