• Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit assumed the position of Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command on 01 September 2024. He was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on 06 December 1986.



  • V. Satish Kumar, previously the director of marketing at Indian Oil Corp. Ltd (IOCL), took up additional duties as chairman in September. This comes after Shrikant Madhav Vaidya completed his tenure as chairman of the state-run oil company.



  • Bharath Sesha has been appointed as the new Managing Director for Philips India, a Dutch multinational conglomerate. The announcement was made effective from September 1.



  • The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the appointment of former India wicketkeeper, Ajay Ratra, as a selector for the men's cricket team. This marks a significant change in Indian cricket's selection process, opening a new chapter in the national team’s selection committee.



  • Senior IAS officer Tuhin Kanta Pandey has been appointed as the Finance Secretary by the government. He is a 1987 batch officer from the Odisha cadre. Currently, he is serving in the Finance Ministry, overseeing two crucial departments: the Departments of Public Enterprises (DPE) and Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM).



  • L’Oreal Paris has made the announcement of welcoming Alia Bhatt as their new Global Brand Ambassador. As the new face for the brand, Alia Bhatt is expected to not only represent the company at a global level but also influence an immense sector of their target audience.



  • On 8th September 2024, veteran sports administrator, Randhir Singh, became the first Indian to be elected as the president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), marking a milestone in Asian sports history. The election took place during the 44th General Assembly of the continental institution in New Delhi. Singh's tenure will span from 2024 to 2028, with his primary role being to lead the OCA, the peak body for Olympic sports in Asia.

 

  • RS Sharma has been appointed as the Non-Executive Chairperson of the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). Having held positions such as Director General and Mission Director of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and CEO of the National Health Authority, Sharma's new role will guide ONDC into a new phase of growth and innovation.



  • Hockey India has announced that the Hockey Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2024 will be taking place in Rajgir, Bihar. This major sporting event, scheduled from November 11 to 20, marks a significant step in the development of sports infrastructure in Bihar. The tournament will be held at the newly constructed Rajgir Hockey Stadium, with India set to defend their title against teams from China, Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, and Korea.



  • The President revealed the new flag and insignia of the Supreme Court to mark its 75th anniversary since establishment on 26th January 1950. The emblem prominently features the Ashoka Chakra, the Supreme Court building, and the book of the Constitution of India. Furthermore, the Prime Minister released a commemorative postage stamp highlighting 75 years of the Supreme Court of India.



  • Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has become the first Indian company to surpass ₹10 lakh crore in annual revenue. The record-breaking turnover of ₹10,00,122 crore (USD 119.9 billion) for the financial year 2023-24 was announced by Chairman Mukesh Ambani at RIL’s Annual General Meeting. The company also posted a net profit of ₹79,020 crore (USD 9.5 billion).



  • POP, a fintech startup, has launched India's first multi-brand co-branded credit card with RuPay and Yes Bank, known as the YEB BANK POP-CLUB RuPay credit card. This innovative card integrates major brands such as Zomato, Blinkit, Cult, Rapido, Cleartrip, and Pharmeasy. The card aims to cater to daily spending areas like e-commerce, groceries, food and beverages, travel, and health and fitness.



  • SBI Foundation has launched the 3rd edition of its Asha Scholarship Program, aimed at supporting 10,000 meritorious students from underprivileged backgrounds across India. The scholarship, ranging from ₹15,000 to ₹20,00,000 annually, covers students from Class 6 to postgraduate levels. The application period is from August 16 to October 1, 2024. Since its initiation in 2022, the program has provided ₹3.91 crore to 3,198 students and targets to contribute to India's vision of becoming a developed nation by 2047.



  • The "Khel Utsav 2024" was organised by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in commemoration of Hockey Legend Major Dhyan Chand’s birth anniversary and in tandem with National Sports Day 2024. The event, in accordance with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, occurred from August 27 to August 30, 2024, at Major Dhyan Chand Stadium and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi.



  • The Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) is compiled monthly by the Labour Bureau within the Ministry of Labour & Employment. The index is not only crucial in measuring retail inflation but also used in determining the dearness allowance for central/state government employees and industrial sector workers, as well as influencing minimum wage revisions. The inflation rate fell to 3.86% in May 2024, down from 4.42% the previous May. Other forms of CPI submitted by the Labour Bureau and the National Statistical Office include CPI for Agricultural and Rural Labourer and a combined rural/urban index.



  • Mexico, the first country to allow popular election of judges, gained independence from Spain in 1821 and now follows a presidential form of government. It is one of the world's most biodiverse countries, boasting 10% of the global biodiversity and is the 14th largest country by landmass, holding diverse landscapes from deserts to tropical rainforests. Economically, the largest contributor to Mexico's GDP is the service sector, with key industries including finance, tourism, retail and telecommunications, bolstered by rich natural resources such as oil, silver and minerals.



  • Typhoon Bebinca, the most potent typhoon to strike Shanghai since 1949 and the 13th to hit China this year, battered the Chinese east coast, causing millions to remain indoors. It forcefully disrupted transport and the city swung into action, deploying thousands of relief and rescue workers in the Lingang area. The storm caused the relocation of over 414,000 people from Shanghai. Typhoons, a specific type of tropical cyclone, typically form over warm ocean waters in the NorthWest Pacific.



  • HDFC Bank, a leading private bank in India, aims to raise the income of 500,000 marginal farmers earning less than 60,000 yearly by 2025 via its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) scheme, Parivartan. The programme highlights the bank's commitment to sustainable growth and supports vulnerable communities through a focus on skill development, financial literacy, healthcare and hygiene, education, and rural development. Since 2014, Parivartan has been active in 28 Indian states and 8 Union Territories, making it one of the country's largest CSR schemes. In previous CSR efforts, HDFC Bank invested in irrigation, organic farming, scholarship provision, and sanitation drives.



  • The Sharjah Investment Forum (SIF) 2024 marked a significant milestone in global business and technology, hosting over 5,000 attendees from various industries. The event established itself as a platform for knowledge sharing, learning and networking between local and international stakeholders. The highlight of SIF 2024 was the unveiling of the world’s first AI-powered trade licence service, an innovation representing a significant advancement in business facilitation and government services.



  • The Telangana government is planning to create an AI City, aiming to become a global hub for Artificial Intelligence, featuring a dedicated research, development and application centre. An AI School will also be established in the city to foster AI expertise and education, in a project overseen by the Telangana AI Mission in partnership with Nasscom. This initiative will also involve the establishment of Centres of Excellence in collaboration with the private sector, targeting advancements in AI within critical and emerging sectors, and benefiting over 2.5 lakh students and professionals. Furthermore, an AI Research Lab will be set up in affiliation with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), focusing on utilising AI to improve governance services and processes.



  • The Union Cabinet recently approved the Bio-RIDE (Biotechnology Research Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development) scheme. The aim of this scheme is to encourage research, innovation, and entrepreneurship in biotechnology, with a vision to make India a global leader in this field and transform it into a USD 300 billion bioeconomy by 2030. The proposal allocates a budget of ₹9,197 crore for implementation between 2021-22 and 2025-26. Key components include supporting innovation in various biotechnology sectors, nurturing startups, promoting sustainable practices in biomanufacturing, and supporting a circular bioeconomy to develop eco-friendly solutions to tackle climate change.