📰 Daily Briefing Friday, Feb 20

Daily Current Affairs: 20 February 2026

Analysis for 20 February 2026

Nikhil Kamath featured among Forbes 2025 richest self-made billionaires under 40.

[Forbes]

Key Updates:

  • Nikhil Kamath, aged 39, is ranked 20th on the Forbes 2025 list with a net worth of $3.3 billion.
  • He co-founded Bengaluru-based Zerodha in 2010 with his older brother Nithin Kamath.
  • Four individuals of Indian origin figure on the Forbes 2025 list of richest self-made billionaires under 40.
  • Their combined net worth exceeds $11 billion as stated in the article.
  • Edwin Chen, 38, tops the list with an estimated net worth of $18 billion.
  • Americans account for 32 names on the overall list of 71 self-made billionaires under 40.
  • China has eight names and India has six names on the same list.
  • The 71 under-40 self-made billionaires together control $218 billion in wealth.

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Ambani Family emerged as the lone Indian entrant on Bloomberg’s 2025 list of world’s richest families (Mid of December) ▼
  • The Ambani family emerged as the only Indian representative on Bloomberg’s 2025 ranking of the world’s 25 wealthiest families, with an estimated net worth of $105.6 billion.
  • Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries, oversaw the conglomerate with interests in energy, petrochemicals, telecom, digital platforms, and sustainability-linked businesses.
  • Dhirubhai Ambani founded Reliance in the 1950s, building it into one of the largest corporate groups in India.
  • The Walton family of the United States (US), owners of Walmart, topped the list with a combined net worth of $513.4 billion and a network of more than 10,750 stores worldwide.
  • The Al Nahyan family of Abu Dhabi, the ruling family of the emirate that controls most of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) oil reserves, ranked second with an estimated net worth of $335.9 billion.
  • The wealth of the Al Nahyan family grew under President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with investments spanning artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies.
  • Sheikh Tahnoon oversaw assets reportedly worth $1.5 trillion for the Al Nahyan family.
  • The Al Saud family of Saudi Arabia followed with an estimated fortune of $213.6 billion, largely tied to Saudi Aramco.
  • A significant share of the Al Saud family's wealth was concentrated among senior royals, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
  • The Al Thani family of Qatar, with a net worth of $199.5 billion, offered a luxury Boeing 747 to the Trump administration for temporary use as Air Force One.
  • The Hermes family of Europe ranked among the top global dynasties with a net worth of $184.5 billion, retaining control of the luxury house known for the Birkin handbag.
  • The Koch family of the US was estimated to be worth $150.5 billion through its ownership of Koch Industries, which operates in sectors ranging from chemicals and oil refining to paper and ranching.
  • The Mars family, owners of Mars Inc., had a net worth of $143.4 billion and expanded through the 2025 purchase of snack maker Kellanova.
  • The Wertheimer family, owners of luxury fashion house Chanel, possessed a wealth of $85.6 billion, buoyed by continued demand for high-end goods.
  • The Thomson family of Canada, which controls Thomson Reuters, was worth $82.1 billion, with an empire dating back to the 1930s when Roy Thomson acquired his first radio station.
Forbes Real-Time Billionaire List records 3,028 billionaires with combined net worth of $16.1 trillion. (Mid of December) ▼
  • Elon Musk leads the list with a net worth of $480.5 billion and is on track to become the first trillionaire.
  • Larry Page ranks second with a net worth of $262.2 billion, surpassing Larry Ellison.
  • Sergey Brin is fourth with a net worth of $243.1 billion, pushing Jeff Bezos to fifth place.
  • Nine of the top 10 billionaires are Americans, with Bernard Arnault of France being the sole exception.
  • Mukesh Ambani is India’s richest person with a net worth of $114 billion, ranking 16th globally.
Arkin Gupta featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 list for financial innovation (Start of December) ▼
  • Arkin Gupta was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for his contributions to financial innovation and early-stage investment strategies.
  • Forbes highlighted his pioneering work in developing data-driven investment frameworks and his leadership in creating scalable financial products.
  • Gupta stated that this recognition reinforces the importance of democratizing access to smarter financial tools.
Deepinder Goyal topped Hurun India’s Top 200 Self-Made Entrepreneurs of the Millennia 2025 list (Mid of December) ▼
  • Deepinder Goyal of Eternal leads Hurun India’s Top 200 Self-Made Entrepreneurs of the Millennia 2025.
  • Eternal’s valuation rose 27% to Rs 3.2 lakh crore.
  • Rahul Bhatia and Rakesh Gangwal of InterGlobe Aviation (Indigo) debuted in the top three with a valuation of Rs 2.2 lakh crore.
  • Peyush Bansal of Lenskart was ranked 10th after the company went public at a valuation of Rs 70,236 crore.

Manik Gupta Passes Away Veteran Cricket Umpire

Key Updates:

  • Veteran cricket umpire Manik Gupta passed away at the age of 65 following a bee swarm attack in Shuklaganj, Unnao.
  • He was a three-decade veteran of junior cricket and was associated with the Kanpur Cricket Association (KCA).
  • The incident occurred at the Rahul Sapru ground on 18 February 2026 during an under-13 match between YMCA and Paramount.
  • He was declared dead upon arrival at the LLR Hospital in Kanpur after sustaining more than 150 bee stings.
  • Medical experts at the GSVM Medical College stated that the bee venom triggered severe allergic reactions and cardiac arrest.
  • The deceased was a resident of Pheelkhana and had been a prominent figure in the local cricket officiating community for 30 years.

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Nation remembers Shaheed Udham Singh on his 126th birth anniversary. (End of December) ▼
  • Shaheed Udham Singh was born in 1899 in a village of Punjab in undivided India.
  • He avenged the Jallianwala Bagh massacre by assassinating Michael O’Dwyer, the then Lieutenant Governor of Punjab.
  • While in British custody he used the name ‘Ram Mohammad Singh Azad’ to represent the three major religions of India and his anti-colonial stance.
  • He was an active member of the Ghadar Party and Hindustan Socialist Republic Association (HSRA).
Abhijit Majumdar dies at 54 (End of January) ▼
  • Abhijit Majumdar, Odia composer-singer, died at the age of 54 while undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
  • He was admitted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar on September 4 last year with hypertension, hypothyroidism and chronic liver disease.
  • He suffered a cardiac arrest at 7.43 am and was declared dead at 9.02 am.
  • His mortal remains will be taken to his home in Cuttack for last rites.
Inderjit Singh Bindra, former BCCI president, passed away. (End of January) ▼
  • Inderjit Singh Bindra died at the age of 84.
  • He served as president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from 1993 to 1996.
  • Bindra was president of the Punjab Cricket Association from 1978 to 2014.
  • The PCA stadium was renamed IS Bindra Stadium in 2015 to honour his administrative work.
  • He played a key role in organising the 1987 Reliance Cup, the first World Cup held outside England.
  • In 1994 he approached the Supreme Court of India to break Doordarshan’s monopoly on cricket broadcasting.
Ajit Pawar dies in plane crash near Baramati Airport. (End of January) ▼
  • Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, was killed in a plane crash near Baramati Airport.
  • The crash occurred during landing at Baramati airport and also claimed the lives of four others.
  • The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will investigate the crash with coordination from Pune rural police.
  • Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis declared a state holiday and three days of mourning following Pawar’s death.
  • The Pune Traders Federation announced that all shops in Pune city will remain closed for the entire day on Thursday.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) mandates Unique Transaction Identifier (UTI) for OTC derivatives

[Reserve Bank of India (RBI)]

Key Updates:

  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has mandated the use of a Unique Transaction Identifier (UTI) for all Over-the-Counter (OTC) derivative transactions to improve traceability and systemic risk monitoring.
  • The new framework for UTI implementation is scheduled to become applicable from 1 January 2027.
  • The mandate covers Foreign Exchange (FX) derivatives (forwards and swaps), Rupee interest rate derivatives (overnight index swaps and MIBOR-linked swaps), forward contracts in government securities, and credit derivatives.
  • The Clearing Corporation of India (CCIL) is expected to issue detailed operational guidelines for the implementation of the UTI framework in due course.
  • Responsibility for generating the UTI will follow a waterfall mechanism, starting with central counterparties or electronic trading platforms, and falling back on the trade repository of the CCIL.
  • Routine amendments to derivative contracts will not require a new UTI, but lifecycle events such as novations that create a new reportable trade will trigger fresh identifiers.
  • The RBI had previously issued a draft regarding the UTI requirement in October 2025.

Similar Coverage

Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) Revamps Mutual Fund Regulations and Rationalises Brokerage Caps (Mid of January) ▼
  • The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has notified revamped Mutual Fund Regulations that will come into effect from April 1, 2026.
  • Sebi has introduced a provision allowing mutual fund schemes to charge a base expense ratio (BER) linked to the performance of the scheme.
  • The new regulations introduce the concept of a base expense ratio (BER) which represents only the fee charged by an Asset Management Company (AMC) for managing investors’ money.
  • Levies such as brokerage, securities transaction tax, stamp duty, and exchange fees must now be disclosed separately rather than being aggregated under the total expense ratio.
  • The brokerage ceiling in the cash market has been reduced to 6 basis points (bps) from an effective 8.59 bps.
  • The net brokerage cap in the derivatives segment has been lowered to 2 bps from 3.89 bps.
  • The framework expands the responsibilities of trustees and key managerial personnel to tighten oversight and reinforce governance standards across AMCs.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) releases draft Directions on Foreign Exchange Dealings of Authorised Persons (Mid of February) ▼
  • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the draft Directions on Foreign Exchange Dealings of Authorised Persons on Tuesday.
  • The draft aims to ease reporting obligations and provide greater flexibility to Authorised Persons for hedging exposures, balance sheet management and market-making.
  • The format for reporting net open position limits has been updated.
  • Comments and feedback on the draft directions are invited by March 10, 2026.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Announces ₹2 Lakh Crore OMO and $10 Billion USD/INR Swap (End of December) ▼
  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will purchase government securities worth ₹2 lakh crore through Open Market Operations (OMO) to inject liquidity into the banking system.
  • The RBI will conduct a USD 10 billion buy/sell dollar-rupee swap auction for a tenor of three years on January 13, 2026.
  • The OMO purchase auctions for an aggregate amount of ₹2,00,000 crore will be held in four tranches of ₹50,000 crore each.
  • The four OMO tranches are scheduled for December 29, 2025, January 5, 2026, January 12, 2026, and January 22, 2026.
  • Under the swap arrangement, a bank will sell US dollars to the RBI and simultaneously agree to buy the same amount back at the end of the three-year period.
  • These measures follow a previous RBI action involving ₹1 lakh crore OMO purchase auctions and a USD 5 billion Buy/Sell Swap auction for a tenor of three years.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Issues Foreign Exchange Management (Guarantees) Regulations 2026 (End of January) ▼
  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released the Foreign Exchange Management (Guarantees) Regulations, 2026, replacing the previous framework from 2000.
  • The new principle-based regime expands the automatic route for cross-border guarantees, allowing transactions without prior approval if they meet FEMA borrowing and lending rules.
  • Mandatory reporting of all guarantees must be submitted to authorized dealer banks on a quarterly basis within 15 days of the quarter end.
  • The RBI has introduced a Late Submission Fee (LSF) for delayed reporting, calculated as ₹7,500 + 0.025% × amount involved × number of years of delay.
  • A new reporting format, Form GRN, has been introduced to capture granular data including guarantee commissions, invocation details, and timelines for extinguishing liabilities.
  • The regulations do not apply to guarantees issued under the Overseas Investment Regulations, 2022, or irrevocable payment commitments issued by custodian banks for Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs).

PM Modi Unveils MANAV Vision for Artificial Intelligence (AI) at Delhi Summit

Key Updates:

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the MANAV vision for Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 held in New Delhi on 19 February 2026.
  • The MANAV vision stands for Moral and ethical systems, Accountable governance, National sovereignty, Accessible and inclusive, and Valid and legitimate.
  • Moral and ethical systems (M) signify that AI development should be based on ethical guidance.
  • Accountable governance (A) refers to the implementation of transparent rules and robust oversight.
  • National sovereignty (N) emphasizes data rights, specifically whose data, his right.
  • Accessible and inclusive (A) aims to ensure AI acts as a multiplier rather than a monopoly.
  • Valid and legitimate (V) ensures that AI systems are lawful and verifiable.

