Author: Sharad Natani
In a landmark moment for citizen-centric governance, Dr. Nitish Gupta (IDES 2021 batch), CEO of Nasirabad Cantonment, has been conferred the Southern Command Commendation Card — one of the highest recognitions awarded by the Indian Army to civilians. The award acknowledges Dr. Gupta’s innovative initiatives, hands-on leadership, and transformative improvements in urban services across Nasirabad and Ajmer Cantonments. A New Model of Governance – Jan Samvad Among Dr. Gupta’s most celebrated initiatives is “Jan Samvad – Chhawani Prashasan Aapke Dwar”, launched in September 2024. Over 15 days, the programme conducted seven sessions across eight wards, giving thousands of residents a…
Indian Railways is taking a major step to make online ticket booking safer, faster, and more transparent for genuine passengers. From October 1, 2025, anyone trying to book a general reserved ticket online during the first 15 minutes of opening will be required to complete Aadhaar authentication. This initiative is part of the Railways’ effort to curb ticket hoarding by touts and intermediaries. Previously, a large number of tickets were booked by agents and resold at higher prices, making it difficult for regular passengers to secure their preferred seats. Now, only users with verified Aadhaar linked to their IRCTC account…
In a landmark move that cements India’s position on the global innovation map, Rolls-Royce has launched its largest Global Capability and Innovation Centre (GCIC) at Manyata Embassy Business Park, Bengaluru. This state-of-the-art facility signals the British engineering giant’s long-term commitment to India’s talent pool and its fast-growing technology ecosystem. A Big Win for Karnataka’s Tech and Engineering Landscape The Bengaluru centre will serve as a critical hub for cutting-edge research, advanced engineering, and digital solutions, supporting Rolls-Royce’s global operations. Karnataka’s reputation as India’s Silicon Valley gains another jewel, with this move expected to create high-value engineering jobs and boost collaborations…
Big relief for India’s 7 crore Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) subscribers — the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has rolled out ‘Passbook Lite’, a simplified feature on its Member Portal. Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced the initiative, calling it a major step toward single-login access for all PF-related services. What Subscribers Can Do Now Until now, members had to log in separately to the Passbook Portal to check their contributions, withdrawals, and balances. With Passbook Lite, subscribers can instantly view a summarised version of their passbook details right on the Member Portal — making the process faster, easier, and…
In a landmark move to reshape India’s higher education landscape, the government has announced the setting up of a Rs 500 crore Artificial Intelligence (AI) Centre for Education Excellence, to be jointly hosted by IIT Kanpur, IIT Ropar, and IIT Jammu. This centre will act as a national hub for AI-driven learning solutions, spearheading research and development in personalised education, automated assessments, and intelligent classroom tools. The initiative signals a major step towards integrating cutting-edge technology with traditional learning models, making education more accessible, data-driven, and impactful. Driving the Next Generation of Learning The AI centre will focus on: Personalised…
A 40-year-old man with a long history of schizophrenia has recovered after undergoing a rare, complex surgery in Nagpur, where doctors successfully removed a razor blade lodged in his esophagus. The sharp object had been stuck for over two weeks, creating serious complications—and a full-thickness perforation—in the patient’s throat. The Medical Drama Patient History: The man had schizophrenia for 15 years. He was admitted to Midas Hospital complaining of difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) that had lasted about a week. His psychiatric evaluation revealed delusions, auditory hallucinations, and psychotic depression, suggesting the ingestion was not suicide but related to hallucinations. Diagnosis: Endoscopy…