There are more than 1,700 global capabilities centres (GCCs) currently operating in India, employing more than 19 lakh people, the Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

The total revenue generated by these GCCs in last 5 years has grown from $40.4 billion in FY19 to $64.6 billion in FY24 with CAGR of 9.8 per cent, Jitin Prasada, Minister of State of Electronics and Information technology, said in a written reply in Lok Sabha, citing National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) data.

GCCs have grown from being support centres for basic tasks to research and development and design hubs, the minister said. Together, these GCCs employ more than 19 lakh people in the country.

The production of electronics goods in the country saw six-time growth in the last 11 years -- from Rs 1.9 lakh crore in 2014-15 to Rs 11.3 lakh crore in 2024-25, as exports surged eight times from Rs 38,000 crore to Rs 3.27 lakh crore in the same period, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

India now has 300 mobile manufacturing units, from just two in 2014-15, while production of mobile phones has increased a whopping 28 times in the last 11 years -- from Rs 18,000 crore to Rs 5.45 lakh crore, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

Actress Anusha Dandekar, who is getting a lot of positive response for her streaming series ‘Hunter Tootega Nahi Todega’ season 2, has shared an anecdote when Bollywood actors Suniel Shetty and Jackie Shroff spoke about their childhood stories.

Reflecting on her experience of working with two Bollywood legends, Anusha Dandekar shared: “Sharing screen space with Suniel Shetty and Jackie Shroff is something I honestly can’t put into words. It was exciting, nerve-wracking, sometimes downright hilarious, intimidating — but above all, it felt special. They made me feel welcome in every moment”.

Season 2 of ‘Hunter Tootega Nahi Todega’ cranks up the tension and action as Vikram Sinha (played by Suniel Shetty) crosses continents in a gritty fight for survival. The show is set between the underbelly of Mumbai and Thailand. The series brings back Jackie Shroff as Salesman, and introduces Anusha Dandekar in a pivotal role, alongside Barkha Bisht, Anang Desai, Pramod Pathak, and Mazel Vyas.

The Department of Computer Science at Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University organized a six-week In-House Industrial Training on Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Security. The training was coordinated by Prof. Dr. Navdeep Kaur,  Dean Research and Dr. Sheenam Malhotra, Training Incharge of Computer Science Engineering Department. As a part of the initiative, two reputed companies were invited to deliver expert sessions and hands-on learning experiences. For Cyber Security, Techlive Solutions, Mohali, and for Artificial Intelligence, Ansh InfoTech, Ludhiana were engaged. The training was conducted for the students of MCA, B.Tech., and BCA. To further enhance their overall development, personality development classes were also conducted. 

Celebrating 32 years of his iconic film “Khalnayak,” filmmaker Subhash Ghai took to social media to reflect on its lasting impact and express excitement over the growing demand for a sequel.

He shared his vision of bringing back the beloved characters—Ballu Balram, Ganga, and Ram—with a new generation cast, hoping to recreate a fresh wave of cinematic magic. To celebrate the milestone, the veteran director posted an image featuring him with Sanjay Dutt and captioned it, “Today Ballu Balram celebrating 32 years of a movie with monumental performances by each character n music as if it was yesterday. Now I can see its huge demand everywhere that Khalnayak shud reappear on screen with Ballu Balram, ganga n Ram with young cast in its sequel to create a new magic in cinema never before. My heartiest congratulations to team of KHALNAYAK for this passionate movie. Bless u all.”

Playback singer Monali Thakur released her new track ‘Ek Baar Phir’ on Wednesday. This marks her comeback to music after a brief hiatus.

The National Award-winning singer has shared that the song draws from the journey she has been on over the past few years. The track explores the themes of betrayal, heartbreak, and abuse.

Talking about the song, she said, “This song is deeply personal to me, it draws from the journey I’ve been on over the past few years. What many don’t know is how challenging those years truly were. I had lost myself trying to cope with loss and trauma, and was struggling to find hope. It’s the song of my journey in finding that hope and love again and finding the strength to survive all the challenges of life and not giving up. That hope & love became my anchor, my strength, and ultimately, the heart of this song”.

Shares of National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL) debuted on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on Wednesday at Rs 880, reflecting a 10 per cent premium, or Rs 80 above the issue price of Rs 800 per share. NSDL's IPO share listing fell short of expectations in the grey market, which had anticipated that the scrips would be listed at a premium of around 16 per cent.

Shortly after listing, the stock reached an intraday high of Rs 920. As of 11.45 A.M., NSDL shares were trading at Rs 913.65, up 33 points or 3.82 per cent from its listing price.

The Rs 4,012 crore IPO saw strong participation from all investor categories. The overall issue was subscribed 41.02 times. Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) led the subscription, oversubscribing 103.97 times, followed by Non-Institutional Investors (NIIs) at 34.98 times and retail investors at 7.76 times.

At least two people were killed and three others injured in a high-intensity blast at an oxygen-making unit in Punjab's Mohali, near here, on Wednesday, police said.

Around 25 employees were present in the unit, located in the Industrial Area in Phase 9, when the blast took place.

High Tech Gases Private Limited supplies medical oxygen to the PGI, Chandigarh, and other government hospitals in the region.

The cause of the blast is yet to be known.

Senior police and civil administration officials, including the sub-divisional magistrate, rushed to the spot immediately after the blast was reported.

Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Damandeep Kaur confirmed the incident.

At least seven Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were suspended in Bihar by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday, for alleged dereliction of duty and refusal to follow the stipulated guidelines.

The BLOs were suspended by the Patna District Election Officer cum District Magistrate, with immediate effect.

The reasons cited for the BLOs' suspension include their absence from duty, ignorance of standard procedure and arbitrary decision-making, and no consultation with senior officials.

Three BLOs from Mokama and four from Fatua Assembly constituency have been suspended with immediate effect.

In a major rescue effort, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), in coordination with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), rescued 413 stranded pilgrims from the Kinnaur Kailash trek route in Himachal Pradesh after two makeshift bridges on the trail were washed away due to torrential rains and cloudbursts.

Heavy rainfall in the region triggered cloudbursts and caused a bridge over the Tangling drain to be swept away on Wednesday morning, leaving scores of tourists and pilgrims stranded on the remote trekking route.

Responding swiftly, a rescue team from the ITBP's 17th Battalion carried out the evacuation using a rope-based traverse crossing technique, successfully moving all 413 individuals to safer areas.