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Artificial Intelligence

IIT Delhi, I4C and Amazon Launch ‘Raksham’ AI Cybersecurity Hackathon

/ Education Community

The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, in partnership with the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) and Amazon, has launched ‘Raksham’, a national-level AI cybersecurity hackathon aimed at developing technology-driven solutions to emerging online threats. Organised by IIT Delhi’s student technical clubs, Aries IITD and Dev Club, the hackathon invites undergraduate and postgraduate engineering students from across India to develop AI-powered prototypes addressing challenges such as deepfakes, voice-cloning scams and online fraud. Registration and concept submissions are open until October 12, with students eligible to participate in teams of two to four members. Participating teams will be evaluated on factors including technical architecture, practical feasibility, responsible use of AI and the potential of their solutions to address cyber threats affecting millions of Indians. The top 30 teams will advance to a 48-hour in-person finale at IIT Delhi on October 24 and 25. During the finale, participants will build, test and demonstrate their prototypes before a jury comprising experts from academia, industry and the cybersecurity sector. According to IIT Delhi, high-impact projects and winning teams will also have an opportunity to showcase their innovations at Amazon Sambhav 2026. The hackathon comes as digital transactions and online activity typically increase during the festive shopping season, creating additional opportunities for cybercriminals to target consumers through scams and fraudulent schemes. IIT Delhi said the initiative will also strengthen the ongoing collaboration between the institute, I4C and Amazon under the #ScamSmartIndia initiative, with a focus on developing practical solutions to counter evolving forms of cybercrime. Source: Indian Express  

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Healthcare’s Next Revolution: From Artificial Intelligence to Personalised Care

/ Article/Stories

Healthcare is entering an era where the most important medical breakthrough may not be a new drug or device, but the ability to understand each patient in greater depth. Artificial intelligence can analyse vast amounts of medical data, precision medicine can help match treatments to individual biological profiles, and digital health can bring care closer to where people live and work.  Together, these technologies are beginning to shift healthcare from a largely reactive system to one that can anticipate risks, personalise interventions and support patients beyond the hospital. As these capabilities mature, the healthcare landscape of 2030 could look fundamentally different from the one we know today. From Reactive Healthcare to Predictive Care For decades, much of healthcare has been reactive. A patient develops symptoms, seeks medical attention, undergoes tests and then receives treatment. Advances in data science are gradually changing this sequence. AI systems can analyse large and complex datasets, identify patterns and support disease detection, diagnosis and treatment decisions. Regulatory agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration already recognise the growing role of AI-enabled medical devices in clinical care.  Imagine a healthcare system where a combination of medical history, laboratory results, imaging, lifestyle information and continuously collected health data can help identify a patient’s changing risk before a serious condition becomes apparent. This does not mean AI will independently diagnose every patient. Rather, its most valuable role may be as an additional layer of intelligence supporting healthcare professionals. The doctor will still need to understand the patient. AI can help process the enormous amount of information surrounding that patient. AI Becomes a Clinical Assistant, Not a Replacement for Doctors The most realistic future of AI in healthcare is not a world without doctors. It is a world in which doctors have better tools. AI can assist with analysing medical images, identifying patterns in clinical data, summarising patient records, supporting clinical decision-making and reducing some administrative workloads. In research and pharmaceutical development, AI can also help researchers work through large datasets and identify potential avenues for investigation. But healthcare is fundamentally different from many other industries. A medical decision can have consequences that cannot simply be reversed. That makes accuracy, validation and human oversight essential. The FDA notes that AI-enabled medical technologies require careful consideration throughout their lifecycle, while international guidance on good machine-learning practice emphasises safe, effective and high-quality development.  