Below the Line - The Hindu BusinessLineSENSEX 80,426.46 -733.22NIFTY 24,654.70 -236.15CRUDEOIL 5,829.00+ 56.00GOLD 113,889.00+ 1,260.00SILVER 142,068.00+ 5,012.00SENSEX 80,426.46 -733.22NIFTY 24,654.70 -236.15NIFTY 24,654.70 -236.15CRUDEOIL 5,829.00+ 56.00CRUDEOIL 5,829.00+ 56.00GOLD 113,889.00+ 1,260.00'; } document.getElementById("lgdv").innerHTML = htmlElements; } function numberformat(i) { return Number(parseFloat(i).toFixed(2)).toLocaleString('en', { minimumFractionDigits: 2 }) } async function gatherResponse(response) { const { headers } = response; const contentType = headers.get('content-type') || ''; if (contentType.includes('application/json')) { return await response.json() } return response.text(); } function getWidth() { if (Math.max(document.body.scrollWidth,document.documentElement.scrollWidth,document.body.offsetWidth,document.documentElement.offsetWidth,document.documentElement.clientWidth) > 991) { document.getElementById("mob").style.display = "none"; document.getElementById("lgdv").style.display = "block"; } else { document.getElementById("mob").style.display = "block"; document.getElementById("lgdv").style.display = "none"; } } getWidth();]]>Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINISpeaking from the heartAt the Changemaker Awards 2025, Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, was at his inimitable best. His talk bristled with wit, humour and reminiscences. When the master of ceremonies requested him to say a few words, Puri replied, to laughter from the audience, that at the end of a long event, “You want me to say a few words. I would have given you a full keynote, it’s ready, but I’m going to speak from my heart.”Remarkable awardsMinister Puri said the bl Changemaker Awards were truly remarkable as in other awards an element of subjective assessment comes in. But these awards, he said, were special as the nominations come from the readers. “You can’t go wrong as readers are observing changes in the people over a period of time.” Many of the awards focused on education and children, and he pointed out that those will make a difference.Mentor and menteeWhat more can a mentor ask for? The 7th edition of the businessline Changemaker Awards held on September 26, had several surprises, many of them pleasant. Founders of Young Tinker Foundation, that won the Young Changemaker award, found themselves up against one of their own students Rishikesh Amit Nayak, who was one of the nominees for the award. “Out of the six nominations you read out here, one nomination was for my student,” said founder Anil Pradhan in his speech. Rishikesh belonged to the Young Tinker 2021 batch. The fact that one of his students was a nominee for the award was a recognition of the work that his foundation was doing, he asserted proudly. Pradhan and his co-founder Vaishali Sharma’s Foundation creates teaching tools and develops projects to solve real-life problems. Rishikesh is the founder of Kishan Know, an AI-based product that uses thermal imaging to detect crop pests.Making an allowanceA senior public sector banker recently found himself in a catch-22 situation. He was entertaining one of the top-end customers of the bank at an upmarket city restaurant. The banker’s entertainment allowance was ₹2,500, enough for two having dal-roti-subzi. But when the customer indicated his preference for Chinese cuisine, the banker broke into a sweat as any expense beyond ₹2,500 required HO clearance. So, on the pretext of going to the washroom, the banker quickly made a call to his boss in HO about his predicament. The boss understood the situation and cleared the higher expense even as he advised the banker to ensure that there are no entertainment cost overruns in the future!Government shuts doorsJournalists’ entry to most central ministries is becoming increasingly difficult. This is true even for those with government accreditation. You can only enter with an appointment and the officer concerned has to admit you. And reporters often don’t like to do that for fear of exposing sources. Telephone conversations too have dropped because most journalists fear Big Brother is watching. There are now concerns the situation could worsen in the newly-constructed Central Vista Secretariat where monitoring and entry will be even more tightly regulated.What’s in a name?Zoho Corporation’s messenger app Arratai is making waves, but its name has sparked debate. Some social media users argue that an app promoted as a WhatsApp alternative deserves a different name. Others counter that Arratai, which means “banter” or “chit-chat” in Tamil, is distinctive and perfectly suited for a “made-in-India” product. The app has drawn even more attention after Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan recently endorsed it. Published on September 29, 2025Sign into Unlock benefits!Access 10 free stories per monthAccess to comment on every storySign up/Manage to our newslettersGet notified by email for early preview to new features, discounts & offers${ ind + 1 } ${ device }Last active - ${ la }