All posts by Neel Achary

Apr 17 (BNP): Paytm Foundation has launched its second “Wisdom on Wheels” mobile learning bus in Odisha, expanding its effort to bring digital and computer education directly to rural and school communities.

 Pic Credit: Pexel

The initiative is designed to reach students in remote areas where access to computer labs and digital infrastructure is limited. The specially equipped mobile bus will travel across villages and schools, offering hands-on training in basic computer skills, digital literacy, and financial awareness.

The bus functions as a fully functional mobile classroom, equipped with computers, internet connectivity, and learning tools, allowing students to practice real-world digital skills during sessions.

According to officials, the programme aims to:

• Improve digital literacy among government school students
• Bridge the urban–rural technology gap
• Promote basic coding and computer skills
• Support financial and internet awareness in rural communities

This is the second such bus in Odisha, indicating an expansion of the programme after earlier success in reaching students through mobile learning units.

The initiative was showcased at an event at VSS University of Technology (VSSUT), Burla, as part of broader collaborations between industry and educational institutions in the state.

Apr 17 (BNP): Bank lending in India picked up strong momentum in FY26, with credit expanding by 16.08% year-on-year, marking its fastest growth since FY24, when growth had crossed 20%, according to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data.

Deposits also showed healthy traction, rising 13.47% YoY—its strongest pace in the same period. Total bank credit stood at ₹213.61 trillion, while deposits reached ₹262.30 trillion.

In the fortnight ended March 31, credit rose sharply by 2.8% (₹5.92 trillion), compared with a marginal 0.1% increase in the previous fortnight. Deposits grew even faster during the same period, up 4.87% (₹12.18 trillion). However, analysts noted that year-end figures may appear elevated due to changes in RBI reporting dates.

Market experts said credit growth has improved in recent months, led by strong demand from corporates, MSMEs, and retail borrowers, particularly in segments like gold loans. Lower lending rates have also encouraged companies to shift back to bank borrowing, as bond market yields remained relatively high.

According to industry experts, external funding avenues such as overseas borrowing have become costlier due to elevated global yields and currency volatility, further boosting reliance on domestic bank credit.

Data shows major lenders including State Bank of India, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, and Kotak Mahindra Bank have reported strong growth across corporate and MSME loan segments.

Analysts also pointed out that bond market activity has remained subdued due to higher yields, while tighter global financial conditions have constrained external commercial borrowing. This has further strengthened banks’ role as key lenders in the system.

However, experts cautioned that sustaining this pace of credit growth will require stronger deposit mobilisation, as rising credit demand is already creating pressure on liquidity and balance sheets. Banks have increasingly relied on certificate of deposits (CDs) to bridge funding gaps, with issuances rising sharply during FY26.

Overall, while credit momentum remains strong, analysts expect banks to focus on deposit growth and funding stability to support sustained lending expansion going forward.

With Utah preparing to again host the Winter Games in eight years, the University of Utah is turning an academic eye toward what the Olympics means for the communities helping stage the world’s largest sports festival.

On April 14, the university’s Board of Trustees approved the proposed Olympic Research Center for Societal Impact, designed to help establish Utah as a world-leading hub where economic insights, environmental science, business ethics, and sustainability expertise intersect to shape the future of international sports.

The plan was developed by the U’s Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) and will be led by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy.

“We want to be a research hub that would measure and communicate social, environmental and economic impacts of hosting Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and other large-scale sporting events,” said Natalie Gochnour, director of the Gardner Institute and a key architect of the proposal.

“This is work that we’ve been doing for years in this state and we’re trying to ramp it up as we progress towards 2034. Both the Wilkes Center and the Gardner Institute are already doing a lot of this work. What we would do now is expand that work, lean into that work. And as we build up to the 2034 Games, provide more opportunities for people on campus to be a part of this research center.”

Gochnour will co-direct the new center with John Lin, the Wilkes Center’s scientific director and a professor of atmospheric sciences.

“What we’re doing here is building on legacy. We have an opportunity here to seize the moment and have a real impact. We’re hoping to have a research hub that has several pillars focusing on societal, environmental, and economic impacts,” Lin told the trustees. “It’s still eight years off. Through those eight years, we have had opportunities to engage students with classes, meetings and research, both at undergrad and graduate levels.”