The future doctor may therefore work alongside an increasingly sophisticated digital assistant—one that can process information at a scale that humans cannot, while the physician remains responsible for clinical judgement, communication and the human side of care. The Rise of Precision Medicine Perhaps the most important change will be the gradual move away from the idea that one treatment should work equally well for everyone. Two patients can have the same diagnosis but respond very differently to the same medicine. Their genetics, environment, lifestyle, medical history and other biological characteristics can influence both disease risk and treatment response. Precision medicine attempts to account for these differences. Large research programmes are already demonstrating what becomes possible when different forms of health information are brought together. The US National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program, for example, combines information including electronic health records, genomic data, physical measurements, surveys and wearable-device data to support research into more individualised approaches to prevention and treatment.  By 2030, the expansion of such datasets could help medicine become increasingly targeted. Instead of asking simply, “What treatment is normally used for this disease?”, clinicians may increasingly ask, “What treatment is most appropriate for this particular patient?” That is a profound change in the philosophy of healthcare. Digital Health Will Make Care More Continuous Healthcare is also moving beyond the hospital and clinic. Smartwatches, connected medical devices, remote monitoring systems and digital health platforms are creating new ways to collect information outside traditional healthcare settings. For patients with chronic conditions, this could mean that important health indicators are monitored between appointments rather than assessed only during occasional clinical visits. The result could be a more continuous relationship between patients and healthcare providers. A patient may no longer need to wait until the next appointment to discover that something has changed. A healthcare professional could potentially receive relevant information earlier and decide whether intervention is necessary. But digital health should not become an endless stream of notifications. The real objective is not to collect more data; it is to turn useful data into meaningful action. The Patient Will Become More Connected to the Healthcare System Another major shift could be the changing role of patients themselves. Digital platforms are already making it easier for people to access health records, communicate with healthcare providers, monitor certain health indicators and participate in their own care. Over time, patients may have a more complete picture of their health rather than receiving fragmented information from different doctors, hospitals and diagnostic centres. This could also encourage a shift from treatment-oriented healthcare towards prevention. Instead of focusing exclusively on managing disease after it appears, healthcare systems could increasingly use data to identify risk earlier and encourage interventions before a condition becomes more serious. The Data Challenge There is, however, a major obstacle behind almost every digital healthcare ambition: data. Healthcare data is highly sensitive. Medical records, genomic information, biometric measurements and information generated by wearable devices can reveal deeply personal details about an individual. The more healthcare becomes data-driven, the more important privacy, cybersecurity, consent and responsible data governance become. WHO has repeatedly stressed that AI in healthcare needs to be developed and deployed with safety, ethics, equity and appropriate governance at its core. It has also warned that poorly governed AI could deepen existing inequalities rather than reduce them.  This is particularly important for countries with significant differences in healthcare access. A sophisticated AI system is of limited value if the people who need healthcare most cannot access the digital infrastructure required to use it. The Risk of a Digital Divide The healthcare revolution must therefore address a