Similar Coverage

PM Narendra Modi inaugurates India AI Impact Expo 2026 at Bharat Mandapam (Mid of February) ▼
  • Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi inaugurated the India AI Impact Expo 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi as a key component of the India AI Impact Summit.
  • The Expo spans over 70,000 square metres across 10 arenas and is designed to scale Artificial Intelligence (AI) from demonstrations to industrial deployment.
  • The event features over 300 curated exhibition pavilions and live demonstrations structured across three thematic chakras: People, Planet, and Progress.
  • A total of 13 country pavilions are featured, including France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Russia, United Kingdom (UK), Africa, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Serbia, Estonia, and Tajikistan.
  • More than 600 high-potential startups are participating to showcase working AI solutions already deployed in real-world settings.
  • The five-day summit includes over 500 sessions with more than 3,250 speakers, including OpenAI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sam Altman.
  • Global leaders attending the summit include French President Emmanuel Macron, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and Brazilian President Lula da Silva.
  • The government estimates the event will attract over 2.5 lakh visitors, including international delegates and technology experts.
Japan and India hold 18th Japan–India Foreign Ministerial Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi (End of January) ▼
  • The 18th Japan–India Foreign Ministerial Strategic Dialogue was held in New Delhi, marking the substantive core of Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu’s official visit to India.
  • Both sides decided to initiate a Private Sector–led Business-to-Business Dialogue on Economic Security in early 2026.
  • A Japan–India AI Strategic Dialogue was formally established to cooperate on artificial intelligence governance, innovation, and competitiveness.
  • Japan will contribute to India’s upcoming AI Impact Summit in February 2026.
  • The next round of Senior Officials’ Talks on Economic Security and the Joint Working Group on Critical Minerals will be convened.
  • The Japan–India Startup Support Initiative (JISSI) was reviewed to promote collaboration between Japanese and Indian startups.
  • The Japan–India Intellectual Conclave (Kizuna Dialogue) is scheduled in Shillong in February 2026.
  • Foreign Minister Motegi called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reaffirming the Japan–India partnership as a 'natural partnership' anchored in shared democratic values and strategic interests.
Government unveils India’s first AI governance guidelines ahead of AI Impact Summit 2026 (Mid of February) ▼
  • India released its first comprehensive AI governance guidelines on Sunday, opting for a principle-based framework over a new law.
  • The framework is anchored in seven principles: trust as foundation, people first, innovation over restraint, fairness and equity, accountability, understandable by design, and safety, resilience and sustainability.
  • Guidelines apply to AI development and use across healthcare, education, agriculture, finance and governance sectors.
  • Existing laws such as IT rules, data protection laws and criminal statutes will cover AI-related risks instead of a standalone AI law.
  • New proposed institutions include an AI governance group for inter-ministerial coordination, a technology and policy expert committee for expert inputs, and an AI safety institute for testing standards and risk assessment.
  • Developers and deployers must publish transparency reports, disclose AI-generated content, provide grievance redressal, and cooperate with regulators.
  • High-risk AI applications affecting safety, rights or livelihoods must follow stronger safeguards and human oversight.
  • The five-day AI Impact Summit 2026 begins on Monday, positioning India as a global voice for responsible and inclusive AI governance aligned with ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’.
India to host India-AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi from February 16 to 20 (Mid of February) ▼
  • India is scheduled to host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi from February 16 to 20, 2026.
  • The Summit is organised under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is built around three foundational Sutras: People, Planet, and Progress.
  • The event will see participation from ministerial-level delegations representing over 45 countries and the United Nations (UN) Secretary General.
  • Confirmed attendees from Europe include President Emmanuel Macron (France), President Pedro Sanchez Perez-Castejon (Spain), Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (Finland), Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (Greece), Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic (Croatia), President Alar Karis (Estonia), President Peter Pellegrini (Slovakia), President Aleksandar Vucic (Serbia), President Guy Parmelin (Switzerland), Prime Minister Dick Schoof (Netherlands), and Hereditary Prince Alois (Liechtenstein).
  • Leaders from the Americas and Asia-Pacific attending include President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (Brazil), Vice President Edmand Lara Montano (Bolivia), Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo (Guyana), Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay (Bhutan), President Anura Kumara Disanayaka (Sri Lanka), and Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov (Kazakhstan).
  • Participants from Africa, the Indian Ocean, and the Middle East include Prime Minister Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam (Mauritius), Vice President Sebastien Pillay (Seychelles), and Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (United Arab Emirates).

Gujarat Budget 2026-27 allocates Rs 4.08 lakh crore with focus on tourism and sports infrastructure

[Gujarat]

Key Updates:

  • Gujarat Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai presented a Rs 4.08 lakh crore Budget for 2026-27 with an estimated surplus of Rs 974 crore and no new taxes.
  • The Budget continued the 5 per cent tax rebate on Motor Vehicle Tax for electric vehicles, providing Rs 210 crore relief to citizens.
  • Rs 1,278 crore allocated for infrastructure related to the 2030 Commonwealth Games to be hosted by Gujarat.
  • Rs 1,331 crore total provision for the sports department, including Rs 500 crore for developing Ahmedabad as an 'Olympic Ready City' and for the SVP Sports Enclave.
  • Rs 165 crore allocated for developing sports complexes in various districts, Rs 100 crore each for Olympic-level infrastructure at Karai and a Para High Performance Centre in Gandhinagar, and Rs 90 crore for a world-class hockey stadium.
  • 2026 declared as 'Gujarat Tourism Year' with Rs 236 crore allocated for enhancing facilities around the Statue of Unity.
  • Rs 300 crore proposed for the Ambaji Corridor Masterplan and Rs 447 crore for iconic bus stations at Somnath and Ambaji and a multi-modal transport hub at Somnath.
  • Rs 60 crore for developing Somnath and Shivrajpur Beach as world-class tourist destinations and promoting tourism in the Visavada-Porbandar region.
  • Rs 95 crore proposed for tourism promotion initiatives including training 1,000 tourist guides and developing facilities at heritage sites.
  • Rs 16,116 crore allocated under the Swarnim Jayanti Mukhyamantri Shaheri Vikas Yojana, marking a 17 per cent increase over the previous allocation.

Similar Coverage

Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference – Kutch and Saurashtra: 5,492 MoUs Worth Rs 5.78 Lakh Crore Signed (End of January) ▼
  • Cabinet Minister Shri Jitubhai Vaghani announced that 5,492 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) involving investments worth Rs 5.78 lakh crore were signed during the two-day Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference.
  • The state government has prepared a clear roadmap to develop Saurashtra and Kutch by 2047.
  • Initiatives such as Atmanirbhar Bharat, Startup India, and Make in India are being realized under the Prime Minister's leadership, directly benefiting Gujarat's entrepreneurs and industrial units.
  • Gujarat will become a hub for the semiconductor sector by 2027.
GatiShakti programme and Tech Vision 2035 roadmap presented at India Digital Conclave 2026 (Start of February) ▼
  • Kamlesh Gosai, Executive Director - Traffic Commercial (General), Ministry of Railways, shared insights into the GatiShakti programme and the Tech Vision 2035 roadmap at the India Digital Conclave 2026.
  • The initiatives highlight integrated infrastructure planning, ambitious connectivity goals, AI-enabled optimization of freight and passenger movement, and reduced logistics costs.
  • Digital planning tools are used to accelerate execution across rail, road, and waterways.
PM Narendra Modi inaugurates India AI Impact Expo 2026 at Bharat Mandapam (Mid of February) ▼
  • Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi inaugurated the India AI Impact Expo 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi as a key component of the India AI Impact Summit.
  • The Expo spans over 70,000 square metres across 10 arenas and is designed to scale Artificial Intelligence (AI) from demonstrations to industrial deployment.
  • The event features over 300 curated exhibition pavilions and live demonstrations structured across three thematic chakras: People, Planet, and Progress.
  • A total of 13 country pavilions are featured, including France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Russia, United Kingdom (UK), Africa, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Serbia, Estonia, and Tajikistan.
  • More than 600 high-potential startups are participating to showcase working AI solutions already deployed in real-world settings.
  • The five-day summit includes over 500 sessions with more than 3,250 speakers, including OpenAI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sam Altman.
  • Global leaders attending the summit include French President Emmanuel Macron, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and Brazilian President Lula da Silva.
  • The government estimates the event will attract over 2.5 lakh visitors, including international delegates and technology experts.
Indian Institute of Management, Udaipur (IIMU) Hosts Third Edition of D'Future India Digital Conclave 2026 (Start of February) ▼
  • The Indian Institute of Management, Udaipur (IIMU) successfully hosted the third edition of the D'Future: India Digital Conclave at the T-Hub in Hyderabad.
  • The conclave focused on technology-led growth, resilient systems, and building an inclusive nation through digital technologies.
  • Shri Jayesh Ranjan, Special Chief Secretary of the Government of Telangana, highlighted the state's commitment to digitising governance, including providing optical fibre connectivity to households.
  • Prof. Ramayya Krishnan from Carnegie Mellon University discussed the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare applications and the importance of AI governance.
  • Kamlesh Gosai, Executive Director at the Ministry of Railways, shared insights into the GatiShakti programme and the Tech Vision 2035 roadmap for integrated infrastructure planning.
  • The event featured student-led innovations from the IIMU 1-Year MBA (GSCM) programme, including AI-powered inventory management and demand forecasting tools.
  • Start-up companies presented pitches in advanced fields such as quantum computing, high-speed devices, low-cost sustained energy systems, and rocket launching.
  • Viren Rasquinha, CEO of Olympic Gold Quest, discussed the increasing role of data analytics and wearable devices in enhancing sports performance.

Madhya Pradesh Budget 2026-27: Total Outlay of ₹4.38 Lakh Crore with Focus on Women and Infrastructure

[Madhya Pradesh]

Key Updates:

  • Madhya Pradesh Finance Minister Jagdish Devda presented the state budget for 2026-27 with a total outlay of ₹4,38,317 crore.
  • The budget is framed on the GYANII model, which stands for Garib Kalyan (poor), Yuva Shakti (youth), Annadata (farmers), Nari Shakti (women empowerment), Infrastructure, and Industry.
  • A total allocation of ₹1,27,555 crore has been earmarked for women welfare schemes, including the construction of 5,700 hostels for working women.
  • The Ladli Behna Yojana has been provisioned with ₹23,883 crore to provide monthly assistance of ₹1,500 to over 1.25 crore women.
  • The state government introduced a rolling budget provision for the first time to allow carrying forward funds to the next financial year.
  • A special provision of ₹3,600 crore has been made for the Simhastha Kumbh religious event scheduled to be held in Ujjain in 2028.
  • The Panchayat and Rural Development Department received an allocation of ₹40,062 crore, while the rural employment guarantee scheme (GRAM G) was allocated ₹10,428 crore.
  • The budget allocated ₹900 crore for the PM Janman scheme, which is dedicated to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
  • Over ₹1 lakh crore each has been allocated for agriculture-related development works and infrastructure projects.
  • The government announced the recruitment of 15,000 teachers and the provision of free milk in tetra packs for children up to Class 8 in government schools.
  • A provision of ₹4,454 crore has been proposed for the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) and ₹12,690 crore for road repairs.
  • The budget includes a plan to provide solar pumps to 1 lakh farmers and allocates ₹1,335 crore for the Labour Department.

