1 Indian defender Udita was awarded the Player of the Tournament at the Women’s Asia Cup.
Indian women’s hockey team defender Udita was named Player of the Tournament after the team won the silver medal in the Women’s Asia Cup 2025. Team India lost 1-4 to hosts China in the final on Sunday . Despite the team’s regular drag-flicker Deepika being out due to injury, Udita played a crucial role throughout the tournament. She handled the team’s penalty corners and scored three goals brilliantly, while also fulfilling her defensive responsibilities. India took the lead in the final against China in the very first minute through a penalty corner goal by Navneet Kaur, but China countered with a goal in the second quarter. China took control in the second half and scored three more goals.
2 Gausort technology will boost the dairy sector
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a ₹10 crore (approximately $100,000) sex -sorted semen facility in Purnia, Bihar . The facility , built by the Animal Husbandry and Dairying Department under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission , has a capacity to produce 500,000 doses annually . The facility advances the vision of “Make in India” and “Atmanirbhar Bharat.” It will utilize the indigenous ” GauSort ” technology launched by the Prime Minister on October 5, 2024. This technology will provide sex-sorted semen at affordable rates to farmers in the eastern and northeastern states. The Purnia Semen Station was established with central assistance of ₹84.27 crore (approximately $100,000). It is the largest public sector semen station in the country and the first state-of-the-art semen station in eastern and northeastern India. Currently, the station produces 5 million doses annually and plays a vital role in the region’s dairy sector. According to experts, semen sex-sorting technology increases the chance of female calves by up to 90%. The Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM), launched in 2014 by the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying , aims to develop and conserve indigenous bovine breeds. It is implemented by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
3 India signs agreement with International Labour Organization
An agreement was signed on Tuesday between the Government of India and the International Labour Organization (ILO) to develop an ” International Reference Occupation Classification .” The agreement was signed by Arindam Bagchi, India’s Ambassador to Geneva, Switzerland, and ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo . Union Minister of Labour and Employment and Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, participated via video conferencing. The agreement aims to provide global employment opportunities to youth and facilitate seamless integration of Indian workers into the international labor market . Many countries are facing a shortage of skilled workers due to demographic imbalances and digitalization. During India’s G20 presidency in 2023, leaders agreed to promote skill-based regular migration pathways to address this problem. As part of this initiative, the decision to develop an international occupation classification was taken.
4. ‘One Nation-One Agriculture-One Team’: National Agriculture Conference begins in New Delhi
The two-day National Agriculture Conference – Rabi Abhiyaan 2025 began on Monday at the Pusa campus in New Delhi . This year, the conference’s theme is ” One Nation – One Agriculture – One Team .” For the first time, it has been made a two-day event, initiated by Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan . Senior officials from the Centre and states, ICAR scientists, agricultural experts, farmer representatives, and other stakeholders are attending the conference. This platform will provide an opportunity for extensive discussion on preparations, production targets, and strategies for Rabi 2025-26.
5 Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman and Shri Ashwini Vaishnav launch NITI Aayog’s ‘AI Roadmap for a Developed India’ and ‘Frontier Tech Repository’
NITI Aayog launched two transformative initiatives, the ” AI Roadmap for a Developed India: Opportunities for Accelerated Economic Growth ” and the “NITI Frontier Tech Repository, ” under its Frontier Tech Hub . The Roadmap was launched by Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman , Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs; Shri Ashwini Vaishnav , Minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and Information Technology; Shri Suman Beri , Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog ; Shri BVR Subrahmanyam , CEO of NITI Aayog ; and Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The Roadmap lays out a practical action plan to transform the potential of AI into results. It outlines two tools: (1) accelerating the adoption of AI across all industries to enhance productivity and efficiency; and (2) transforming research and development with productive AI to help India leapfrog innovation-driven opportunities. The Frontier Tech Repository showcases over 200 impactful narratives from across India across four sectors: agriculture, healthcare, education, and national security. It vividly showcases how states and startups are using technology to transform livelihoods. Frontier 50 : Under this initiative, NITI Aayog will support 50 aspirational districts/blocks to select use cases from the repository and implement cutting-edge technologies that have the potential to accelerate saturation of services across ADP/ABP disciplines.
