1 FIDE World Cup 2025 will be held in Goa
India is set to further strengthen its rapidly growing position in global chess as Goa hosts the FIDE World Cup 2025 from October 30 to November 27, 2025. The prestigious tournament is being organised by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and will see 206 top players from over 90 countries take part. The winners will be up for grabs with a prize money of $2 million (approximately ₹166 crores) and three spots in the 2026 Candidates Tournament.
2 Cabinet approves four major railway projects worth Rs 12,328 crore
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved four major railway projects worth Rs 12,328 crore . The aim of these projects is to strengthen connectivity, freight transport and regional development. These include the new Deshalpar-Hajipir-Luna and Vayor-Lakhpat rail line in Kutch region of Gujarat , which will cost Rs 2,526 crore. It will be 145 route km and 164 track km long and will be completed in three years. This line will facilitate the transportation of salt, cement, coal, clinker and bentonite and will promote tourism to Rann of Kutch, Dholavira, Koteshwar Temple, Narayan Sarovar and Lakhpat Fort. Apart from this, 13 new stations will be built and about 16 lakh people of 866 villages will be benefited. At the same time, the Secunderabad (Sanathnagar)- Wadi third and fourth line project in Karnataka and Telangana will be completed in five years at a cost of Rs 5,012 crore. The Bhagalpur-Jamalpur third line project (53 km) in Bihar at a cost of Rs 1,156 crore and the Furkating-New Tinsukia doubling project (194 km) in Assam at a cost of Rs 3,634 crore have also been approved. In total, these projects will add 565 route km of new rail capacity, benefit 3,108 villages and over 47 lakh people and generate 251 lakh man-days of employment during construction.
3 Cabinet extended PM Swanidhi scheme till March 2030
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the restructuring of the ‘ Pradhan Mantri Street Vendor Atmanirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Yojana ‘ and extension of the loan period beyond 31 December 2024. This loan period has now been extended to 31 March 2030. The total outlay of this scheme is Rs 7,332 crore . The restructured scheme aims to benefit 1.15 crore beneficiaries including 50 lakh new beneficiaries. The responsibility of implementing the PM Street Vendors Atmanirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme will be jointly on the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Department of Financial Services (DFS). In this, the role of DFS will be to facilitate access to loans or credit cards through banks, financial institutions and their ground level officials. The key features of the restructured scheme include enhanced loan amounts in first and second instalments, provision of UPI-linked RuPay credit card for beneficiaries repaying second loan and digital cashback incentives for retail and wholesale transactions. The scope of the scheme is being expanded in a phased manner to census towns, semi-urban areas etc. In the improved loan structure, the first instalment loan has been enhanced to Rs. 15,000 (from Rs. 10,000) and second instalment loan has been enhanced to Rs. 25,000 (from Rs. 20,000) while the third instalment remains unchanged at Rs. 50,000. The introduction of UPI-linked RuPay credit card will enable street vendors to have instant access to credit to meet any emergent business and personal requirements.
4 Supreme Court gets two new judges
Two new judges have been appointed in the Supreme Court on Wednesday . President Draupadi Murmu appointed Chief Justice of Bombay High Court Alok Aradhe and Chief Justice of Patna High Court Vipul Manubhai Pancholi as judges of the Supreme Court. This appointment was made on the recommendation of the Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai . Justice Alok Aradhe was born in April 1964. He started his judicial career as an additional judge of Madhya Pradesh High Court in December 2009 and became a permanent judge in February 2011. At the same time, Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi was born on 28 May 1968 in Ahmedabad and hails from Gujarat. In June 2016, he was appointed as a permanent judge of the Gujarat High Court. After Justice Joymalya Bagchi retires on October 2, 2031, Justice Vipul Pancholi will be in line to become the Chief Justice of India (CJI) in October 2031.