Similar Coverage

Government raises allocation for women-centric schemes by 11.55% to Rs 5.01 lakh crore in 2026-27 (Mid of February) ▼
  • Allocation for women and girls under various schemes increased by 11.55% to Rs 5.01 lakh crore in 2026-27 from Rs 4.49 lakh crore in the previous year.
  • Gender budget share in the Union Budget rose to 9.37% in 2026-27 from 8.86%.
  • 53 ministries/departments and five Union territories reported allocations in the Gender Budget Statement (GBS) for 2026-27.
  • Rs 1,07,688.42 crore (21.50%) reported under Part A by nine ministries and one UT for 100% women-specific schemes.
  • Rs 3,63,412.37 crore (72.54%) reported under Part B by 28 ministries and one UT for schemes with 30-99% allocation for women.
  • Rs 29,777.94 crore (5.95%) reported under Part C by 37 ministries and five UTs for schemes with less than 30% allocation for women.
  • Ministry of Women & Child Development allocated 81.73% of its budget to gender-specific schemes.
  • Department of Rural Development allocated 69.92% of its budget to gender-specific schemes.
  • Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region allocated 48.60% of its budget to gender-specific schemes.
Union Budget 2026-27: New Initiatives for Livestock, Fisheries, and High-Value Agriculture (Start of February) ▼
  • Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman announced a loan-linked capital subsidy scheme to increase the availability of veterinary professionals by more than 20,000.
  • The veterinary scheme will support the establishment of private colleges, veterinary hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, and breeding facilities.
  • The government will undertake the integrated development of 500 reservoirs and Amrit Sarovars to strengthen the fisheries value chain.
  • Fisheries development will be enabled through market linkages involving startups, women-led groups, and Fish Farmers Producer Organisations (FFPOs).
  • A credit-linked subsidy programme will be launched for animal husbandry entrepreneurship development and the modernisation of livestock enterprises.
  • The Coconut Promotion Scheme aims to replace old and non-productive trees with new varieties in major coconut-growing states.
  • A dedicated programme for Indian cashew and cocoa aims to achieve self-reliance and transform them into premium global brands by 2030.
  • The government will partner with states to promote sandalwood cultivation and post-harvest processing to restore the Indian sandalwood ecosystem.
  • A dedicated programme for hilly regions will support the rejuvenation of old orchards and high-density cultivation of walnuts, almonds, and pine nuts.
Budget 2026 Kartavya framework sets three growth, inclusion and reform agendas (Start of February) ▼
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a three-pronged Kartavya framework in Union Budget 2026 to guide policy action.
  • First Kartavya is to accelerate and sustain economic growth by enhancing productivity and competitiveness and building resilience to volatile global dynamics.
  • Second Kartavya focuses on people-centric development by fulfilling aspirations and building capacity, making citizens strong partners in India’s prosperity.
  • Third Kartavya aims to ensure inclusive access to growth opportunities so that every family, community, region and sector can meaningfully participate.
  • Budget 2026 was prepared at Kartavya Bhavan, drawing inspiration from these three core Kartavya to strengthen India’s economic and social foundations.
Union Budget 2026 allocates ₹1.63 lakh crore for high-value agriculture and allied sectors (Start of February) ▼
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allocated ₹1,62,671 crore to the agriculture sector in Union Budget 2026-27, a 7% rise from 2025-26’s revised estimate of ₹1,51,853 crore.
  • The government will support high-value crops such as coconut, sandalwood, cocoa, cashew, agarwood, walnut, almond and pine nut under dedicated programmes for rejuvenating old orchards and expanding high-density cultivation.
  • A new coconut promotion scheme targets replacing non-productive trees with improved varieties in major coconut-growing states, benefiting around 30 million people including nearly 10 million farmers.
  • A dedicated programme for Indian cashew and cocoa aims to make India self-reliant in raw material production and processing and to establish these products as premium global brands by 2030.
  • Sandalwood cultivation will receive focused support through partnerships with state governments to promote scientific farming and post-harvest processing.
  • The Budget proposes integrated development of 500 reservoirs and water bodies to strengthen the fisheries value chain, with emphasis on market linkages and support to startups, women-led groups and fish farmer producer organisations.
  • A credit-linked subsidy programme will be introduced for animal husbandry to promote entrepreneurship, modernise livestock enterprises and scale up integrated value chains across dairy, poultry and livestock sectors.
  • The government announced the launch of Bharat Vistar, a multilingual AI tool integrating AgriStack portals and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) practices to deliver customised advisory support and boost farm productivity.

Assam Government launches Provincialisation Management System (PMS 1.0) for Venture Educational Institutions

[Assam]

Key Updates:

  • The Government of Assam launched the Provincialisation Management System (PMS 1.0) to streamline the process of provincialising venture educational institutions.
  • Chief Minister (CM) Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurated the digital platform at Lok Sewa Bhawan to ensure transparency in the provincialisation of teaching and non-teaching staff.
  • The portal operates under the framework of the Assam Education Act, 2017, which was recently updated as the 2025 Amended Act.
  • The initiative includes special budgetary provisions for teachers of schools and colleges established after 2006 for the first time.
  • Educational institutions are required to register on the portal using the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) code for schools or the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) code for colleges.
  • The system facilitates digital screening and automated verification of institutional data to reduce manual errors and administrative delays.
  • Since 2011, over 57,000 teachers have been provincialised across primary, secondary, and college levels in the state of Assam.
  • The eligibility criteria for the provincialisation process were notified in the Government of Assam Gazette on 30 December 2025.

Similar Coverage

Assam Government Approves 3% Reservation for Tea Tribes and Adivasis in Grade I and II Jobs (Mid of February) ▼
  • The Assam government has approved a 3 per cent reservation for tea tribes and Adivasi people in Grade I and Grade II government jobs.
  • The reservation policy will extend to recruitment for the Assam Civil Service (ACS) and the Assam Police Service (APS).
  • The state government has already implemented a 3 per cent reservation for tea and Adivasi communities under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota in Grade III and IV jobs.
  • The Assam Cabinet approved ₹335 crore for the establishment of the state's second Sainik School at Langvoku in the Karbi Anglong district.
  • Chief Minister (CM) Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the decision during the 19th biennial general conference of the Assam Tea Tribe Students’ Association (ATTSA).
  • The initiative aims to integrate approximately 40 lakh people from the tea community into the mainstream of society.
CM Shri Schools project launched across Delhi (Mid of February) ▼
  • Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta inaugurated the first CM Shri School at Sarojini Nagar on 17 February 2026.
  • Foundation stones for 75 CM Shri School projects across Delhi were laid simultaneously.
  • The initiative aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) and aims to provide modern, technology-integrated education and improved learning infrastructure.
  • Education minister Ashish Sood announced that 7,000 classrooms will be converted into AI-enabled smart classrooms before the government completes its first year in office.
  • 175 new ICT labs equipped with 7,000 computers, more than 100 digital libraries and over 175 language labs are being launched.
  • The schools will serve children from economically weaker, lower and middle-income families with facilities comparable to private schools.
PM Modi inaugurates and flags off projects worth Rs 5,450 crore in Assam (Mid of February) ▼
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Assam and launched development projects worth over Rs 5,450 crore aimed at improving connectivity, digital infrastructure, higher education, and urban mobility in the North-East.
  • He landed at the Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) on the Moran Bypass in Dibrugarh, the first such dual-use facility in the North-East, developed with the Indian Air Force (IAF) to handle fighter aircraft up to 40 tonnes and transport aircraft up to 74 tonnes.
  • PM Modi inspected the newly built Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu, a six-lane extradosed PSC bridge across the Brahmaputra, constructed at a cost of approximately Rs 3,030 crore, reducing travel time between Guwahati and North Guwahati to seven minutes.
  • He inaugurated the National Data Centre for the North-Eastern Region at Amingaon in Kamrup district, with a sanctioned load of 8.5 MW and average rack capacity of 10 kW, to host mission-critical government applications and serve as a Disaster Recovery centre.
  • PM Modi inaugurated the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Guwahati, adding to higher education infrastructure in the North-East.
  • He flagged off 225 electric buses under the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme, with 100 for Guwahati, 50 each for Nagpur and Bhavnagar, and 25 for Chandigarh, expected to benefit over 50 lakh citizens.
PPP-Model Medical Colleges in Madhya Pradesh Tribal Districts (End of December) ▼
  • Madhya Pradesh to set up India’s first PPP-model medical colleges in Dhar and Betul tribal districts.
  • State government provides up to 25 acres of land on lease; private partners build academic and clinical infrastructure.
  • Associated district hospitals upgraded as per National Medical Commission norms while remaining under State administrative control.
  • Two more PPP colleges planned at Katni and Panna; foundation ceremonies for these to follow.
  • Chief Minister announces similar PPP medical colleges will also come up in Bhind, Morena, Khargone, Ashoknagar, Guna, Balaghat, Tikamgarh, Sidhi, and Shajapur districts.

Kerala declares tide flooding a State-specific disaster

[Kerala]

Key Updates:

  • Kerala became the first State in India to notify tide flooding as a State-specific disaster.
  • The declaration enables financial assistance to victims under State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) norms.
  • Kerala has a coastline of around 590 km and nine of its 14 districts lie on the Arabian Sea coast.
  • Around 10% of Kerala's population is affected by coastal flooding caused by tidal ingress.
  • Severe impacts are reported in low-lying regions of Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts.
  • Recurrent tidal flooding occurs in Vypin, Chellanam, Edakochi, Perumbadappu in Kochi Corporation and Kumbalanghi panchayat.
  • Section 2(d) of the Disaster Management Act allows declaring tidal flooding as disaster if it causes loss of life, livelihood, and living conditions.
  • Coastal high-tide flooding/sea incursion is now a notified State-specific disaster benefiting lakhs of affected people.

Similar Coverage

Cyclone Ditwah Intensifies Over Bay of Bengal, Expected to Reach Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh Coast (End of November) ▼
  • Cyclonic Storm Ditwah has intensified over the Bay of Bengal.
  • The storm is moving north-northwest.
  • The deep depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal and the adjoining Sri Lanka coast intensified into Cyclonic Storm Ditwah on Nov 27.
  • The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the storm was centred near latitude 6.9°N and longitude 81.9°E, close to Pottuvil on Sri Lanka’s eastern coast.
  • Ditwah was located about 90 km south-southeast of Batticaloa, 120 km northeast of Hambantota, 200 km south-southeast of Trincomalee, 610 km south-southeast of Puducherry, and 700 km south-southeast of Chennai.
  • The system is expected to continue moving north-northwest across the southwest Bay of Bengal and the Sri Lanka coast.
  • It is likely to reach the waters off North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh by the early hours of November 30, the IMD said.
Kerala Urban Policy: First comprehensive state-level urban roadmap for 2050 (Mid of February) ▼
  • Kerala became the first state in India to frame a comprehensive Urban Policy, approved by the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
  • The Nava Kerala Urban Policy envisions Kerala in 2050 as 'a continuous network of climate-smart cities and towns, ensuring scientific planning and good governance.'
  • The Kerala Urban Policy Commission, constituted in December 2023, submitted its report to the Chief Minister in March 2025.
  • The policy projects Kerala to be nearly 80 per cent urbanised by 2050 with decentralised urban growth between the high ranges and the coastal belt.
  • Key thematic areas of the policy include reforms in laws and institutional systems, capacity building, people-centric services, infrastructure development, and spatial and strategic planning.
IMD Issues Orange, Yellow Alerts as Heavy Rain Batters TN, Puducherry (End of November) ▼
  • Heavy rainfall is expected on Monday in several southern and delta districts in Tamil Nadu due to a low-pressure system that may intensify over the Bay of Bengal.
  • The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued orange and yellow alerts for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on Monday.
  • An orange alert means very heavy rain of 11 cm to 20 cm, and a yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 cm and 11 cm.
  • Southern and coastal districts like Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi, Ramanathapuram, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and nearby areas are under alerts.
  • Some of these districts are seeing waterlogging, travel disruption, and deployment of State Disaster Response Force teams, especially in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli.
  • Chennai is likely to have cloudy skies with light to moderate rain and occasional thunderstorms and is under a lower-level (yellow) alert.
  • Schools and in some cases colleges are closed on Monday in several southern and coastal districts due to heavy rains.
  • Normal life was affected in Puducherry and Karaikal regions on Monday due to heavy rains and schools and colleges were declared holiday.
India launches Operation Sagar Bandhu to restore road connectivity in cyclone-hit Sri Lanka (Mid of December) ▼
  • Operation Sagar Bandhu is India’s humanitarian mission delivering rescue, medical, and relief assistance to Sri Lanka after Cyclone Ditwah.
  • A second Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster landed in Colombo carrying Bailey bridge units and a 25-member team of engineers and medical experts.
  • Indian field engineers who arrived with Bailey Bridge units have begun reconnaissance and restoration work on key routes damaged by the cyclone.
  • Indian Air Force helicopters are conducting ongoing rescue operations near Kotmale.
  • Cyclone Ditwah made landfall in Sri Lanka on November 28, causing severe flooding, heavy rainfall, and landslides across multiple districts.
  • High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India, Mahishini Colonne, stated that more than 400 people have lost their lives due to the cyclone.

Silchar–Sairang Passenger Train Service to Commence from 20 February

Key Updates:

  • The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) will introduce regular passenger train operations between Silchar and Sairang starting 20 February 2026.
  • The new service, numbered 55669/55670, will operate five days a week to enhance rail connectivity to the state of Mizoram.
  • The Silchar–Sairang service will operate on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, while the return service will run on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
  • The train will be hauled by a diesel locomotive and will have a composition of seven coaches, including second-class and luggage-cum-brake vans.
  • The service was virtually inaugurated by the Union Minister of Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw.
  • The rail link to Sairang, located near the Mizoram capital Aizawl, was inaugurated in September 2025 to connect the state with cities such as Kolkata and Guwahati.

