Women’s roles in agriculture and dairying across generations through films such as the multi-starrer Mother India (1957) and the crowd-funded Manthan (1976), among others.

However, society rarely recognised women’s real-life contributions, even as they managed multiple responsibilities, from cleaning and cooking to raising children and supporting agricultural and household activities.

Today, women play an increasingly visible role in strengthening their families’ economic conditions, managing farms, participating in decision-making, producing dairy products and supporting rural handicrafts. Against this backdrop, the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) will hold its first-ever national conclave of women farmers on Wednesday, highlighting the growing recognition of women as central contributors to Indian agriculture.

According to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-affiliated farmers’ organisation, the conclave seeks greater representation for women in agricultural policymaking and recognition of their contributions to farming, livestock and fisheries.

BKS has noted that women undertake 60 to 80 per cent of agricultural activities in India, including sowing, planting, harvesting, weed control and animal husbandry. Yet women remain underrepresented in agricultural policy discussions, farmers’ organisations, market committees and cooperative leadership structures, according to various reports.

The conclave also comes as the United Nations observes 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF 2026). The initiative aims to address persistent gender gaps in land rights, finance, technology, education and decision-making.

The UN and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) have highlighted women’s essential role across agrifood systems while pointing to structural inequalities that continue to restrict their access to resources and leadership opportunities.

FAO reported that women accounted for about 40 per cent of the global agrifood workforce in 2021. However, they continued to face disadvantages in productivity, wages and access to resources. IYWF 2026 therefore seeks to move the global conversation beyond recognition and towards concrete reforms.

India’s official Agriculture Census records more than 20.4 million agricultural holdings operated by women, representing about 14 per cent of the country’s total operational holdings. Women’s representation has also gained prominence in the national policy discourse following the passage of legislation providing for greater representation of women and the expansion of gender-focused government schemes.

The government has established several programmes that support women farmers and rural women. The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), for instance, focuses on mobilising rural women and strengthening self-managed, financially sustainable community institutions.

The Ministry of Rural Development reported that more than 10.05 crore women had joined over 90 lakh Self-Help Groups (SHGs). These groups have expanded women’s access to savings, credit, entrepreneurship and collective action. The Lakhpati Didi initiative builds on this network by helping SHG members achieve sustainable annual incomes of at least Rs 1 lakh.

The government has reported more than 1.48 crore Lakhpati Didis. The programme holds particular relevance for women farmers because it supports farm diversification, livestock, food processing, producer groups and value addition. Through Krishi Sakhis, community resource persons also help women access agricultural knowledge and adopt climate-resilient farming practices.

Other programmes also support women’s participation in agriculture. The Agri-Clinics and Agri-Business Centres (ACABC) programme provides agricultural training and offers higher subsidies to women entrepreneurs. The Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) supports women engaged in horticulture and provides higher subsidies for certain tools and equipment.

The National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP) encourages oilseed cultivation and provides higher subsidies for women beneficiaries, while tractor subsidies can help women adopt mechanised farming practices.

Initiatives such as the Women Farmers’ Forum also seek to highlight women’s contributions and strengthen their participation across the agricultural value chain. Direct benefit transfers have further helped bring rural women into the formal financial system where land records enable their recognition as beneficiaries.

Women farmers have also gained greater access to Kisan Credit Cards, self-help group-bank linkages, producer organisations and institutional credit. According to the Ministry of Rural Development, these mechanisms have expanded women’s access to financial resources and economic opportunities.

The next step must focus on institutional participation. Policymakers and agricultural institutions need to create greater opportunities for women to participate in agricultural marketing boards, cooperative societies, water-user associations, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), district agricultural committees and policy consultations.

Cinema may have portrayed the strength and resilience of rural women for decades. The larger challenge now lies in translating that representation into institutional participation, economic opportunity and decision-making power. Recognising women farmers should extend beyond celebrating their contribution; it should also ensure that they have a meaningful voice in shaping the future of agriculture.

Kiran Pahal credited the collective effort of India’s women’s 4x400m relay quartet for turning individual performances into a gold-medal success as the team scripted history at the Asian Games 2026 on Tuesday.

