New Delhi, Oct 6: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025, Asia’s premier telecom and technology event, on October 8 in the national capital, Ministry of Communications said on Monday.

The four-day mega event, themed “Innovate to Transform,” will run till October 11 and is expected to showcase India’s growing leadership in the global digital and telecom space.

Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya M. Scindia visited the IMC 2025 venue to review the final preparations ahead of the Prime Minister’s inauguration.

Scindia also travelled to the venue and back via the Airport Metro, symbolising India’s push for modern and sustainable urban transport.

During his visit, the minister toured the exhibition area, interacted with participating startups and exhibitors, and chaired review meetings with senior officials from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), and other partner agencies.

Speaking to the media, Scindia said that IMC 2025 would mark a new era in global connectivity, where technologies like 5G, 6G, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), the Internet of Things (IoT), and satellite communications would come together to shape the future.

He emphasised that the event reflects Prime Minister Modi’s vision of a self-reliant and innovative India that connects not only within but also with the world.

IMC 2025 is expected to attract more than 1.5 lakh visitors, 7,000 delegates from over 150 countries, and 400 exhibitors spread across 4.5 lakh square feet.

The event will also feature over 1,600 technology demonstrations and 100 sessions with more than 800 speakers discussing the latest developments in telecom and digital innovation.

Highlighting the scale of the event, Scindia said that IMC has grown from being a national platform to becoming a global technology congress that represents India’s digital leadership.

He added that the 2025 edition will include six major global summits — covering 6G research, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, satellite communications, startups, and the Global Startup World Cup — India Edition.

The minister also underlined India’s achievements in the telecom sector, noting that the country now ranks among the world’s top three digital economies with 1.2 billion mobile subscribers, 970 million internet users, and the fastest-ever 5G rollout completed in just 22 months.

Mumbai: A 51-year-old advocate from Goregaon West was allegedly defrauded of Rs 2 crore by a 28-year-old woman from Himachal Pradesh who allegedly threatened to file a false rape case against him. The Goregaon police have registered a case against the woman Parul Rana, her parents, sister, and a friend for extortion and defamation.

The advocate Rajeev Ranjan, who filed the complaint on October 3, has represented India as an ambassador at the United Nations, World Trade Organization, G7, BRICS, UNICEF, the Commonwealth, and several other prominent international organisations and summits.

According to the FIR, Ranjan met Rana in May 2024 at his residence through mutual friends, after which they exchanged contact details and social media IDs. In June 2024, while Ranjan was in Geneva for a conference, Rana called him late at night, claiming her relative was unwell and asked for Rs 50 lakh. He transferred Rs 2.5 lakh from his SBI account. Later, when he returned to India, she again sought money under various pretexts, including modelling expenses, and he gave her Rs 2.5 lakh in person.

Ranjan stated in the FIR that despite informing her that he was married with a daughter, Rana pursued a physical relationship with him. Afterwards, she demanded Rs 10 lakh, of which he paid Rs 5 lakh through a friend’s company account. She later sought more money, including Rs 3 lakh at Mumbai airport and Rs 10 lakh during a stay at his residence with her sister, Nidhi Rana. In July, Ranjan and Rana travelled to Bali, a trip he fully funded.

During the visit, she repeatedly demanded more money, including Rs 20 lakh for unspecified reasons. When he refused, she began threatening him using their private photos, warning that she would file a false rape case if he didn’t comply. Ranjan alleged that Rana’s parents – Harvinder and Meena Rana – her sister Nidhi, and a friend, Konika Verma, joined in the threats, calling him and demanding money. Out of fear, he continued sending money until the total reached Rs 2 crore, most of it in cash.

Later, Rana and her family allegedly contacted Ranjan’s wife, revealing the affair and demanding more money, again threatening legal action if he did not pay. Ranjan later approached the police, who registered a case for extortion, cheating, defamation and criminal conspiracy.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet in Mumbai this week to hold discussions on further strengthening bilateral trade and investment, technology and innovation, defence and security, climate and energy, health, education and people-to-people relations, apart from issues of regional global importance.

The UK Prime Minister, who is scheduled to arrive in India on October 8, and PM Modi will attend the sixth edition of the Global Fintech Fest in Mumbai on October 9 and deliver keynote addresses at the event.

Both leaders will engage with businesses and industry leaders on the opportunities presented by the India-U.K. Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement as a central pillar of the future India-U.K. economic partnership.

The two Prime Ministers will take stock of the progress in diverse aspects of the India-U.K. Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in line with ‘Vision 2035’, a focused and time-bound 10-year roadmap of programmes and initiatives.

PM Modi visited London on July 24, 2025, the India and the UK signed the historic Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the Vision 2035 document, as well as a new Defence Industrial Roadmap.

CETA aims to boost bilateral trade and economic cooperation. The UK has offered zero duty on 99.1 per cent of Indian goods, facilitating professional mobility for skilled workers, and enhancing market access for services. The deal aims to double bilateral trade by 2030 and promotes collaboration in areas like digital trade, sustainability, and innovation.

Elaborating on the agreement, he said that the agreement will help gain market access in the U.K. for “Indian textiles, footwear, gems and jewellery, seafood, and engineering goods. On the other hand, U.K.-made products such as medical devices and aerospace components will become more accessible and affordable for Indian consumers and industries.”

The key pillars of India-UK Vision 2035 include growth and jobs in the UK and India, education and skills partnership to nurture the next generation of global talent. The vision also covers the development of cutting-edge technology and research, building on the Technology Security Initiative, focused on future telecoms, AI and critical minerals, semiconductors, quantum, bio-technology and advanced materials.

Defence and security co-operation, including a common commitment to peace, security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, is another important pillar of the vision. Besides, it includes a climate partnership focused on accelerating clean energy, mobilising climate finance at scale, and strengthening resilience

The India-UK Defence Industrial Roadmap aims to enhance collaboration in co-design, co-development and co-production of defence products to meet the growing demand in both countries as well as for the world market.

The broad spectrum of activities includes joint military exercises, port calls, defence technological cooperation, promoting Make in India, subject matter expert exchanges for exchange of best practices (SMEEs), defence education and defence procurement.

Regular bilateral and multilateral military exercises such as Exercise Konkan 2023, Exercise Cobra Warrior 2023, Exercise Ajeya Warrior 2023, and Exercise TarangShakti 2024 will also be held.