“FESTIVAL”

Meghalaya Celebrates Sacred Behdeinkhlam Festival

The sacred Behdeinkhlam Festival was recently celebrated with great joy in Jowai, a town in Meghalaya. This yearly event is important for the Pnars, a tribal group from the state. The festival is held in July to pray for a good harvest and to drive away diseases and evil from society. It also helps in keeping their traditional faith alive. 

“APPOINTMENTS”

Karnataka Bank Appoints Raghavendra S Bhat as Interim MD & CEO

Karnataka Bank has appointed Raghavendra S Bhat as its new MD & CEO for a period of three months. The appointment follows the resignations of MD & CEO Srikrishnan Hari Hara Sarma and Executive Director Sekhar Rao, both citing personal reasons and relocation issues. In May 2025, the bank’s statutory auditors flagged expenditures by whole-time directors made without board approval, which is believed to have contributed to the senior-level exits.

Sabyasachi Couture Appoints Manish Chopra as CEO

Sabyasachi Couture, the iconic Indian luxury fashion house, has appointed Manish Chopra—former Shein India executive—as its new CEO. This leadership change comes as India’s luxury market experiences a strong revival, with domestic labels like Sabyasachi expanding their global presence. The brand, majority-owned by the Aditya Birla Group, is reinforcing its position in the upscale fashion segment through strategic talent acquisition and international growth.

Sanjay Kaul Appointed CEO of GIFT City, Gandhinagar

Sanjay Kaul, a 2001-batch IAS officer from the Kerala cadre, has been appointed as the Managing Director and CEO of GIFT City Company Limited in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The announcement was made on July 15, 2025, through a government order. He will take charge on deputation for three years, or until further notice.

“NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL NEWS”

Hemanta Sarma Launch India’s First Aqua Tech Park In Assam

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurated India’s first Aqua Tech Park in Sonapur, near Guwahati, Assam. The park will help fish farmers learn about new technologies like aquaponics, biofloc, and ornamental fish breeding. This initiative aims to boost fish production and increase farmers’ income in the state. The Aqua Tech Park has been set up by NGO Kolong Kopili with help from NABARD, ICAR-CIFA, Selco Foundation, and the Fishery Department. It showcases modern ways to raise fish using less water, faster methods, and new systems. These include aquaponics, which grows fish and plants together, and the biofloc system, which improves fish health and growth.

India Becomes First Country to Launch AI-Integrated Traditional Knowledge Digital Library

The World Health Organization (WHO) has acknowledged India as the first country to launch a Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) and praised its leadership in using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to modernize traditional medicine systems like Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, and Homoeopathy. The recognition came in WHO’s technical brief titled “Mapping the Application of Artificial Intelligence in Traditional Medicine”, developed following India’s proposal and leading to WHO’s first-ever AI roadmap for traditional medicine.

India’s Second Longest Cable-Stayed Bridge Opens in Shivamogga

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the Sigandur bridge, India’s second longest cable-stayed bridge, on July 16, 2025, in Shivamogga district, Karnataka. This new bridge stretches 2.44 km across the Sharavathi backwaters and will help improve road connectivity between Sagara town and Sigandur, where the famous Chowdeshwari Temple is located.