AAPI: September 2026

DELHI, September 2026

Index of this Newsletter

INDIA

INDIA & THE WORLD

21. BofA survey finds India now Asia's least-favoured market
22. Patna boy, IITian, Mexico entrepreneur: Man's incredible journey from rural roots to global success
23. From Grains to Dairy, Heatwaves and Drought Cut Europe's Farm Production by Up to 60%
24. Harvard, NYU to come to India next year? Sergio Gor says top US universities 'interested' amid 'demand': What he said
25. 2,600 years ago, an Indian physician documented 1,120 illnesses. Scotland has now honoured him.

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DELHI, September 2026

NEWSLETTER, September 2026

INDIA

– GENERAL POLICY, INFRASTRUCTURES, COUNTRY FINANCES, ETC.

1. Tamil Nadu's Vijay model could be India's political disruption

The New Indian Express, August 23 2026, Ravi Shankar

Tamil Nadu's Vijay Model Could Be India's Political Disruption

Praising politicians is a problem. They are treated like gods until their inevitable fallibility becomes a joke. Hagiography: "This leader is a great personality" followed by the analysis: "What does this leader's success reveal about how power actually works? Is the demonstration of intention politically viable and sincere?"

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay's direct, personal, highly visible interventions in governance matter not because he is Tamil Nadu's Mr Clean, but because he has exposed the old order's canon that structural reform in India is impossible and complicated. This maxim has consequences that affect the most powerful socio-political force in India: Gen Z and Gen A. The old order says: "Corruption exists because governance is knotty and we need expert committees, due process, and lengthy investigations to address it." Vijay inverts this excuse: "Corruption exists because politics and babudom have created that very complexity to hide it. Erase that complexity, and it will become impossible for the corrupt to find places to hide. By making instant reformative decisions, visible Corruption will become impossible."

Possibility is in the air. For the first time in India, a chief minister has given the whistleblower state legitimacy and protection: citizens can WhatsApp names of officials who demand bribes, inviting government action on verified complaints; they can also post video evidence online. A reward of Rs 1 lakh has been announced for those who expose Corruption in real time. Such actions put the principle into practice: the system can work, and it does; corruption is not some abstract Rs 500-crore scandal but the clerk, cop, engineer, municipal employee, or local political intermediary who demands a bribe of Rs 2,000 or Rs 50,000 from an ordinary citizen. Putting CCTVs in police stations is not surveillance for surveillance's sake, but to make power accountable—the victims themselves hide police extortion and torture out of fear of reprisal or the law that does not respond. Vijay has also demonstrated that his own party isn't exempt from punishment: TVK local functionary Veerasamy was sacked and arrested after a video allegedly showed him accepting Rs 1.30 lakh to clear a contractor's bill. Six officials were suspended over alleged bribery, fake bills, and a cash-for-jobs racket, and criminal proceedings were initiated; another seven were suspended after Vijay's surprise on-site inspection uncovered unexplained cash and digital transactions.

All this is the beginning of a serious administrative model: the CM's direct presence to inspect and punish official dishonesty. He landed up unexpectedly at a children's hospital in Chennai, examined wards and facilities and spoke directly to patients and staff. He banned ministers from making Instagram reels of school inspections and official visits, after one of them filmed a school interaction. He closed 717 liquor outlets near schools and religious institutions, which killed an important cash cow fed by corrupt politicians, officials, and contractors. He built a functional 65-member anti-narcotics task force. He set up a specialized women's street-safety force. He cleaned visual pollution by banning his own cadres from putting up banners, hoardings, and congratulatory placards in public.

He brought administrative reform to temple management by stopping the use of temple money for commercial complexes and marriage halls. He ordered that funds be used strictly for religious purposes, direct temple upkeep, heritage conservation, and enhanced amenities for worshippers. The yet-to-be-implemented government decision to give chicken biryani to school children in midday meals is a nutrition-positive experiment; this is not because vegetarian is bad, since students can choose their food. Vijay has signed foreign capital agreements worth Rs 674.52 billion across 97 agreements, projected to create more than 1,00,000 jobs.

Gen Z and Gen A can understand Citizen Vijay in ways the Establishment cannot. They have grown up in a world where information is abundant online, gatekeepers are irrelevant, and opacity is unnecessary. When an official claims "further investigation is needed," Gen Z hears, "we are buying time to cover this up." When a minister says "due process must be followed," Gen Z hears "we are creating a bureaucratic maze to avoid accountability."

This is not cynicism. It is realism: a government's poverty of action and delay are not inevitable, but is a choice of the powerful. We don't know if Vijay's crusade will fail or win and the procedures he is putting in place could degrade over time. Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat, Make in India, Smart Cities Mission, etc. are unfortunate examples of bureaucratic and political negligence. Still, Vijay has structurally proven that the old order's claims of inevitable failure are untrue. India's Gen Z and Gen A are already demanding actualized performance from every government. Their anger is the real threat to the Establishment, which is stuck in the anthill of dogma, Corruption, lethargy, and ignorance.

2. The great integration: Technology, talent and transformation in Asia

ET, 19 Aug. 2026, Gaurav Dalmia

The Great Integration: Technology, talent and transformation in Asia

What does EBITDA stand for? Before I start, I have a question for you. What does EBITDA stand for? Now, we all know the accounting answer to this. It stands for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. However, I was looking for a different answer. Hint: think geopolitics. The answer I was looking for was "earnings before interest and Trump's deadly announcements"!

The 1980s: Perspectives of adulthood

American work ethic

I turned 18 in the 1980s. I will go through the decades and what I personally learnt. The 80's were heady times for my generation. To me, America was very appealing. Its music, its intellectual heft, its economic strength, career opportunities, its geopolitical clout, its work ethic. America-bashing may be in vogue now, but there was a lot to learn from America then, there's a lot to learn from America now.

Indian reforms

Contrary to popular perception, Indian reforms started in the Rajiv Gandhi era in the 80's. Ironically, the opening up of the Indian economy in the 80's led to the foreign exchange crisis in the early 90's, the controversial IMF loan, and the big-bang reforms that followed in 1991. As they say, the rest is history.

What is the greatest risk of all?

I was a student at Columbia Business School in the late 80's. There used to be a bank called Bankers Trust at the time. They ran an ad campaign that has stayed with me to this day. It said: "The greatest risk of all is taking no risk at all." It's true, in business strategy, in individual careers, in scientific discovery, in politics!

The Japan that can say 'no"

In the 80's, Japan dominated the narrative. It was not just Toyota and Sony. There was a moment in time when the Imperial Palace grounds in Tokyo were valued more than the combined real estate of all of California. I'm not sure that number was correct, but that was the narrative. A book came out, written by the then Japanese Minister of Transport, Shintaro Ishihara. It was called "The Japan That Can Say No". It challenged Western hegemony. The long arc of that change continues today.

Remember GE?

General Electric is one of the greatest companies in history. Today, it's a pale shadow of its peak self. Of the 12 firms Charles Dow put in the Dow Jones Index in 1896, it's the only one that stayed in the index until 2018. It had a market cap of $600Bn in 2000, which would be more than $1.2Trn in Today's dollars. It introduced the concept of management as a product you could transfer from one sector to another. It told us to be #1 or #2 in any sector or niche, or exit. That era's "GE Way" is Today's "Blackstone Way" or the "Tata Way". It's legendary Chairman, Jack Welch told us: "control your destiny or someone else will". These management lessons are timeless. Lessons from GE aren't just about business greatness; they show how even the mighty falter. Like Japan's "lost decades" after its peak in the early 90s, we learned from GE both ambition and humility.

The 1990s: A business life

From operations to strategy to culture

Now let's come to the 90s. When I started, I thought the game was about operating efficiency. Over the years, as that variable got commoditized, it shifted to strategy. Then it moved to culture. I would submit that this change happens to all businesses as they scale. By extension, this applies to individual managerial skills. Domain knowledge gives way to team management, and so on. In short, whatever you learnt in college becomes less and less important, and whatever you learnt on the football field or on a holiday with friends, becomes more important.

The road from intent to resources

When looking at business opportunities, we would do a hard-headed analysis of the market, our resources etc. I quickly learnt what business founders know instinctively: intent comes first, resources follow. Few decisions are perfect; mostly, they involve tradeoffs. To make a mark in this world, you need to embrace uncertainty, take calculated risks, and, most importantly, iterate repeatedly. In the cosy confines of business school, we had learnt SWOT analysis: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. In the real world, I learnt SOAR thinking: strengths, opportunities, aspirations and results. That's how a Google or Tesla gets created!

Hong Kong and FILTH

In the 70's and 80's, there was an old British disparagement of Hong Kong: Failed in London, try Hong Kong. By the mid-90's, in my travels, I saw how that had changed. I saw Asia racing ahead. The streets of Hong Kong had the same energy as New York, and certainly more than London. Few people had realized it but the tables were turning. By the late 90s, I'd concluded: as a young person, if you wanted to build a career, Asia would beat Europe hands down. Today, it's very clear: the action is in Shanghai and Singapore, much more than in Frankfurt or London!

The 2000s: Thinking big

Niches are bigger than you think.

As the 2000's started and the venture capital scene took off, I learnt that niches are bigger than you think. Google looked like one feature in the mighty portal Yahoo. It went on to disrupt the global advertising market. The same is true for Greek Yogurt. Think Chobani in the US. It was valued at $20Bn in its last funding round in October 2025.

"Go big or go home"

These words are more recently attributed to PayTM founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, but they were the defining philosophy of the tech boom in the 2000s. We have seen remarkable growth in Indian businesses. We can see it with Bajaj Finance or HDFC Bank; with Adani or Reliance or Bharti Telecom; with TCS or L&T. We are indeed in heady times, and probably in a unique time in India's economic history and most of Asia's.

Bill Gates' warning

The Microsoft founder famously said: "We overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten years." We see this all around us. Electric cars. The rise of industrial robots. Artificial intelligence. History saw the same dilemmas with the steam engine, electricity, digital computers, and the internet. These technologies transformed life. So, get ready to be transformed even more!

Consumer vs creator

As I approached 40, I had a question I haven't been able to resolve fully: Am I primarily a consumer or a creator? Do I devote my mindshare to consuming or creating? I saw many successful people plateau because they made the tradeoff overwhelmingly in favour of consuming. That's true for individuals and for societies.

The 2010s: Reflections on life

What's the ultimate high?

Let's come to the last decade. A few of us were talking and the question came up: What's the ultimate high? I offered that success was the ultimate high, more than money or fame, more than the toys one can buy, more than even sex! This is what made Warren Buffett "tap dance to work" every morning. It's an internal feeling, not an external validation. And that is what we should strive towards.

Life is not a blind taste test

As I grew older, I learnt to appreciate subjectivity. I learned that objectivity has its limits. One person's irrationality is another person's passion. Quit judging. Not just have instrumental values, not just be politically correct, quit judging!

Oh, and China

The rise of China in the last quarter century, in both scope and scale, has been mind-boggling. Though it has economic and political challenges, it seems to be one step ahead of the curve in so many areas. Take robots. China has 2mm robots Today. It ranks #1, followed by Japan, South Korea and the US. I think 54% of the robots installed worldwide in 2024 were in China. I hear about all this geopolitical rivalry, but I think there's so much to learn from them.

The 2020s: And here we are

Antifragility, not just resilience

Let us come to this decade. We all experienced the aftermath of Covid 19. Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from difficulties. Antifragility, on the other hand, is when something becomes even stronger in the face of challenges. The best recent example I can think of is Vellayan Subbiah's acquisition of CG Power in November 2020. The TI Group paid about Rs 700 crores to acquire a 55% stake in CG Power, a "hairy" asset, amid Covid-19 uncertainty. Today, CG Power is worth about $11Bn. Just think about Vellayan's bet. That's antifragile thinking.

Artificial intelligence and the second-order effect

Artificial intelligence is certainly changing our lives. At the same time, there's talk of a bubble in data centres. The standard optimistic argument is that no matter who wins the AI race, the AI infrastructure companies will win. The problem is that everyone is thinking like this. So the second-order effect is massive overcapacity. This reminds me of the telcos and the massive investment in "pipes" in the early years of the internet bubble. They had the same logic. The telcos eventually got their heads handed to them because they created their own overcapacity. The winners were application companies. I think the same will happen in AI. I think I can bet where big money might be lost: they're likely to be concentrated amongst AI infra plays. We just don't know who the new winners will be, just as people didn't know Amazon, Google, or Facebook would be the big victors then.

Grindcore

From the tech world, I recently heard a new word: grindcore. It's a combination of hard work and hustle. So, let's grindcore!