Similar Coverage

Union Budget 2026-27 announces seven new bullet train corridors with ₹16 lakh crore investment (Mid of February) ▼
  • Indian Railways is finalising Detailed Project Reports for seven high-speed rail corridors announced in Union Budget 2026-27.
  • The seven corridors are Mumbai–Pune, Pune–Hyderabad, Hyderabad–Bengaluru, Hyderabad–Chennai, Chennai–Bengaluru, Delhi–Varanasi and Varanasi–Siliguri.
  • National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has been directed to take immediate action for timely progress.
  • Railway Board estimates the combined length of the corridors at nearly 4,000 km and projected investment of approximately ₹16 lakh crore.
  • Standardisation of high-speed rail systems, creation of dedicated core teams and initiation of pre-construction activities have been approved.
  • Planning for trained technical manpower for upcoming high-speed rail projects has been emphasised.
  • India’s first bullet train, the 508 km Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor, is planned to operate on a 100 km stretch by 2027.
SSB Raising Day observed on December 20 (End of December) ▼
  • Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) Raising Day is observed on December 20 every year.
  • Union Home Minister Amit Shah extended greetings to SSB personnel and their families on the 62nd Raising Day of the force.
  • The SSB was raised in 1963 and has a strength of about 90,000 personnel under the Union home ministry.
Indian Railways Vision 2030: Originating Train Capacity to Double in 48 Major Cities (End of December) ▼
  • Ministry of Railways (MoR) plans to double the originating train capacity in 48 major cities by 2030.
  • Capacity augmentation will be implemented progressively over the next five years to deliver immediate benefits.
  • Works include augmenting current terminals with additional platforms, stabling lines, pit lines, and shunting facilities.
  • New terminals will be identified and created in and around urban areas.
  • Maintenance facilities, including mega coaching complexes, will be established.
  • Sectional capacity will be increased through traffic facility works, signaling upgradation, and multitracking.
Delhi Metro TS-01 Mid-Life Rehabilitation (End of December) ▼
  • TS-01, the first Delhi Metro train introduced into service in 2002, completed 23 years of service.
  • After mid-life rehabilitation last year, it now features CCTV cameras, integrated passenger emergency alarms, LCD-based dynamic route maps and public information boards.
  • The train has run over 2.9 million kilometres, carrying more than 60 million passengers with 2.4 million door operations.

PM Surya Ghar and Chief Minister Solar Self-Employment Scheme drive Uttarakhand past 1 GW solar capacity

[Uttarakhand]

Key Updates:

  • Uttarakhand’s installed solar capacity reached 1,027.87 MW, crossing the 1 GW milestone.
  • PM Surya Ghar scheme has supported around 241 MW of rooftop solar installations.
  • Chief Minister Solar Self-Employment Scheme has added about 137 MW and over 100 MW more is under development.
  • Ground-mounted solar projects contribute nearly 397 MW to the total capacity.
  • Commercial net metering installations account for approximately 110 MW.
  • Captive solar power plants add about 51 MW.
  • Uttarakhand Renewable Energy Development Agency (UREDA) is implementing these solar initiatives.

Similar Coverage

PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana offers 40% subsidy and Rs 75,000 crore outlay for rooftop solar (Mid of February) ▼
  • PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PM Surya Ghar) provides up to 40% subsidy for households installing rooftop solar panels.
  • Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has sanctioned over Rs 16,000 crore in subsidies and solarised more than 2.8 million households in two years.
  • The scheme has a total budget allocation of Rs 75,000 crore to support 10 million homes.
  • National Solar Portal operates as India’s unified digital platform for solar permits and subsidy tracking.
  • Residential solar loans under the scheme are classified as priority-sector lending with attractive interest rates.
  • Households installing rooftop solar through SolarSquare have cut monthly electricity bills by up to 90%.
  • Key growth states include Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan, with rising demand in Tier-II cities such as Nagpur, Bhopal, Jabalpur, and Gwalior.
Gujarat becomes India’s renewable energy powerhouse with 42.583 GW installed capacity (Start of February) ▼
  • Gujarat accounts for 16.5 % of India’s total renewable energy with an installed capacity of 42.583 GW.
  • The state leads India in wind power capacity at 14,820.94 MW and in rooftop solar with over 11 lakh installations generating 6,412.80 MW.
  • Gujarat ranks second in total solar power capacity at 25,529.40 MW.
  • Major solar parks in Gujarat include Charanka (749 MW), Radhanesda (700 MW), and Dholera (300 MW).
  • Khavda Renewable Energy Park in Gujarat is planned to be the world’s largest at 37.35 GW, with 11.33 GW already achieved.
  • Under PM-KUSUM, 12,700 standalone solar water pumps have been installed in Gujarat.
  • Gujarat targets 105 GW renewable energy capacity by 2030.
NLC India Limited (NLCIL) to Set Up 110MW Solar Power Plant in Uttar Pradesh (Mid of December) ▼
  • NLC India Limited (NLCIL) has received the Letter of Acceptance (LoA) for the development of its 110MW grid-connected solar photovoltaic power project.
  • The solar power project is located in Uttar Pradesh.
  • The project is for National Capital Region Transport Corporation Limited (NCRTC).
  • National Capital Region Transport Corporation Limited (NCRTC) will set up, commission, operate and maintain the solar power plant.
  • The project will cater to National Capital Region Transport Corporation Limited (NCRTC)’s power requirement and support its vision of adopting clean and sustainable energy solutions for large-scale infrastructure projects.
Odisha Cabinet approves Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL) solar manufacturing facility (Mid of January) ▼
  • The state cabinet cleared a proposal by Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL) to establish an integrated solar manufacturing facility in the Tata special economic zone (SEZ) in Ganjam district.
  • Planned in two phases, the facility will have a production capacity of 10 GW ingot-wafer and 5 GW solar cell manufacturing, making it the first upstream solar manufacturing unit of its kind in the state.
  • Beyond direct employment, the project is expected to catalyse ancillary industries in glass, chemicals, packaging, logistics and precision machinery, generating additional livelihood opportunities for MSMEs.
  • The facility is expected to strengthen the upstream solar value chain in Odisha, reduce dependence on imports of critical solar components, and support India’s target of achieving 100 GW domestic solar module manufacturing capacity by 2030.

India and United Kingdom launch offshore wind task force under Vision 2035 framework

[United Kingdom]

Key Updates:

  • Union minister for new and renewable energy Pralhad Joshi and United Kingdom (UK) deputy prime minister David Lammy launched the task force on Wednesday.
  • The task force is constituted under the India-UK Vision 2035 and the Fourth Energy Dialogue to provide strategic leadership for India’s offshore wind ecosystem.
  • Joshi outlined three cooperation pillars: ecosystem planning and market design, infrastructure and supply chains, and financing and risk mitigation.
  • Lammy stated the UK is the second-largest offshore wind market and recently secured 8.4 GW in Europe’s biggest auction.
  • India has an estimated 70 GW offshore wind potential and initially plans projects off Gujarat and Tamil Nadu coasts.

Similar Coverage

India and Canada sign Joint Statement on Energy Cooperation at India Energy Week 2026 in Goa (End of January) ▼
  • India and Canada signed a Joint Statement on Energy Cooperation on the sidelines of India Energy Week 2026 in Goa.
  • The Joint Statement was signed after a bilateral meeting between Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri and Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Timothy Hodgson.
  • The meeting marked the first high-level participation of a Canadian Cabinet Minister at India Energy Week.
  • The renewed India–Canada Ministerial Energy Dialogue was launched during the meeting.
  • Directions for the engagement were given by the Prime Ministers of India and Canada during their interaction on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in June 2025 in Kananaskis, Canada.
  • Canada aims to become an energy superpower in clean and conventional energy through expanding LNG projects, increased crude oil exports via the Trans Mountain Expansion pipeline, and growing LPG exports from its west coast.
  • India is the world’s third-largest oil consumer, fourth-largest LNG importer, and a major refining hub expected to account for over one-third of global energy demand growth over the next two decades.
  • Both countries agreed to deepen bilateral energy trade, including Canadian LNG, LPG, and crude oil supply to India and export of refined petroleum products from India to Canada.
  • Canada noted accelerated energy project approvals and India highlighted ongoing reforms and investment opportunities worth nearly USD 500 billion across the energy value chain.
  • Areas identified for collaboration include renewable energy, hydrogen, biofuels, sustainable aviation fuel, battery storage, critical minerals, electricity systems, energy supply chain resilience, and artificial intelligence in the energy sector.
India Energy Week 2026 to be held in Goa from 27–30 January (Start of February) ▼
  • India Energy Week (IEW) 2026 will be held in Goa from 27 to 30 January 2026.
  • The event is organised under the patronage of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and jointly hosted by the Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI) and dmg events.
  • Over 120 countries are expected to participate in IEW 2026.
  • The previous edition saw 68,000 attendees, 570 exhibitors and 5,400 conference delegates.
  • India is projected to account for more than 23 per cent of global incremental energy demand by 2050, according to the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook 2025.
  • IEW 2026 will showcase recent reforms under the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Act, 2025 and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Rules, 2025.
  • Clean energy initiatives such as India’s ethanol blending programme, biofuels, green hydrogen and sustainable fuels will be major focus areas.
India's first all-electric green tug flagged off under Green Tug Transition Programme (Mid of December) ▼
  • The green tugboat, designed for Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) in Kandla, is being developed under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways' Green Tug Transition Programme (GTTP).
  • The new green tug for DPA will feature a 60-ton bollard pull capacity, ensuring silent operations, zero carbon emissions and optimised energy efficiency.
  • The GTTP, launched by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, aims to induct 50 green tugs by 2030, with 16 to be deployed in the first phase between 2024 and 2027.
India adds record 52.5 GW power capacity in first 10 months of FY26 (Mid of February) ▼
  • India added 52,537 MW (52.5 GW) of power generation capacity from all sources in April 2025–January 2026, raising total installed capacity to 520.6 GW as of January 2026.
  • Over 75% of the new capacity came from renewable energy sources, while the remainder was from thermal sources.
  • Renewable capacity additions comprised 39.7 GW, including 35 GW of solar and 4.6 GW of wind power.
  • Large hydro projects contributed 3.4 GW, thermal sources 8.8 GW, and nuclear 700 MW during FY 2025-26.
  • Fossil fuel-based capacity totals 248.5 GW and non-fossil fuel capacity stands at 272 GW.
  • Projects under construction include 158 GW of renewable, 39.6 GW of thermal, 13 GW of hydro-electric, and 6.6 GW of nuclear capacity.
  • Contracts for 22.9 GW of coal- and lignite-based projects have been awarded, with another 24 GW in planning stages; 48.8 GW of renewable, 4.3 GW of hydro-electric, and 7 GW of nuclear projects are also under planning.

India gifts Maldives first high-speed ferry under 12-ferry transport link project

[Maldives]

Key Updates:

  • India handed over the first of 12 high-speed ferries to the Maldives to launch Raajje Transport Link (RTL) services in Faafu and Dhaalu Atolls.
  • The ferry was built with Indian assistance under the High Impact Community Development Project (HICDP) Phase III MoU signed in January 2025.
  • India will provide a total of 12 high-speed ferries to the Maldives as part of the existing agreement.
  • India signed 13 MoUs with the Maldives on 18 May 2024 for enhancing ferry services under HICDP Phase III with an MVR 100 million grant.
  • The total grant for the 13 projects under HICDP Phase III amounts to MVR 100 million (about ₹55.28 crore).
  • Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives G Balasubramaniam stated that India has provided USD 29.5 million to the Maldives over four phases for transport, sports, coastal protection, health, and education projects.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Maldives in July 2024 and Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu visited India in October 2024.