Kiran, who ran the opening leg, teamed up with M.R. Poovamma, Prachi Choudhary and Vithya Ramraj to clock 3:29.69 and win gold. Bahrain finished second in 3:30.21, while China secured bronze in 3:31.02.

Kiran said the quartet had set its sights on gold even before the final.

“We had decided from yesterday itself that we only wanted to win gold. That was the only thing on our minds. I was given the starting baton, so there was a responsibility on my shoulders. I had decided that I would perform well, and I did. I gave my 100 per cent, but the team together turned it into 200 per cent,” she said.

Persistent rain made the track wet during the final, but Kiran said the conditions did not trouble the Indian quartet significantly because of their previous training experience.

“We did not face too much difficulty because the Athletics Federation of India had organised a camp for us in Poland for quite some time, where it used to rain. We became accustomed to running in the rain, so it was not a major problem for us,” she said.

Kiran, the youngest of her siblings, hails from Gummad village in Haryana’s Sonipat district. She credited her family and the Athletics Federation of India for supporting her journey.

“I am from Gummad village in Sonipat district of Haryana. I have my mother, elder brother, and elder sister in my family, and I am the youngest among the siblings. I have received a lot of support from my family. The most support came from the Athletics Federation of India, without which I would not have reached where I am today. I would also like to thank the government,” she said.

The 25-year-old dedicated the gold medal to her family, federation and government while recalling her father’s dream of seeing her win an international gold medal.

“I dedicate this medal to my federation, the government, my family and my father, because it was my father’s dream that I should win an international gold medal. He must be feeling very proud today. I am also very proud of this achievement, and the entire country is proud,” Kiran said.

She also highlighted the support Indian athletes receive through training camps, competitive opportunities and financial assistance.

“We get a lot of facilities at the camps and opportunities to compete in many competitions. We try to give our best from competition to competition. We are also receiving a lot of financial support, which is very important. We are also made mentally stronger,” she said.

The victory gave India its first Asian Games gold in the women’s 4x400m relay and improved on the silver-medal finish from the previous edition.

The Indian compound archery team of Chikitha Taniparthi, Prithika Pradeep and Jyothi Surekha Vennam defeated China 238-234 at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Multipurpose Square on Wednesday to defend their Asian Games gold medal.

President of India Droupadi Murmu and several Union ministers, including Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, congratulated the Indian women’s compound archery team for retaining the title.

“Heartiest congratulations to Taniparthi Chikitha, Prithika Pradeep and Jyothi Surekha Vennam on winning the Gold Medal in the Women’s Compound Archery Team event at the Asian Games 2026! Your exceptional precision, composure and teamwork have made the nation proud. May this memorable achievement inspire you to reach many more milestones,” President Murmu wrote on X.

“Bullseye for Gold! Heartiest congratulations to Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Prithika Pradeep, and Taniparthi Chikitha on winning Gold in the Women’s Compound Team event at #AsianGames2026. The trio also equalled the World Record in a masterclass of precision and skill,” Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya wrote on X.

India won silver in the event in 2018 and bronze in 2014. The victory marked India’s seventh gold medal at the ongoing Asian Games. India’s overall medal tally stood at 53, comprising seven gold, 21 silver and 25 bronze medals.

The Indian trio defeated South Korea in the semifinal before overcoming China in the final with a world-record-equalling score of 238. The South Korean team had set the previous world record in Incheon in 2014.

India opened the final with a 30-28 lead and extended its advantage to three points in the second end, despite Chikitha scoring a nine in the first rotation. Prithika and Jyothi maintained their perfect form, consistently hitting 10s.

China opened the second end with a nine and two 10s, while India matched that score. China then added two 10s and a nine, but the Indian trio responded with three consecutive 10s in the second rotation to increase their lead to 119-116.

China continued to apply pressure in the third end. The Chinese archers opened with three 10s, while Chikitha started India’s sequence with a nine. Prithika and Jyothi followed with 10s to preserve India’s advantage. China then recorded a nine and two 10s in the second rotation, but India answered with three 10s to take a 178-175 lead.

China began the final end with two 9s and a 10, while all three Indian archers responded with 10s. China then produced three 10s in its final sequence to keep the contest close. India, however, finished with three more 10s to secure a 238-234 victory and retain the gold medal.