Sir Muhammad Iqbal and closing words

To close, may I quote a noted lawyer and great Urdu poet of the last century, widely known as Allama Iqbal. It's best said in Urdu: "Khudi ko kar buland itna, ke har taqdeer se pehle, Khuda bande se poochey, bataa teri raza kya hai." It translates to: "Strengthen your inner spirit to the extent that before writing each turn of your fate, God asks you, 'What would you like me to write?'". With this, I wish you all the best in life!

(Transcript of the talk by Gaurav Dalmia at the Asia Dialogues Forum Roundtable on February 6, 2026)

For more news like this, visit The Economic Times.

3. World's most powerful: Indian Railways eyes 35 hydrogen trains; looks at cheaper green fuel

ToI, August 21 2026 Smriti Jain

Within a month of launching its first hydrogen-powered train, Indian Railways is now looking for cheaper green hydrogen options to expand operations. Indian Railways is considering several measures to expand the pool of green hydrogen suppliers and lower procurement costs, including providing manufacturers with offtake assurances.

According to official estimates, hydrogen trains had clocked more than 2,500 km of commercial operations by early August, after services began in mid-July this year.

India currently has the world's most powerful hydrogen train in operation and has also established a dedicated facility to manufacture and supply hydrogen for the train. The initial target is to deploy 35 hydrogen-powered trains on heritage routes, which generally include hilly stretches where railway electrification will not be feasible.

Cheaper green hydrogen in focus

"Green hydrogen supply costs need to come down to ensure wider adoption of hydrogen trains," a senior official told ET, adding that multiple options were being evaluated.

The government is already providing incentives for electrolyzer manufacturing and green hydrogen production under a dedicated programme. The National Green Hydrogen Mission, backed by an outlay of Rs 17,490 crore through 2029-30, also seeks to create export opportunities.

India aims to establish 5 MMT (million metric tonne) of annual domestic green hydrogen production capacity by 2030. In February this year, the country achieved its lowest-ever discovered green hydrogen price of Rs 279 (around $3.08) per kg in a tender for supplying 10,000 tonnes a year to Numaligarh Refinery in Assam.

Former Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said government incentives and lower-cost renewable power were helping support the price. "This milestone boosts cost competitiveness and marks rapid sector progress," he said, adding that green hydrogen at $2/kg "is not a distant dream anymore."

World's most powerful: Indian Railways eyes 35 hydrogen trains; looks at cheaper green fuel

India's first hydrogen-powered train

PM Narendra Modi flagged off India's first hydrogen-powered train last month. The train uses hydrogen fuel cell technology to generate power. Hydrogen stored in onboard cylinders is combined with oxygen from the surrounding air inside a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell. This produces electricity to power the train's traction motors without combustion, smoke, or direct carbon emissions. The only by-product is water vapour.

Two hydrogen-powered cars generate power, each capable of producing 1,200 kW. Lithium iron phosphate batteries and onboard hydrogen storage cylinders support the system.

Only a small number of countries currently operate or test hydrogen trains. Germany was the first to operate hydrogen-powered passenger trains commercially. China has also deployed such trains.

Hydrogen trains worldwide generally consist of two or three passenger coaches. India's train, by contrast, has 10 coaches, making it the world's longest hydrogen train. With a 3,200 HP propulsion system, it is also among the most powerful hydrogen-powered trainsets globally.

4. Why rural healthcare needs India’s entrepreneurs to step in

The Economic Times, 31 Aug. 2026

Why rural healthcare needs India’s entrepreneurs to step in

India has spent decades trying to solve rural healthcare by extending the existing health system deeper into the countryside. More primary health centres, more doctors, more district hospitals, and more schemes. These are necessary, but they rest on an old assumption: that better healthcare requires the patient and the doctor to be in the same place. That assumption is beginning to break.

India now has the opportunity to build an entirely different model of rural healthcare, one in which geography matters less, prevention matters more, public infrastructure is augmented by private innovation, and a village health facility becomes the entry point to a much larger connected system rather than an isolated outpost.

The rural health centre must become a gateway, not an endpoint.

The rapid expansion of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs offers the physical foundation for this transition. More than 1.86 lakh such centres are now functional across India, including tens of thousands in tribal and aspirational districts. Their importance goes beyond providing primary care closer to home. If connected intelligently to telemedicine, diagnostics, digital health records, referral systems, pharmacies and specialists, these centres can become the front door to an integrated national health network.

That changes the economics of rural healthcare. A small facility doesn't need to reproduce everything a tertiary hospital offers. It needs the capability to detect, connect, manage, and refer.

The future of rural healthcare may therefore depend less on the size of the building and more on the intelligence of the network behind it.

The eSanjeevani demonstration

India’s eSanjeevani telemedicine platform has crossed 49 crore consultations and involved over 2.4 lakh healthcare providers. These numbers are not merely technological. They show a fundamental shift in how healthcare can be delivered.

For a patient in a remote district, seeing a specialist may mean hours of travel, transport costs, lost wages, and repeated visits. Telemedicine reverses that burden by moving expertise rather than moving the patient. When a Community Health Officer or another trained professional at an Ayushman Arogya Mandir supports consultations, the model becomes even more powerful because digital access is anchored in a physical point of care.

The real policy question is therefore no longer whether every village can have every specialist. It is whether every village can reliably access specialist expertise when required. Technology makes the second goal far more achievable.

The more profound transformation may come from screening and continuous risk management. Ayushman Arogya Mandirs are already enabling population-scale screening for hypertension, diabetes, and common cancers. Hundreds of millions of screenings have taken place.

This is where rural healthcare can shift from being reactive to anticipatory.

Hypertension detected before a stroke, diabetes managed before renal failure, or cancer diagnosed before it metastasises has enormous consequences not only for health outcomes but also for household finances and the economics of the health system.

The most expensive healthcare event is often not the disease itself, but the preventable complication.

For this reason, the success of rural healthcare should not be measured only in additional beds, hospitals or consultations. It should also be measured in avoided complications, earlier diagnoses, reduced travel, fewer emergency admissions, and preserved household income.

Another assumption India needs to challenge is that rural healthcare must be built and operated predominantly by the government while private healthcare remains concentrated in cities.

India’s private healthcare sector has capital, technology, specialists, management capability, and entrepreneurial capacity that the rural health system urgently needs. Yet economics naturally push private investment toward cities, where purchasing power, patient density, and utilisation are higher.

The answer is not to criticise private players for following those economics. It is to change the economics of serving rural India.

The government should increasingly create frameworks that allow hospitals, diagnostic companies, pharmaceutical companies, health-tech firms, insurers, medical-device companies, telemedicine providers, and even large non-health corporations to participate in rural healthcare with a reasonable economic return linked to measurable public-health outcomes.

The private sector does not necessarily need to build another 200-bed hospital in every district. It could operate diagnostic networks serving clusters of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs; provide specialist teleconsultations; run mobile screening services; manage remote ICUs; establish spoke facilities linked to urban hospitals; deliver medicines to the last mile; provide AI-supported radiology and pathology; or manage disease-specific programmes for diabetes, hypertension, cancer, eye care and maternal health.

Rajendra Pratap Gupta is Chairman of Health Parliament, a global healthcare executive think tank, and former Advisor to the Union Health minister

5. I travelled against the usual trend in Goa and what I saw was something I could have never imagined

TOI, August 19 2026, Precious Rongmei

Goa seems like a respite, a place where you let loose. "Goa chalein?" has never caught my fancy. Mainly because of the crowd, the endless sea of tourists everywhere one looks. The irony is, I am very much part of the same crowd I detest so much. And I visit Goa every chance I get. Is it the sand? Is it the sea? Or is it the sun? Well, none of those. Call it an occupational hazard, but everywhere I go, the travel writer in me awakens, and from the start of the trip till the end, my mind is in a writing mode that I cannot escape from.

So, coming back to why I love visiting Goa so much when it's not about the sand, sea and sun. Well, I fancy Goa for three reasons:

The hinterlands – the areas we don't usually talk about as tourists.

The surprise I'd experience when I, all of a sudden, spot Mario Miranda's cartoons, in most unexpected places.

Exploring the idyllic villages, probably buying cashews and getting my sandals wet on a slightly rainy day.

Sounds incredibly local, and not at all like a tourist.

I travelled against the usual trend in Goa and what I saw was something I could never have imagined

The main reason my mind started detesting anything touristy, especially in Goa, is a rather unpleasant experience. On my (probably) second time in Goa, I was on a beach in North Goa with a couple of friends. There were cafes all around with boards boasting best dal makhani in Goa, best chole bhature, and for the love of God…best chaap ever. I think we all know the beach I am talking about here. Having come from Delhi, the three of us were still looking for something Goan, anything. Even if someone had thrown a cashew at us, we would have been happy. The smell of the tandoor never left our noses. The noisy tourists were still beelining for naan, Manchurian and whatnot. And the fact that someone's oversized hat almost took my left eye out, and a rather tipsy lady spilled all her red wine over my friend's white shirt…no thanks. The touristy Goa is out of the itinerary for good.

My fourth visit to Goa (the third was a work trip, so that doesn't count) was for my sister's wedding. It was a monsoon wedding; the timing couldn't have been more perfect. Goa gets as green as possible, so much so that it can easily make any lush northeastern state run for their money. With the wedding now over, I had a few days in Goa.

I travelled against the usual trend in Goa and what I saw was something I could never have imagined

Imagine it had rained three days straight, and then on the fourth day, it was surprisingly sunny – a perfect day to get a scooty on rent and explore. That's exactly what I did. A quick trip to Candolim beach was beautiful, but also scary, with the dark sky looming overhead. A quick lunch of local Goan machhi thali and to my surprise what did I spot! This roadside hole-in-the-wall eatery had Mario Miranda's cartoons all over the place. I squealed with delight.

I travelled against the usual trend in Goa and what I saw was something I could never have imagined

After a long chit-chat with the eatery's owner and a reluctant goodbye to the pretty art pieces, I set out to explore some more. For those who think monsoon travel is inconvenient, you are not wrong. But in Goa, it's different. The place is practically empty. Yes, the rain may blind you sometimes, but in return you get empty streets, readily available seats at restaurants, and a chance to interact with locals (if they are willing).

I travelled against the usual trend in Goa and what I saw was something I could never have imagined

The next day, I went to my sister and brother-in-law's little farmstay in Honda. Remember the hinterlands I was talking about before? Little did I know I was going to see the side of Goa most tourists miss as they get lost in the cacophony of Goa's party scene.

I travelled against the usual trend in Goa and what I saw was something I could have never imagined

The hinterland route

The scenic ferry ride from Ribandar to Chorao Island took about 15-20 minutes. For two cars, we paid INR 20 in total (INR 10 per vehicle), and as soon as we got off the ferry, I saw the entrance to the famous Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary on my left. We skipped the bird sanctuary that day as we had a long drive ahead of us. The drive to Honda was spectacular, with the backwaters and mangroves on one side and scenic little coastal villages on the other. Just what I always imagined. Because it had rained the previous day, the greenery was on point, Brahminy kites circled overhead, and the winding little roads had no traffic. The travel writer in me noticed all of it. The quiet, vibrant colours, the village homes, red laterite bricks, the smoke coming out of chimneys of homes, roadside vendors selling mud crabs and clams…the idyllic scene stole my heart that day.

From Shakuntala Farmstay, you are not too far from Arvalem Caves (Pandava Caves) and waterfalls. We decided on a quick trip to see the famous caves and the falls. Both were mightily impressive. The waterfall was a roaring force, the water all tea-coloured because of the season, and the best part of it all…free of tourists! By now I have stopped counting myself as a tourist.

I travelled against the usual trend in Goa and what I saw was something I could have never imagined

On our way back we decided why not explore the forest! On what Goan itinerary would you find time for random forest bathing? On this one we did. For others, Forest Bathing is a practice where you visit a forest, enjoy the quiet nature, meditate if possible, and just stay in a very relaxing atmosphere. Well, we got to do all that and more. An adorable stream ran through the middle of the forest, where we cooled off for a couple of hours. The knee-deep gurgling water was the cleanest I have ever seen. What did the travel writer in me think of the experience? Well, you are reading it here. The mighty Western Ghats did not disappoint.

I travelled against the usual trend in Goa and what I saw was something I could have never imagined

On our drive back to the farm, it had rained. Up ahead we stopped at a roadside tea shop for a cup of hot chai and countless batata kaap (alu pakoda). An unplanned outing done right, I must say. Will I ever long for touristy things in Goa? I highly doubt that.