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The Rise of Agentic AI Jobs: 15 Emerging Careers Shaping the Future of Work

/ Article/Stories

Artificial intelligence is moving beyond simply answering questions. The next phase of AI is increasingly about taking action. Traditional AI systems typically respond to a user’s instructions. Agentic AI goes a step further. These systems can interpret a goal, break it into smaller tasks, select appropriate tools, make decisions, learn from feedback and complete multi-step workflows with limited human intervention. As businesses begin experimenting with these autonomous systems, a new employment landscape is emerging. Alongside conventional AI and software roles, companies are likely to need professionals who can build, integrate, evaluate, secure and manage AI agents. Here are 15 emerging career paths associated with the growth of agentic AI. 1. Agentic AI Engineer Agentic AI Engineers design and build autonomous AI systems capable of planning and completing complex tasks. They work with large language models, agent frameworks and tool-calling systems to create agents that can operate with limited human supervision. Key skills: Python, LLMs, agent orchestration, tool calling and software development. 2. AI Agent Developer AI Agent Developers focus on implementing the functionality of individual AI agents. They determine which tools an agent can access, how it should respond to different situations and how it should execute specific tasks. Key skills: Python, APIs, prompt engineering and application development. 3. AI Engineer AI Engineers build the broader machine learning systems and infrastructure that support intelligent applications. For professionals entering the agentic AI ecosystem, this can provide a strong foundation before specialising in autonomous systems. Key skills: Machine learning, deep learning, model development and cloud technologies. 4. LLM Engineer Large language models often serve as the reasoning engine behind AI agents. LLM Engineers work on model development, fine-tuning, optimisation and deployment to improve the reliability and performance of AI applications. Key skills: Natural language processing, fine-tuning, prompt engineering and vector databases. 5. AI Solutions Architect AI Solutions Architects design the larger technical ecosystem in which AI agents operate. They determine how agents interact with enterprise applications, databases and other systems while considering scalability, security and reliability. Key skills: System architecture, cloud computing, APIs and enterprise integration. 6. AI Automation Engineer AI Automation Engineers identify repetitive business processes that could be handled by intelligent systems. They work with business teams to convert complex workflows into processes that AI agents can execute. Key skills: Workflow automation, process mapping, AI tools and business-process analysis. 7. Multi-Agent Systems Engineer Some complex tasks may require several specialised AI agents rather than one system handling everything. Multi-Agent Systems Engineers develop architectures in which multiple agents communicate, coordinate and divide responsibilities. Key skills: Multi-agent orchestration, distributed systems and agent communication. 8. AI Product Manager AI Product Managers determine what AI-powered products should accomplish and how they can address genuine customer or business needs. The role requires an understanding of both technology and business strategy, without necessarily requiring advanced programming skills. Key skills: Product strategy, AI literacy, business analysis and communication. 9. AI Evaluation Engineer As AI systems become more autonomous, measuring their performance becomes increasingly important. AI Evaluation Engineers develop benchmarks, tests and metrics to determine whether agents are accurate, reliable and capable of handling unexpected situations. Key skills: AI evaluation, testing, statistics and performance analysis. 10. AI Safety Engineer Giving AI systems the ability to act independently also creates new safety challenges. AI Safety Engineers develop guardrails, monitoring mechanisms and risk controls designed to keep autonomous systems within defined boundaries. Key skills: Risk assessment, safety frameworks, guardrail design and model monitoring. 11. AI Governance Specialist AI Governance Specialists help organisations establish rules and processes for responsible AI deployment. They may work with legal, compliance, cybersecurity and business teams to ensure AI systems are used according to organisational policies and applicable regulations. Key skills: AI policy, regulatory awareness, governance and risk management. 12. RAG Engineer Retrieval-Augmented Generation, or RAG, enables AI systems to retrieve relevant information from external knowledge sources before generating an answer or taking action. RAG Engineers build these information-retrieval systems so agents can work with current and organisation-specific data. Key skills: RAG pipelines, embeddings, vector databases and search technologies. 13. AI Integration Engineer An AI agent becomes significantly more useful when it can interact with existing business systems. AI Integration Engineers build connections between agents and databases, enterprise applications, communication platforms and other digital tools. Key skills: API integration, databases, systems engineering and software architecture. 14. AI Operations Engineer Building an AI agent is only the beginning. AI Operations Engineers are responsible for deploying, monitoring and maintaining AI systems once they enter production. Their work has similarities with DevOps and MLOps, but is tailored to AI-powered applications. Key skills: MLOps, cloud infrastructure, deployment and monitoring. 15. AI Consultant AI Consultants help organisations identify where autonomous AI could deliver practical value. They analyse business processes, identify potential use cases and help companies develop strategies for adopting AI without necessarily building the technology themselves. Key skills: Business strategy, AI literacy, problem-solving and communication. How Can You Prepare for an Agentic AI Career? Despite the variety of roles, several foundational skills are common across the field. Learning Python, machine learning fundamentals, APIs and large language models can provide a strong starting point. The next step is experimentation. Building simple AI agents that can use tools, retrieve information, remember context or complete multi-step tasks can provide practical experience that goes beyond theoretical knowledge. From there, career paths begin to diverge. Those interested in technical development can explore areas such as agent engineering, RAG, AI integration and MLOps. Professionals who prefer strategy and coordination may find opportunities in AI product management, consulting or governance. Communication and problem-solving will remain important regardless of the specialisation. As AI systems become more capable, organisations will need people who understand not only what the technology can do, but also where and how it should be used. The Changing AI Career Landscape Agentic AI is creating a broader ecosystem around artificial intelligence. The emerging roles span software development, infrastructure, product management, cybersecurity, governance, business strategy and operations. Not every title listed above will become a

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Over 3 Lakh Students Join Bihar Vidya Sathi App, 73% From Rural Areas