Similar Coverage

India and Seychelles Adopt SESEL Joint Vision and Announce USD 175 Million Economic Package (Mid of February) ▼
  • India and Seychelles adopted a comprehensive Joint Vision for Sustainability, Economic Growth and Security through Enhanced Linkages (SESEL) on 9 February 2026.
  • The visit of Seychelles President Patrick Herminie coincides with the 50th anniversary of Seychelles' Independence and 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two nations.
  • India announced a USD 175 million Special Economic Package for Seychelles, consisting of a USD 125 million Rupee-denominated Line of Credit and USD 50 million in grant assistance.
  • Seven Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed covering pharmacopoeial cooperation, meteorological collaboration, a Cultural Exchange Programme (2026-2030), digital transformation, maritime research, civil servant training, and food procurement.
  • India will provide a gratis refit for the patrol ship PS Zoraster and gift 10 ambulances, 10 utility vehicles, and five Laser Radial class boats to the Seychelles Defence Force.
  • The package includes the provision of 1,000 metric tonnes of grains and lentils and the establishment of a Seychelles Hydrographic Unit with Indian assistance.
  • Seychelles has decided to become a full member of the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC).
  • President Patrick Herminie reaffirmed Seychelles' support for India's permanent membership in an expanded United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
  • The partnership is framed under India's MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) vision for the Indian Ocean Region.
  • India will support Seychelles in building Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and digitising governance systems, including digital payments and financial inclusion.
India, Sri Lanka, and Maldives Conduct 17th Edition of DOSTI Exercise in Male on January 17, 2026 (Mid of January) ▼
  • The 17th edition of the trilateral exercise 'DOSTI' is being held in Male, involving the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Sri Lanka Coast Guard, and Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).
  • The harbour phase of the exercise includes collaborative Marine Pollution (MARPOL) exercises, joint Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) drills, and pollution response demonstrations.
  • A four-member delegation from the ICG, led by Director General Paramesh Sivamani, is participating in the exercise to foster reciprocal learning and capacity augmentation.
  • The exercise features tabletop exercises and the implementation of cross-boarding Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to enhance interoperability.
  • Originally started as a bilateral exercise between India and the Maldives in 1991, DOSTI transitioned into a trilateral framework in 2012 with the addition of Sri Lanka.
  • The trilateral engagement reflects India's 'Security and Growth for All in the Region' (SAGAR) vision and its 'Neighbourhood First' policy.
India flags off INS Sagardhwani for Sagar Maitri V oceanographic mission (End of January) ▼
  • INS Sagardhwani, India's oceanographic research vessel under the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) of DRDO, was flagged off for the fifth edition of the Sagar Maitri (SM-5) initiative from Southern Naval Command, Kochi.
  • Sagar Maitri is a flagship collaborative initiative of the Indian Navy and DRDO, aligned with the Government of India's vision of 'Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions (MAHASAGAR)'.
  • The initiative seeks to build sustained scientific collaboration with eight Indian Ocean Rim countries: Oman, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Myanmar.
  • Under the Sagar Maitri programme, INS Sagardhwani will retrace the historic routes of INS Kistna, which participated in the International Indian Ocean Expedition during 1962-65.
  • The ongoing mission marks the launch of collaborative oceanographic studies with the Maldives, enabling joint research and professional exchanges among scientists from IOR nations.
India and Bangladesh participate in International Fleet Review in Colombo on November 30 (End of November) ▼
  • India's first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant and multi-mission stealth frigate Udaygiri have arrived in Colombo for an international fleet review to mark the 75th anniversary of Sri Lanka Navy.
  • In a display of naval cooperation, three warships representing Bangladesh and India made port calls in Colombo on November 25 and 26, for the International Fleet Review (IFR) 2025, scheduled to be held on November 30.
  • This also marks INS Udaygiri 's first foreign visit since its commission on August 26, 2025.
  • India's first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, arrived in Colombo for her maiden participation in Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) IFR 2025.
  • The state-of-the-art Project 17A multi-mission stealth frigates Udaygiri and Himgiri were commissioned at the Naval Base in Visakhapatnam on August 26 this year.
  • Udaygiri, built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd in Mumbai, and Himgiri, constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers in Kolkata, showcase the nation's growing shipbuilding prowess.

Mumbai to host Prince William-founded Earthshot Prize 2026 in November

[Maharashtra]

Key Updates:

  • Mumbai has been selected as the host city for the Earthshot Prize 2026, a global environmental award founded by Britain's Prince William.
  • The event is scheduled for November 2026, where five winners will each receive 1 million pounds to accelerate their innovative climate solutions.
  • The prize focuses on five categories: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean our Air, Revive our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World, and Fix our Climate.
  • The Earthshot Prize was inspired by former United States (US) President John F. Kennedy's 1962 'Moonshot' mission to land a man on the moon.
  • India has produced multiple winners including S4S Technologies and Boomitra in 2023, Kheyti in 2022, and Takachar in 2021.
  • Mumbai joins the global list of Earthshot host cities which includes London, Boston, Singapore, Cape Town, and Rio de Janeiro.
  • The announcement was made during the inaugural Mumbai Climate Week in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis.
  • The prize aims to discover 50 winners over 10 years with the mission to repair and restore the planet by 2030.

Similar Coverage

Mumbai Climate Week 2026 inaugurated; Maharashtra targets over 50% green energy by 2030 (Mid of February) ▼
  • Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the three-day Mumbai Climate Week (MCW) 2026.
  • MCW 2026 is India’s first platform dedicated to accelerating transformative, citizen-driven climate action in the Global South.
  • Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on ‘Urban Heat Mitigation, Passive Cooling and Nature-based Resilience systems, Climate adaptation frameworks’ with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Resources Institute (WRI), C40, and Urban Land Institute (ULI).
  • Fadnavis stated Maharashtra aims for more than 50% of its energy from green sources by 2030, up from 21% renewable share in its current 48 GW installed capacity.
  • Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy Prahlad Joshi announced 1 lakh additional solar pumps for Maharashtra under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM Kusum) scheme.
  • Under PM Kusum in Maharashtra, energy production cost is Rs 3 with Rs 5 savings, and excess power is fed into the grid.
Mumbai Climate Week 2026: City-Led Initiative to Showcase Climate Action as Fundamental Child Right (End of January) ▼
  • Mumbai is slated to host the ‘Mumbai Climate Week 2026’ from February 17 to 19, marking India’s first city-led initiative dedicated to fostering local action through citizen-driven solutions.
  • UNICEF India and YuWaah have been named the official youth engagement partners for the event.
  • The initiative is curated by Project Mumbai in collaboration with UNICEF and YuWaah to empower the next generation to become active agents of change within their communities.
Mumbai hosts India’s first city-led climate initiative framing climate action as a child right (End of January) ▼
  • Mumbai is slated to host the ‘Mumbai Climate Week 2026’ from February 17 to 19, marking India’s first city-led initiative dedicated to fostering local action through citizen-driven solutions.
  • UNICEF India and YuWaah have been named the official youth engagement partners for the event.
  • Campus Climate Roadshows will be organised across select Mumbai colleges from February 9 to 16, featuring a signature electronic waste installation under the education ministry’s ‘Mission LiFE’.
India to host India-AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi from February 16 to 20 (Mid of February) ▼
  • India is scheduled to host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi from February 16 to 20, 2026.
  • The Summit is organised under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is built around three foundational Sutras: People, Planet, and Progress.
  • The event will see participation from ministerial-level delegations representing over 45 countries and the United Nations (UN) Secretary General.
  • Confirmed attendees from Europe include President Emmanuel Macron (France), President Pedro Sanchez Perez-Castejon (Spain), Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (Finland), Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (Greece), Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic (Croatia), President Alar Karis (Estonia), President Peter Pellegrini (Slovakia), President Aleksandar Vucic (Serbia), President Guy Parmelin (Switzerland), Prime Minister Dick Schoof (Netherlands), and Hereditary Prince Alois (Liechtenstein).
  • Leaders from the Americas and Asia-Pacific attending include President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (Brazil), Vice President Edmand Lara Montano (Bolivia), Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo (Guyana), Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay (Bhutan), President Anura Kumara Disanayaka (Sri Lanka), and Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov (Kazakhstan).
  • Participants from Africa, the Indian Ocean, and the Middle East include Prime Minister Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam (Mauritius), Vice President Sebastien Pillay (Seychelles), and Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (United Arab Emirates).

Food Corporation of India (FCI) and World Food Programme (WFP) sign MoU for rice supply to combat global hunger

[Food Corporation of India (FCI), World Food Programme (WFP)]

Key Updates:

  • Food Corporation of India (FCI) and World Food Programme (WFP) signed a five-year MoU for supply of rice to support global humanitarian operations.
  • FCI will supply 2 lakh tonnes of rice (up to 25% broken) to WFP under the agreement.
  • The price is fixed at Rs 2,800 per quintal up to 31 March 2026 and will be mutually agreed annually thereafter.
  • The MoU was signed by Rabindra Kumar Agarwal, CMD, FCI and Carl Skau, Deputy Executive Director, WFP in presence of Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution.

Similar Coverage

India named Country of the Year at BIOFACH 2026 in Germany (Mid of February) ▼
  • India has been designated as the Country of the Year at BIOFACH 2026, the world’s leading trade fair for organic products, to be held from February 10 to 13 in Nuremberg, Germany.
  • The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is organising India’s participation with a 1,074 square metre India Pavilion featuring 67 co-exhibitors.
  • The pavilion will showcase organic rice, oilseeds, herbs, spices, pulses, cashew, ginger, turmeric, large cardamom, cinnamon, mango puree, and essential oils.
  • Exhibitors from 20 states and Union Territories including Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttarakhand are participating.
  • Five GI-tagged rice varieties—Indrayani, Navara, Gobindbhog, Red, and Chak Hao (Black rice)—will be served to highlight India’s heritage rice varieties.
  • Live sampling of aromatic biryani prepared using premium organic basmati rice and spices will be organised at the India Pavilion.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announces India surpasses China as world's largest rice producer (Start of January) ▼
  • India's rice production reached 150.18 million tonnes, exceeding China's 145.28 million tonnes.
  • 184 new high-yielding varieties of 25 crops released to boost production and farmers' income.
  • Since 1969, a total of 7,205 crop varieties have been notified, including 3,236 approved under the Narendra Modi-led government.
  • India transformed from food-deficient to global food provider with abundant foodgrain stocks ensuring food security.
  • Newly released varieties include 122 cereals, 6 pulses, 13 oilseeds, 11 fodder crops, 6 sugarcane, 24 cotton, and one each of jute and tobacco.
  • Varieties developed by ICAR institutes, state/central agricultural universities, and private seed companies are climate-resilient and pest-disease resistant.
World Bank Group and India launch Country Partnership Framework with USD 8-10 billion annual financing (Start of February) ▼
  • The World Bank Group (WBG) and India announced a new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) envisaging USD 8-10 billion in annual financing over the next five years.
  • The CPF is aligned with India's Viksit Bharat vision to become a developed economy by 2047 and was discussed between Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and WBG President Ajay Banga.
  • The partnership prioritises private sector-led job creation to accommodate the approximately 12 million young people entering India's labour market each year.
  • The strategy focuses on five key sectors for job creation: infrastructure and energy, agribusiness, health care, tourism, and value-added manufacturing.
  • The framework targets four strategic outcomes: boosting rural prosperity, supporting urban transformation, investing in energy security and core infrastructure, and strengthening resilience.
  • India is the largest client of the WBG, with International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) commitments of USD 20 billion across 79 projects.
  • The International Finance Corporation (IFC) holds commitments of USD 16.72 billion across 174 projects in India.
  • The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) has provided USD 618 million in guarantees for Indian projects.
India Achieves Historic Record of 357 Million Tonnes Foodgrain Production (Start of December) ▼
  • India produced 357 million tonnes of foodgrains.
  • India's foodgrain production increased by 100 million tonnes compared to 10 years ago.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the Natural Farming Exhibition in Coimbatore.
  • The South India Natural Farming Summit promotes sustainable, eco-friendly, and chemical-free agricultural practices.
  • The Summit focuses on regenerative farming as a climate-smart and economically sustainable model.
  • The Summit showcases innovations in organic inputs, agro-processing, eco-friendly packaging, and indigenous technologies.

India unveils first AI governance guidelines ahead of AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi

Key Updates:

  • The Government of India unveiled the nation's first comprehensive Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance guidelines to manage risks while promoting innovation.
  • The framework is anchored in seven broad principles or sutras: trust, people first, innovation over restraint, fairness and equity, accountability, understandable by design, and safety, resilience, and sustainability.
  • The guidelines outline the development and usage of AI across key sectors including healthcare, education, agriculture, finance, and governance.
  • The government proposed the establishment of three new national institutions: an AI governance group, a technology and policy expert committee, and an AI safety institute.
  • The five-day AI Impact Summit 2026 is scheduled to commence in New Delhi on 16 February 2026.
  • The framework emphasises reliance on existing legal structures such as Information Technology (IT) rules, data protection laws, and criminal statutes instead of a standalone AI law.
  • The Delhi declaration is expected to be considered for adoption during the summit to position India as a global voice in responsible AI governance aligned with Viksit Bharat 2047.
  • High-risk AI applications affecting safety, rights, or livelihoods are required to follow stronger safeguards and maintain human oversight under the new guidelines.