That night at the farm, the rain had stopped, and hundreds of fireflies visited us.

- Agriculture, Fishing and Rural Development

6. ICAR Registers 16 New Indigenous Livestock and Dog Breeds, Total Count Reaches 262

Rural Voice, : August 21, 2026

ICAR has recognized 16 new indigenous livestock and dog breeds across nine species, taking India's registered breed count to 262. The new registrations include cattle, buffalo, goats, sheep, donkey, horse, pig, yak and dog breeds from 13 states and Jammu and Kashmir, strengthening documentation and conservation of India's animal genetic diversity.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has recognized 16 new indigenous livestock and dog breeds, taking the total number of breeds registered in the country to 262. The move aims to strengthen the documentation, recognition, and conservation of India's diverse animal genetic resources.

The committee recommended the registrations at its 14th meeting in New Delhi on August 7, chaired by Dr Raghavendra Bhatta, Deputy Director General (Animal Science), ICAR.

The newly recognized breeds cover nine species and span 13 states and one Union Territory. The list includes four cattle breeds, one buffalo breed, two goat breeds, four sheep breeds, and one breed each of donkey, horse, pig, yak and dog.

The newly registered cattle breeds are Koppal from Karnataka, Mahakaushali from Madhya Pradesh, Periyar from Kerala and Umarda from Maharashtra. Gomanchali buffalo has been registered from Goa.

Among goats, Battisi has been recognized from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, while Totapuri is from Rajasthan. The newly recognized sheep breeds are Asomi of Assam, Kow Debar of Uttarakhand, Madgyal of Maharashtra and Karnataka, and Seemanchali of Bihar.

The registrations also include the Braj donkey from Uttar Pradesh, Kashmiri horse from Jammu and Kashmir, Nagal pig from Nagaland and Sikkimese yak from Sikkim. The latest registrations also include Kombai, an indigenous dog breed from Tamil Nadu.

The National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBAGR), Karnal, the nodal institute responsible for livestock and poultry breed registration in India, will maintain the official records of the newly recognized breeds.

With these additions, the number of breeds registered by ICAR-NBAGR has risen to 262, comprising 258 indigenous and four synthetic breeds. The latest registrations expand the formal recognition of animal populations maintained and developed by livestock keepers and breeders across different agro-climatic regions.

ICAR said the recognition process would help reduce the number of non-descript animal genetic resources and provide a stronger foundation for their conservation and sustainable use.

The newly recognized breeds also underline the close link between India's animal genetic diversity and local farming and pastoral systems. Many indigenous breeds have evolved in specific geographical and climatic conditions and possess traits suited to local production systems.

The registration process reflects the contribution of livestock keepers, breeders, state animal husbandry departments, universities and research institutions in identifying and documenting these genetic resources.

7. Rural Development Ministry Reviews Proposals to Scale Up Women-led Rural Enterprises

RuralVoice, August 23 2026

The Rural Development Ministry's Empowered Committee reviewed proposals to scale up women-led rural enterprises under DAY-NRLM. Four new incubators proposed with IITs and IIMs could support more than 600 enterprises, while SVEP expansion in West Bengal and Goa aims to strengthen rural entrepreneurship.

The Empowered Committee of the Ministry of Rural Development reviewed proposals to accelerate the growth of women-led rural enterprises and help small-scale self-help group (SHG) businesses transition into higher-growth enterprises under the Non-Farm Livelihoods (NFL) component of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).

The meeting, chaired by Rural Development Secretary Rohit Kansal on August 22, focused on expanding entrepreneurship-driven livelihood opportunities for rural women and supporting the government's broader objective of creating 6 crore Lakhpati Didis.

The committee considered four new incubator proposals from Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. The proposed incubation partners are IIT Patna, IIM Jammu, IIM Lucknow and IIT Gandhinagar, respectively.

Together, the four proposed programmes are expected to support more than 600 high-potential rural enterprises through structured interventions covering business strategy, mentoring, financial planning, formalization, technology adoption, market access and access to finance.

14 incubators already operational

The proposed programmes build on the experience of four completed incubator programmes in Assam, Bihar, West Bengal and Karnataka, which supported more than 600 SHG enterprises.

The incubator initiative has since expanded, with 14 programmes currently operational across 13 states. These programmes support around 2,100 rural SHG enterprises through partnerships with premier institutions, including IIMs, IITs and leading incubation organizations.

According to the ministry, earlier incubator programmes recorded tangible improvements in enterprise revenues, business formalization and employment generation, providing a foundation for scaling up the initiative.

The new incubators will cover sectors including food and agro-processing, textiles and handicrafts, manufacturing, retail and services, tourism-linked activities and digital enterprises. They will also focus on other growth sectors relevant to local economies.

A key feature of the proposed programmes will be a transparent, merit-based Challenge Fund to identify enterprises with strong growth potential. Dedicated State Incubation Cells will also be established to institutionalize enterprise support within State Rural Livelihoods Missions.

SVEP expansion in two states

The committee also examined proposals to expand the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) in West Bengal and Goa. The expansion aims to strengthen the rural non-farm entrepreneurship ecosystem and enable more SHG members to establish and develop sustainable businesses.

The initiatives are intended to support a shift among rural women entrepreneurs from subsistence-level activities towards businesses with higher turnover, stronger market linkages, improved access to finance and greater potential for employment generation.

The committee emphasized innovation, institutional partnerships, convergence among programmes, digital adoption, market access and outcome-based monitoring.

The government sees incubation and enterprise development under DAY-NRLM as an important mechanism to strengthen women-led economic development and advance the Lakhpati Didi initiative. The measures aim to create a stronger national ecosystem that helps rural women-owned enterprises move beyond survival-oriented businesses and achieve sustained growth.

8. India's dairy game is levelling up with tradition

NDTV, Aug. 24 2026

Heritage meets modernity: Uthukuli in Tamil Nadu preserves its legacy of handmade butter, while large-scale projects like Amul's Howrah plant showcase industrial innovation.

Shifting value focus: Dairy firms are moving beyond liquid milk into cheese, yoghurt, protein products, and ghee to gain higher margins and longer shelf lives.

Boosting local economies: Mega dairy investments create jobs, strengthen farmer networks, and expand product availability in both rural and urban markets.

Uthukuli's butter legacy stands strong.

Uthukuli in Tamil Nadu has earned the title 'Butter Capital of India' for its famed Uthukuli Vennai. This butter is crafted using traditional churning methods, giving it a soft texture and mildly sour flavour distinct from factory-made varieties. Despite modern production methods elsewhere, many local producers still make it in small batches, preserving its heritage and unique taste.

Dairy companies chase higher margins.

Indian dairy firms are increasingly focusing on value-added products like cheese, paneer, whey, yoghurt, and protein-based offerings to escape the low-margin liquid milk market. Companies like Milky Mist and Parag Milk Foods are expanding capacity in these categories, with some seeing revenue growth over 30% year-on-year. Urbanisation, health trends, and the appeal of premium, differentiated products drive this shift. How dairy firms gain higher margins

Converting milk into protein derivatives can deliver roughly 1.5-3 times higher value per litre.

Cheese and whey can generate margins of around 25-45%

Premiumization creates differentiated products and experiences, attracting higher consumer spending

Modern cold chains and UHT processing extend shelf life and market reach

Amul's mega plant reshapes eastern India.

Amul is investing ₹600 crore in Howrah, West Bengal, to build the world's largest curd manufacturing plant. The facility will produce a range of dairy goods including mishti doi, yoghurt, ice cream, and paneer, processing up to 15 lakh litres of milk daily. It will strengthen local supply chains, support over 1.2 lakh women farmers, and boost the state's role in India's dairy market.

Balancing tradition with scale

India's dairy sector is balancing artisanal heritage with industrial-scale production. While towns like Uthukuli maintain centuries-old methods, large cooperatives are investing in infrastructure, cold chains, and processing technology to meet rising demand. This dual approach could help sustain cultural identity while capturing new market opportunities.

9. How da' mushroom nursery is building India's first integrated mushroom ecosystem

News18, 05 Aug 2026

Key takeaways

Sustainable Potential: Mushrooms are nutrient-rich, require minimal land and water, and can convert agricultural waste into valuable food, supporting nutrition, food security, and rural livelihoods.

Entrepreneurship Focus: da' mushroom nursery promotes entrepreneurs over cultivators, offering guidance on farm planning, scientific cultivation, value-added products, branding, and market readiness.

Integrated Ecosystem: The organisation is building a unified mushroom ecosystem that combines research, education, government support, market access, and awareness initiatives to create a sustainable, innovation-driven industry.

New Delhi [India], August 5: As India looks for sustainable solutions to strengthen agriculture, nutrition, and rural livelihoods, the mushroom industry is emerging as one of the country's most promising sectors. Nutrient-rich, requiring minimal land and water, and able to convert agricultural waste into valuable food, mushrooms can address multiple national priorities. However, realising this potential requires more than cultivation–it demands an organised ecosystem that supports entrepreneurs, encourages innovation, and creates market confidence.

This is the vision driving da' mushroom nursery, a brand of Mushroom Nursery India Pvt. Ltd. Rather than functioning as a conventional training institute, the organisation is working towards building India's only copyright-granted unified mushroom ecosystem, bringing together research, cultivation, entrepreneurship, finance, branding, market access, and consumer awareness under one structured platform.

One of the organisation's primary missions is to build an entirely new category around health and wellness. Through continuous awareness and education, da' mushroom nursery promotes mushrooms not just as an agricultural product but as a highly nutritious food that can help reduce malnutrition and improve food security. By encouraging the consumption and production of safe, naturally cultivated mushrooms, it also supports efforts to reduce food adulteration and promote healthier food systems.

The organisation believes that the future of the mushroom industry lies in creating entrepreneurs rather than simply cultivators. Its programmes therefore extend beyond cultivation techniques to help individuals establish sustainable businesses. Participants receive guidance on farm planning, scientific cultivation, financial assistance, government documentation, and market readiness while also learning how to diversify into value-added products such as functional foods, nutraceuticals, wellness products, and branded mushroom-based offerings. The focus is on helping entrepreneurs build their own brands and long-term businesses instead of relying solely on raw mushroom sales.

Market uncertainty remains one of the biggest challenges for new growers. To address this, da' mushroom nursery works towards minimising market risk by facilitating buy-back opportunities for eligible products and creating direct linkages with available markets. This integrated approach gives cultivators greater confidence to invest in the sector while reducing one of the most common barriers faced by first-generation entrepreneurs.

Another important aspect of its work is bridging the gap between government initiatives and aspiring entrepreneurs. The organisation actively educates cultivators about relevant government schemes, financial assistance, subsidies, and institutional support, helping them understand and access opportunities that can accelerate their business journey.

Beyond entrepreneurship, da' mushroom nursery is also investing in awareness-driven initiatives. Among them is Jagruti, an initiative dedicated to building structured awareness among farmers and encouraging the adoption of scientific and modern farming practices. By promoting knowledge, technology, and standardised cultivation methods, the initiative aims to improve productivity while preparing farmers for the evolving demands of the agricultural sector.

The organisation further strengthens industry collaboration through platforms such as the India International Mushroom Conclave (IIMC), where researchers, farmers, entrepreneurs, investors, processors, and industry experts come together to exchange ideas, encourage innovation, and create new business opportunities.

As India's mushroom industry continues to expand, da' Mushroom Nursery is positioning itself as more than a cultivation platform. Its long-term vision is to build an organised, innovation-driven ecosystem where education, research, entrepreneurship, branding, government support, and market integration work together to create sustainable livelihoods. By combining these elements under one unified framework, the organisation is contributing to a future where mushroom cultivation becomes a catalyst for better nutrition, stronger rural economies, and a healthier, more sustainable India.

(ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible for its content in any way.)

10. Humble popcorn paves way for farming mission

The Times of India, 14 Sep. 2026, G Balachandar

Humble popcorn paves way for farming mission.

In the Bastar-Kondagaon region of Chhattisgarh, gunfire once defined life; it has now been replaced by the sound of popcorn popping.

For S B P Pattabhi Rama Rao (PRR), MD of Chennai-based Gourmet Popcornica, the transformation exemplifies an unusual proposition: agriculture can be organised as an industrial supply chain while giving farmers in difficult regions a more predictable income.

“Today, you hear popcorn pop, not bombs booming,” says PRR, who founded the company in 2014.