/ Education Community

More than three lakh students have enrolled on the Bihar Vidya Sathi app within a month of its launch, with nearly 73 per cent of registered users coming from rural areas, Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari said. The minister made the remarks during a review meeting at the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) auditorium, where officials discussed the board’s functioning, examination preparations, vocational education and measures to support students’ academic and career progression. The meeting reviewed plans to make examinations more technology-driven, transparent and secure. Officials also discussed integrating students’ APAAR IDs with face identification systems and ensuring their effective implementation at examination centres. Tiwari stressed the importance of making vocational education more closely aligned with employment opportunities and emerging technological requirements. He directed officials to increase awareness among students and review older trades and courses that have lost relevance. Modern skill-based programmes such as animation design, artificial intelligence, mobile repairing, robotics, electrical and electronics were suggested as areas that could provide students with more relevant career opportunities. The meeting also examined measures to support meritorious students. The board is considering sending letters to students who secure first division in Classes 10 and 12 to encourage them towards further educational opportunities. Officials also discussed simplifying the admission process for talented students seeking entry to Simultala Residential School. Tiwari further emphasised the need to promote Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and industrial training as viable career pathways. Reducing school dropouts was another key focus. Officials explored ways to reconnect students who discontinue their education after Class 10 with further studies or skill-based training up to Class 12 and beyond. The possibility of introducing financial incentives to encourage students to continue their education was also discussed. The BSEB review further covered the timely declaration of results for computer-based tests (CBTs). Officials examined technology-enabled examination systems that could improve efficiency and transparency while ensuring that results are announced within the stipulated timelines. Source: Indian Express

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Agentic AI Reduced Productivity at Nearly 30% of Companies, McKinsey Report Finds

/ Human Resource Community

The growing adoption of agentic artificial intelligence is not necessarily resulting in higher productivity for businesses, with productivity declining at nearly 30 per cent of companies after teams began using autonomous AI tools, according to McKinsey’s Technology Trends Outlook 2026. The report noted that organisations can face operational challenges when they introduce agentic AI into software development without making corresponding changes to their existing workflows and processes. While autonomous AI systems can automate several stages of software development, the productivity benefits have differed significantly across organisations. McKinsey cautioned that simply increasing the amount of coding does not necessarily lead to more useful products or faster business growth. In one study cited in the report, AI tools increased coding activity by 180 per cent, while the number of shipped releases increased by only 30 per cent. The report also highlighted a significant trust gap among developers. Globally, around 46 per cent of developers said they actively distrust the accuracy of AI tools, while 33 per cent said they trust them. Only 3 per cent expressed a high level of trust in AI-generated outputs. McKinsey said developer confidence and acceptance could become an important factor determining the value organisations derive from agentic software development. Despite these concerns, investment in agentic AI continues to grow rapidly. Equity investment in companies developing agentic software increased from relatively negligible levels through 2023 to around $5 billion in 2025. The figure crossed $61 billion in the first half of 2026, largely driven by a reported $60 billion acquisition of Cursor. Job postings related to agentic AI also rose 221 per cent between 2024 and 2025. The broader AI ecosystem is witnessing a similar surge in investment. Spending on AI infrastructure doubled within a year, while energy technologies attracted nearly $200 billion in investment during 2025 as companies sought to address the rising energy requirements associated with AI. McKinsey said the rapid pace of AI adoption is creating additional challenges for businesses, many of which are attempting to scale the technology without established implementation frameworks. Organisations must simultaneously address workforce upskilling, legacy-system upgrades and evolving cybersecurity risks as AI becomes increasingly integrated into business operations. Source: McKinsey

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Healthcare 2030: How AI, Precision Medicine and Digital Health Will Transform Patient Care