India enjoyed its most successful Asian Games archery campaign at Hangzhou 2023, where it won a record nine medals, including five gold, two silver and two bronze. Compound archers claimed all five gold medals on offer, while India’s recurve teams added one silver and one bronze.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman described Saudi Arabia as India’s trusted and valued strategic partner, highlighting the wide-ranging ties between the two countries across defence, security, trade, investment, energy, technology, healthcare, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges.

Sitharaman met Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Aljadaan on the sidelines of the AIIB 2026 Annual Meeting. Aljadaan congratulated Sitharaman on India’s strong economic performance and improving investment climate and shared his views on the Saudi economy.

The two ministers welcomed the successful conclusion of negotiations on the India-Saudi Arabia Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT). The agreement will create a stronger and more predictable framework for bilateral investments and help strengthen investor confidence, according to the Finance Ministry.

Aljadaan said Saudi Arabia looks forward to implementing the agreement at the earliest.

Recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for the bilateral relationship during his state visit to Saudi Arabia, the ministers discussed ways to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Aljadaan also expressed Saudi Arabia’s interest in attracting investments from India.

During her meeting with Ambassador Pietro Lazzeri, AIIB Governor from Switzerland, Sitharaman highlighted the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) as a trusted partner for foreign investors seeking opportunities in India.

She pointed to NIIF’s governance and transparency standards and encouraged Swiss investors to explore its infrastructure funds for exposure to India’s infrastructure sector.

Lazzeri said Switzerland sees significant opportunities in India for portfolio diversification and investment. He also referred to the upcoming state visit to India and the second EFTA Prosperity Summit in New Delhi.

According to the Finance Ministry, Lazzeri noted that Swiss foreign direct investment (FDI) growth in India is outpacing global FDI and sought support for finalising the Bilateral Investment Protection Agreement.

He also expressed interest in greater cooperation in financial services and sustainable finance.

Sitharaman encouraged Swiss investors and financial services companies to explore opportunities at GIFT IFSC, India’s homegrown international financial services centre. She highlighted its range of financial services and products, tax benefits and business-friendly environment.

Sitharaman also met Nepal Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle. The ministers welcomed the opportunity to meet again and discussed follow-up actions from their earlier meeting in New Delhi.

Their discussions focused on Nepal’s assessment and priorities for reconstruction and recovery following the floods. Both sides emphasised continued engagement between their teams to determine the specific support India can provide during this critical period.

The ministers also reviewed progress on projects discussed during their New Delhi meeting and stressed the need for continued coordination. They also discussed the early operationalisation and wider use of the UPI-NPI linkage, which the Finance Ministry described as an initiative that could benefit both countries.

Indian trap shooter Neeru Dhanda clinched historic gold in the women’s trap individual event at the 2026 Asian Games, setting an Asian record in the final at the Aichi Pref. General Shooting Gallery on Tuesday.

Neeru topped the qualification round with 118 points before scoring 28 in the final to set an Asian record. With the victory, she became the first Indian woman to win an Asian Games gold medal in the trap event.

She also became the first Indian shooter to win an Asian Games medal in an individual trap event.

Earlier on Tuesday, Neeru also won a silver medal in the trap team event alongside Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer. The Indian trio recorded a combined score of 328 after three days of the 125-shot qualification round, holding off Kuwait to secure silver.

Neeru maintained her composure throughout the final. She recorded her first miss on the ninth shot, which briefly dropped her to third place. However, she responded with perfect hits in the third and fourth series and moved into the lead with 19 hits from 20 shots.

She retained the top position despite missing once in the fifth series before sealing the gold with five consecutive hits.

China’s Yunong Sun won the silver medal with 26 points, while Kuwait claimed bronze with 21.

The victory marked India’s second gold medal in shooting at the 2026 Asian Games and its fifth gold medal overall at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

Earlier this year, Neeru made history by becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual ISSF World Cup gold medal in women’s trap at the Shotgun World Cup in Lonato, Italy.

She also won a bronze medal in the trap mixed team event at the ISSF World Cup in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

OpenAI has cancelled the planned release of a new artificial intelligence (AI) model after tests found that it could act beyond a user’s instructions and fail to accurately describe its actions, according to multiple reports.

