ModiWatch: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) - World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA) 2024 and the India Mobile Congress.

Speaking at the ITU conference, PM Modi made a pitch for framing a global digital framework for the ethical use of technology.

PM Modi also said that India has become the second-largest 5G market in the world and India is already in the process of developing 6G infrastructure.

Defence deal with US

India-US $3.5 billion defence deal: India and the US concluded a $3.5 billion deal for the procurement of 31 MQ-9B armed High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) manufactured by General Atomics.

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State elections announced

Elections dates announced for Maharastra and Jharkhand: The Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar announced Maharashtra Assembly Elections will be held on November 20. Two phases of the Jharkhand Assembly Elections will be held concurrently on November 13 and November 20.

INC-JMM alliance in Jharkhand, BJP to contest alone: Unlike The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), the Indian National Congress (INC) announced that it would contest the Jharkhand Assembly elections alongside the state party Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

Indian diplomats abroad

Foreign minister arrives in Pakistan: As the first senior Indian politician to visit Pakistan in years, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan, to attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conference.

Finance minister will travel to the US and Mexico: Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman will travel to Mexico for a three-day visit. She will also visit the US to attend annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and more.

$100 million trade target with UAE: India and UAE held bilateral discussions in UAE to achieve $100 mn non-oil trade before 2030.

Freebies in the hot seat

Supreme Court serves notice to Centre and Election Commission: The Supreme Court of India has served a notice to the Centre and the Election Commission on a fresh plea against the practice of political parties promising freebies during Elections.

Moving money

Centre launches National Electricity Plan (Transmission): The Centre has launched its National Electricity Plan (Transmission) setting renewable energy targets for 2030 and 2032 at 500 GW and 600 GW respectively. The plan is set to attract ₹9.15 lakh crore ($108.9 billion) investments by 2032.

Saatvik Green Energy gets ₹302 crore order from MAHAGENCO: Saatvik Green Energy clinched a ₹302 crore ($35.9 million) deal with Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited (MAHAGENCO) for a 200 MW solar module supply.

Tata stake monetisation: Noel Tata's appointment as the chairman of the Tata Trusts could open the door for the Shapoorji Pallonji Group to partially monetise its 18.4% holding in Tata Sons.

Hyundai raises ₹8,315 crore: Hyundai Motors India raised ₹8,315.27 crore ($990 million) from 225 anchor investors before the launch of its IPO (Initial Public Offering).

Reliance-Disney merger in Q3: By the end of Q3 FY 25, the merger of Reliance Industries Limited's (RIL) media holdings and the international media conglomerate Walt Disney's India operations is anticipated to be finalised.

Education Ministry announces three new centres of excellence: Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, announced the establishment of three AI Centres of Excellence (CoE) focused on Healthcare, Agriculture, and Sustainable Cities with a project outlay of ₹990 crore ($117 million).

BEML to build indigenous high-speed trains: An ₹866.87 crore ($103.1 million) contract to manufacture indigenous high-speed trains has been awarded to BEML Limited, a public sector enterprise.

Reports and prediction

India on track to achieve ethanol blending targets: The Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, said India is set to achieve its 20% ethanol blending target well before the revised October 2025 deadline.

Reliance registers slow Q2: Reliance Industries Ltd, India’s biggest company by market capitalisation, reported a 3.6% drop in profits for the September quarter resulting from a weak oil-to-chemicals performance.

High food and retail inflations: India’s retail inflation reached a nine-month high of 5.5% in September. Food inflation also shot up to 9.24% in September from 5.66% in August.

RBI to ease cross-border payments: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor, Shaktikanta Das, said RBI could consider widening the scope of the Real Time Gross Settlement System (RTGS) to the settlement of transactions in US dollars, euros and pound sterling.

Potential semiconductor deal

Israeli envoy meets CM of Uttar Pradesh: The Chief Minister (CM) of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, held a discussion with the Israel Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar. Reports suggest the meeting could have addressed a major announcement upcoming in the semiconductor sector, likely from a private Israeli company.

Opposition unhappy with the committee

Opposition MPs write to the Speaker of Lok Sabha: Opposition MPs wrote a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla, over the "gross violation of parliamentary code of conduct" committed by panel chairman Jagdambika Pal during the joint committee meeting looking at the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.

Foxconn to inaugurate Indian facility

Foxconn to inaugurate Telangana facility in November: Foxconn will inaugurate its facility near Hyderabad in November. The state government will pursue with the Centre issues concerning visas for engineers and the import of machinery faced by Foxconn.

Spectrum war between Starlink and Reliance

Musk reacts to Ambani lobbying: Starlink boss Elon Musk said a move by India to auction satellite broadband spectrum, and not allocate it, would be "unprecedented". The comment comes in after Ambani’s Reliance argued India's telecom regulator has incorrectly concluded that home satellite broadband spectrum should be allocated and not auctioned.

Airtel joins Reliance’s agenda: Sunil Mittal, head of India’s second-largest telecom firm Bharti Airtel, joined Reliance’s agenda to make a strong case for satellite companies paying license fees as well as buying airwaves for their telecom services.

Rajya Sabha: Not in session.

Lok Sabha: Not in session.

Delhi Today: Hazy sunshine.

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