/ Blogs

Healthcare has always evolved alongside science. But the transformation taking place today is different in scale and speed. Artificial intelligence, precision medicine and digital health are no longer ideas confined to research laboratories or futuristic films. They are increasingly becoming part of how diseases are detected, treatments are planned and patients interact with healthcare systems. By 2030, the biggest change may not be that hospitals have become more technologically advanced. It may be that healthcare has become more personalised, predictive and connected. The question is no longer whether technology will enter healthcare. It is how responsibly it will be used—and whether patients, doctors and healthcare institutions will be ready for that change. From Treating Illness to Predicting Risk For generations, healthcare has largely operated on a reactive model: a person develops symptoms, visits a doctor, undergoes tests and receives treatment. Digital health could gradually shift this model towards prevention. Wearable devices can continuously collect information such as heart rate, sleep patterns, physical activity and, increasingly, other health indicators. Combined with electronic health records and AI systems, such data could help identify unusual patterns before they become obvious symptoms. Imagine a patient whose digital health profile gradually shows changes in sleep, heart rate and activity. Instead of waiting until that person arrives at a hospital with a serious complaint, an intelligent system could flag the pattern for medical review. The technology would not replace the doctor. It could give the doctor an earlier signal. That distinction is important. The future of healthcare is unlikely to be “AI versus doctors”. It is more likely to be doctors supported by better information. AI: The New Layer of Healthcare Artificial intelligence could become one of the most influential technologies in healthcare by 2030. AI systems are already being explored for medical imaging, clinical decision support, drug discovery, administrative work and patient engagement. Their potential lies partly in their ability to process enormous volumes of information much faster than humans can. For a radiologist, for example, AI could help identify patterns in medical images that deserve closer examination. For researchers, AI could help analyse biological data and accelerate the search for potential drug candidates. For hospitals, intelligent systems could help manage appointments, records and workflows. But healthcare is not simply another data-processing industry. A wrong recommendation can have consequences for a person’s life. That makes accuracy, transparency, privacy and accountability essential. By 2030, one of the most important questions may therefore not be “How powerful is the AI?” but “How safely is the AI being used?” Human oversight will remain critical, particularly in diagnosis and treatment decisions. The Rise of Precision Medicine Two patients can have the same disease and still respond very differently to the same treatment. This is where precision medicine could change the traditional approach to healthcare. Instead of relying primarily on broad categories such as age, symptoms or disease type, precision medicine seeks to understand a patient’s individual characteristics—including genetics, lifestyle, environment and other biological factors. Consider cancer treatment. A tumour that appears similar under conventional examination may have different molecular characteristics in different patients. Understanding those differences can help clinicians identify treatments that are more appropriate for a particular patient. By 2030, advances in genomics and data analytics could make this approach increasingly relevant across several areas of medicine. The long-term ambition is simple: move from a “one treatment fits many” approach towards treatment decisions that are increasingly tailored to the individual. However, access will be a major question. Precision medicine can be expensive and data-intensive. If advanced personalised healthcare remains concentrated in major cities and high-income settings, technological progress could widen existing healthcare inequalities rather than reduce them. Your Smartphone Could Become Part of Your Healthcare Journey The hospital of 2030 may not begin at the hospital. It could begin with a smartphone. Digital health is creating new ways for patients to communicate with healthcare providers, access medical records, monitor health conditions and receive reminders or follow-up care. Telemedicine has already demonstrated how geographical barriers can be reduced. Remote consultations, digital prescriptions and connected medical devices can potentially bring elements of healthcare closer to people’s homes. For countries such as India, this could be particularly significant. A patient living far from a specialist centre may not need to travel hundreds of kilometres for every follow-up consultation. A local healthcare worker could potentially collect relevant information digitally and connect with specialists elsewhere. Technology cannot eliminate the shortage of doctors or infrastructure overnight. But it can help healthcare systems use limited resources more efficiently. The Data Dilemma There is, however, another side to this digital transformation. Healthcare’s future will depend heavily on data—and health data is among the most sensitive information a person can share. Who owns the data generated by a wearable device? Who can access an electronic health record? How long should medical data be stored? Can an individual’s health information be used to train an AI system? What happens if sensitive information is leaked? These are not merely technology questions. They are questions of trust. A healthcare system cannot become truly digital if patients are afraid to use it. By 2030, strong data governance, cybersecurity, informed consent and transparent policies will need to develop alongside technological innovation. The more connected healthcare becomes, the more important trust will become. Doctors Will Still Matter—Perhaps More Than Ever One common fear surrounding healthcare AI is that machines could replace doctors. The more realistic scenario is different. AI may automate some repetitive tasks, identify patterns and assist with decision-making. But medicine involves more than analysing information. Doctors listen to patients, understand context, explain difficult choices and make decisions when evidence is incomplete. A machine may recognise a pattern in a scan. A doctor must still explain what that finding means for a particular person. Technology can process data. Healthcare professionals provide context, judgement and human connection. The healthcare professional of 2030 may therefore need a different skill set: not simply knowing medicine, but knowing how to work effectively with AI and