5 RBI begins inflation survey in 19 Indian cities
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched a new round of its Inflation Expectations Survey of Households (IESH) for September 2025. The survey is being conducted across 19 cities in India . This quarterly survey is conducted to understand the current and future price perception of the general public and provides crucial inputs for India’s monetary policy framework. Through this survey, RBI assesses what households think about prices. The 19 cities selected include: Metro cities : Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad State capitals and others : Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Guwahati, Jaipur, Jammu, Lucknow, Nagpur, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi, Thiruvananthapuram
6 Argentina eases visa rules for Indians, allows valid US visa holders to travel without separate visa
Argentina has relaxed its entry rules for Indian nationals , allowing those with a valid US tourist visa to travel without having to apply for a separate visa to Argentina. Welcoming the decision, Argentina’s Ambassador to India Mariano Cousino said in a social media post that the gazetted order allows Indian nationals with tourist visas to enter Argentina without having to apply for an Argentine visa.
7 SpaceX launches 10th successful test flight of its Starship rocket from Starbase, Texas
SpaceX successfully launched the 10th test flight of its Starship rocket from Starbase in Texas . This is a significant step towards the development of the world’s first fully reusable rocket . After a two-day delay due to weather and technical problems, the two-stage vehicle took off from the Starbase center. The Super Heavy booster made a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico , while for the first time, SpaceX demonstrated payload deployment using the Starlink simulator. The flight met all major objectives and provided critical data for future missions. This includes NASA’s Artemis III moon landing planned in the year 2027 .
8 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomes UN General Assembly decision to establish two new AI mechanisms
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the decision of the UN General Assembly to establish two new AI mechanisms aimed at promoting international cooperation on the governance of artificial intelligence . These two mechanisms are the UN Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance. The first mechanism will serve as an important bridge between cutting-edge AI research and policymaking , while the second mechanism will provide an inclusive platform for discussing critical issues related to AI . This unprecedented achievement underlines the commitment of UN Member States to advance the Global Digital Compact adopted as part of the Deal for the Future in September 2024.
9 Now Ayurveda Day will be celebrated every year on 23 September
From now on , Ayurveda Day will be celebrated every year on September 23. Earlier this day was celebrated on Dhanvantari Jayanti (Dhanteras) . The government believes that fixing the date will give Ayurveda Day recognition on a universal calendar and will make it possible to celebrate it widely across the world. The theme decided for the year 2025 is ” Ayurveda for people and earth “, which gives the message that Ayurveda is not limited to personal health, but it is equally relevant for environmental balance and overall well-being of the earth.
10 Nayara Energy appoints Timur Abusguliev as new CEO
Nayara Energy , one of India’s leading private oil refining companies, has appointed Teymur Abasguliyev as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) . The decision was taken following the recent European Union (EU) sanctions imposed on the company and the subsequent resignations of top European officials.
11 Griham Housing to appoint former Citibanker Arjun Chaudhary as CEO
Gruhum Housing Finance , a TPG-backed mortgage lender , is set to appoint Arjun Chaudhry as its new managing director and chief executive officer (MD & CEO) . Arjun Chaudhry has previously held senior positions at Citibank and Axis Bank. The appointment follows the resignation of current MD & CEO Manish Jaiswal, whose term will end on August 31. He will, however, remain associated in an advisory role till December 31.
12 The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the bid for Commonwealth Games 2030
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the bid for Commonwealth Games 2030. Ahmedabad will be presented as India’s bidder to host the Commonwealth Games.
13 Former India spin bowler Ravichandran Ashwin announces retirement from Indian Premier League
Former India spin bowler Ravichandran Ashwin has announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League . Through a post on social media, Ashwin said that now he will gain experience playing in leagues around the world. Ashwin registered his name as the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the IPL with 187 wickets in 221 matches in a 14-year-long career. He represented several franchises in his career, including Chennai Super Kings, Rising Pune Supergiant, Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals.
14 Anish Bhanwala has won the silver medal in the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol event at the ongoing Asian Shooting Championship in Kazakhstan
Indian shooter Anish Bhanwala has won the silver medal in the men’s 25 meter rapid fire pistol event in the ongoing Asian Shooting Championship in Kazakhstan . Anish missed the gold medal race by just one point. India has won 72 medals in the competition so far . Junior competitions are also being held in the competition. Due to the excellent performance of junior shooters, India has won 39 gold medals so far. India is at the top of the medal table with a total of 72 medals with 39 gold, 16 silver and 17 bronze medals. Kazakhstan is second with 51 medals and China is third with 35 medals.