Similar Coverage

SAHI and BODH initiatives launched to integrate ethical AI into India’s health system (Mid of February) ▼
  • Union Health Minister JP Nadda launched the Strategy for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare for India (SAHI) and the Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health AI (BODH) at Bharat Mandapam during the India AI Impact Summit 2026 Day 2.
  • SAHI serves as a national guideline for responsible AI adoption in healthcare, covering governance, data management, validation and monitoring of AI tools.
  • BODH was developed by IIT Kanpur in collaboration with the National Health Authority (NHA) and operates under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission to evaluate and benchmark AI models using privacy-preserving techniques.
  • The summit features over 20 Heads of State, 60 ministers and hundreds of global AI experts, with an AI Expo hosting 300+ exhibition pavilions and 600+ startups across 70,000 square metres at Bharat Mandapam.
  • Organisers expect more than 2.5 lakh visitors during the five-day event.
Government unveils India’s first AI governance guidelines ahead of AI Impact Summit 2026 (Mid of February) ▼
  • India released its first comprehensive AI governance guidelines on Sunday, opting for a principle-based framework over a new law.
  • The framework is anchored in seven principles: trust as foundation, people first, innovation over restraint, fairness and equity, accountability, understandable by design, and safety, resilience and sustainability.
  • Guidelines apply to AI development and use across healthcare, education, agriculture, finance and governance sectors.
  • Existing laws such as IT rules, data protection laws and criminal statutes will cover AI-related risks instead of a standalone AI law.
  • New proposed institutions include an AI governance group for inter-ministerial coordination, a technology and policy expert committee for expert inputs, and an AI safety institute for testing standards and risk assessment.
  • Developers and deployers must publish transparency reports, disclose AI-generated content, provide grievance redressal, and cooperate with regulators.
  • High-risk AI applications affecting safety, rights or livelihoods must follow stronger safeguards and human oversight.
  • The five-day AI Impact Summit 2026 begins on Monday, positioning India as a global voice for responsible and inclusive AI governance aligned with ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’.
ASEAN and India reaffirm shared commitment to strengthen regional digital cooperation (Mid of January) ▼
  • The 6th ASEAN-India Digital Ministers Meeting was held virtually under the theme Adaptive ASEAN: From Connectivity to Connected Intelligence.
  • The meeting was co-chaired by Telecom Secretary Amit Agrawal and Vietnam’s Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Manh Hung.
  • The ASEAN-India Digital Work Plan 2026 was approved, covering ICT training, the India-ASEAN Regulators’ Conference and telecom ICT solutions deployment.
  • A special ASEAN-India Fund for the Digital Future was operationalised.
  • India highlighted its Digital Public Infrastructure such as Aadhaar, UPI and DigiLocker, and the Sanchar Saathi initiative for telecom user protection and fraud prevention.
  • India underlined cooperation in Artificial Intelligence through the IndiaAI Mission, emphasising safe and trusted AI.
NITI Aayog projects India’s technology services sector to reach $750–850 billion by 2035 (Mid of February) ▼
  • NITI Aayog released a 10-year roadmap projecting India’s $265 billion technology services sector to scale to $750–850 billion by 2035.
  • The roadmap by NITI Aayog’s Frontier Tech Hub identifies five priority growth levers: Agentic AI, Software and Products, Digital Infrastructure, Innovation-led Engineering, and India-for-India solutions.
  • Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal stated that the government is building an enabling ecosystem combining progressive policy, industry partnership, and inter-ministerial coordination to accelerate innovation.
  • MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan said India is pursuing a full-stack, impact-driven AI strategy covering energy, infrastructure, chips, models, and applications.
  • NITI Aayog CEO B.V.R. Subrahmanyam described the AI transformation as a generational opportunity to create new value pools and strengthen global leadership.

India joins United Nations (UN) statement condemning Israel's West Bank actions

[United Nations (UN), Israel]

Key Updates:

  • India joined more than 100 countries and international organisations in endorsing a joint statement at the United Nations (UN) condemning Israel's efforts to consolidate control over the West Bank.
  • The joint statement asserts that Israeli actions violate international law and undermine prospects for peace and stability in the region.
  • The declaration calls for the immediate reversal of unilateral Israeli measures aimed at expanding presence in the West Bank.
  • The statement firmly opposes any form of annexation and rejects measures intended to alter the demographic composition, character, and status of the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem.
  • Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Israel next week and is expected to address the Israeli parliament.

Similar Coverage

India pays $35.18 million to United Nations (UN) Regular Budget for 2026, joins honour roll (Start of February) ▼
  • India paid USD 35.18 million to the UN Regular Budget for 2026 on 3 February 2026.
  • The UN Committee on Contributions listed 47 Member States that paid their regular budget assessments in full within the 30-day due period.
  • India is now part of the UN 'honour roll' of Member States that have paid their dues on time.
Israel severs ties with multiple UN agencies citing bias and hostility (Mid of January) ▼
  • Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa'ar decided that Jerusalem will immediately sever all contact with several United Nations agencies and international bodies.
  • The decision was made after a review of organisations named in the United States' announcement and of Israel's own experience with these bodies.
  • Israel has already severed ties with the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict, UN Women, UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).
  • Additional organisations affected include the UN Alliance of Civilisations, UN Energy, and the Global Forum on Migration and Development.
India nominated to chair United Nations Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters for 2026–27 term (Mid of January) ▼
  • Senior Indian diplomat DB Venkatesh Varma has been nominated by the UN Secretary General to chair the Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters for the 2026–27 term.
  • This marks the first time an Indian will hold the position of chair of the Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters.
  • The Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters was established in 1978 pursuant to paragraph 124 of the Final Document of the Tenth Special Session of the General Assembly.
  • The Board advises the Secretary-General on issues related to arms limitation and disarmament, including studies and research carried out under the auspices of the United Nations or institutions within the UN system.
  • The Board also serves as the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research.
  • Members of the Advisory Board are chosen by the Secretary General from all regions of the world based on their knowledge and experience in disarmament and international security.
India invited to join Donald Trump-led Board of Peace for global conflict resolution (Mid of January) ▼
  • India was invited to join the Donald Trump-led Board of Peace, which is described as a new International Organization and Transitional Governing Administration meant to embark on a bold new approach to resolving Global Conflict!
  • Donald J. Trump will serve as the inaugural Chairman of the Board of Peace and will remain in this position even when he is no longer the President of the United States.
  • The organization offers a tenure of three years for members, but nations can become permanent members if they pay $ 1 billion in cash in the first year of membership.
  • The Executive Board's founding members include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio; US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff; Trump’s son-in-law and businessman Jared Kushner; former UK prime minister Tony Blair; American businessman Marc Rowan; World Bank Group president Ajay Banga; and US national security adviser Robert Gabriel.
  • The Board's charter allows it to work to secure enduring peace in areas not just affected by, but also threatened by conflict.
  • The original mandate for the Board was approved by the UN in November 2025 to operate in Gaza until the end of 2027, though the new charter has expanded its scope significantly.
  • Invitations for membership have been sent to several countries including Hungary, Albania, Greece, Canada, Turkey, Cyprus, Egypt, Jordan, Paraguay, and Argentina, with Pakistan also reporting an invitation.

India sets Guinness World Record with 250,946 AI responsibility pledges in 24 hours at AI Impact Summit 2026

Key Updates:

  • Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the Guinness World Records title for 'Most pledges received for an AI responsibility campaign in 24 hours' with 250,946 valid pledges during February 16-17.
  • The announcement was made at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
  • The nationwide AI Responsibility Pledge campaign was launched under the IndiaAI Mission in collaboration with Intel India on February 16.
  • Citizens pledged through the portal aipledge.indiaai.gov.in to commit to ethical, inclusive, and responsible use of Artificial Intelligence.
  • Participants received a digital badge and access to AI learning pathways after completing the pledge.
  • The campaign exceeded its initial target of 5,000 pledges.

Similar Coverage

SAHI and BODH initiatives launched to integrate ethical AI into India’s health system (Mid of February) ▼
  • Union Health Minister JP Nadda launched the Strategy for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare for India (SAHI) and the Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health AI (BODH) at Bharat Mandapam during the India AI Impact Summit 2026 Day 2.
  • SAHI serves as a national guideline for responsible AI adoption in healthcare, covering governance, data management, validation and monitoring of AI tools.
  • BODH was developed by IIT Kanpur in collaboration with the National Health Authority (NHA) and operates under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission to evaluate and benchmark AI models using privacy-preserving techniques.
  • The summit features over 20 Heads of State, 60 ministers and hundreds of global AI experts, with an AI Expo hosting 300+ exhibition pavilions and 600+ startups across 70,000 square metres at Bharat Mandapam.
  • Organisers expect more than 2.5 lakh visitors during the five-day event.
India Ranks 3rd in Stanford University Global AI Vibrancy Ranking 2025 (Mid of February) ▼
  • India secured the 3rd position in the Global AI Vibrancy Ranking 2025 published by Stanford University.
  • The Artificial Intelligence (AI) market in India expanded from USD 2.97 billion in 2020 to USD 7.63 billion in 2024, with a projected growth to USD 131.31 billion by 2032 at a CAGR of 42.2%.
  • According to the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) AI Adoption Index, 87% of Indian enterprises were actively using AI solutions as of December 2025.
  • India recorded 100.29 crore internet connections in June 2025 and possesses the world’s second-largest 5G subscriber base with over 400 million users.
  • The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has recognised more than 2,00,000 startups across the country.
  • India leads the world in AI talent acquisition with an annual hiring rate of approximately 33% and was the second-largest contributor to GitHub AI projects globally in 2024, accounting for 19.9% of projects.
  • The relative penetration of AI skills in India is 2.5 times greater than the global average across the same set of occupations.
  • Major AI job hubs in India include Bangalore (11% share), Hyderabad (9.57%), Pune (6.95%), and Chennai (6.62%).
  • The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) oversees the National Program on Artificial Intelligence, which rests on four pillars: National Center on AI, Data Management Office, Skilling in AI, and Responsible AI.
  • The Skilling for AI Readiness (SOAR) initiative, delivered in partnership with Microsoft, HCL Technologies, and NASSCOM, enrolled 1.34 lakh students and teachers as of December 2025.
  • India improved its position by four slots to reach the 45th rank in the Network Readiness Index (NRI) 2025 report prepared by the Portulans Institute.
  • The BHASHINI initiative, leveraging AI for over 36 languages, has recorded more than 1.2 million mobile app downloads to break communication barriers in the digital economy.
Government unveils India’s first AI governance guidelines ahead of AI Impact Summit 2026 (Mid of February) ▼
  • India released its first comprehensive AI governance guidelines on Sunday, opting for a principle-based framework over a new law.
  • The framework is anchored in seven principles: trust as foundation, people first, innovation over restraint, fairness and equity, accountability, understandable by design, and safety, resilience and sustainability.
  • Guidelines apply to AI development and use across healthcare, education, agriculture, finance and governance sectors.
  • Existing laws such as IT rules, data protection laws and criminal statutes will cover AI-related risks instead of a standalone AI law.
  • New proposed institutions include an AI governance group for inter-ministerial coordination, a technology and policy expert committee for expert inputs, and an AI safety institute for testing standards and risk assessment.
  • Developers and deployers must publish transparency reports, disclose AI-generated content, provide grievance redressal, and cooperate with regulators.
  • High-risk AI applications affecting safety, rights or livelihoods must follow stronger safeguards and human oversight.
  • The five-day AI Impact Summit 2026 begins on Monday, positioning India as a global voice for responsible and inclusive AI governance aligned with ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’.
India ranks 2nd globally in enterprise AI usage; security risks loom (Mid of February) ▼
  • India ranks second only to the United States in enterprise AI/ML transactions according to Zscaler's ThreatLabz 2026 AI Security Report.
  • Indian enterprises logged 82.3 billion AI/ML transactions between June and December 2025, accounting for 46.2 per cent of all AI activity in the Asia-Pacific region.
  • The India AI Impact Summit 2026 will be held in New Delhi from 16–20 February and will host global tech leaders including NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon.
  • AI activity in India was led by the Technology & Communication sector with 31.3 billion transactions, followed by Manufacturing (15.7 billion), Services (12.6 billion), and Finance & Insurance (12.2 billion).
  • Zscaler warns that enterprise AI systems tested under adversarial conditions show a median time to first critical failure of 16 minutes, with 90 per cent compromised in under 90 minutes.
  • Globally, over 18,000 terabytes of data were funnelled into AI applications in 2025, with ChatGPT alone linked to 410 million Data Loss Prevention policy violations.