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India Reliable and Prepared to Meet New Global Manufacturing Challenges: PM Modi at SEMICON India 2026

/ Governance Community

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described India as a reliable and increasingly trusted destination for global manufacturing, saying the country is strengthening its capabilities to respond to emerging challenges in the global supply chain. Inaugurating SEMICON India 2026 at Yashobhoomi in New Delhi, Modi highlighted the rapidly expanding semiconductor ecosystem and the opportunities it is creating for investment, innovation and economic growth. He noted that the surge in artificial intelligence is changing semiconductor requirements, with greater emphasis now being placed not only on transistor size but also on system-level integration, memory placement and thermal management. The Prime Minister said India recorded economic growth of 7.8 per cent despite a challenging global environment, while Japan’s credit rating agency also upgraded the country’s sovereign rating. He said growing economic performance alongside increasing international confidence reflected India’s progress towards becoming a developed nation. Modi said the outlay under India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 has been increased to $13.5 billion from $8 billion under the first phase. He also highlighted the approval of 12 semiconductor manufacturing projects, adding that the next phase would further expand the country’s chip-making capabilities. Referring to the recently concluded BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Modi said the consensus adoption of the New Delhi Declaration demonstrated the growing global confidence in India’s leadership and its ability to bring countries together. The Prime Minister also called on Indian researchers and young technology professionals to contribute to the country’s advanced technology ecosystem. He urged industry leaders to strengthen research and development in India, saying closer collaboration between industry and young researchers could support both industrial growth and technological development. Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said India’s long-standing ambition to establish a semiconductor industry had gained momentum under the current government. He said Semicon 2.0 would focus on six key areas — semiconductor design, equipment and materials, memory, silicon fabrication, compound and logic fabrication, and research and development. Vaishnaw added that the government aims to support at least 200 startups and companies in designing chips in India for diverse semiconductor applications. SEMICON India 2026, being held under the theme “Silicon to Systems: Building the Ecosystem”, features more than 600 exhibitors, 300 international companies and delegations from over 50 countries. The event includes country pavilions from Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Singapore and Sweden, along with 12 state government pavilions and a dedicated Startup Pavilion. The conference and exhibition brings together companies, policymakers, investors, researchers, startups, academic institutions and students from across the global semiconductor and electronics value chain. Source: News on AIR  

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BRICS leaders back human-centred AI in education, explore global university ranking system

/ Education Community

BRICS leaders have backed greater cooperation in education, with a focus on the safe, ethical and human-centred use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), while also supporting discussions on creating a BRICS University Global Ranking and Evaluation System. In a declaration issued on Saturday, the leaders welcomed the outcomes of the 13th BRICS Education Ministers’ Meeting held in Bhubaneswar and reaffirmed education as a key pillar of sustainable development, inclusive growth and people-to-people exchanges. The leaders supported continued collaboration through existing BRICS education platforms, including the BRICS Network University. They also welcomed India’s initiative to circulate guiding principles aimed at strengthening academic cooperation on traditional and indigenous knowledge systems. The BRICS Network University was encouraged to explore the inclusion of traditional, indigenous and local knowledge as an additional International Thematic Group, subject to established procedures and national policies. The declaration called for greater sharing of educational best practices, cooperation in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) and Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN), mutual recognition of qualifications, academic and professional mobility, and digital literacy. The leaders also highlighted the importance of responsible technology adoption in education, particularly the safe and ethical use of AI, along with stronger partnerships between educational institutions. They further encouraged the continuation of the BRICS Rectors’ Forum and discussions around a BRICS Education Olympiad, while calling for further exploration of a global ranking and evaluation framework for universities across BRICS member countries. The declaration recognised the role of the BRICS TVET Cooperation Alliance (BRICS-TCA) in promoting multilateral cooperation, information exchange, resource sharing and joint development of technical and vocational education and training. BRICS leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening skill development, digital literacy and workforce preparedness. They called for closer links between TVET institutions and industries to align training programmes with changing labour-market requirements and sustainable development priorities. The leaders also backed efforts to improve institutional governance, expand access to quality education and promote undergraduate and postgraduate exchange and scholarship programmes, particularly in STEM fields. Such cooperation, they said, can foster innovation, create employment opportunities and equip learners and institutions to address future challenges. Source: PTI  