The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post reported that OpenAI had scheduled the model, called GPT-6.1 Astra, for release in ChatGPT and Codex in October. The decision affects that planned update.

OpenAI released an earlier model, GPT-6 Astra, this month.

Saachi Jain, OpenAI’s head of safety systems, said the newer model “didn’t quite meet the bar in terms of staying within scope and authorisation and how it communicates back to the user about the type of work it’s done,” The Washington Post reported.

The concern goes beyond whether a model gives a wrong answer. AI agents can use tools and perform tasks on computers. Users therefore need to know whether an agent stayed within the assigned task and whether it accurately described its actions.

OpenAI had planned to integrate the new model into products that people use for writing, research and software development, The Wall Street Journal reported. The company’s decision means the October release will not proceed as planned. Neither newspaper reported a new release date.

The cancellation follows a separate pause in the development of highly capable models as OpenAI reviews its safeguards.

The Wall Street Journal also reported that OpenAI had disclosed instances in which its agents accessed US and Australian government websites in ways the company did not intend. These developments remain separate, and the reports do not establish that those incidents involved GPT-6.1 Astra.

The reported failure to stay within its authorised scope raises a practical question for anyone who asks an AI agent to complete a task: Will the agent seek permission before taking additional steps? Jain’s statement also highlights another issue — whether the agent will clearly tell users what work it actually performed.

That distinction matters to users in India as well as elsewhere. People use ChatGPT and coding tools across borders, while developers make decisions about which models to release.

Monday’s reports did not identify any India-specific incident, impact on Indian customers or changes to services already available in India.

The episode comes only weeks after OpenAI published a safety overview for GPT-6 Astra.

In that document, the company described the earlier model as reaching its highest cybersecurity capability threshold and said it had strengthened controls against harmful or unauthorised actions.

OpenAI’s September account also said the company had delayed parts of the earlier model’s development while it tested additional safeguards before release. The newly cancelled update represents a separate release decision involving a later model. The company has not said in the cited reports when, or whether, GPT-6.1 Astra could meet its safety requirements.

Virat Kohli smashed an unbeaten 139 and captain Shubman Gill struck 110 as India crushed the West Indies by eight wickets in the first ODI at the Greenfield International Stadium on Sunday to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

After the West Indies posted 295/7, Kuldeep Yadav led India’s bowling attack with a four-wicket haul and controlled the scoring during the middle overs.

Rohit Sharma and Gill then gave India a flying start with a 74-run opening stand before Gill and Kohli took control with a 151-run partnership. Gill left the field to a standing ovation after scoring 110 off 108 balls, his 10th ODI century, which included 13 fours and a six.

Kohli, who became only the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to reach 15,000 ODI runs during the innings, smashed an unbeaten 139 off 88 balls, hitting 10 fours and nine sixes. He hit more sixes in the innings than ever before in his ODI career. The knock marked his 55th ODI century and 10th against the West Indies, as India chased down the target with 50 balls to spare.

Rohit set the tone for the chase by driving the first ball from Jayden Seales through the boundary for four. Gill survived a chance at 11 when the West Indies dropped him at cover-point, while the visitors also wasted a review on an lbw appeal against Rohit. The Indian opener responded by slashing the next delivery over sweeper cover for six.

Gill hammered Alzarri Joseph for three fours in the eighth over before lifting Gudakesh Motie over cover for six. Rohit then pulled Motie for his third six as India reached 70/0 at the end of the powerplay.

Joseph finally broke the opening partnership in the 12th over after moving the deep-square-leg fielder slightly straighter. Rohit miscued a whip straight to the fielder and departed for 32. Joseph dismissed Rohit for the fourth time in ODIs.

Kohli opened his account with a top-edged pull over the wicketkeeper for six. Gill brought up his half-century from 49 balls as dew began to settle. With Justin Greaves off the field because of a shin problem, West Indies captain Shai Hope had only five frontline bowlers available.

Kohli reached his fifty from 40 balls before smashing Joseph for three consecutive fours in the 29th over. The second boundary took Kohli past 15,000 ODI runs and made him the fastest men’s batter to reach the landmark, surpassing Tendulkar’s record. Gill completed his century with a drive off Seales at the start of the 31st over.