Poland Bans Chinese-Made Vehicles from Military Facilities on 18 February 2026

[Poland, China]

Key Updates:

  • The Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces has officially banned Chinese-made cars from entering the country’s military facilities to mitigate data security risks.
  • The restriction aims to prevent the uncontrolled acquisition and use of data by digital systems and sensors embedded in modern Chinese vehicles.
  • Government employees in Poland are prohibited from connecting official mobile phones to infotainment systems in motor vehicles manufactured in the People's Republic of China.
  • The ban applies to all motor vehicles equipped with devices capable of recording position, image, or sound, unless such functions are disabled and security protocols are met.
  • Exemptions to the ban include Polish military facilities open to the public, such as hospitals, clinics, libraries, and garrison clubs.
  • Official vehicles of the Polish Armed Forces and those used in rescue operations or by state and local government bodies are exempt from these restrictions.
  • Major Chinese automotive brands mentioned with significant sales in Poland include SAIC Motor Corp.'s MG brand, Chery Automobile Co., and BYD Co.
  • Poland, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), stated that these preventive measures align with security standards used by other alliance members.

Similar Coverage

European Court of Justice (ECJ) rules Poland must recognise same-sex marriages lawfully concluded in other EU member states (End of November) ▼
  • The European Court of Justice (ECJ) stated that EU member states are obliged to recognise a same-sex marriage between two EU citizens that had been 'lawfully concluded in another member state'.
  • The ruling covers the case of a Polish couple who married in Berlin and whose marriage certificate was rejected by Polish authorities.
  • The ECJ clarified that Polish domestic law would not have to be changed to recognise marriages between people of the same sex.
  • The court emphasised that as EU citizens, the couple had the right to freedom of movement and the right to lead a family life.
  • Forcing them to live as an unmarried couple in Poland was contrary to EU law and infringed their rights.
European Union (EU) Adopts Stepwise Ban on Russian Gas and Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) Imports on 26 January 2026 (End of January) ▼
  • The 27 EU member states formally adopted a regulation to phase out imports of Russian pipeline gas and LNG.
  • The regulation serves as a key milestone in achieving the REPowerEU objective of ending the EU reliance on Russian energy.
  • The ban will start to apply six weeks after the regulation enters into force, with a full ban on LNG imports by the beginning of 2027 and pipeline gas by autumn 2027.
  • Non-compliance with the new rules may result in maximum penalties of at least €2.5 million for individuals and at least €40 million for companies.
  • Companies may face penalties of at least 3.5% of their total worldwide annual turnover or 300% of the estimated transaction turnover for violations.
  • EU member states must verify the production country of gas imports and submit national diversification plans by 1 March 2026.
  • The European Commission (EC) is authorised to suspend the import ban for up to four weeks if the security of supply is seriously threatened.
  • Following the Versailles Declaration of March 2022, Russian gas imports fell to 13% of EU imports by 2025, valued at over €15 billion annually.
  • The EC plans to propose further legislation to phase out Russian oil imports by the end of 2027.
  • Michael Damianos, the Minister for Energy, Commerce and Industry of Cyprus, stated that the move is a step towards an autonomous Energy Union.
  • India link not mentioned in the article.
China Unveils New Export Controls on Japan Amid Taiwan Tensions on 7 January 2026 (Start of January) ▼
  • China’s Ministry of Commerce banned the export of dual-use items with military applications to Japan.
  • The export ban is intended to safeguard national security and applies to all goods that could enhance Japan’s military capabilities.
  • Japanese Prime Minister (PM) Sanae Takaichi stated in November that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, meeting the threshold for collective self-defence.
  • The Chinese military recently conducted live-fire drills that simulated a blockade of the island of Taiwan following President Xi Jinping's New Year’s address.
  • Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) issued a protest against the measures, with officials stating the ban was absolutely unacceptable and did not comply with international practice.
  • Taiwan’s governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) considers the island a de facto independent country, although it is not officially recognised by most nations, including Japan.
Poland Backs India Amid Trump Tariff Threats Over Russian Oil (Mid of January) ▼
  • Poland expressed satisfaction that India has reduced Russian oil imports.
  • EAM S Jaishankar participated in India’s first-ever engagement in the Weimar Triangle format.
  • Weimar Triangle consists of France, Germany, and Poland.

India and France inaugurate Indo-French Centre for AI in Health at AIIMS Delhi

[France]

Key Updates:

  • Union Minister for Health JP Nadda and French President Emmanuel Macron inaugurated the Indo-French Centre for AI in Health (IF-CAIH) at AIIMS, New Delhi, on Wednesday.
  • The IF-CAIH has been established under a joint MoU between AIIMS, Sorbonne University, and Paris Brain Institute, with additional collaboration from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and other leading French institutions.
  • The launch coincided with the Rencontres Universitaires et Scientifiques de Haut Niveau (RUSH) 2026, held at AIIMS on February 18 and February 19, coordinated by the French Embassy.
  • President Macron emphasised that India and France are committed to developing computing capacity and talent to build trusted AI systems.
  • The initiative builds on ongoing India-France cooperation in Digital Health, Antimicrobial Resistance, Human Resources for Health, and responsible use of health data.

Similar Coverage

PM Narendra Modi inaugurates India AI Impact Expo 2026 at Bharat Mandapam (Mid of February) ▼
  • Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi inaugurated the India AI Impact Expo 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi as a key component of the India AI Impact Summit.
  • The Expo spans over 70,000 square metres across 10 arenas and is designed to scale Artificial Intelligence (AI) from demonstrations to industrial deployment.
  • The event features over 300 curated exhibition pavilions and live demonstrations structured across three thematic chakras: People, Planet, and Progress.
  • A total of 13 country pavilions are featured, including France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Russia, United Kingdom (UK), Africa, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Serbia, Estonia, and Tajikistan.
  • More than 600 high-potential startups are participating to showcase working AI solutions already deployed in real-world settings.
  • The five-day summit includes over 500 sessions with more than 3,250 speakers, including OpenAI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sam Altman.
  • Global leaders attending the summit include French President Emmanuel Macron, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and Brazilian President Lula da Silva.
  • The government estimates the event will attract over 2.5 lakh visitors, including international delegates and technology experts.
IIT Madras and IndiaAI Mission to Host Meet on Safe, Trusted AI Ahead of India-AI Impact Summit 2026 (Mid of December) ▼
  • The Centre for Responsible AI (CeRAI) at Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) and the IndiaAI Mission under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) will host a pre-summit meet on safe and trusted artificial intelligence.
  • The pre-summit meet will take place in Chennai.
  • The conclave aims to shape AI Safety Commons proposals and governance models for the Global South.
  • The meeting will discuss steps to create an AI Safety Commons for the Global South, including shared datasets, benchmarks and governance resources.
  • Discussions will also look at how responsible AI principles can be implemented through governance and regulatory models suited to different cultural, legal and technological environments.
  • The outcomes will feed into the roadmap for the India–AI Impact Summit and support India’s role in shaping a global AI framework centred on trust, safety and inclusion.
  • The India–AI Impact Summit will take place at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
  • This is the first time the summit will be held in the Global South.
  • Concerns around fairness, accountability and misuse underline the need for frameworks that can be used across global contexts.
India launches Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave-2026 (Mid of February) ▼
  • Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan launched the two-day Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave-2026 in New Delhi.
  • The conclave focuses on four verticals: AI for school education, AI for higher education, AI for skilling and workforce readiness, and AI research and deep technology.
  • It aims to integrate AI in education at scale and develop the ‘Bharat EduAI Stack’ by bringing together academia, industry, policymakers, start-ups, innovators, scientific leadership and the skilling ecosystem.
  • Pradhan stated that India’s AI will be inclusive by design, interoperable by architecture and sovereign by capability.
  • Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Lucknow introduced a series of new Artificial Intelligence programmes during the event.
  • An MoU was exchanged between Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay and Columbia University to establish a Centre of AI for manufacturing at IIT Bombay.
  • On 11 February, Pradhan chaired a roundtable with founders of 10 new-age Indian start-ups using AI in education at IIT Delhi to discuss alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
IndiaAI Impact Summit 2026 to spotlight population-scale AI deployment and governance (Start of February) ▼
  • The IndiaAI Impact Summit 2026 will be held in New Delhi and positions India as a leader in real-world AI deployment rather than model development.
  • Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), CEO of IndiaAI Mission, and Director General of National Informatics Centre (NIC), oversees the summit.
  • GPUs under the IndiaAI Mission are available at ₹65 per GPU hour to democratise access to high-performance computing.
  • About twelve foundational models are under development and some will be launched ahead of the summit.
  • The Bhashini initiative provides speech-to-speech and speech-to-text APIs to address India’s linguistic diversity.
  • The summit features flagship challenges AI for All, AI for Her, and YUVAi, with participation from 136 countries.
  • YUVAi programme has reached nearly 100,000 students within two weeks and targets over one million learners by the summit.
  • Stanford AI Index ranked India as the third-largest AI ecosystem globally, up from seventh two years earlier.
  • Global firms Nvidia, Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, Qualcomm, Intel, and Schneider Electric, plus academics from Stanford, will attend the summit.
  • NIC is deploying AI in judicial systems, agriculture, healthcare, and education integrated with India’s digital public infrastructure.

L&T partners with NVIDIA to build gigawatt-scale AI data centre under IndiaAI Mission

[NVIDIA]

Key Updates:

  • Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and NVIDIA will jointly develop a gigawatt-scale artificial intelligence data centre in India as part of the government’s IndiaAI Mission.
  • The partnership will expand NVIDIA GPU cluster capacity to 30 megawatts at L&T’s 300-acre Chennai data centre campus, designed for future gigawatt-scale expansion.
  • A separate 40 megawatt data centre is under development in Mumbai to host additional AI infrastructure.
  • The infrastructure will integrate NVIDIA’s GPUs, CPUs, networking systems and enterprise platforms with L&T’s engineering and infrastructure capabilities.
  • Target sectors for AI workloads include manufacturing, energy, financial services, healthcare and public services.

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NITI Aayog projects India’s technology services sector to reach $750–850 billion by 2035 (Mid of February) ▼
  • NITI Aayog released a 10-year roadmap projecting India’s $265 billion technology services sector to scale to $750–850 billion by 2035.
  • The roadmap by NITI Aayog’s Frontier Tech Hub identifies five priority growth levers: Agentic AI, Software and Products, Digital Infrastructure, Innovation-led Engineering, and India-for-India solutions.
  • Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal stated that the government is building an enabling ecosystem combining progressive policy, industry partnership, and inter-ministerial coordination to accelerate innovation.
  • MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan said India is pursuing a full-stack, impact-driven AI strategy covering energy, infrastructure, chips, models, and applications.
  • NITI Aayog CEO B.V.R. Subrahmanyam described the AI transformation as a generational opportunity to create new value pools and strengthen global leadership.
Reliance Industries (RIL) announces people-first Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform and global clean energy hub (Mid of January) ▼
  • Jio will launch a people-first artificial intelligence platform built in India, for India, and the world.
  • In Jamnagar, we are building India's largest artificial intelligence-ready data centre with a single goal -- affordable AI for every Indian.
  • At Jamnagar, we are building the world's largest integrated clean energy ecosystem, spanning solar, battery energy storage, green hydrogen, green fertilizer, sustainable aviation fuel, and maritime fuels, and advanced materials.
  • Our multi-gigawatt utility scale solar project, among the world's largest, will deliver round-the-clock clean power through advanced storage and modern grid integration.
  • Jamnagar, once the largest hydrocarbon energy exporter, will in the coming years become India's largest exporter of green energy and material, from Gujarat.
Digital Connexion JV to build 1 GW AI-ready data hub in Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) (End of November) ▼
  • Digital Connexion, a Reliance-Brookfield-Digital Realty joint venture, will invest Rs 98,000 crore ($11 billion) to create a 1 GW data-centre cluster in Visakhapatnam by 2030.
  • The 400-acre campus will run on an integrated 6 GW solar plant with battery energy storage and use Direct-to-Chip Liquid Cooling for AI servers.
  • Water-cooled chillers, on-site water recycling and CPCB-compliant standby generators will meet environmental norms.
TCS and TPG form joint venture for gigawatt-scale AI-ready data centres in India (End of November) ▼
  • Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is joining forces with private equity group TPG in a multi-billion dollar joint venture.
  • The joint venture, named HyperVault AI Data Centre Ltd, aims to create gigawatt-scale, AI-ready data centres.
  • TCS will own a controlling 51% of HyperVault, and TPG will deploy Rs 8,820 crore ($1.1 billion) for a stake of up to 49%.
  • Both partners have agreed to cumulatively invest up to Rs 18,000 crore ($2.1 billion) as equity in HyperVault over the next few years.
  • The new data centre arm will operate as a colocation data centre provider, offering services to hyperscalers, Indian enterprises, government entities, and Tata companies.
  • TCS announced its plan to enter the data centre space with an aim of building up to 1.2 GW of capacity, entailing $6.5-7 billion in investments to be funded via debt and equity.
  • This is the first time that cash-rich TCS will be taking equity from a PE firm as well as external debt to fund a project.
  • The project will complete buildout in five to seven years and revenue could start kicking in over the next 18-24 months.
  • AZB & Partners, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas and Latham & Watkins LLP were the legal advisers, while Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India and Price Waterhouse & Co were tax advisers.

