In Bihar, Congress' future at stake  

In Bihar, Congress is fighting the 2025 Assembly election to save its skin. Reason, Rahul Gandhi and the party waged a campaign against the SIR even Gandhi undertook a 15 day yatra against the SIR in the state. And that is the reason the party is in aggressive mode. In the 2020 polls, the party fought  70 and secured 19 seats. This time the Congress is hopeful to clinch 60+ seats. Experts said that the problem with the Congress is that the party does not have a base and vote bank in Bihar and is not visible on the ground. The party has stationed a battery of leaders from Delhi and from other states because they do not have effective leaders in Bihar and local unit leaders know the ground reality. Experts said, this time , the Congress will not be able to grab 10-15 seats.

India’s startup ecosystem remains the world’s third-largest by unicorn count, with 123 unicorns as of October 15, 2025—privately held startups valued at $1 billion or more—collectively valued at over $366 billion.

Cadre of Praveen Kumar has been transferred from Bihar to Uttarakhand on grounds of marriage to IAS officer Ms Anamika. He is a 2021 batch IAS officer.

Devinder Chodha has been relieved to join as Deputy Secretary in the Government e-Marketplace under the Department of Commerce, New Delhi on deputation basis. He is an IRS-IT officer.

Sandeep Ahuja has been relieved to join as Officer on Special Duty in the personal staff of the Minister of State for Commerce & Industry and Electronics & Information Technology at the level of Deputy Secretary, on deputation basis. He is an IRS-IT officer.

Ms Amrutha Varshini Palla has been relieved to join as Deputy Secretary in the Department of Economics Affairs, New Delhi on deputation basis.

Amrit Lal Meena, Group ‘B’ officer of the Traffic Transportation & Commercial Department, South Central Railway (SCR), has been transferred to North Western Railway (NWR) on his own request and posted in the cadre.

Manish Kumar Gupta has been promoted to SAG and has been posted as CCA, UP, East, Lucknow. He is an IP&TAFS officer.

Rear Admiral Shantanu Jha,  has taken over as the Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra Naval Area (FOMA) from Rear Admiral Anil Jaggi.

Himanshu Goswami, who is presently working in Southern Railway (SR), has been transferred to North Central Railway (NCR) and posted as Chief Administrative Officer (Construction). He is an Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE) officer.

Suvas Chandra Kar, who is presently working in East Coast Railway (ECoR), has been transferred to Southern Railway (SR) and posted in the cadre. He is an Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) officer.

Khwairakpam Pratap Singh, on return from deputation to the Ministry of Power, has been posted on Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) as Principal Chief Personnel Officer (PCPO) (CHOD). He is an Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS) officer.

Rajesh Dhatwalia, Group 'B' officer of the Mechanical Department of Northern Railway (NR), has been transferred to South Eastern Railway (SER) and posted in the cadre.

 Andhra Pradesh’s $15 billion Google AI Hub deal in Visakhapatnam was hailed as a “game-changer” for southern tech ecosystems, potentially creating 50,000 jobs by 2028. IAS officers like District Collector M. Sunitha (2020 batch) are speculated to lead implementation under the AP Innovation Society. No direct personnel impact, but whispers suggest deputations of 5-7 IAS/IFoS for environmental clearances by Q1 2026.

The Union Cabinet greenlit a ₹11,828.79 crore Phase-B plan for IITs in Tirupati, Palakkad, Bhilai, Jammu, and Dharwad (2025-26 to 2028-29). This includes infrastructure upgrades, five research parks for industry-academia ties, and 6,576 new seats (starting with 1,364 in 2025-26).

IIT Roorkee has launched an Advanced Certificate in Quantum Computing and AI/ML, targeting professionals for upskilling in post-quantum cryptography and ML. Enrollments open until November 15; predicted to train 500+ experts by mid-2026, aligning with national quantum mission.

The IFSCA (International Financial Services Centres Authority) released a recruitment call letter for Officer Grade A (Assistant Manager) on October 16, 2025, but this is for new joinings in GIFT City (non-IRS).

