New Delhi, August 20: India will host the 12th BRICS Communications Ministers Meeting on 21st August 2026 under its BRICS Chairship. The meeting will bring together Communications Ministers and senior representatives from BRICS member countries to deliberate on strengthening cooperation in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), digital transformation, innovation and resilient digital infrastructure. Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister of Communications, Government of India, will chair the 12th BRICS Communications Ministers Meeting. The meeting is being organised under India’s overarching BRICS Chairship theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, and the ICT Track theme, “Innovate, Cooperate and Transform (ICT) for a Resilient…
Author: HE Web Desk
New Delhi, August 20: The Aadhaar App has crossed the significant milestone of 50 million (5 crore) downloads, reflecting the growing adoption of convenient and digital-first Aadhaar services among residents. The milestone marks a significant expansion of the Aadhaar App’s role as a digital interface between residents and UIDAI, enabling Aadhaar number holders to access a growing range of services from their smartphones, including mobile number update, address update, email update, biometric lock/unlock and e-Aadhaar download. The App has seen strong and sustained usage since its launch. While more than 60 lakh people updated their mobile number using the Aadhaar…
New Delhi, August 20: The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India, through the MSME Development & Facilitation Office, Chennai, organised a National Seminar on “From Local to Global: Enabling Export-Ready MSMEs through Digital Commerce” at IIT Madras, Chennai, on 18th August, in collaboration with Entrepreneurship cell of IIT Madras. The seminar brought together MSMEs, entrepreneurs, students, policymakers, financial institutions, export ecosystem stakeholders and digital commerce experts to explore practical pathways for enabling MSMEs to access national and international markets. The inaugural session featured a special address by Shri Praveen Yadav, Additional Chief Secretary, MSME Department, Government of…
New Delhi, August 19: The 2nd India–Malaysia Joint Working Group (JWG) Meeting on ‘Cooperation in the Field of Public Administration and Governance Reforms’ was held on 18.08.2026. The meeting was co-chaired by Shri Puneet Yadav, Additional Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), and Mr. Datuk Dr. Mohd Bakhari bin Ismail, Deputy Director General of Public Service (Development), Malaysia. Senior officials from DARPG, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) including HCI, Kuala Lumpur and National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) participated in the meeting from the Indian side. Welcoming the Malaysian delegation, Shri Puneet Yadav highlighted the long-standing and…
New Delhi, August 19: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, today has approved Four projects of Ministry of Railways with total cost of Rs. 9,450 crore approximately. These projects include: Kharagpur – Bhadrak (Ranital) 4th Line – 173 km (West Bengal and Odisha) Bhadrak – Haridaspur 4th Line – 75 km (Odisha) Gummidipundi – Gudur 3rd and 4th Line – 90 km (Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu) Cuttack – Paradeep (Badabandha) 3rd and 4th Line – 72 km (Odisha) The increased line capacity will significantly enhance mobility, resulting in improved operational efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways.…
New Delhi, August 19: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, today has approved the Upgradation of the Muzaffarpur-Sitamarhi-Sonbarsa Section of NH-22 to four-Lane Standard in Bihar. The project will be developed on Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) at a total capital cost of Rs.3590.73 crore with a total length of 82.578 km. The proposed project holds significant strategic and economic relevance due to its integration with Bihar’s expanding National Highway network. It acts as a key feeder corridor connecting the India–Nepal border at Sonbarsa with economic centers like Muzaffarpur at NH-27 (East–West Corridor).…
Mumbai, August 19: Butterfly Learnings, India’s first full-stack paediatric behavioural health platform for neurodivergent children, has raised INR 65 Crore in its Pre – Series B funding round, led by Inflexor Ventures, with continued participation from existing investors Insitor Partners and Enzia Ventures, reaffirming their conviction in the company’s long-term growth. The fresh capital will be used to expand Butterfly’s centre network across India, strengthen its technology platform, and commercialize its breakthrough early autism screening solution. The funding comes at a time when India is witnessing growing awareness around neurodevelopmental disorders, while access to structured and evidence-based care continues to…
New Delhi, August 19: India hosted the Eighth BRICS Youth Energy Summit 2026 virtually on 17 August 2026 under its BRICS Chairship. The Summit brought together more than 100 participants, including young energy professionals from academia, government institutions, and the energy ministries of the BRICS Member Countries. Representatives of the BRICS Youth Energy Agency (BRICS YEA), as well as international organizations including Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), also participated in the Summit. India’s BRICS Chairship in 2026 is guided by the overarching theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation…
New Delhi, August 19: Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh will hold a bilateral meeting with the Defence Minister of Japan Mr Shinjiro Koizumi in New Delhi on August 20, 2026. The meeting is expected to further strengthen bilateral defence relations, enhance strategic trust and cooperation, promote stability & security in the Indo-Pacific region and identify new areas of collaboration. The two Ministers will exchange views on deeper maritime security cooperation and closer defence equipment and technology collaboration under the ‘Make-in-India’ framework, following Japan’s revision of the Three Principles on Transfer of Defence Equipment and Technology. The meeting provides an opportunity…
New Delhi, August 19: Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, is visiting Singapore from 19-21 August 2026 as part of continued high-level engagement under the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) framework. An Indian business delegation comprising around 70 senior business leaders from diverse sectors is visiting Singapore alongside Shri Piyush Goyal to strengthen India-Singapore economic and commercial ties. The delegation includes representatives from technology, software and AI, manufacturing and engineering, infrastructure and sustainability, financial services and FinTech, healthcare and life sciences, food and agriculture, logistics, maritime and trade, and professional services. The delegation will undertake B2B, G2B and…
