Economy & Finance

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched the real-time Foreign Currency Settlement System (FCSS) at GIFT City, removing earlier delays in forex settlements.

• ICICI Bank and Visa introduced Asia’s first Visa Infinite-powered prepaid forex card for entrepreneurs and business travellers.

• RBI launched the offline digital rupee (e₹), advancing India’s digital finance infrastructure.

• SBI General Insurance rolled out “Health Alpha”, a customizable health insurance plan.

National Affairs

• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) launched a nationwide Mascot Design Contest to find an official visual ambassador for Aadhaar.

• The Government of India introduced the ₹600 crore Kapas Kranti Mission to boost long-staple cotton cultivation and improve productivity.

• India and Brazil agreed to expand the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between New Delhi and MERCOSUR to enhance trade and investment.

• NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), in partnership with DP World, launched the ‘We Rise’ initiative under its Award to Reward (ATR) framework.

• Economy & Finance
  • The overall exports (Apr-Sep 2025) of India increased by 4.45 percent to the US 413.30 billion.
  • Bajaj Finserv AMC introduced Pay with mutual fund where UPI payments are paid through units of mutual funds.
  • Curie Money released its UPI + investment application that every user could use following the NPCI approval.
  • India & Australia India held the 5 th India Australia Energy Dialogue in New Delhi.

Defence & Infrastructure

• HSL granted Mini Ratna: Mini Ratna status was awarded to Mini Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) which increased its contribution to defence and maritime production.
• Green Goal of NHAI: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) intends to utilize 100 percent of the municipal waste produced in India in the development of roads by the year 2027.

• Vishwas Scheme was inaugurated - Labour and Employment Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the Vishwas Scheme in the 238 th CBT meeting of EPFO in New Delhi.
• Push of Digital Self-Reliance: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw promoted Mappls (MapmyIndia) as a substitute of Google Maps.
• Jal Jeevan Mission Progress -JJM has been supplying tap water to 15.71 crore rural households with 80% coverage since August 2019.