News on Indian Economy
Canada has highlighted the progress made in recent discussions and sees the agreement as a potential driver of higher bilateral trade and fresh investment flows. For India, the negotiations form part of a wider strategy to deepen trade partnerships with major economies and create new opportunities for Indian exporters, manufacturers and service providers.
The facility was formally inaugurated on 26 August 2026 by Ravi K., Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), in the presence of Puneet Kaura, Director of SHDS and Managing Director and CEO of Samtel Avionics, along with senior representatives of HAL and the Samtel Group.
The overall IIP stood at 124.8 in July 2026, compared with 117.0 in July 2025. Manufacturing, which carries the largest weight in the industrial index, expanded by 7.3%, while Electricity and Gas Supply grew by 8.7%. Water Supply, Sewerage and Waste Management recorded growth of 7.4%. Mining and Quarrying was the only major sector to contract, declining by 0.9%.
Signed on 27 August 2026, the DoT-funded initiative is designed to bridge the gap between laboratory-stage innovation and commercial deployment. Indian startups, telecom companies, researchers and technology developers will be able to test optical networking solutions in a realistic network environment before taking them to market.
The planned service, being described as the “Apple Train,” is expected to provide growers and fruit traders with an alternative to the road-based transport system that currently carries the bulk of Kashmir’s apple crop outside Jammu and Kashmir. The initiative could become particularly important during the peak harvesting season, when enormous quantities of fruit have to leave the Valley within a relatively short period.
British officials indicated on 26–27 August 2026 that an Inter-Governmental Agreement for the missiles is expected to be signed soon. India is now expected to emerge as one of the largest customers for the weapon, reflecting the Army’s growing requirement for highly mobile short-range missiles capable of countering drones, helicopters and other low-altitude threats.
Founded in 2025 by Tarini Padmanabhuni, DetectifAI is building what it describes as a voice-trust layer capable of verifying who is speaking, analysing whether speech is synthetic or replayed and flagging suspicious interactions before a sensitive transaction or conversation proceeds. The startup is particularly targeting financial institutions, KYC providers, telecom networks and other organisations where voice is frequently used as part of customer verification.
Both RAPS-4 at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan and MAPS-2 at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu are 220 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) operated by NPCIL. RAPS-4 entered commercial operation in December 2000, while MAPS-2 has been operating since March 1986. NPCIL’s current operating data confirms that both units remained operational during the April–July period of FY2026-27.
The existing VSHORADS is already a major technological advance over older-generation infrared-guided missiles. Developed by DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat, the fourth-generation system incorporates an uncooled Imaging Infrared seeker, miniaturised reaction-control system, integrated avionics and a dual-thrust solid-propellant motor. These technologies give the missile better target discrimination, manoeuvrability and resistance to conventional infrared countermeasures.
The compact platform has been developed around the requirement for a small, rapidly deployable aircraft capable of carrying useful tactical sensors without the logistical footprint associated with larger reconnaissance UAVs. S7 Systems says the drone offers a 20-minute flight endurance, an operational range of 2 kilometres and payload capacity of up to 300 grams, while supporting configurable sensors, communications and mission equipment.
