1 India’s first semiconductor innovation museum opens
In a landmark achievement for India’s technology sector, the Semiconductor Innovation Museum was inaugurated by the Technology Chip Innovation Program (T-Chip) in Hyderabad on October 12, 2025. The museum, the first of its kind in India, aims to foster public engagement and industry collaboration in the semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. It offers visitors a glimpse into the future of semiconductor-powered technology, featuring a variety of exhibits ranging from AI-powered humanoid robots and robotic pet companions to India’s first indigenous AI chip, a reusable rocket engine, and next-generation electric vehicles and display systems.
2 Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt win the Nobel Prize in Economics
The Nobel Prize in Economics has been announced in Stockholm , Sweden . The Sveriges Riksbank Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences 2025 was announced at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences at 3:15 p.m. This year, the Nobel Prize was awarded to three economists: Joel Mokyr (USA), Peter Howitt (USA), and Philip Aghion (UK) . The Nobel Committee stated that these economists demonstrated how innovation drives economic growth. Technology changes rapidly and impacts us all. According to the Nobel Prize Organization, half of the prize will be awarded to Joel Mokyr “ for identifying the necessary conditions for sustainable development through technological progress, ” and the other half will be awarded jointly to Philip Aghion and Peter Howitt “ for their theory of sustainable development through creative destruction .” Mokyr used historical sources as a tool to uncover the reasons why sustainable development has become the new normal. Aghion and Howitt also studied the mechanisms behind sustained growth. In a 1992 article, they constructed a mathematical model called creative destruction, explaining that when a new and improved product enters the market, companies selling older products suffer losses.
3 Railway Minister to inaugurate IREE-2025 on October 15
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav will inaugurate the 16th International Railway Equipment Exhibition (IREE 2025) to be held at Bharat Mandapam here from October 15-17 . Organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in collaboration with the Ministry of Railways , the exhibition will see participation from over 400 exhibitors from over 15 countries, including China and Russia, showcasing over 30,000 cutting-edge railway and metro products, innovations, and sustainable solutions. IREE 2025 is a key platform connecting Indian Railways with global technology giants. It showcases India’s engineering excellence and promotes collaboration on sustainable and efficient railway solutions.
4 Israel to award President Trump its highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Honor
Israel will award US President Donald Trump its highest civilian honour , the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor , for his key role in brokering a ceasefire in Gaza and securing the release of Israeli hostages. Israeli President Isaac Herzog will present the award to Mr. Donald Trump. The announcement comes as the first batch of seven Israeli captives has been handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
5 The 45th GITEX Global, the world’s largest AI and technology exhibition, opens in Dubai
The 45th edition of GITEX Global , the world’s largest technology and artificial intelligence (AI) exhibition, kicked off at the Dubai World Trade Centre and Dubai Harbour . Over 6,800 exhibitors and 2,000 startups are participating in the five-day event, which will run until October 17th. The exhibition will showcase new innovations in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, and sustainable technologies, further reinforcing the UAE’s role as a leading hub for global digital transformation. India is represented by a delegation of 100 Indian companies, led by the Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council , along with 30 participants from Kerala IT Parks. A highlight of this year’s agenda is artificial intelligence, with exhibitions, workshops, and keynote sessions focused on it.
6 Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu launches Alliance Air’s “Fare se Fursat” fixed airfare scheme
Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu inaugurated the ” Fare se Fursat ” initiative. The initiative aims to relieve passengers from the stress of fluctuating airfares . The scheme has been launched by state-owned Alliance Air to ease flying in the country. The Civil Aviation Ministry said that under the scheme, Alliance Air will offer services at a fixed fare which will remain constant on the day of departure, regardless of the booking date. The ministry said that the initiative will be implemented on a pilot basis on select routes by the end of this year to evaluate its operational feasibility and passenger response.
7 US President Donald Trump and the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye signed a declaration to end the war in Gaza and establish peace.