Agriculture was not PRR’s original plan. From an agrarian family in Andhra Pradesh with roots going back generations, he studied mechanical engineering at the College of Engineering, Guindy, before joining the Taj in Mumbai. Working as an executive assistant to then-Taj chairman Ajit Kerkar taught him to face unfamiliar territory instead of avoiding it. In 2002, he joined Cookieman, then a single-store premium-cookie business in Chennai. As its Indian partner, he expanded it to about 70 stores and helped sell it to Everstone in 2018.

Later, working with SPI Cinemas, PRR noticed that cinemas were importing expensive popcorn premix. With corn-import restrictions adding to the complexity, he began exploring whether it could be sourced and processed in India.

The breakthrough came with a trip to Nebraska, US, in 2014, where he met Norm Krug, founder of Preferred Popcorn, one of America’s biggest popcorn companies. PRR wanted an exclusive arrangement for India. His pitch was deliberately blunt: “You can have a hundred girlfriends, but you can only have one wife. I want you to do an exclusive deal.” Krug laughed and agreed to visit India. After a roadshow with cinema chains, the two firms signed a seven-year exclusive agreement. It was renewed in 2022 for another 20 years.

The initial model was simple: import corn from Nebraska and process it in India into popcorn premix. SPI Cinemas was the first customer, followed by Inox and PVR in 2015.

Growing the crop locally proved harder. A 12-acre trial in 2016 yielded just 28 litres of popped popcorn per kilo, against 38-48 litres from US varieties. A change in planting season lifted yields to 38-42 litres in a second 40-acre trial, after which acreage expanded rapidly.

Covid reinforced the lesson: controlling the chain—from seed and farmer to processing and customer—was more valuable than simply supplying cinemas. Gourmet Popcornica now works with about 17,500 farmers across roughly 40,000 acres in eight states, including 8,000 acres in Chhattisgarh. It has commercial cultivation in AP, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, with other states at the trial stage. The company says it is the world’s fifth-largest grower of popcorn maize and India’s largest, and claims a 69% share of India’s pre-mix popcorn segment.

Its revenue for FY27 is projected at `500 crore, against `355 crore in FY26. In FY15, its revenue was `9 crore. But the more consequential part of the business may be the system built around the crop. Farmers sign contracts before receiving seed. They get a price before planting and inputs financed without interest or margin. Digital ledgers track costs and earnings, while the company commits to buying the contracted output. The objective is to reduce uncertainty for farmers adopting unfamiliar crops while giving the company greater control over raw material.

The next phase goes beyond popcorn. Gourmet Popcornica is developing corn and mustard seed and has entered oil palm, with around 8,000 acres under cultivation. In leased paddy land, it is experimenting with elevated “islands” for oil palm trees. The common thread is reducing India’s import dependence by building domestic farm-to-market supply chains. After popcorn, oil palm is the next big avenue. By FY31, the B2B company aims to have more than 100,000 acres under popcorn, seeds and oil palm, targeting combined revenue of 1,500 crore by 2032. “My business is not oil palm, popcorn or seed. It’s farming,” PRR says.

- Industry and Manufacture

11. From design to manufacturing: How India is building the next chapter of its electronics future

CNBCTV18.com, Aug. 19, 2026

India's electronics story is entering a new phase. The opportunity is no longer limited to expanding manufacturing capacity. Increasingly, the focus is on building an integrated ecosystem that brings together design, engineering, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and manufacturing—capabilities that can help products move from concept to market faster and more resiliently.

This shift was at the centre of a recent UST and CNBC-TV18 conversation, The Smart Manufacturing Shift, featuring Gilroy Mathew, Chief Operating Officer, UST, and Raghu Panicker, Chief Executive Officer, Kaynes Technology, moderated by Mridu Bhandari.

At the heart of the conversation was a larger question: can India move beyond being a manufacturing destination to becoming a market where products are designed, engineered and manufactured for India and the world? For both leaders, the answer increasingly lies in connecting capabilities that have traditionally operated across separate parts of the value chain.

Beyond individual capabilities, towards an integrated value chain

UST's journey into semiconductors has evolved from building individual capabilities across embedded systems, VLSI, software and engineering to creating a more integrated product development approach.

"Today, after 17 years, we are really proud to say that we are not talking about a specific area like embedded or VLSI alone. Today we are looking at how to bring in an integrated end-to-end product development through engineering, and that is what the customers are looking at," Gilroy said.

For customers, the value of this approach lies in reducing the complexity of working across multiple specialists and connecting different stages of product development more closely.

"Nobody wants to really have like five different partners coming in and doing components as five different ways; then the overall risk is very high," Gilroy said.

He described this broader capability as a "chip to cloud" journey, bringing together the different elements required to develop increasingly complex products.

From 'Make in India' to designing for the world

For Raghu, India's opportunity is being shaped by the coming together of policy, engineering talent and manufacturing capability.

"This is a unique combination of design and manufacturing coming together and providing solutions," he said.

That combination can help India move beyond manufacturing products designed elsewhere and create products better suited to local requirements, while retaining the potential to scale globally.

"We will actually develop products for India. We can actually bring in custom products that are suitable for our own environment," Raghu said.

The opportunity, he suggested, isn't limited to the domestic market.

"Why don't we manufacture for India and take it to the world too and then scale it up?" he said.

The shift also reflects the growing strength of India's semiconductor design ecosystem. The India Semiconductor Mission says India accounts for around 20% of the world's semiconductor design engineers, underlining the country's existing engineering base and the opportunity to connect that talent more closely with manufacturing.

Where the integrated model can make a difference

As electronics become more intelligent and increasingly embedded across industries, the need to bring engineering and manufacturing closer together is becoming more pronounced.

Automotive is one of the clearest examples. Gilroy pointed to electric vehicles and advanced driver-assistance systems as areas where increasingly sophisticated electronics are becoming central to the product.

"If you take automotive as an example, you have EVs coming in. We are also making most of those ADAS-related activities from L1 to L2 to L3 and L4," he said.

The opportunity extends to other areas where intelligent, connected products are becoming more important. Medical devices, aerospace and defence are among the sectors where electronics, software and AI are increasingly converging.

That convergence also changes how products themselves are engineered.

As intelligence moves to the edge

Much of the AI conversation has centred on cloud computing. But Gilroy pointed to another shift: intelligence increasingly being built into the devices themselves.

"Many companies are actually looking at how I can have my intelligence built into the device itself and that's the way the whole world is looking at it," he said.

The rise of Edge AI is changing the way products are designed and engineered, bringing processing and intelligence closer to where data is generated. This makes the connection between hardware, software, embedded systems and engineering increasingly important.

The same transformation is also reaching the manufacturing floor, where AI is beginning to influence how factories monitor equipment and manage operations.

AI and the evolution of smart factories

For Raghu, one immediate application of AI in manufacturing is improving how factories monitor and maintain equipment.

"One area is preventive maintenance or how AI can enable the current equipment's preventive maintenance to be done," he said.

But smart manufacturing is not simply about adding more automation. It also involves balancing investment in technology with the role of people within the manufacturing ecosystem.

"Automation comes with a cost of investment in automation. Automation comes with less labour... so we'll have to find an optimum balance of investment in AI automation and the labour and the people that we have to hire and do," Raghu said.

The implication is that the next generation of factories will need to combine automation, AI and human expertise rather than treat them as competing forces.

The opportunity to leapfrog

India's semiconductor opportunity may also lie in looking beyond technologies where other markets have already established a lead.

Raghu believes India should consider emerging areas where the technology landscape is still taking shape.

"We believe that India should look at leapfrogging. India should jump certain technologies beyond what they are doing now," he said.

He pointed to silicon photonics, post-quantum computing and neuromorphic computing as areas that could create new opportunities for India.

The argument is not simply about catching up. It is about identifying technologies where India can build capabilities as the next generation of computing takes shape.

Talent, R&D and the next phase of India's electronics journey

Turning these opportunities into sustained growth will require more than manufacturing capacity. Talent, innovation and R&D will be critical to building an ecosystem that can move from engineering to products and eventually to global scale.

Raghu believes India's technology journey needs to move increasingly toward a stronger product-oriented ecosystem.

"Now that is not going to be the future, and I think that we have this capability to build an engineering-to-manufacturing ecosystem," he said.

That will require deeper collaboration between industry and academia and continued investment in research.

"We have to continue investing on innovation. The R&D setup has to really be there. We have to collaborate with the industry and academia where we really work on some of those things that we can do jointly to enable our talent," Raghu said.

India's electronics journey is therefore entering a phase where design, engineering, AI and manufacturing can no longer be viewed as separate capabilities. The opportunity ahead lies in connecting them—building products in India, solving for India's requirements, and creating the capability to take those products to the world.

12. Tamil Nadu seeks Centre's nod for Chennai-Thiruvananthapuram industrial corridor, support for 7 parks

CNBCTV18.com, August 19 2026

Tamil Nadu has urged the Centre to consider its proposal for a Chennai-Thiruvananthapuram industrial corridor and initiate the necessary feasibility and alignment studies. The proposed corridor could help strengthen industrial connectivity between major industrial centres and create opportunities for manufacturing, investment and employment.

The state has also sought support for seven industrial park proposals submitted under the Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojana (Bhavya).

Industries, Investment Promotion and Commerce Minister S Keerthana raised the demands at the 3rd Apex Monitoring Authority meeting of the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) in New Delhi on Monday.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman chaired the meeting, with Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and senior officials from the Centre and Tamil Nadu in attendance.

Tamil Nadu seeks feasibility study for new industrial corridor

Keerthana urged the Centre to consider the proposed Chennai-Thiruvananthapuram corridor and begin the necessary feasibility and alignment studies. The proposed corridor is intended to improve industrial connectivity between major industrial centres and create opportunities for manufacturing, investment and employment.

At the meeting, Sitharaman pointed out that the Chennai–Thoothukudi industrial corridor was first proposed in 2014, but said the proposal did not receive sufficient attention from successive Tamil Nadu governments despite follow-ups from the Centre.

Keerthana said the state government would submit a formal representation to the Union ministers, Business Line reported citing sources in the State industries department.

Centre signals support for 7 Bhavya industrial park proposals.

Tamil Nadu also sought Central support for seven proposals submitted in the first round of Bhavya, a Central sector scheme focused on developing investment-ready, plug-and-play industrial parks. Goyal said a significant number of the proposals could be considered, subject to meeting the prescribed Bhavya guidelines, eligibility criteria and other requirements.

The Tamil Nadu government reiterated its commitment to work with the Centre to strengthen the state's industrial ecosystem, improve inter-state connectivity and create an enabling environment for investment and employment.

Industrial corridor projects already underway across India

The Centre is developing a network of industrial corridors under the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme (NICDP), with projects spread across 11 corridors. According to a PIB report, published in February, four projects have been completed and four are nearing completion, while various other projects remain under implementation.

The network includes corridors such as the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor, Vizag-Chennai Industrial Corridor, Bengaluru-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and Kochi-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor, among others.

The Centre has also approved 12 additional projects under the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme, with a total project cost of ₹28,602 crore. These projects are being developed as manufacturing and investment hubs with plug-and-play infrastructure and are expected to create investment and employment opportunities.

Tamil Nadu already features in this network through the Ponneri Industrial Area under the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor and the Dharmapuri-Salem Industrial Area under the Extension of CBIC to Kochi via Coimbatore.

13. Exicom starts making India's first liquid-cooled EV charger modules

MSM, August 20 2026

First in India: Exicom is manufacturing India's first liquid-cooled AC and DC EV charger modules at its Hyderabad Smart Manufacturing Facility.

Export and domestic plans: Initial production is bound for North American and European markets, with later integration into India's charging infrastructure.

Efficiency and durability: Modules operate up to 10°C cooler, achieve up to 99% efficiency, and offer a 10-year warranty, enhancing charger performance and lifespan.

Exicom starts production of India's first liquid-cooled EV charger modules.

Exicom Tele-Systems has begun producing liquid-cooled AC and DC power modules for electric vehicle chargers at its Hyderabad Smart Manufacturing Facility, making it the first company in India to do so. The first production run is being supplied to Tritium's DC fast chargers for use in North America and Europe. The company plans to incorporate the same modules into its domestic charger range in the future.

Anyone who has stood next to a fast charger on a 45-degree afternoon knows what heat does to electronics. EV Charging is getting faster, with chargers running more hours a day, and customers expect them to work every season and at every site. Globally, liquid cooling has become the architecture of choice for high-power charging. We are bringing this technology to India. Local manufacturing matters because we now own more of that technology ourselves. We can engineer it, improve it and adapt it faster for our customers here and across the world.

Why this launch matters for India's EV industry

Local production of advanced liquid-cooled power electronics positions India as a credible supplier in the global EV charging market. The technology addresses heat management challenges that can significantly affect charger reliability, supporting high-power operations. As Indian EV adoption grows, such innovations could strengthen the resilience and performance of the country's charging infrastructure.

