NEW DELHI, 16 October— In September 2025, India shipped $3.11 billion of electronic goods. In September 2026 the figure was $5.31 billion, a rise of 70.44%, according to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s
At a glance
Total exports, April–September 2026: $476.20 billion (goods and services)
Merchandise exports, April–September 2026: $259.89 billion
Services surplus, April–September 2026: $102.71 billion
Electronic goods exports, September 2026: $5.31 billion
What India gains
More factory-made exports, from phones to chemicals, and more jobs behind them.
Women win 38 of India’s 85 Asian Games medals
NEW DELHI, 16 October— Of the 85 medals India won at the Asian Games 2026, 38 were won by women, including 11 golds, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said . He was speaking while felicitating Asian Games contingent at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.
At a glance
Total medals, Asian Games 2026: 85
Medals won by women: 38, including 11 golds
Allocation for Khelo India and federations: more than ₹36,000 crore
TOPS out-of-pocket allowance: ₹50,000 a month
What India gains
Young champions, and a sporting system that is producing them earlier.
India pushes World Bank to focus on jobs, productivity
BANGKOK, 16 October — The money a development bank mobilises is the wrong yardstick; jobs and productivity are the right one. That was India’s message to the World Bank’s Development Committee, delivered by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. She was addressing for India at the committee’s 114th meeting in Bangkok on 15.
What India gains
A louder say for developing countries in how the Bank lends and how it scores them, and a push for cheaper risk capital that Indian infrastructure and small firms can draw on.
Urban women’s labour force participation hits one-year high
NEW DELHI, 16 October— In India’s towns and cities, 25.9% of women aged 15 and above were working or looking for work in September 2026, up from 25.4% in August. This was the highest level since October 2025, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey monthly bulletin of the National Statistics Office.
Across the country, the female labour force participation rate was 34.6%, half a percentage point higher than a year earlier. In villages it was 38.9%, up a full percentage point on September 2025. The unemployment rate for everyone aged 15 and above held at 5.0%, 0.2 percentage points lower than a year ago. Rural women’s unemployment fell to 3.9%, the lowest recorded in 2026.
At a glance
Urban female participation rate, September 2026: 25.9%
Overall female participation rate: 34.6%
Rural female participation rate: 38.9%
Unemployment rate, 15 years and above: 5.0%
What India gains
More women in paid work, in towns and villages alike.
India’s Ramsar Wetlands rise to 103 with two new addtions
NEW DELHI, 16 October — India now has 103 wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. Sukhna Wetland in Chandigarh and Sauj Jheel in Uttar Pradesh are the latest additions, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced on 15 October
Sukhna, at the foot of the Shivaliks, is the lake around which much of Chandigarh’s public life runs. A Ramsar listing commits the country to its “wise use”, which means the wetland is managed to keep its water, birds and fish while people go on using it. The minister said wetlands matter for biodiversity, water security and local livelihoods, and invited travellers to visit both sites.
What India gains
two more wetlands with an international duty of care, and a stronger case for the birds, fish and water they hold.
India, Korea step up Coast Guard cooperation
INCHEON, 16 October — The Indian Coast Guard and the Korea Coast Guard held their 14th high-level meeting in Incheon on 14 October.
Both countiries agreed to step up joint training, ship visits and real-time information sharing, according to the Ministry of Defence.
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India, Japan step up cooperation on roads, tunnels and bridges
NEW DELHI, 16 October — India and Japan held the 12th session of their Joint Working Group on roads and road transport at Bharat Mandapam on 15 October. Tunnel and bridge engineering, advanced construction methods and digital road management were discussed, according to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
India moves to build homegrown 32-slice CT scanner
NEW DELHI, 16 October — A CT scanner takes X-ray pictures from all around the body and lets a computer stack them into slices, so that a doctor can see a tumour, a bleed or a fracture without cutting. India’s hospitals depend heavily on imported machines for this. The Technology Development Board, under the Department of Science and Technology, has signed an agreement to support Panacea Medical Technologies of Malur, Karnataka, in developing and selling an Indian 32-slice CT scanner, according to the ministry’s release of 15 October 2026.
Panacea already makes radiotherapy and radiology equipment for cancer treatment. The new project covers the design, development and use of the scanner: a rotating X-ray system, digital detectors and the software that rebuilds the images. A “32-slice” machine captures 32 thin sections in each rotation, a mid-range class of scanner found in many district and private hospitals.
What India gains
A chance to make, service and price a core hospital machine at home, and to sell it abroad.
New Trade Command Centre to track exports licenses, delays
NEW DELHI, 16 October — An exporter waiting for a licence cannot see where the file is. From 15 October, the officials who decide it can. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal launched the National Strategic Trade Command Centre at Vanijya Bhawan, a set of dashboards that tracks trade figures, scheme use and how long applications take, according to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
What India gains
A a trade administration that can see its own delays and fix them, and exporters who wait less.