Kohli’s pulled six off Roston Chase in the 34th over brought up the 150-run partnership, but Gill fell three balls later while attempting a slog-sweep to deep midwicket. With Ruturaj Gaikwad unbeaten on 13, Kohli danced down the pitch and lofted Motie over long-on for six to complete his century from 74 balls. The knock became his third-fastest ODI hundred and his 60th century in List A cricket.

Keemo Paul dropped Kohli on 125, and the Indian star made the West Indies pay. He whipped Keacy Carty over deep backward square leg for six before sealing the victory with another six over fine leg.

Earlier, Justin Greaves struck a fluent 101 off 108 balls, while John Campbell and Amir Jangoo contributed half-centuries for the West Indies.

After India put them in to bat in stifling heat and humidity, the West Indies raced to 85/0 during the powerplay. India’s seamers struggled to maintain control, and Greaves attacked them aggressively, scoring 56 off 55 balls against the pacers, including 10 fours. India’s spinners restricted him to 44 runs from 53 balls.

Nitish Kumar Reddy conceded 18 runs in his first over as Greaves smashed four boundaries, including one off a no-ball and another from the resulting free hit. Gurnoor Brar nearly dismissed Greaves in the fourth over, but Rohit Sharma could only get his fingertips to the edge at wide slip.

Campbell immediately attacked Ravindra Jadeja when India introduced spin, hitting two sixes over long-on. Greaves then cut debutant Naman Dhir for four in the 14th over to reach his fifty and help West Indies record their first century opening partnership against India since 2019.

Kuldeep ended the 135-run opening stand in the 20th over when Campbell top-edged a sweep to short fine leg. Keacy Carty struggled for runs before Prasidh Krishna induced him into a lofted shot that landed with the mid-on fielder in the 31st over. Kuldeep then dismissed captain Shai Hope, who edged a delivery to backward point.

Greaves completed his maiden ODI century with a single through point but soon lost his wicket while attempting a sweep against Kuldeep’s googly. India’s review confirmed that the ball would have hit off stump.

Kuldeep struck again with the very next delivery when Jewel Andrew pressed forward against another googly and edged the ball to Rohit at slip for a golden duck.

Roston Chase and Amir Jangoo steadied the innings with a 50-run partnership before Prasidh bowled Chase for 24 in the 45th over. Jangoo, who had smashed three fours off Prasidh in the 43rd over, then hit Gurnoor for two consecutive fours and a six to complete his second ODI fifty from just 38 balls.

Nitish dismissed Matthew Forde in the final over, while Jangoo finished unbeaten on 58 off 43 balls. However, the West Indies fell five runs short of 300, leaving India with a manageable target that Gill and Kohli chased down comfortably.

Kohli also reached another major milestone during the innings, becoming only the second men’s batter after Tendulkar to score 15,000 ODI runs.

Kohli became the fastest batter to reach 10,000 ODI runs in 2018, achieving the milestone in 205 innings. He needed only 11 innings to progress from 9,000 to 10,000 runs. He also holds the record for reaching 8,000, 9,000, 11,000, 12,000, 13,000 and 14,000 ODI runs in the fewest innings.

Kohli had already surpassed one of Tendulkar’s most celebrated records when he scored his 50th ODI century during the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup semi-final against New Zealand. He has now added another landmark to his career with his latest century.

Brief Scores:
West Indies 295/7 in 50 overs (Justin Greaves 101, John Campbell 62; Kuldeep Yadav 4-40, Prasidh Krishna 2-60)
India 300/2 in 41.4 overs (Virat Kohli 139 not out, Shubman Gill 110; Roston Chase 1-64, Alzarri Joseph 1-81)

India has taken a significant step toward strengthening its quantum technology capabilities, with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) signing its first high-value deep-tech project agreement under the Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme with Zero mK India Private Limited, an Alwar-based startup in Rajasthan.

The Director of TDF and representatives of Zero mK India signed the agreement in New Delhi to jointly develop an indigenous 20 millikelvin (mK)-class dilution refrigerator for quantum technology applications.

The project represents the first high-value agreement under the Rs 500-crore corpus approved by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to accelerate the development of deep-tech and other cutting-edge technologies in India.

Through the initiative, DRDO aims to strengthen India’s capabilities in strategic and emerging technologies by expanding collaboration between the defence sector and private industry.