Inside the liquid-cooled module technology

These modules maintain internal operating temperatures about 10°C lower than air-cooled systems, shielding components from moisture, dust, and salt air. They use silicon carbide-based power electronics for up to 99% efficiency and a bidirectional design for potential vehicle-to-grid applications. Exicom offers a 10-year warranty, far exceeding the typical two-year coverage for air-cooled modules. evfy.in + 1

From Tritium acquisition to global exports

The launch builds on Exicom's 2024 acquisition of Tritium's business and assets, with nearly two years and $3.5 million invested in development. Engineering teams worked across India, Brisbane, and the US, while manufacturing is centralized in Hyderabad. This approach enables immediate exports to the US and Europe, with plans to embed the technology into domestic chargers for fleets, OEMs, and public charging operators.

14. Billion-dollar boom: Jefferies identifies six sectors driving 'India’s new industrial revolution'

The Times of India, 11 Sep. 2026, Smriti Jain

Billion-dollar boom: Jefferies identifies six sectors driving ‘India’s New Industrial Revolution’

Global investment bank Jefferies, in its latest report ‘India’s New Industrial Revolution’, has highlighted sectors poised for growth, driven by India's large domestic market, greater private-sector participation, and continued government policy support.

Jefferies has identified several policy measures it believes are helping these newer sectors expand and drive India’s next phase of industrial growth. These include allowing greater private-sector participation in space, providing tax holidays for data centres, offering incentives for semiconductors, electronics and solar, promoting localisation and government purchases of GPUs.

India’s next phase of industrial growth: Which sectors will drive it?

Jefferies has identified semiconductors, space, electronics, solar, aerospace and data centres as the top 6 themes. Let’s take a look:

Electronics: According to Jefferies, India's electronics industry is gradually shifting beyond basic assembly. There is now greater emphasis on domestic value addition and component manufacturing. Domestic value addition in mobile components is expected to increase from below 20% to around 50% over the next 6 years.

“Electronics exports have grown sharply, while schemes such as ECMS (components scheme) and MPMS (Mobile 2.0) aim to deepen backward integration and reduce import dependence. We forecast ECMS to cover ~50% of Mobile component value (BoM) over the next 6-Y vs <20% now. PCB (both HDI + Multi-layer) is a focus area for Components, with $5bn TAM, 85-90% imports,” says Jefferies.

Space: Jefferies says that India is one of the few countries with spacefaring capabilities that are competitive globally. The country's space economy is expected to expand nearly fivefold to $40–45 billion by 2030. Private companies, including Skyroot, Pixxel, and Agnikul, are also progressing toward commercial execution.

“The government opened the sector for private participation in 2020, and is targeting ~5x expansion of the space economy over 2023-30 to $40-45bn. Startups are advancing from early innovation to commercial execution with companies such as Skyroot (orbital launch in July), Pixxel (high-res observation satellites), Agnikul (3D-printed rocket engine) & Digantara (surveillance satellites),” the report said.

Semiconductors: India's semiconductor ambitions are now moving beyond policy announcements towards actual execution. Investment of around $20 billion is underway, with a chip fabrication plant under construction and several OSAT projects beginning production. Another incentive package of around $13 billion is expected to strengthen the semiconductor ecosystem further.

“While supply chain depth, talent, and global competition remain challenges, we believe India is building the foundations of a credible semiconductor ecosystem,” Jefferies says.

Aerospace: India is increasingly positioned to benefit from the mismatch between global aerospace demand and supply, helped by cost-competitive manufacturing and engineering talent.

Boeing and Airbus currently source $1.4–1.6 billion annually from India, while Indian companies are also supplying global OEMs and Tier-1 companies.

“Indian companies such as Aezad, BHFC, DYTC, RW, MOTHERSON & SANSERA have become suppliers to global OEMs and tier-1s, and are expanding in the segment,” it notes.

Data Centres: India's data centre capacity has increased fivefold over the past five years to around 2 GW. Jefferies expects this to rise to about 10 GW over the next five years, translating into a $45 billion investment opportunity spanning power, cooling, construction, and network infrastructure.

Solar: India has become the world's second-largest solar PV manufacturer. Around 35 GW of cell manufacturing capacity is currently operational, while another approximately 100 GW is under construction. Jefferies expects around 90% of the solar value chain to be localised by 2030.

15. CNH to invest ₹2,000 crore to make India tractor export hub

Msm, 31 Aug. 2026

Major investment plan: CNH will invest ₹2,000 crore in India by 2030, split between a new tractor plant and R&D, to double annual capacity.

Export hub vision: The company aims to strengthen India’s role as a global base, already exporting over 11,000 tractors annually to multiple regions.

Growth with risks: CNH expects steady industry growth but warns of near-term challenges from erratic monsoons, rural incomes and financing conditions.

CNH commits ₹2,000 crore to double tractor output

CNH Industrial will invest ₹2,000 crore in India by 2030, with ₹1,000 crore allocated to a new greenfield tractor plant near Greater Noida and another ₹1,000 crore for R&D and product development. The expansion will double its tractor manufacturing capacity from 70,000 to 1.4 lakh units annually. The first phase, adding 20,000 units, is targeted for mid-2028, with completion by 2030 to serve both domestic and export markets.

India is already an important export base for CNH, with more than 11,000 tractors exported annually to markets across the US, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and other regions. We see considerable potential to further develop India as a global hub for utility, light and compact tractors, supported by our growing manufacturing and R&D capabilities.

India, already the world’s largest tractor market at around 1.1 million units annually, is emerging as a global manufacturing hub. CNH’s expansion aligns with a broader trend among international and domestic players such as Kubota, Deutz, and Zetor, boosting production capacity in India to serve both local and overseas demand. This shift reflects India’s growing role as a strategic export platform for agricultural machinery.

Strategic blueprint for growth and innovation

Beyond capacity expansion, CNH is investing heavily in R&D to develop precision agriculture technologies, connected equipment, and data-led farming solutions. The company’s Pune plant already produces specialised machinery like sugarcane harvesters and balers, signalling a move towards diversified mechanisation. CNH aims to leverage India’s engineering talent and cost advantages to design products for varied global markets.

Balancing structural optimism with short-term risks

While CNH projects long-term growth of 4–5% CAGR in India’s tractor industry, it cautions that near-term demand could be affected by erratic monsoons, El Niño effects, and rural income pressures. The company’s strategy banks on mechanisation’s inevitability despite cyclical downturns, with plans to expand its dealer network from 600 to 900 by 2028 and target under-penetrated regions like eastern India. This approach positions CNH to capture market share from current leaders over the next five years.

The near-term trajectory may be influenced by weather conditions and the timing of replacement demand, but these factors do not change the fundamental requirement for mechanisation.

- Services (Education, Healthcare, IT, R&D, Tourism, etc.)

16. The big Indian IT sector shake-up: GCCs are hiring more than traditional tech; who is getting the jobs?

The Times of India, 28 Aug. 2026, Smriti Jain

The Indian IT sector is undergoing a tectonic shift with artificial intelligence rendering many traditional roles redundant and requiring an unprecedented skill upgradation to stay employable. Even as the traditional IT firms continue to hire and fire, one branch of the IT sector is emerging as an employment source that cannot be ignored.

Global Capability Centres, or GCCs, are specialised offshore units of multinational companies that are rapidly absorbing talent from the traditional IT sector.

A recent PwC report on GCCs notes that they have migrated from providing transactional back-office support to shaping enterprise strategy and outcomes spanning advanced analytics, product engineering, cybersecurity, AI research and development, and increasingly, global P&L mandates.

Indian IT sector job market is changing: What can get you hired & at a premium.

The trend suggests that India’s GCCs are emerging as an increasingly important engine of technology hiring. Demand for talent is accelerating as companies expand beyond cost-focused operations into technology, innovation, and enterprise transformation.

But can GCCs absorb talent across levels that are not finding jobs in traditional IT sector firms? At what skill and salary levels is the hiring happening? We look at the trends:

GCCs outpace traditional IT services hiring

Experts see GCCs as an important engine for new technology jobs.

“GCCs are clearly becoming a bigger engine of net new tech jobs than the IT services companies. In FY26, GCCs added around 2,00,000 net employees, compared with roughly 110,000 in IT services,” Neeti Sharma, CEO, TeamLease Digital tells TOI.

Data speaks for itself: According to Xpheno, a specialist staffing firm, over the last 3 fiscal years, the Indian GCCs cohort has overtaken the IT services cohort on net annual additions.

The big Indian IT sector shake-up: GCCs are hiring more than traditional tech; who is getting the jobs?

Their overall contribution to the Indian tech sector headcount has marginally risen from 24% to 25% over the 3 years.

In the current year, hiring demand from GCCs has been largely stable, with no sharp spikes or drops in volume or velocity.

“The total active openings, with a 4-week freshness cutoff, in the GCCs cohort is at 17,000 in August after a 1,000 drop from 18,000 in July 2026. The active demand volume in the GCCs cohort has been ranging between 17,000 and 18,000 over the last 4 months after the 19,000 mark in March 2026, as the highest active volume for 2026,” Kamal Karanth, co-founder, Xpheno tells TOI.

Anuradha Mohanty, Associate Partner, Human Capital Solutions, India, Aon tells TOI, “What we are seeing is that GCCs and traditional IT services firms are responding to the same macro forces, but arriving at very different talent strategies, which is what makes the current market so fascinating.”

The clearest signal, in our view, comes from compensation. According to Aon's latest Salary Increase Survey, projected salary increases for GCCs stand at approximately 9.3% in 2026, compared with 6.6% for technology consulting and services firms.

“Compensation is often the most powerful indicator of employer confidence. When one segment is willing to pay above market while another remains more restrained consistently, it reflects where organisations see future value creation and where they are prepared to invest for growth,” she says.

At what levels is hiring happening and at what salaries?

Experts note that demand for artificial intelligence-linked talent is picking up. According to the recent PwC report, the demand is strongest for talent that can develop AI models, engineer the data foundations behind them, govern their risks, secure their deployment, and convert them into products and platforms that deliver measurable enterprise outcomes.

Neeti Sharma of Teamlease Digital sees the strongest demand for AI and GenAI, cloud, cybersecurity, data, automation, product engineering and AI deployment.

The big Indian IT sector shake-up: GCCs are hiring more than traditional tech; who is getting the jobs?

“India has around 4.2 lakh AI professionals today, against demand of 6-6.5 lakh, and demand could reach around 13 lakh by 2027,” she says.

“The people who may struggle are those whose skills are heavily dependent on legacy technologies or repetitive, standardised work. The opportunity is moving towards people who can combine technology with AI, business understanding and problem-solving,” she notes.

She expects GCCs to add around 4-6 lakh professionals over the next 2-3 years, based on the current hiring pace.

Neeti Sharma says fresher hiring is also picking up, with GCCs paying a premium, such as Rs 5.5 lakh CTC vs Rs 4.5 lakh CTC for freshers and a wage premium of about 20-30% on lateral skills.

But, as she points out, the bigger shift is in the quality of demand. GCCs are increasingly looking for specialised talent that can own products, build AI capabilities and work closely with global business teams.

The big Indian IT sector shake-up: GCCs are hiring more than traditional tech; who is getting the jobs?

According to her, at the entry level, GCCs have hired around 1,30,000 candidates, up from 85,000 last year.

The biggest opportunity is at the mid-career level, where GCCs need people who combine technology expertise with business understanding. At the senior level, demand is more specialised - architects, AI leaders, product leaders, cybersecurity and cloud specialists, she explains.

Xpheno sees the strongest demand for talent from GCCs in engineering and IT, accounting for nearly 55% of current active openings.

Finance & Account function follows with 12% and Operations & Program Management at 9%.

These 3 enterprise functions continue to dominate hiring, accounting for a collective 3/4 of active demand from GCCs, Kamal Karanth says.

“With the entry of mainstream AI enablement of operations, all enterprise functions and talent that don't invest in visible AI upskilling and AI-driven transformation will find themselves left behind in the race,” he cautions.

Also Read | Fewer jobs, delayed onboarding: Why Indian IT sector is getting tougher for freshers

Can GCCs help meet the gap?

GCCs are increasingly drawing experienced talent away from traditional IT services firms. Lateral movement from IT services firms to GCCs currently stands at 23%.

The Aon expert says absorption is certainly happening, particularly at mid-career and senior levels, where expertise, leadership, and domain knowledge are in high demand.

However, it is not occurring at the scale or in the manner that many might assume.

