India News Roundup| Vistara-Air India merger, 1st Indian woman to win 2 golds at Paralympics & more

Vistara to merge with Air India with final flights on November 11; Avani Lekhara becomes first Indian woman to win 2 gold at Paralympics; Finance Ministry clarifies LGBTQ individuals can open joint bank accounts, and more. Find the latest updates in this India news roundup.

Para shooter Avani Lekhara has etched her name in history by becoming the first Indian woman to secure two gold medals at the Paralympics. Competing in the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, Lekhara not only retained her title from the Tokyo 2020 Games but also set a new Paralympic record with a score of 249.7 points, surpassing her own previous record of 249.6 set in Tokyo.

The Union Finance Ministry has confirmed that LGBTQ individuals in India are free to open joint bank accounts or nominate their partners as beneficiaries without any restrictions. This clarification, issued on August 28, 2024, follows a similar advisory from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on August 21, 2024, which was sent to all scheduled commercial banks to ensure compliance with this inclusive policy.

Vistara is set to undergo a major transition as it merges with Air India. Starting September 3, 2024, customers will no longer be able to book Vistara flights for travel dates beyond November 12, 2024. After this date, Vistara’s aircraft will operate under Air India, with all future bookings redirected to Air India’s website.

India has secured a spot among the top five countries globally in 45 out of 64 critical technologies in 2023, a rise from 37 in the previous year, according to the Critical Technology Tracker report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. In the field of artificial intelligence (AI), India ranks third, trailing only the US and China.

Noida International Airport, which is poised to become Asia's largest airport, is expected to commence operations in April 2025, according to its CEO Christoph Schnellmann. The airport, located in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar district, plans to apply for an aerodrome license by December.

Once completed, the airport will feature six runways—double the number currently available at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport—and will have the capacity to handle millions of passengers annually.

Seventeen-year-old archer Sheetal Devi, born without arms and known for shooting with her legs, secured second place in the women’s individual compound open ranking round at the Paris Paralympics. Devi scored 703 points, just one point behind Turkey's Oznur Girdi Cure, who set a new world record with 704 points.

Devi’s score not only surpassed the previous world record of 698 points set earlier this month but also secured her a spot in the round of 16.