Dilution refrigerators are specialised cryogenic systems that create ultra-low temperatures in the millikelvin range. Quantum computing platforms and several other advanced quantum technologies require these extremely cold environments for operation, testing and development.

The indigenous development of a 20 mK dilution refrigerator supports the objectives of the National Quantum Mission and could strengthen India’s expertise in quantum computing, advanced cryogenics and other strategic research fields.

The project also aims to reduce India’s dependence on imported cryogenic infrastructure. Developing the technology domestically could help build a stronger and more self-reliant quantum technology ecosystem while supporting applications across scientific research and advanced defence technologies.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO, the industry partner and other stakeholders involved in the project. He said the collaboration could provide a model for future partnerships between DRDO and private industry in emerging technology areas.

Defence Secretary, Secretary of the Department of Defence R&D and DRDO Chairman Rajesh Kumar Singh also congratulated the teams and wished them success in achieving the project’s objectives.

Senior officials, including the Director General of Micro Electronic Devices & Computational Systems and Cyber Security (DG MCC), Director General of Technology Management (DG TM), Director of the Solid State Physics Laboratory (SSPL) and other stakeholders, attended the signing ceremony in New Delhi.

Elon Musk-backed SpaceX is set to launch its Starship rocket on its 14th test flight as early as Monday, with the mission marking the spacecraft’s first attempt at an orbital flight.

SpaceX said on X that the 75-minute launch window would open at 7:15 a.m., subject to regulatory approval. The company plans to livestream the launch on its official website, with coverage expected to begin about 30 minutes before liftoff.

The mission aims to take Starship to an altitude of around 275 km, complete roughly six orbits and remain in flight for nearly 10 hours before making a targeted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean west of Chile.

After stage separation, Starship’s upper stage is expected to deploy 26 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites. SpaceX says the satellites could add around 26 terabits per second of capacity to its satellite constellation, roughly 10 times the capacity delivered by a standard Falcon 9 launch.

Once it deploys the satellites, Starship will perform an in-space deorbit burn using a single Raptor engine before attempting a controlled re-entry and splashdown.

The mission will also test several critical phases of the Super Heavy booster, including liftoff, stage separation and the final landing burn ahead of a planned offshore splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.

SpaceX has introduced hardware and software upgrades for the flight after ice-related engine failures cut short the boostback maneuver during Flight 13.

The company has also modified Starship’s heat shield, introducing sturdier tile mountings, curved tile designs and improved plasma shielding, according to reports.

Ship 41 will carry two recycled heat-shield tiles from Ship 40, giving SpaceX an early opportunity to test the reusability of Starship’s thermal protection system.

The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) on Sunday deferred its planned three-day nationwide strike after holding an eleventh-hour meeting with the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA).

The UFBU said in a statement that representatives of the two sides met on Sunday and agreed to defer the proposed strike following discussions on several pending issues.

As part of the agreement, the IBA and UFBU will immediately form a joint committee to examine the demand to declare all Saturdays bank holidays. The committee will evaluate various options, consult stakeholders and work towards a solution that addresses the interests of all parties, including customers.

The two sides will also begin discussions on changes to the Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for Scale IV and above officers. The talks will aim to address the concerns of senior bank officers and take up the matter with the government.

The IBA and UFBU will further discuss other pending matters mentioned in the minutes of their March 8, 2024 meeting, with the aim of resolving them at the earliest.

Following these developments, the UFBU said it would withdraw its planned protests and strike action for the time being.

Earlier, State Bank of India (SBI), Bank of Baroda (BoB), Punjab National Bank (PNB) and several other public sector banks opened their branches on Sunday to give customers an additional opportunity to complete essential banking transactions ahead of the proposed three-day strike from September 28 to September 30.

The special Sunday opening covered public sector banks (PSBs) and regional rural banks (RRBs), following a directive aimed at maintaining regular banking services before the proposed strike. Customers requiring branch-based banking services could therefore use the additional working day, subject to individual branches’ operational arrangements and staffing.

Authorities decided to open PSB and RRB branches on Sunday following a September 21 meeting involving officials from the Finance Ministry, public sector banks, regional rural banks, the IBA and NABARD.