“In fact, I would argue that the decline of traditional IT services hiring is no longer automatically translating into increased hiring within GCCs,” she says.

Historically, talent flowed relatively directly between the two sectors. Professionals leaving IT services often found opportunities in GCCs, and vice versa.

“Today, that relationship has weakened considerably. The talent being released from one segment is not always aligned with the capabilities being sought by the other,” she says.

Kamal Karanth of Xpheno points out that GCCs, regardless of size and brand, are highly ROI-sensitive on hiring spend and expect the best value per dollar spent on talent acquisition.

“The highest scale of talent action happens at the fresher & entry-levels, and this is an expensive and low ROI layer for GCCs to undertake at scale,” he notes.

While some GCCs are active in entry-level hiring, their scale is low to minimal and will not collectively match the scale IT services was known to offer.

The big Indian IT sector shake-up: GCCs are hiring more than traditional tech; who is getting the jobs?

The mid-layers offer promise on the scale front, as they are a critical layer for GCCs to build capabilities.

“Senior IT professionals are in demand at GCCs, but specialisations become the filter. By nature, these specialist layers are not high volume and will not add up as numbers that can qualify as large enough for sector-level impact,” he says.

By some estimates, GCC hiring demand rose to 12-14% in the March quarter from 4-6% in December, and GCCs now account for nearly 27% of India’s IT hiring demand, up from 15% in 2024.

But the nature of GCC hiring is changing, and companies are increasingly seeking specialised, experienced professionals.

Reports suggest that workers with 4-10 years of experience are driving most demand. GCCs are continuing to build campus pipelines, with fresher hiring rising 12% in FY27 so far. This is in sharp contrast with IT services, where fresher hiring declined about 11% in FY26.

Kamal Karanth of Xpheno believes the high concentration of US-headquartered GCCs is a factor that deeply impacts the growth prospects of the Indian GCC cohort.

“Any projection on GCC hiring should factor in the current events in the US and the pace at which other geographies are catching up on the GCC count and composition,” he tells TOI.

Given the current context, he believes Indian GCCs could absorb 150,000 to 200,000 each year over the next 2-3 years.

“Crossing the 200,000 mark per year would require better geopolitical and geo-economic conditions to increase greenfield GCC landings and significant expansions of existing units,” he says.

The big Indian IT sector shake-up: GCCs are hiring more than traditional tech; who is getting the jobs?

The bottom line

Experts say demand exists, but supply is constrained because niche skills are required and a skill gap remains.

According to the PwC report, the single biggest constraint facing GCCs today is the lack of professionals who combine deep domain expertise with advanced technology capabilities.

This is followed by intense competition from other GCCs, IT services firms, and startups chasing the same scarce talent pool, and a critical deficit of senior leadership talent with AI-era strategic competencies.

“This supply-side challenge is multi-layered and self-perpetuating. Acquiring AI-ready talent is becoming increasingly difficult, driven by scarce specialised capabilities, leadership gaps, and intense market competition,” the PwC report says.

“The hybrid, senior, AI-fluent talent with domain expertise that India’s GCC ecosystem needs most is hardest to find, most expensive to acquire, and most fiercely competed for across the market,” it adds.

Also, the Indian IT services cohort continues to hold a dominant position, despite the relative slowdown in the last few years.

According to Xpheno, the IT Services cohort has added a net of over 970,000 headcounts over the last 5 fiscal years, while the GCCs cohort has added over 650,000.

Gross hiring action, i.e., net additions plus attrition-linked replacement hiring, in the IT services cohort totals nearly 2 million during this period. Meanwhile, the gross hiring by the GCCs cohort is a little over 1.3 million.

“The sheer scale of talent action by volume remains highest in the IT services cohort compared to the GCCs cohort,” says Kamal Karanth.

The IT services cohort continues to dominate the tech sector, accounting for over 34% of the sector's total headcount.

“While GCCs have emerged as the dark horses over the last 3 fiscals, the IT services cohort has been the sleeping giant of India's tech sector,” Karanth says.

17. IITs expand executive education, entering IIM-dominated space

msn, August 18 2026

IITs widen scope: IITs are launching executive MBAs and professional programmes for working professionals, moving into a space traditionally led by IIMs.

Flexible formats rise: Courses are offered online or in hybrid formats, enabling participants to balance work and study while gaining IIT credentials.

Tech-driven focus: IIT offerings emphasize AI, electric vehicles, fintech, and strategy, contrasting with IIMs' stronger focus on leadership and management.

IITs launch new executive education programmes

IITs like Madras, Delhi, and Bombay are expanding into executive education with a variety of short-term certificates, degree-level courses, and executive MBAs aimed at mid-career professionals. Many programmes are offered online or in hybrid formats to accommodate working schedules. This marks a significant diversification from their traditional engineering focus, making IIT education accessible to a wider professional audience.

Brands Today are built through a combination of strategic thinking, consumer understanding, innovation and technology. As markets become increasingly dynamic and customer expectations continue to evolve, professionals need the ability to translate business strategy into sustainable brand value. This programme has been designed to equip participants with practical frameworks and contemporary perspectives that can be applied across industries and business contexts.

A new competitive era in India's executive education market

The IIT expansion introduces fresh competition to IIMs, which have long dominated executive education with leadership and management-focused offerings. IITs are leveraging their strengths in technology, AI, and engineering to carve a niche in the sector. While IIMs maintain a stronghold in leadership and strategy, the IITs' tech-driven approach could reshape the market dynamics.

From engineering hubs to professional learning powerhouses

The move into executive education reflects a broader systemic shift where elite technical institutions diversify to meet evolving workforce needs. By offering industry-relevant, flexible programmes, IITs are positioning themselves as lifelong learning partners for professionals. This mirrors global trends where top universities expand beyond their traditional domains to capture new learner segments. Edexlive

What's next for executive education in India?

Two plausible futures emerge: IITs could rapidly grow their market share by capitalizing on demand for tech-infused management skills, potentially prompting IIMs to expand their technology offerings. Alternatively, the market could segment, with IITs dominating tech-heavy executive programmes and IIMs retaining leadership in general management, leading to complementary rather than directly competitive growth. Edexlive + 1

18. In 1971, India couldn't buy sonar, so this IIT engineer built one; years later, his MIMO tech became the backbone of 4G, 5G and Wi-Fi

Moneycontrol, August 20 2026, Sheetal Kumari

In 1971, India couldn't buy sonar, so this IIT engineer built one; years later, his MIMO tech became the backbone of 4G, 5G and Wi-Fi© Moneycontrol.

Arogyaswami Paulraj's engineering journey began with a challenge facing the Indian Navy in the 1970s and eventually led to technology that transformed modern wireless communication. The researcher, who helped develop an indigenous sonar system for India, later pioneered MIMO, or multiple-input, multiple-output wireless communication, a technology now used in high-speed networks including 4G, 5G and Wi-Fi.

In 1971, Paulraj was asked to help address India's shortage of advanced anti-submarine sonar technology, when access to sophisticated foreign systems was restricted. His work on the Advanced Panoramic Sonar Hull Mounted, or APSOH, system helped strengthen India's indigenous defence technology capabilities.

Arogyaswami Paulraj's education and early career

Born in Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, in 1944, Paulraj joined the Indian Navy as a teenager. Recognizing his academic potential, the Navy sent him to the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi for advanced studies. He later earned a PhD in electrical engineering from IIT Delhi in 1973.

The need for improved underwater detection became particularly urgent after an Indian naval ship was lost to submarine action during the 1971 India-Pakistan war. Paulraj joined the effort to develop better sonar capabilities for the Navy.

The resulting APSOH project involved a large team of engineers and several Indian organizations. Development and testing continued for years before the system entered fleet service in 1983. The project was an important example of India developing sophisticated defence technology through domestic research and engineering.

From naval sonar to wireless communication

Paulraj's contributions in India extended beyond sonar. During his government service, he helped establish research centres working in fields including artificial intelligence and robotics, advanced computing and military electronics. His professional roles included work associated with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics and Bharat Electronics.

His career later took him to Stanford University in the United States. After spending time there as a visiting scientist in the 1980s, he joined Stanford as a postdoctoral researcher and eventually became a professor.

During his research into wireless communication and antenna arrays, Paulraj developed the idea that would have his biggest impact on everyday technology.

Rather than treating signals arriving through multiple paths as unwanted interference, he realised he could separate the different paths and use them to carry additional information. This concept became the basis of MIMO technology.

MIMO employs several antennas at both the transmitting and receiving ends of a wireless connection. It allows multiple data streams to travel simultaneously and be separated at the receiving end, increasing network capacity and data speeds without requiring a proportional increase in available spectrum.

Paulraj developed the MIMO concept in 1992 and received a patent for the technology in 1994. His work demonstrated how spatial multiplexing could transmit independent data streams through multiple antennas and recover them at the receiving end.

How Paulraj's MIMO technology changed wireless networks

The concept initially encountered scepticism within parts of the wireless industry and funding community. Paulraj continued developing the technology and founded Iospan Wireless in 1998 to commercialize MIMO-based wireless systems. Intel later acquired Iospan's technology.

He later co-founded Beceem Communications, which became a major wireless semiconductor company before Broadcom acquired it.

Major scientific and engineering institutions later recognized the importance of Paulraj's work. The Marconi Society awarded him the 2014 Marconi Prize for his pioneering contributions to MIMO antennas, highlighting the technology's role in high-speed Wi-Fi and 4G mobile systems.

His other honours include the IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal, the IET Faraday Medal and the Royal Academy of Engineering's Prince Philip Medal. He was also inducted into the US National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Today, MIMO remains an important component of broadband wireless communication and is incorporated into technologies supporting 4G, 5G and Wi-Fi.

Paulraj's career illustrates how research developed to solve one problem can eventually influence an entirely different field. His work began with the Indian Navy's need for better underwater detection but ultimately contributed to the wireless technologies millions of people use every day.

From indigenous naval sonar to high-speed wireless networks, his career demonstrates the wider impact that sustained engineering research can have when an unexpected scientific insight is pursued despite early scepticism.

19. From engineers to doctors: IIT Madras to launch medical school, offer MBBS and MD degrees

Business Today Desk, August 20 2026

From engineers to doctors: IIT Madras to launch medical school, offer MBBS and MD degrees.

For nearly seven decades, IIT Madras has been synonymous with engineering. Now, the institute is set to redefine its identity by entering medical education. In an exclusive interview with India Today on campus, IIT Madras Director Prof. V. Kamakoti announced plans to establish a School of Medical Sciences that will award its own medical degrees, including MBBS, MD, and PhD.

"IIT Madras will certainly launch a school of medical sciences," Prof. Kamakoti said. "We want to give medical degrees, and I think that will be something which will make the institute much bigger."

A hybrid foundation already in place

The move builds on existing infrastructure. In May 2023, IIT Madras launched the Department of Medical Sciences and Technology, offering a four-year undergraduate programme that trains "hybrid graduates," part engineer, part biologist. These students are geared toward designing medical devices, imaging systems, implants, and health-tech software, not treating patients.

The proposed medical school, however, aims higher: to produce practising doctors. This would mark a significant expansion from training medical technologists and physician-scientists to educating clinicians who can work at the intersection of medicine and technology.

Why an IIT wants to make doctors

Prof. Kamakoti's rationale is strategic. "Any technology institution must start a medical school," he said. "Otherwise, as a country, we cannot survive the medical market." He traced the idea to lessons from the pandemic, which highlighted India's dependence on imported high-end medical equipment.

To design indigenous medical technology, he argues, India must train doctors and engineers together, under one roof, speaking the same technical language.

The Regulatory Hurdle

The path to awarding MBBS and MD degrees is not straightforward. The National Medical Commission (NMC) regulates medical education in India and approves medical colleges and degrees. An IIT cannot unilaterally start an MBBS programme; it requires NMC clearance and a functioning teaching hospital where students gain clinical experience.

IIT Kharagpur offers a precedent: it built its own hospital and secured approval for a postgraduate MD course, though its MBBS plan remains pending due to infrastructure requirements. IIT Madras would need to follow a similar route, hospital first, regulator second.

An advantageous starting point

IIT Madras enters the race with strong foundations. Its campus already hosts a healthcare technology centre, a brain-mapping institute, and active collaborations with leading Chennai hospitals. With engineers and clinicians already working side by side, Prof. Kamakoti envisions the next generation arriving as both.

If approved, the School of Medical Sciences could reshape not just IIT Madras, but India's approach to medical innovation and self-reliance.