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BRICS Summit 2026: India’s Governance Moment and the Search for a More Inclusive Global Order

/ Article/Stories

The 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi has offered more than another chapter in the expanding story of emerging economies. It has also provided a window into a fundamental question confronting the international system: who gets to shape the rules of global governance, and how can those rules remain relevant in a world that is increasingly multipolar? Hosted by India on September 12-13 under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, the summit came at a time of geopolitical tensions, trade disruptions, conflicts and growing dissatisfaction with the ability of traditional multilateral institutions to respond effectively to contemporary challenges. India’s stated approach was to make BRICS more practical, responsive and people-centric, with equality, openness and consensus at the centre of its working style.  The resulting New Delhi Declaration reflects this ambition. But its larger significance lies not simply in the number of commitments made. The real test will be whether BRICS can convert political consensus among a highly diverse group of countries into institutional mechanisms and measurable outcomes. From representation to participation For years, developing countries have argued that the architecture of global governance does not adequately reflect the economic and demographic realities of the 21st century. Institutions such as the United Nations Security Council, International Monetary Fund and World Bank continue to operate within structures shaped largely by an earlier international order. At the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for reforms in global governance and argued that countries of the Global South should not merely follow international rules but have a greater role in shaping them. He described the desired transition as one from a “pyramid of privilege” to a “platform of partnership”. This distinction is important. Representation alone does not necessarily translate into influence. Effective global governance requires developing countries to have meaningful participation in agenda-setting, decision-making, financing and implementation. For BRICS, therefore, institutional reform cannot remain a diplomatic slogan. The group will increasingly be judged by whether it can develop credible alternatives, or complementary mechanisms, in areas such as development finance, digital governance, health, climate action and international trade. Governance through consensus — strength and constraint One of BRICS’ defining characteristics is its diversity. Its expanded membership brings together countries with different political systems, economic structures, strategic priorities and relationships with the major powers. That diversity can make consensus difficult. At the same time, it is precisely what gives BRICS its potential significance as a platform for the Global South. The New Delhi Summit demonstrated this balancing act. The bloc adopted a joint declaration despite significant geopolitical differences among its members. On the Middle East, for instance, members agreed on the need for restraint, dialogue and diplomacy despite the presence of countries with sharply different positions on the conflict.  This suggests that BRICS may be most effective when it focuses on areas where cooperation is possible rather than attempting to eliminate differences among members. For governance, this is a valuable lesson: consensus does not necessarily mean complete agreement. It can mean creating mechanisms through which countries with different interests can still negotiate common positions. The Global South needs institutions that deliver India’s emphasis on a more practical BRICS reflects a broader shift in expectations from multilateral organisations. Developing countries increasingly want international cooperation to translate into tangible outcomes — better access to finance, resilient supply chains, technology partnerships, food and energy security, skills development and greater capacity to respond to climate and health emergencies. This is where governance becomes more than diplomacy. The New Delhi Declaration’s broad agenda — covering areas including trade, health, technology, agriculture, sustainability and cooperation — indicates an attempt to build BRICS as a platform that can address issues affecting citizens and economies directly. The summit also produced initiatives related to climate-resilient agriculture and digital agriculture, while India proposed a Seafarers’ Emergency Support Network focused on maritime safety. Such initiatives matter because they connect international governance with everyday economic and social realities. Technology is creating a new governance frontier Artificial intelligence and digital transformation are rapidly becoming central to the governance agenda. For BRICS countries, the challenge is twofold. They must harness AI and digital technologies for public services, education, healthcare, agriculture and economic growth while simultaneously developing safeguards around privacy, security, transparency, misinformation and responsible use. This makes cooperation among emerging economies particularly important. Many BRICS countries face similar challenges in building digital public infrastructure and ensuring that technological progress does not widen existing inequalities. The governance debate around AI is therefore not simply about regulating technology. It is about deciding who benefits from it, who is accountable when systems fail and whether developing countries will participate in writing the rules that govern the next generation of technology. A more distributed model of global leadership The evolution of BRICS reflects a wider transformation in international politics. The group began primarily as an economic grouping but has gradually expanded into areas ranging from health and education to technology, climate and global governance. Its growing membership also gives it greater demographic and economic weight. Yet size alone cannot guarantee influence. BRICS will need institutional coherence, transparency and mechanisms for implementation if it wants to translate its collective weight into sustained global influence. This is where India’s 2026 presidency assumes particular importance. India has sought to position BRICS not as an anti-Western alliance but as an inclusive platform for cooperation among emerging economies. That positioning allows New Delhi to advocate reform of the existing international system without necessarily advocating its wholesale replacement. Such an approach is consistent with India’s broader foreign-policy emphasis on strategic autonomy and issue-based partnerships. The implementation gap The greatest challenge for BRICS, however, remains implementation. Declarations can establish political intent, but effective governance depends on institutions, financing, timelines, monitoring and accountability. The group must therefore move from announcing cooperation to measuring results. That means asking difficult but necessary questions: Which commitments have been implemented? Which institutions are responsible? How will progress be measured? What resources will be allocated? How will smaller and newer members participate in decision-making?