Gujarat AAR ruled that Input Service Distributor (ISD) applicants cannot use the old invoice transfer method for credit distribution post-April 1, 2025, under new CGST Rules. This affects GST credit allocation in multi-location firms, promoting digital ISD certificates.

CBIC clarified ITC rules. IGST credit must be utilised first, followed by CGST/SGST (no cross-utilisation between CGST/SGST). Table 6 in GSTR-9 now allows disclosure of prior-year ITC availed in the current year to avoid mismatches. Effective for FY 2025-26 filings.

Hyundai launched the new Venue SUV at its Investor Day on October 15, emphasising connected tech and safety. Company also announced India’s first locally manufactured dedicated electric SUV by 2027, aligning with green mobility push. Predictions: 20% EV market share by 2028, boosting Garg’s leadership agenda.

Ola Electric, India’s largest pure-play EV firm, unveiled “Ola Shakti” energy storage solution on October 16, 2025 (revised from earlier date). This battery tech targets home/commercial use, expanding beyond EVs. Whispers: Potential tie-ups with Adani for grid integration by Q2 2026.

Opened 47th store at Jaya Chhaya Complex, Kudus, Maharashtra, on October 13, 2025, enhancing retail footprint. Predictions: 60 stores by end-2025, focusing on tier-2/3 cities for FMCG growth.

Mrs Harjeet Kaur Joshi has been appointed as Additional Director (Non-Executive Independent) of Donear Industries Limited.

Pechimuthu Udayakumar has been appointed as Additional Director (Non-Executive Independent) of Raj Television Network Limited.
 

Krishna Singh Balaji Singh has been appointed as Additional Director (Non-Executive Independent) of Raj Television Network Limited.

Ms Neelam Wadhwa has been appointed as Whole-Time Director of Seasons Textiles Limited.

Ms Vijayalakshmi Iyer has been appointed as Additional (Independent) Director of ICICI Bank Limited with effect from  December 1, 2025.

How many people use these facilities every day? There are a couple of photos of activities but the article has no details on the sports activities and if there are timings for these. All articles needing to have such details otherwise they're just a PR job which looks well for the officer, not for the writer or a website of Doctor Saheb .

Sanjoy Hazarika

Time limit for replying to the RTI application not followed

Vide RTI application dated 29.04.2024, the appellant sought information about the Provident Fund Statement, PF trust being declared unexempted, his PF amount transferred to EPFO department etc. but did not receive any response. During hearing, upon the CIC’s query on not replying to the appellant within stipulated time limit, the respondent submitted that the earlier CPIO retired, and he has recently joined the respondent’s office and was not aware of the online RTI application. To this, the CIC questioned how an online RTI application can go unnoticed. In terms of the information to be furnished, the CIC observed that the respondent gave an appropriate reply to the appellant vide written submission dated 07.10.2025. Therefore, no further intervention of the Commission is required. Further, the CIC took a serious view of the fact that the respondent did not reply to the appellant within stipulated time limit as per the RTI Act and issued a show cause notice to the CPIO as to why action should not be initiated against him/her for not replying to the appellant’s RTI request within prescribed time limit.

Comments

One of the basic tenets of the RTI Act is that an applicant should receive a reply within the prescribed time limit. With the digital tracking of the RTI Application, it is incumbent upon the PIO to reply as per the prescribed time period or face consequences.

Citation: Biju Soman v. Hindustan Antibiotics Limited, Second Appeal No. CIC/HINAL/A/2024/134731; Date of Decision:15.10.2025

Dr Anuradha Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in) is a RTI Consultant currently working with IIM Vishakhapatnam. She has co-authored the books PIO’s Guide to RTI and Right to Information – Law and Practice. Her weekly article is being published since 2008 on this site. She offers consultancy on RTI matters and third party audit to individuals / organisations. Her other articles can be read at the website of RTI Foundation at the link https://www.rtifoundationofindia.com