20. Explained: India's $8.7 billion medical tourism industry, and where it's headed by 2030

Live Mint, August 19 2026, Anjali Thakur

Explained: India's $8.7 billion medical tourism industry, and where it's headed by 2030

India's medical tourism sector is expanding rapidly, positioning the country as one of the world's key destinations for both curative treatment and wellness therapies, according to a Press Information Bureau (PIB) report.

Why people travel abroad for treatment

Globally, rising healthcare costs, long waiting times, and a growing burden of lifestyle diseases are pushing patients to seek treatment outside their home countries, PIB noted. This shift has given rise to a multi-billion-dollar Medical Value Travel (MVT) industry—valued at around $115.6 billion in 2022 and projected to reach approximately $286.1 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual rate of about 10.8 per cent, the report says.

Where India stands

India has emerged as one of the most significant destinations within this landscape, per PIB. Industry estimates place India's medical tourism market at about $8.7 billion in 2025, with projections of $16.2 billion by 2030.

According to the Medical Tourism Index 2020-21, cited in the PIB release, India ranks 10th among the top 46 medical tourism destinations globally, 12th among the world's top 20 wellness tourism markets, and 5th among the top 10 wellness destinations in the Asia-Pacific region.

The sector is broadly split into two pillars, PIB explained: medical tourism, which covers curative interventions such as complex surgeries, organ transplants and advanced diagnostics; and wellness tourism, centred on preventive care through Yoga, Ayurveda, Naturopathy and other AYUSH practices.

The 2025 numbers

As per Ministry of Tourism estimates cited by PIB, travel and tourism contributed 5.22 per cent to India's GDP in FY24, close to pre-pandemic levels, and supported an estimated 8.46 crore direct and indirect jobs—about 13.3 per cent of total employment.

In 2025, India recorded 9.15 million foreign tourist arrivals overall. Of these, 5,07,244 foreign nationals arrived specifically for medical treatment, making up approximately 5.5 per cent of total foreign arrivals, according to the PIB backgrounder.

The top source countries for medical tourists in 2025, per the release, were Bangladesh (3,25,127 arrivals), followed by Iraq (30,989), Uzbekistan (13,699), Somalia (11,506), Turkmenistan (10,231), Oman (9,738) and Kenya (9,357). Patients from these and other countries primarily travel to India for treatments including cardiac surgery, orthopaedic procedures, cancer treatment, organ transplants, neurological interventions, cosmetic surgery, dental care, fertility treatment and AYUSH-based wellness therapies.

What makes India competitive

PIB attributes India's 10th-place global ranking in the Medical Tourism Index to a few key factors. The country has 69,364 hospitals—43,486 private and 25,778 public—supported by 1.2 million registered doctors, meeting the WHO-recommended doctor-to-population ratio. English, the primary language of medical education and clinical practice, also helps with communication with international patients, PIB noted.

On quality assurance, the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) has accredited over 1,299 hospitals using more than 600 safety parameters as of 2026, per the backgrounder. Several Indian hospitals also hold Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation. As of 2022, Delhi led with 9 JCI-accredited hospitals, followed by Mumbai (6), Bangalore (3), and Chennai and Hyderabad (2 each), among others.

Cost remains a major draw, PIB said, with high-quality treatment in India often available at substantially lower cost than in many developed countries, without long waiting periods.

The AYUSH push

India's wellness tourism edge rests on AYUSH — Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy, per the release. India introduced a dedicated AYUSH Visa on July 27, 2023, to make it easier for foreign patients and their attendants to access the country. The Bureau of Indian Standards has also adopted ISO 22525, an international standard for medical wellness tourism services, and around 27 insurance companies now offer more than 140 policy products covering AYUSH treatments, PIB noted.

What's planned under Budget 2026-27

The Union Budget 2026-27 proposes five Regional Medical Hubs across the country, developed with state governments and the private sector, PIB said. These integrated healthcare complexes will house medical, educational and research facilities, each featuring dedicated AYUSH Centres and MVT Facilitation Centres, and are expected to generate employment for doctors and allied health professionals.

The budget also proposes three new All India Institutes of Ayurveda, alongside an upgrade to the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre in Jamnagar, according to the backgrounder.

Digital and Visa facilitation

The e-Medical Visa and e-Medical Attendant Visa facilities have been extended to nationals of 172 countries, PIB said, along with new e-AYUSH Visa and e-AYUSH Attendant Visa categories. The government is also upgrading a one-stop Medical Value Travel Portal for end-to-end booking and post-operative care, and plans MVT Concierge and Lounges at major airports to assist international patients through immigration, customs and baggage claims.

Who's overseeing it

The National Medical & Wellness Tourism Promotion Board (NMWTB), constituted by the Ministry of Tourism in 2015 and chaired by the Union Tourism Minister, coordinates the sector across ministries, state governments, hospitals and industry stakeholders, per PIB. States have also been encouraged to set up their own Medical and Wellness Tourism Promotion Boards.

- INDIA and the World

21. BofA survey finds India now Asia's least-favoured market

MSM, August 20 2026

India slips in rankings: BofA's August survey shows India now Asia's least-favoured market, replacing Indonesia, as 32% of fund managers hold a net underweight position.

Key investor concerns: Limited AI exposure, slowing growth, lack of reforms and elevated valuations are driving caution despite strong Nifty 50 earnings growth.

Indonesia sentiment rebound: Net underweight positions on Indonesia fell to 27%, aided by a 20% market rally and central bank measures to support its currency.

India slips to bottom of Asia's market rankings.

Bank of America's August 2026 fund manager survey ranked India as Asia's least-preferred stock market, overtaking Indonesia. Of the 98 respondents managing $272 billion in assets, 32% reported a net underweight position on India. This marks a reversal from earlier in the year and aligns with the Nifty 50's recent underperformance, down about 8% year-to-date despite an 8% recovery from March lows.

Why investors are turning away from India

Survey respondents cited a lack of clear AI exposure as the top concern, followed by weak economic growth, lack of reforms, and high valuations. Despite corporate earnings in the Nifty 50 rising 18% year-on-year—well above forecasts—foreign institutional investors have been heavy sellers in 2026, offloading ₹2.40 lakh crore of equities. Elevated crude oil prices and a weakening rupee have compounded the cautious sentiment.

Indonesia climbed out of last place.

Investor sentiment towards Indonesia improved, with net underweight positions falling to 27% from 32% in July. The Jakarta Composite Index has rallied over 20% since June, supported by central bank measures to stabilize the currency and easing fears of an MSCI downgrade to frontier-market status. This contrasts with India's recent two-week market decline despite positive earnings surprises. Th

What this means for India's market outlook

While strong earnings and $4 billion in quarterly foreign inflows offer some support, structural concerns over technology sector positioning and macro headwinds could weigh on India's market ranking. If AI-related investment opportunities expand and energy prices stabilize, India could regain favour; conversely, prolonged high crude prices and global yield pressures may deepen underweight positions. Taiwan and Japan's continued outperformance underscores the competitive challenge India faces in attracting regional equity flows.

22. Patna boy, IITian, Mexico entrepreneur: Man's incredible journey from rural roots to global success

Hindustan Times, August 20 2026, Trisha Sengupta

Vijeet Suman, a 33-year-old IIT Delhi alumnus from Patna, is rewriting the definition of serial entrepreneurship thousands of miles from home in Mexico. After spending a highly successful decade protecting billions in payments and fraud for major tech acquisitions, including a significant stint at Uber, Suman decided to pursue a very different life. What began as a venture into the culinary world, driven simply by a desire to find authentic Indian food, quickly evolved. In an interview with hindustantimes.com, Suman detailed his journey from the tech boardroom to launching and managing a diverse portfolio of four thriving companies.

Suman began his career as a corporate employee after completing a B.Tech in Textile Technology at IIT Delhi. Recalling the early days of his career, he shared, "I grew up in Patna and studied engineering at IIT Delhi before spending over ten years in payments and fraud prevention. My job was protecting billions of dollars a year from financial crime. Three of the four companies I worked at got acquired, including Linio by Falabella and Cornershop by Uber. I was lucky with the leaders I worked under—they taught me how to take risks properly, when to bet, and how to own the outcomes."

Why the food business?

Suman explained, "In 2023, while still working in tech, Arpit Khurana and I opened Aroma Curry in Mexico City. Honest reason: we missed real Indian food and got tired of waiting for someone else to make it. We had zero restaurant experience, but then something unexpected happened - strangers started asking us to cater their weddings. Letting two Indian engineers handle food on the most important day of their lives was a huge leap of faith. Dozens of weddings later, it taught me a fundamental lesson: if you fix a real necessity, the market shows you the way naturally."

At the time, he was juggling his food venture alongside his role at Uber. That all changed in 2024, when he decided to walk away from corporate life and chart a new path.

"By 2024, I left Uber - not because anything was wrong, but because I wanted a different life. Looking for balance, I opened a small yoga studio, Santulan, mostly for myself. Members asked for a Pilates reformer, so we added it. Within two years, thanks to our instructors and community, it became one of the highest-rated studios in Mexico City," Suman recalled, talking about his second business.

The IITian didn't stop there; he went on to build software to manage his other businesses, which became another source of income. "When I couldn't find decent software to manage it, I built my own. Other studio owners asked for it, and that became Klasius. Fortify came last: after ten years fighting fraud, three friends and I built a platform to tackle the exact problem I knew best, and we are already running pilots with one of Mexico's largest e-commerce companies."

Overcoming the immigrant grind.

Running multiple businesses presented unique operational hurdles across entirely different industries. Suman recalled that each step brought its own unpredictable obstacles.

"Every venture brought its own chaos. At Aroma Curry, we looked busy from the outside. Still, delivery apps were eating our margins raw—at one point, over half our revenue came from a single app, meaning we were basically working for them until we built our own direct channels. At Santulan, I had to learn studio economics on the fly, coding Klasius at night while managing operations by day. With Fortify, the challenge was enterprise trust: getting large Mexican companies to trust a young startup founded by foreign engineers took time and proof."

Vijeet Suman started Aroma Curry while working at Uber.

Establishing an enterprise in a completely new country brought a whole new layer of complexity. Navigating legal systems and cultural nuances as an outsider required relentless self-reliance.

Suman recounted, "Underneath all of it was building in a country where you weren't born. Every permit, contract, and negotiation was in Spanish, within a system I had to learn from zero. Anywhere in the world, when people see an outsider, some will test you. You verify every document yourself because there is no safety net—no uncle to call, no childhood friend in government. Before you build a business, the real work of an immigrant entrepreneur is building your own support system from scratch."

Beyond the business complexities, the journey required immense personal sacrifice. Balancing demanding startup hours with family life thousands of miles away from home took a heavy emotional toll.

Looking back, the entrepreneur shared, "The personal cost was the hardest part. My son was born in 2023, the same year as Aroma Curry. Balancing late-night tech deployments and kitchen fires with diaper changes, far from home, meant constantly deciding which fire to put out first. Living across the world comes with a quiet tax: missing Sunday lunches, family festivals, and watching your parents age over video calls."

Finding the right people to manage such diverse operations was a long, challenging process. Ultimately, facing these struggles directly helped him build a strong foundation and a dedicated team.

"Building a team across four completely different industries—finding people who care whether the dal tastes right when you aren't standing there—took years of painful trial and error. Today, the team running these companies is my proudest achievement. We got through by refusing to lie to ourselves about the numbers and facing every problem directly. In the end, the place where I had nobody became the place where I built everything."

Best and worst memories of the journey

Reflecting on his path, Suman shared that his fondest memory stems from a major catering event that validated his entire mission. Scaling up to serve hundreds of guests far from India led to an unforgettable moment of connection.

"The highest point? Catering our first big wedding with over 300 guests. We had never done anything at that scale and weren't sure we could pull it off. Everything went perfectly, but the moment I'll never forget was when guests came up to tell us the food tasted 'just like Delhi.' We were thousands of miles from home, but in that single sentence, our whole reason for starting the restaurant came back to us."

When it comes to setbacks, he prefers to view daily obstacles not as low points, but as an essential part of the process. For Suman, navigating ongoing challenges is simply a natural requirement of building multiple businesses.

"As for the 'worst' moment, I don't look at the journey that way. Every day you fail at something small and learn something new. Life has ups and downs—that isn't a flaw in the journey, that is the journey. If you're running four companies and nothing is going wrong, you're not paying attention."

A jiju's post. A viral surprise

Suman's story first came to light when his brother-in-law celebrated his achievements in an X post. The post soon went viral, drawing praise from many.

Recalling how it felt, Suman expressed, "My phone started buzzing more than usual—that's how I found out. Rahul had posted, and over a lakh people had already seen it. Messages started coming in from people I hadn't talked to since college."