6 DPIIT-Startup India signs MoU with CarDekho Group to strengthen startup ecosystem in mobility, fintech and emerging technology sectors
Startup India, part of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CarDekho Group , an autotech and finance solutions platform, to further strengthen India’s startup ecosystem in mobility, fintech, insurtech, and emerging technology sectors. Under the collaboration, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and CarDekho Group will accelerate the growth of DPIIT-recognized startups by providing strategic guidance, market access, technical infrastructure, and funding opportunities. The startups will be supported by companies across CarDekho’s various platforms—CarDekho, InsuranceDekho, Rupee, BikeDekho, ZigWheels, PowerDrift, Revv, CollegeDekho, Crack-ED, and others—opening new avenues for collaboration and customer reach.
7 Russia unveils Zircon hypersonic cruise missile during military exercises with Belarus
Russia said on Sunday that it fired a Zircon hypersonic cruise missile at a target in the Barents Sea and that Sukhoi Su-34 supersonic fighter-bombers carried out heavy bombing during joint military exercises with Belarus. Russia is currently conducting exercises called Zapad-2025 with Belarus, in which more than a dozen countries, including India, Pakistan, and China, are participating. The Russian Defense Ministry released a video of the Zircon missile test. This is a hypersonic missile capable of penetrating NATO air defense systems. During the military exercises, Russia also attempted to intimidate NATO by using supersonic Su-34 fighter-bombers. These military exercises began in Belarus on September 12. However, both Russia and Belarus have stated that these exercises are purely defensive and that they have no intention of attacking any NATO country.
8 BCCI announces Apollo Tyres as the main sponsor of Team India
The BCCI on Tuesday announced Apollo Tyres as the new principal sponsor of Team India . The agreement will run until March 2028. During this period, the Apollo Tyres logo will appear on the jerseys of the Indian men’s and women’s cricket teams across all formats. This agreement replaces Dream11, which was previously the principal sponsor of Team India.
9 Vaishali Rameshbabu wins FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss title
Indian Grandmaster Vaishali Rameshbabu won the FIDE Grand Swiss tournament on Monday after drawing her final game against former women’s world champion Tan Zhongyi . This is her second consecutive victory in the tournament, a historic achievement. This is the first time a player has won the tournament twice. With this win, Vaishali has secured her place in the Candidates Tournament. She has now become the third Indian woman player to qualify for the Candidates after Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh.
10 Smriti Mandhana regains top spot in ICC Women’s ODI batting rankings
Ahead of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, Team India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has once again achieved the number one position in the ICC Women’s ODI batting rankings. Mandhana scored a brilliant half-century in the first ODI of the series against Australia and overtook England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt. Mandhana scored 58 runs off 63 balls, earning her seven rating points. She is now four points ahead of the England captain. This achievement is considered very encouraging for Team India ahead of the Women’s World Cup.
11 World Ozone Day
World Ozone Day is celebrated every year on September 16 to commemorate the ozone layer, which protects life on Earth from harmful ultraviolet rays . The United Nations established this day in 1994 to celebrate the success of the 1987 Montreal Protocol . This agreement followed the 1985 Vienna Convention , when scientists warned about the dangers of chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). These steps transformed scientific warnings into global action, and today the ozone layer is slowly beginning to heal. The theme of World Ozone Day 2025 is ‘From Science to Global Action.’ Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer agreed to phase out the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) at their 28th meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, on October 15, 2016. The Vienna Convention (1985) is an international agreement under which countries agreed to cooperate and share information to protect the ozone layer from human activities that are depleting it. The Montreal Protocol , adopted in 1987 , is a global treaty to phase out ozone-depleting chemicals, such as CFCs, halons, carbon tetrachloride, HCFCs, and methyl bromide. India actively phased out the production and consumption of CFCs from August 1, 2008, 17 months ahead of the Montreal Protocol deadline , and ensured the supply of pharmaceutical-grade CFCs for asthma and COPD patients during the transition period. By 2010, India had received permission for 343.6 metric tons of pharmaceutical CFCs for the manufacture of MDIs, and by 2011, there was no demand for CFCs as CFC-free formulations were successfully developed and made available in the market.
12 Hollywood actor-director Robert Redford dies at 89
Hollywood actor-director Robert Redford has died at the age of 89 at his home in Utah, USA . Actor-director-producer Redford is known for his roles in classic films such as ‘ Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’, ‘The Sting’ and ‘All the Presidents May Not’. He won an Oscar in 1980 for directing ‘ Ordinary People ‘ and received an honorary Lifetime Achievement Oscar in 2002. Redford was also a dedicated environmentalist, having moved to Utah in 1961.