University President Taylor Randall strongly endorsed the proposed research center, linking it to the U’s broader Olympics strategy that will be unfolding over the coming year.

“We will be in 2034, the only university in the world to have hosted in two Olympic Games. We feel like this is an important investment for the enduring legacy of those Games and how they interacted with our campus,” Randall told the trustees. “We have to get going on this right now. I know it’s a few years away, but to get things and assets in place, we’ve got to get moving now.”

At the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Games, Opening and Closing ceremonies were staged at the U’s Rice-Eccles Stadium and the athletes were housed in campus dorms. The university expects to house up to 3,000 athletes during the 2034 Games. Meanwhile, numerous U athletes have competed at the Olympic level, including 31 who appeared at the 2026 Games in Italy, bringing home nine medals.

Around the world, the IOC has recognized 85 Olympic Studies and Research Centres, or OSRCs, in 28 countries.

“These centres seek to promote teaching, research, publications and conferences about the Olympic Movement and the Olympic Games with a humanities or social sciences perspective,” states the IOC’s website.

The United States is underrepresented in this area. The University of Oregon, a track and field powerhouse,  established its Olympic Studies Hub in its business school several years ago, while Arizona State University and the United States Sports University in Alabama have more recently established centers. Utah’s would be the fourth in the U.S.

Utah is well-positioned to host a dynamic research hub thanks to its past and future as an Olympic host.

“We are, bar none, the global example of legacy within the Olympic movement, and that’s because we made a profit in 2002 and we used that surplus to maintain world-class Olympic venues,” Gochnour said. “That’s not a practice that other host cities have been able to replicate. We’ve hosted hundreds of world-class sporting events since the 2002 Games at the Utah Olympic Park (ski jumping and aerials, Park City), at the Utah Olympic Oval (speed skating, Kearns), Soldier Hollow (cross country skiing and biathlon, Midway) and Utah ski resorts.”

Utah’s past success in hosting the Olympics will guide the center’s research questions.

“How do you put on a Games that turns a surplus? How do you put on a Games that has infrastructure that endures?” Gochnour posed. “How do you inspire youth in sport, which we’ve been able to do at these venues?

The next step is to win formal recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), then expand the new center’s lines of enquiry once it’s up and running by inviting scholars and researchers from across campus to join the effort. University entities that have shown interest so far include the Tanner Humanities Center, Huntsman Mental Health Institute and the Marriott Library. External partners include the IOC, the University of Oregon, the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation and Utah 2034.

Along with Lin and Gochnour, the University of Olympic Research Center’s board of directors will include Scott Doughman, who handles Olympic Planning & Strategic Initiatives in the Office of the President; Fielding Norton, the Wilkes Center’s managing director; and Vice Provost Peter Trapa, who oversees the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences as senior dean. Administrative directors will be Jennifer Robinson, the Gardner Institute’s chief of staff, and Cassie Slattery, LAS’s director of strategic initiatives.

Apr 17 (BNP): US tech giant Apple Inc. has reported a major expansion in its sustainability efforts, saying that a record 30% of all materials used in products shipped in 2025 came from recycled sources.

In its latest statement, the Cupertino-based company said it has eliminated plastic from product packaging and now uses 100% recycled cobalt in Apple-designed batteries. It also confirmed the use of fully recycled rare earth elements in all magnets across its devices.

Apple said its products are now shipped in fibre-based packaging designed for easy household recycling, marking a significant shift away from plastic-based materials.

The company also reported a more than 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in 2025 compared to 2015 levels, with emissions remaining stable from 2024 despite strong business growth.

Highlighting progress across multiple sustainability areas, Apple pointed to improvements in renewable energy use, recycling systems, water conservation, and zero-waste initiatives.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company remains committed to environmental responsibility, adding that its sustainability goals are also driving innovation across its product ecosystem.

The company further stated that Apple-designed circuit boards now use 100% recycled gold plating and tin soldering, and it has avoided more than 15,000 metric tons of plastic over the past five years through packaging redesign.