He continued, "In Indian families, we rarely praise each other face to face—we tell the world instead. So reading it, I just smiled. Though I did tease him about one thing: he wrote restaurant 'chain.' I messaged him: 'One restaurant, jiju'. For now."

How much does he earn?

Suman didn't share the exact amount he earns from his businesses, saying it could pose a security risk while he's abroad.

However, he told hindustantimes.com, "I won't share exact figures, but I'll share a harder truth: the nature of earning changes completely. In a job, your salary arrives predictably on the same date every month. In entrepreneurship, you pay yourself last. The team, the landlord, the suppliers, the taxes—everyone gets paid before you, and some months your turn doesn't come," adding, "But equity changes how you look at value. What we are building across these four companies is worth far more than any corporate salary I walked away from. I traded a comfortable number for a meaningful one."

From Bhojpur to Mexico City:

Reflecting on his family's generational shift, Suman expressed deep appreciation for how far his journey has brought him. The contrast between his humble roots and his current achievements remains a constant source of perspective.

"My father was born in a small village in Bhojpur, Bihar - the first generation to leave the village. One generation later, his son runs four companies in Mexico City. When I think about the distance between Bhojpur and Colima Street, I don't take a single bit of it for granted."

The extra effort

Closing with advice for professionals in the corporate world, Suman emphasised the value of going beyond standard expectations. He noted that dedication and unseen effort eventually build the foundation for future success.

Vijeet Suman, hailing from Patna, Bihar, now resides in Mexico.

"For anyone working inside a company right now: don't expect a standard 9-to-5 schedule to take you somewhere extraordinary. Always deliver more than what's on your job description. People notice extra effort—someone is always watching, even when you think they aren't. That extra work accumulates quietly, and sooner or later, it pays off in ways you can't predict."

23. From Grains to Dairy, Heatwaves and Drought Cut Europe's Farm Production by Up to 60%

RuralVoice, Aug.19 2026

Successive heatwaves and worsening drought are pushing European agriculture into a severe crisis, with sharp crop losses reported across France, Italy and Spain. Falling yields, livestock stress and rising disaster costs are also pressuring governments, while low insurance coverage could leave taxpayers shouldering a growing share of climate-related losses.

Europe's agriculture sector is facing mounting pressure from a summer of extreme heat and prolonged drought, with damage spreading from crops and livestock to government finances. Vegetable, grain, dairy and wine producers across major farming regions are reporting significant production losses, while repeated climate disasters are raising concerns over how future losses will be financed.

France, one of Europe's biggest agricultural producers, has emerged as a major hotspot. Vegetable growers have reported production shortfalls ranging from 25% for courgettes and 35% for lettuce to 60% for broccoli. Artichoke losses are estimated at between 50% and 100% in some areas. The simultaneous impact across several production regions has made the current situation particularly difficult, as farmers normally rely on better-performing regions to offset losses elsewhere.

The heat has also severely affected grain production. France's maize harvest is projected at around 9 million tonnes, about 35% below last year's level and the lowest volume since around 1980. While some of the decline is linked to farmers shifting acreage to other crops, extreme temperatures during critical crop-development stages have added to the losses.

The livestock sector is also feeling the effects. Dairy cows begin experiencing heat stress at relatively moderate temperatures, and French farmers have reported milk production declines of 10-15%. At the same time, hay production for winter feed is estimated to be around 30% below the long-term average, raising concerns about feed availability and costs in the coming months. Poultry production has also suffered, with heat-related mortality contributing to a decline of roughly one million eggs a day compared with normal output.

Italy is facing an equally serious situation. Around 60% of its agricultural land is estimated to be affected by drought ranging from mild to severe. Corn, rice, soybean, fruit and vegetable production have all suffered, while milk output has fallen by around 20%. The combined economic damage to agriculture, including losses from wildfires and severe storms, has been estimated at more than €3 billion.

The Po Valley, Italy's agricultural heartland, is particularly vulnerable because water availability in the Po River is declining. The region accounts for about 80% of Italy's rice production. To conserve scarce irrigation water, rice farmers have adopted unusual measures, including irrigating fields only every other week.

Spain is also recording substantial agricultural losses. Cereal production is down sharply in several regions, including by 35% in Castilla y León, 49% in Madrid and 24% in Andalucía. Sheep and goat milk production has also declined. The wine industry expects production to fall by about 20% in 2026, with heat and moisture shortages reducing grape size.

The agricultural crisis is unfolding alongside a broader economic problem: rising costs from climate-related disasters. EU data show that weather and climate extremes caused an estimated €822 billion in economic losses between 1980 and 2024, with about one-quarter of the damage occurring during the most recent four years.

The financial burden is particularly worrying because only about one-fourth of climate-related catastrophe losses in the EU are insured. In several countries, insurance coverage is below 5%, meaning governments and ultimately taxpayers may have to finance a large share of reconstruction and compensation.

This creates a growing fiscal challenge for European governments already dealing with higher defence expenditure, ageing-related costs and constrained budgets. Repeated droughts, floods, wildfires and heatwaves could turn what were once exceptional emergency expenses into a recurring fiscal liability.

Governments are therefore considering more permanent solutions, including stronger climate-resilient infrastructure, expanded insurance coverage, public-private reinsurance mechanisms and catastrophe bonds. The European Union is also preparing proposals on climate resilience and disaster-risk management.

For farmers, however, the immediate challenge remains protecting production and incomes. France has announced emergency support of €145 million, but the scale and frequency of climate shocks suggest that short-term relief alone may not be sufficient. Europe's farm crisis is increasingly becoming a test of whether governments can move from emergency compensation to long-term investment in climate-resilient agriculture and risk management.

24. Harvard, NYU to come to India next year? Sergio Gor says top US universities 'interested' amid 'demand': What he said

Live Mint, 23 Aug. 2026, Garvit Bhirani

Sergio Gor praised 'incredible' Indian talent and is confident that some top US universities will come to India over 2027 (Image: X)

Several leading American universities, including Harvard, New York University and Purdue, are exploring the possibility of establishing a presence in India amid strong interest among Indian students in studying in the US, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said at The Economic Times World Leaders Forum.

Gor also said he recently spoke with the provost of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is working to bring some US universities to India within the next year.

"One of the things that I've started looking at is actually bringing US institutions to India. The demand is there," he mentioned, adding, "We have a great number of universities that are interested in coming here. I'm determined over the next year that we will have some of that happen, and we're talking about the top schools, whether that's NYU, Harvard or Purdue; we're gonna see some of that happening in the near future. And we're confident that that'll happen."

'Incredible Indian talent'

Gor said Washington was committed to deepening ties with India and working closely with its young talent. He pointed to collaboration between Indian professionals and major US companies such as Google, Microsoft and Micron as examples of the partnership between the two countries.

"And so you pick any US company, there's incredible Indian talent. So whether that's Google or Microsoft or Micron, those are good things we're working on together. And that's something that'll continue to happen," Gor stated.

He described people-to-people relations between India and the US as "unmatched". However, he said the overwhelming demand among people seeking to move to the US meant the country could not accommodate everyone.

"There's such a high demand of people wanting to go to the United States. It would be impossible for us to accommodate the whole world," he said.

People posting 'Death to America' tweets should not expect a US visa: Gor

Gor clarified the Trump administration's enhanced visa screening was not specifically aimed at India, stressing that Washington's priority was to maintain secure borders and determine who enters the US, as per The Economic Times report.

He said the screening process now includes examining applicants' online activity, including their posts and statements on platforms such as X, YouTube and other forums. Gor noted that people who have publicly expressed sentiments such as "Death to America" should not expect to be granted a US visa.

"And unfortunately, and this is, again, this is not targeted towards India, but the days of you tweeting Death to America, and then showing up in an embassy asking for a visa are over. We're not gonna let you in," he stated.

Gor said India, too, had the authority to determine who could enter its territory. He also mentioned that curbing visa overstays and strengthening security along the US southern border remained key priorities for the Trump administration.

"And by the way, India does the same thing. When you're coming here, applying for a visa, you get asked all sorts of questions. And several people get denied, frankly. And that's India's right. You should be able to determine who is allowed into your country," Gor said.

"In previous administrations, we had millions of individuals who would overstay their visas in the United States. So today, that is a top priority for this administration," he further said.

25. 2,600 years ago, an Indian physician documented 1,120 illnesses. Scotland has now honoured him.

India Today, 29 Aug. 2026

Some 2,600 years ago, a medical text recorded 1,120 illnesses, over 700 medicinal plants, more than 300 medical procedures and around 120 surgical instruments. That text, the Sushrutha Samhita, remains one of the most detailed medical compilations from the ancient world still in existence today.

The tenor of that work has once again come into focus with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh unveiling a statue of Sushrutha, the ancient Indian physician widely regarded as the 'father of plastic surgery'.

The institution, considered the world's oldest surgical college, unveiled the 90-kilogram bronze statue to recognise his contributions to surgery.

Years earlier, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in Melbourne had similarly honoured him. Sushruta's celebrated statue stands tall, telling of his recordings from thousands of years ago.

Separated by continents, the two institutions have come down to the same conclusion: the history of surgery cannot be told without acknowledging Sushrutha's contribution.

His recognition in the 21st century is part of a larger pattern.

In "The Source Book of Plastic Surgery," Frank McDowell aptly described Sushrutha as follows:

"Through all of Sushrutha's flowery language, incantations and irrelevancies, there shines the unmistakable picture of a great surgeon. Undaunted by his failures, unimpressed by his successes, he sought the truth unceasingly and passed it on to those who followed. He attacked disease and deformity decisively, with reasoned, logical methods. When the path did not exist, he made one."

A PHYSICIAN WHO DOCUMENTED SEVERAL ILLNESSES CENTURIES BEFORE THE WEST UNDERSTOOD THEM

The Sushrutha Samhita presents a detailed account of medical practice. Divided into the Purva-tantra and Uttara-tantra, the text covers surgery, medicine, paediatrics, toxicology, psychiatry, diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat, and care for the elderly.

It lists more than 300 surgical procedures and describes over 120 instruments used in treatment. The text also catalogues hundreds of medicines derived from plants, animals and minerals.

Among its most discussed contributions is its classification of surgery into eight categories, including excision, incision, puncturing, extraction, drainage and suturing.

The work also contains detailed instructions on surgical training, suggesting that medical education in ancient India involved structured learning and practical experience.

Several concepts discussed by Sushrutha continue to attract scholarly interest. His descriptions of burns, heat stroke, frostbite and injuries caused by lightning grouped different forms of thermal trauma into a broader framework.

Historians of medicine have noted that similar approaches became widely accepted in modern surgery much later.

The text also discusses conditions resembling diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disorders. Sushrutha associated some of these illnesses with lifestyle factors and recommended physical activity as part of treatment.

"The fact that such a man in flesh and blood performed these surgeries a millennium before Hippocrates and two millennia before European stalwarts like Celsius and Galen ever appeared on the scene is hard for most to realise and appreciate," writes Surajit Bhattacharya in a journal in NLM.

The renewed interest in Sushrutha comes at a time when Indian institutions like IITs are increasingly examining IKS through modern research methods.

Melbourne's Royal Australasian College of Surgeons has a marble statue of Sushrutha, Father of Surgery, donated by cardiothoracic surgeon Dr K M Cherion.

HOW ARE INDIAN INSTITUTIONS MOVING AHEAD?

Recently, researchers at IIT Roorkee published findings on using cow-based formulations to manage chikungunya symptoms. The study immediately sparked debate. Supporters called for further research, while critics questioned the premise itself.

Institutions such as IIT Mandi have sought to explore that space. Researchers there are working on projects ranging from biomass-based energy systems to studies examining the impact of traditional music on mental health. The results on the impact of Indian musical instruments on the mind were outstanding.

Many respondents reported increased attention and focus.

IIT Mandi Director Professor Laxmidhar Behera believes Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) can open new avenues for research and innovation. "IKS can place India at a new juncture of knowledge creation. However, the tendency to dismiss indigenous knowledge and seek validation through a Western lens often acts as a barrier," he says.

Many researchers are trying to understand these knowledge systems with an open mind, developing methods that could help solve modern-day problems by blending contemporary science with traditional knowledge.

The physician who compiled the Sushrutha Samhita belonged to a tradition in which learning was passed from teacher to student and then recorded for future generations.

The statues in Edinburgh and Melbourne do not settle debates about history, science or tradition.

They do, however, signal that Sushrutha's contributions are being studied and recognised far beyond India's borders.

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AAPI

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