1 President Murmu presents SCOPE Eminence Awards
In a historic recognition of the role of PSUs in India’s development journey, President Draupadi Murmu presented the SCOPE Eminence Awards 2022–23 in New Delhi on August 29, 2025. The awards have been instituted by the Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE) to recognise outstanding performance in governance, innovation and sustainable development . Speaking on the occasion, the President said that Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) will play a key role in achieving the goal of a developed India by 2047. PSUs have played a significant role in post-independence industrialisation, infrastructure creation, social inclusion, regional balance and economic progress. Over time, these enterprises have adapted to changing expectations but have consistently maintained their commitment to nation building. CPSEs are not just economic units but catalysts of inclusive growth. Their performance in economic, environmental, technological and ethical dimensions presents a holistic progress model.
2 Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the plenary session of the Shanghai Summit in Tianjin, China
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the plenary session of the Shanghai Summit in Tianjin , China . He shared views with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping . The plenary session of the summit is currently underway. China is organizing the SCO summit for the fifth time . This meeting will be chaired by President Xi Jinping . The year 2025 has been declared as the year of sustainable development of the SCO under the chairmanship of China . A meeting was held between Shri Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The talks mainly focused on strengthening the relations between the two countries. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that Prime Minister Modi emphasized on restoring peace and stability in the border areas to strengthen bilateral relations. Relations between the two countries had become tense after the clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 .
3 Foundations to Educate Girls Globally nominated for Ramon Magsaysay Award
An Indian NGO dedicated to mobilising community and government resources for the education of girls in rural and educationally underprivileged areas of the country has been nominated for the 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Award . The organisation, called The Foundation to Educate Girls Globally, was founded in Rajasthan in 2007 by social activist Safina Husain . The organisation is popularly known as Educate Girls . Other Magsaysay Award winners for 2025 include environmental activist Shahina Ali from Maldives and Flaviano Antonio L. Villanueva from the Philippines. The award consists of a medal, certificate and cash prize. The 67th Ramon Magsaysay Awards will be presented on November 7 at the Metropolitan Theatre in Manila. Ramon Magsaysay’s official press release stated that Educate Girls identified communities most in need of girls’ education, brought out-of-school or out-of-school girls into the classroom, and worked to keep them in the classroom until they achieved qualifications for higher education and gainful employment.
4 Digital India Achievement: NeGD achieves pan-India integration of nearly 2,000 e-government services on DigiLocker and e-District platforms
The National e-Governance Division (NeGD) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has achieved another significant milestone by enabling pan-India integration of e-Governance services on DigiLocker and e-District platforms . With this achievement, citizens across all 36 States and Union Territories can now seamlessly access nearly 2,000 digital services anytime, anywhere . With this expansion, citizens in Maharashtra now have access to the highest number of services at 254 , followed by Delhi at 123, Karnataka at 113, Assam at 102 and Uttar Pradesh at 86. In addition, Kerala and Jammu & Kashmir offer 77 services each , while Andhra Pradesh offers 76 and Gujarat at 64. Similarly, Tamil Nadu and Goa offer 63 services each, while Haryana offers 60 and Himachal Pradesh offers 58. In total, 1,938 services are currently available to citizens across the country. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology established the National e-Governance Division in 2009 as an independent business division under Digital India Corporation (a non-profit entity) under Section 8. Since 2009, NeGD has been playing a key role in supporting the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in programme management and implementation of e-governance projects; it provides technical and consultancy support to Ministries/Departments at both the Central and State levels as well as other Government organisations.
5 India’s GDP growth rate reached 7.8%
According to the latest data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), India’s GDP growth rate has reached 7.8 percent. This is much higher than the 6.5 percent recorded in the same period last year . Economists and industry experts are excited by this performance and they are considering it as evidence of the strength of the Indian economy. Ashok Sehgal, senior committee member of CII and former chairman of MSME Council, called it very positive. He said that this growth of 7.8 percent has happened due to two main reasons. First, exporters increased export activities ahead of time due to the fear of tariffs being imposed globally. Second, especially in those sectors which were most affected by tariffs. Sehgal said that the increase in exports has strengthened the economy.
6 Letters, documents and postage up to $100 going to the US completely suspended
The government has completely suspended the sending of letters, documents and gifts worth up to $100 to the US . The Postal Department said in a statement that this decision has been taken due to the lack of a clear regulatory system and the inability to deliver in the US. According to the statement, the situation is being closely monitored and efforts are being made to restore postal services as soon as possible. The Postal Department said that a refund can be claimed for the booked material that could not be sent.
7 Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma provided scooters to 9,704 community workers under ‘Sakhi Express’
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma distributed scooters to 974 community workers under ‘Sakhi Express’ at a function held in Guwahati. He also launched Ajeevika Grameen Express Yojana to provide 51 commercial vehicles to cluster level federations. The Chief Minister also said that due to the efforts of Jeevika Sakhis, about 40 lakh women are associated with self-help groups and are engaged in various productive activities.
8 TCS launches AI unit, appoints Amit Kapoor as head
In a historic move for India’s IT industry , Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) , the country’s largest IT company, has announced the setting up of a dedicated “ Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Services Transformation Unit ”. The company has appointed Amit Kapoor to head this new unit , who will take charge from September 2025. Amit Kapoor is a veteran TCS executive with over two decades of experience in the company.
9 Mastercard and Infosys partner to boost cross border payments
Infosys has announced a strategic partnership with Mastercard to improve global cross-border payment solutions . The collaboration integrates Mastercard Move—a portfolio of money transfer capabilities—into Infosys Finacle, a part of EdgeVerve Systems. The integration aims to provide financial institutions around the world seamless access to faster, more secure and scalable cross-border transactions, reaching over 200 countries and supporting over 150 currencies.
10 Google’s new AI tool Nano Banana
Google has officially launched its next-generation AI image editing tool . Earlier codenamed “ Nano Banana ”, it has now been released as Gemini 2.5 Flash Image . Developed by Google DeepMind , the tool offers a completely new and creative way to edit photos, allowing users to replace, mix and remix photos by simply typing natural language prompts. Google CEO Sundar Pichai hinted at its launch on social platform X, where he posted funny AI-edited pictures of a banana emoji and his dog Jeffrey. The post was shared on the occasion of International Dog Day.
11 National Small Industry Day 2025
National Small Industries Day 2025 will be celebrated across India on August 30. The day aims to recognise and encourage the contribution of small scale industries (SSIs), which play a vital role in driving India’s economic growth, job creation, and innovation. The day has been observed annually since 2001.