Over the last decade, Apple engineers have replaced several plastic components in packaging with recycled or responsibly sourced paper alternatives, including screen protectors and trays.

The company also noted an increase in iPhone production in India, reflecting its ongoing effort to diversify manufacturing locations.

New Delhi, Apr 17 (BNP): India is steadily strengthening its position in the global clean energy transition through a combination of policy support, technological development, and industry participation, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Thursday.

Addressing the World Hydrogen Energy Summit alongside the World Petrocoal Congress in New Delhi, he said India is pursuing a balanced energy strategy that integrates sustainability with energy security, while advancing across multiple sectors including green hydrogen, nuclear energy, and renewables.

The Minister highlighted that India is actively developing indigenous capabilities in key technologies such as electrolyzers and is encouraging greater public-private collaboration to accelerate innovation and scale-up clean energy solutions.

He noted that under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, the country is targeting large-scale adoption of alternative fuels to decarbonise industries such as steel and cement, while also working to reduce production costs through domestic manufacturing.

On nuclear energy, he said India is aiming for 100 GW of capacity by 2047 under its Nuclear Energy Mission, along with development of small modular reactors, including indigenous projects currently in progress.

Dr. Singh also pointed to planned investments in the oil and gas sector and efforts to expand exploration areas, while increasing the share of natural gas in the energy mix as part of a broader transition strategy.

He added that emerging sectors such as electric mobility, battery recycling, and renewable manufacturing are creating new green job opportunities and supporting India’s shift toward a low-carbon economy.

Overall, the Minister said India’s demographic strength, innovation ecosystem, and policy direction position it as a key player in global decarbonisation efforts while ensuring long-term energy security.

New Delhi, Apr 17 (BNP): India’s share of the global economy is projected to grow steadily over the long term, reaching around 7% by 2050, according to a report by McKinsey & Company.

The report attributes this expected rise to a combination of factors, including strong domestic demand, ongoing structural changes in the economy, and the expanding role of private capital and alternative investment markets. These developments, it notes, are helping unlock new sources of funding for businesses and supporting broader economic expansion.

It also highlights India’s demographic advantage, rapid urbanisation, and accelerating digital adoption as key drivers that could strengthen growth momentum in the coming decades.

At the same time, McKinsey cautions that maintaining this trajectory will depend on sustained reforms, productivity improvements, and deeper integration with global trade and investment flows.

Overall, the findings underline India’s growing weight in the global economy, with the country expected to play a more prominent role in shaping global growth trends by mid-century.

New Delhi, Apr 17 (BNP): Harivansh Narayan Singh was re-elected unopposed as the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha on Friday, marking a continuation of his tenure in the Upper House leadership.

His nomination to the Rajya Sabha came from President Droupadi Murmu after a vacancy arose following the retirement of former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi as a nominated member.

The position of Deputy Chairman had fallen vacant after the completion of Harivansh’s earlier term as a Rajya Sabha member on April 9. Subsequently, Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan scheduled the election for April 17, 2026, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Council of States.

With no other nominations filed, Harivansh was elected unopposed, ensuring continuity in the functioning of the Upper House.

New Delhi, Apr 17 (BNP): Billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani has emerged as Asia’s richest individual, surpassing Mukesh Ambani, according to the latest update of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

The change in ranking reflects a fresh surge in Adani’s net worth driven by recent gains in the market value of his listed companies. The Bloomberg index tracks daily fluctuations in billionaire wealth based on movements in global financial markets and asset valuations.

As per the latest estimates, Adani’s wealth has seen a strong upward move in 2026, placing him ahead of Ambani in Asia’s billionaire rankings. The shift underscores the sharp volatility in global wealth standings, where changes in stock prices can quickly alter positions among the world’s richest individuals.

Both industrialists continue to remain among the top global billionaires, with their fortunes closely tied to the performance of their respective conglomerates—Adani Group and Reliance Industries.

Market analysts note that such rankings can change frequently as equity markets fluctuate, especially in sectors linked to infrastructure, energy, and technology.

The Bloomberg Billionaires Index is updated daily based on closing market values in New York and provides a real-time snapshot of global wealth movements.