US President Donald Trump has praised India and called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a ” very good friend .” Yesterday, at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit in Egypt , President Trump described India as a great country and said that Prime Minister Modi has done a wonderful job there. He made these remarks after the signing of a historic peace agreement to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The declaration emphasizes learning from the conflict and lasting peace in the region. The world has expressed hope for lasting peace in Gaza following this agreement. This declaration was issued just hours after Israel and Hamas exchanged hostages and prisoners. The US, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey signed the declaration as guarantors after discussing the agreement with world leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh.
8 The government has taken a major decision to appoint private sector employees to the positions of MD of SBI and ED of PSU banks.
The government announced a major decision for the banking sector . Now , top management positions in the country’s largest bank, State Bank of India (SBI), and other PSB banks, will be open to private sector candidates. As per the new guidelines, one of the four Managing Director positions in SBI will be open to private sector candidates and individuals working in public sector financial institutions. Currently, all MD and Chairman positions are filled by internal candidates. As per the revised appointment guidelines, one MD position will now be available for appointment to private sector candidates.
9 RBI launches Unified Market Interface for tokenized finance
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has developed the Unified Markets Interface (UMI) , a next-generation financial platform that enables tokenization of financial assets and transactions using a wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC) . The initiative was announced by RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra at the Global Fintech Fest 2025. UMI is part of RBI’s Digital Public Infrastructure vision, which aims to enhance market efficiency, security, and financial inclusion. UMI is a technology platform that:
- Converting financial assets (e.g. bonds, securities) into digital tokens via blockchain
- Settlement and transactions using wholesale CBDC
- Increasing market access, transparency and settlement speed
- Enabling fractional ownership and increasing investor participation
Tokenization means that real financial assets are represented digitally on a blockchain, making them tradable, divisible, and accessible to a wider audience. Using smart contracts, it increases the efficiency of capital markets and automates the settlement process.
10 Filmfare Awards 2025
The 70th Filmfare Awards 2025 was a grand affair held at the AKA Arena, Kankaria Lake , Ahmedabad , celebrating the best in Hindi cinema. The glittering evening was hosted by Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar, and Manish Paul . The highlight of the evening was Kiran Rao’s ” Lapayi Ladies ,” which made history by winning 13 awards—the same record set by ” Gully Boy ” in 2020. ” Lapayi Ladies ” made history by becoming the year’s biggest winner—it won 13 awards, including Best Film and Best Director (Kiran Rao) . Abhishek Bachchan ‘s emotional performance (I Want to Talk) and Kartik Aaryan ‘s inspirational performance (Chandu Champion) were praised—both jointly won the Best Actor (Male) award. Alia Bhatt won Best Actress for her powerful performance in “Zigda .”
11 Sonali Sen Gupta appointed Executive Director of RBI
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a significant leadership change, appointing Sonali Sen Gupta as its new Executive Director (ED) . Her appointment is effective October 9, 2025. With nearly 30 years of experience, Sen Gupta specializes in a number of policy and regulatory initiatives related to India’s financial system.
12 CPR Awareness Week begins
Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said on Monday that giving CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) on time increases the chances of saving a patient’s life during a heart attack manifold . She said this while inaugurating the CPR Awareness Week. This programme, organised by the Health Ministry, is being celebrated across the country from 13th to 17th October , with the aim of spreading awareness about CPR among the people and training as many people as possible in it. CPR involves giving about 100 compressions on the chest per minute and rescue breathing if needed, so that oxygen continues to reach the brain and other organs until professional help arrives.
13 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction
The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) is observed every year on October 13th . The day aims to raise public awareness about disaster management and promote a culture of disaster reduction. This year’s theme is ” Fund Resilience, Not Disasters .” The United Nations General Assembly established the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction in 1989 to raise awareness about and prevent disasters.
14 World Standards Day
World Standards Day is celebrated every year on October 14th . Its primary purpose is to promote the importance of standards and to disseminate them to the public . This day recognizes the contributions of standards-setting bodies, such as ISO , and other national and international organizations. ISO is an international organization founded on February 23, 1947. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland , it sets standards in 165 countries. ISO standards help maintain quality and safety globally in the technical, industrial, and commercial sectors.