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ITC Infotech to Merge with Happiest Minds After Acquiring 22.1% Promoter Stake for Rs 1,330 Crore

/ Human Resource Community

ITC Infotech, the wholly owned technology services arm of ITC Limited, is set to merge with Bengaluru-based Happiest Minds Technologies, creating an AI-first enterprise targeting a turnover of USD 1 billion by FY28. As part of the transaction, ITC Infotech will acquire a 22.106 per cent stake in Happiest Minds from its promoter Ashok Soota and Ashok Soota Medical Research LLP for around Rs 1,330 crore, according to regulatory filings. Following the acquisition, Happiest Minds will be amalgamated into ITC Infotech. The combined organisation will have a workforce of more than 19,000 professionals and is expected to offer end-to-end technology solutions across build, intelligence and operations. The merger will also strengthen its presence in high-growth sectors such as hi-tech, healthcare and edtech. The promoter stake acquisition will take place in two phases. ITC Infotech will first purchase an 11 per cent stake at Rs 390 per share, followed by another 11.106 per cent stake at Rs 400 per share. Once the merger takes effect, ITC Infotech is proposed to be listed on both the BSE and the National Stock Exchange. Under the approved share-swap arrangement, shareholders of Happiest Minds will receive 25 fully paid-up equity shares of ITC Infotech with a face value of Rs 10 each for every 81 Happiest Minds shares of Rs 2 each. Following the transaction, ITC Limited will become the promoter of the merged entity with a 73.4 per cent stake. Meanwhile, Happiest Minds’ existing promoters will be reclassified as public shareholders and will collectively hold a 7.6 per cent stake in the combined company. ITC Limited and ITC Infotech Chairman Sanjiv Puri said the merger would bring together the two companies’ complementary strengths, domain expertise and technology capabilities, enabling them to offer advanced solutions across global markets. He also highlighted the shared focus on people and customers between the two organisations. According to the regulatory filings, the merged company will rank as India’s 11th-largest listed IT services company by revenue. The entity will have combined FY26 revenue of Rs 7,033 crore and operations across the US, Europe, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and India. Happiest Minds posted consolidated revenue of Rs 2,315.11 crore in FY26, while ITC Infotech reported revenue of Rs 4,718 crore during the same period. Separately, the Happiest Minds board has approved a proposal to shift the company’s registered office from Karnataka to West Bengal, subject to approval from shareholders and the relevant regulatory authorities. The proposed merger comes amid increasing consolidation in India’s technology services sector, with companies seeking scale and stronger capabilities in artificial intelligence and digital engineering. Earlier this year, Persistent Systems announced plans to acquire German digital engineering company Nagarro, with the proposed combination targeting a USD 2.9 billion revenue run-rate and a workforce of more than 46,000 employees across over 40 countries. Source: PTI

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