Google unveils America-India Connect subsea cable and frontier AI partnerships for Indian government bodies

[Google]

Key Updates:

  • Google will build new subsea cable routes between India, the United States, Singapore, South Africa and Australia under the America-India Connect initiative.
  • The project establishes an international subsea gateway in Visakhapatnam and four strategic fibre-optic routes to boost network connectivity.
  • Google had previously announced a $15 billion investment over five years for an AI data centre in Andhra Pradesh.
  • Google DeepMind will partner with the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) to provide access to frontier AI for Science models including AlphaGenome, AI Co-scientist and Earth AI.
  • Google DeepMind will also partner with NITI Aayog’s Atal Tinkering Labs to integrate robotics, coding, Gemini into teacher workflows and build a safeguarded AI assistant for students.
  • Google.org launched the $30-million Google.org Impact Challenge: AI for Science, an open call for researchers, nonprofits and social enterprises in India and worldwide using AI for scientific breakthroughs.

Similar Coverage

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) to develop space-based AI data centres (End of January) ▼
  • China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced plans to construct gigawatt-class space digital-intelligence infrastructure over the next five years.
  • The project aims to create an industrial-scale Space Cloud by 2030 by integrating space-based solar power with artificial intelligence (AI) computing.
  • The initiative is identified as a core pillar of China's 15th Five Year Plan, which serves as the national economic development roadmap.
  • The space data centres will integrate cloud, edge, and terminal device capabilities to enable data from Earth to be processed directly in orbit.
  • SpaceX plans to launch solar-powered AI data centre satellites within the next two to three years, utilizing orbital solar panels that produce five times more power than terrestrial ones.
  • China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) aims to commence flight operations for suborbital space tourism and develop orbital space tourism within five years.
  • The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) inaugurated the School of Interstellar Navigation to focus on frontier fields including interstellar propulsion and deep space navigation.
  • China achieved a record 93 space launches last year as part of its strategic goal to become a world-leading space power by 2045.
  • India link not mentioned in the article.
United States invites India into Pax Silica initiative (Mid of January) ▼
  • Pax Silica is a US-led initiative focused on securing AI and tech supply chains, aimed at bringing 'friendly and trusted' countries together to ensure that key technologies are safe, reliable, and not controlled by hostile play.
  • The initiative was launched on December 12 to 'reduce coercive dependencies' and build a 'secure, prosperous, and innovation-driven silicon supply chain'.
  • India was initially left out of the initiative, which included countries such as Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Israel, UAE and Australia.
  • US Ambassador-designate to India Sergio Gor announced that India will be invited to join Pax Silica as a full member next month.
  • The initiative includes measures such as 'pursuing new joint ventures and strategic co-investment opportunities'.
  • India stands to gain from likely investments and partnerships under the initiative, as it currently lacks global-scale AI infrastructure.
  • US companies Microsoft and Google announced major AI infrastructure investments in India in December, with Microsoft planning to spend $17.5 billion and Google over $15 billion.
NITI Aayog projects India’s technology services sector to reach $750–850 billion by 2035 (Mid of February) ▼
  • NITI Aayog released a 10-year roadmap projecting India’s $265 billion technology services sector to scale to $750–850 billion by 2035.
  • The roadmap by NITI Aayog’s Frontier Tech Hub identifies five priority growth levers: Agentic AI, Software and Products, Digital Infrastructure, Innovation-led Engineering, and India-for-India solutions.
  • Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal stated that the government is building an enabling ecosystem combining progressive policy, industry partnership, and inter-ministerial coordination to accelerate innovation.
  • MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan said India is pursuing a full-stack, impact-driven AI strategy covering energy, infrastructure, chips, models, and applications.
  • NITI Aayog CEO B.V.R. Subrahmanyam described the AI transformation as a generational opportunity to create new value pools and strengthen global leadership.
India ranks 2nd globally in enterprise AI usage; security risks loom (Mid of February) ▼
  • India ranks second only to the United States in enterprise AI/ML transactions according to Zscaler's ThreatLabz 2026 AI Security Report.
  • Indian enterprises logged 82.3 billion AI/ML transactions between June and December 2025, accounting for 46.2 per cent of all AI activity in the Asia-Pacific region.
  • The India AI Impact Summit 2026 will be held in New Delhi from 16–20 February and will host global tech leaders including NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon.
  • AI activity in India was led by the Technology & Communication sector with 31.3 billion transactions, followed by Manufacturing (15.7 billion), Services (12.6 billion), and Finance & Insurance (12.2 billion).
  • Zscaler warns that enterprise AI systems tested under adversarial conditions show a median time to first critical failure of 16 minutes, with 90 per cent compromised in under 90 minutes.
  • Globally, over 18,000 terabytes of data were funnelled into AI applications in 2025, with ChatGPT alone linked to 410 million Data Loss Prevention policy violations.

Bihar debuts AI-based e-Voting for urban local body polls, eyes Assembly poll expansion

[Bihar]

Key Updates:

  • State Election Commission, Bihar piloted Artificial Intelligence-based e-Voting in the Urban Local Body polls and plans to extend the model to the next Assembly elections.
  • The mobile app allowed migrant workers, students outside constituencies, senior citizens, pregnant women, persons with disabilities and hospitalised patients to vote remotely.
  • Voters authenticated identity with EPIC database photo via live facial recognition, liveness detection, device verification and blockchain encryption.
  • Each vote was encrypted and recorded through blockchain; decryption occurred only after Returning Officers authenticated using Digital Signature Certificates, two-factor authentication and hash verification.
  • Deepak Kumar, State Election Commissioner, stated this is the first time such e-Voting has been implemented in a live election in India.
  • Dastavez AI, founded by Anmol Bharti and Amrit Bharti, showcased AI-driven legal document drafting for lawyers, startups and citizens at AI Impact Summit 2026.
  • Tiger Analytics signed an MoU with the Government of Bihar at the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 to establish an AI Centre of Excellence with IIT Patna for skill development, research and governance solutions.

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National Conference of State Election Commissioners (SECs) to build synergy in electoral processes (Start of February) ▼
  • The Election Commission of India (ECI) will host a National Conference of the State Election Commissioners (SECs) on February 24, 2026.
  • The conference is being organised after a gap of over 25 years, with the previous meeting held in 1999.
  • Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar will chair the event, joined by Election Commissioners (ECs) Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi.
  • The conference will be attended by all SECs and the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of all States and Union Territories (UTs).
  • The primary objective is to build synergy between the ECI and SECs regarding electoral processes and logistics within their respective legal frameworks.
  • State Election Commissions (SECs) are created under the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments for elections to Panchayats and Municipal Bodies.
  • Discussion topics include the recently launched ECINET digital platform, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), and electoral laws on elector eligibility.
Election Commission of India (ECI) to host India International Conference on Democracy and Election Management (Start of January) ▼
  • The Election Commission of India (ECI) will host the inaugural India International Conference on Democracy and Election Management from January 21 to 23 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
  • The three-day conference is organised by the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) under the aegis of the ECI.
  • Representatives from 42 election management bodies and over 90 international delegates, including from the United States and Bhutan, will participate.
  • The conference will discuss voter roll management, technological interventions, and Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercises.
  • India assumes the chair of the Council of Member States of International IDEA for 2026.
  • The conference theme is 'Democracy for an inclusive, peaceful, resilient and sustainable world.'
  • Over 40 bilateral meetings are scheduled between the Chief Election Commissioner and heads of participating election authorities.
  • The conference will launch ECINet, the ECI’s integrated digital platform.
  • Thematic sessions will cover seven global electoral themes, 11 model international electoral standards, and 25 sessions on best practices.
Election Commission of India (ECI) to host India International Conference on Democracy and Election Management (Start of January) ▼
  • The Election Commission of India (ECI) will host the inaugural India International Conference on Democracy and Election Management from January 21 to 23 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
  • The three-day conference is organised by the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) under the aegis of the ECI.
  • Representatives from 42 election management bodies and over 90 international delegates, including from the United States and Bhutan, will participate.
  • The conference will discuss voter roll management, technological interventions, and Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercises.
  • India assumes the chair of the Council of Member States of International IDEA for 2026.
  • The conference will launch ECINet, the ECI’s integrated digital platform.
  • Thematic sessions will cover seven global electoral themes, 11 model international electoral standards, and 25 best-practice sessions.
National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA): Paperless Lawmaking under Digital India (Start of December) ▼
  • NeVA is a Mission Mode Project under the Digital India programme.
  • 28 State and Union Territory Legislatures have signed MoUs for its adoption.
  • 20 have already become fully digital Houses.
  • NeVA enables complete backend computerisation of Legislature Secretariat branches.
  • Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs provides ICT infrastructure, training and continuous technical handholding.
  • NeVA offers a unified digital architecture for all 37 State/UT Legislatures.
  • Bhashini-powered AI tools enable text translation, speech-to-text and voice-to-speech.

India AI Impact Summit 2026 releases AI Impact Startup Book mapping 100 deep-tech innovators

Key Updates:

  • The AI Impact Startup Book was launched on the third day of the India AI Impact Summit 2026.
  • The compendium maps 100 high-impact AI-driven solutions across sectors, technologies and geographies.
  • AI innovation is expanding beyond healthcare into foundation models, indigenous AI infrastructure, waste-tech, voice- and vision-based Indian applications, and edge AI integrated with hardware.
  • Nearly 47% of early-stage ventures retain strong local presence, while about 68% of growth-stage startups operate internationally.
  • Shri Abhishek Singh, Director General of NIC, Additional Secretary at Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and CEO of IndiaAI, called the book a repository for ministries and states to evaluate and scale AI solutions.
  • Sushant Kumar, Founder and CEO of Kalpa Impact, highlighted eight insights, noting India is building its own foundation models, AI infrastructure and edge innovation.

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Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to organise BHASHINI Samudaye Workshop (Mid of January) ▼
  • The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology will organise the BHASHINI Samudaye workshop, Strengthening India’s Language AI Ecosystem, in New Delhi.
  • BHASHINI Samudaye is a BHASHINI-led collaborative initiative that brings together language experts, academic institutions, civil society organisations, and data practitioners to co-create, govern, and scale language AI solutions for India.
  • The workshop will feature focused sessions on scaling BHASHINI, including discussions on platform capabilities, strategic priorities, and pathways for collaboration with stakeholders and implementation partners.
TIME magazine names 'Architects of AI' as its 2025 Person of the Year (Mid of December) ▼
  • TIME magazine named 'Architects of AI' as its Person of the Year for 2025.
  • The magazine cited 2025 as the year when the potential of artificial intelligence 'roared into view' with no turning back.
  • The selection honored 'individuals who imagined, designed, and built AI' rather than the technology itself.
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and Hitachi MGRM Net Ltd sign pact to build AI-enabled national innovation platform (Start of December) ▼
  • The platform, MStarTM Global AI Connect, will form a national digital backbone linking schools with mentors, incubators, research institutions, accelerators and industry.
  • It will support virtual Atal Tinkering Labs and virtual incubation centres linked to physical facilities.
  • The collaboration will provide workflows for ideation-to-pilot projects, readiness-level tracking and challenge grants.
  • Analytics generated by the platform will aid policy decisions at the Centre and State levels.
YUVA AI for ALL foundational course launched to equip 10 million citizens with essential AI skills (Start of January) ▼
  • Simplilearn has teamed up with the IndiaAI Mission, operating under India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, to launch the national 'YUVA AI for ALL' foundational course.
  • This collaborative effort endeavors to foster AI literacy across India, targeting 10 million citizens for vital AI education.
  • The educational program is free and widely accessible, seeking to democratize AI knowledge.

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) unveils VoicERA at India AI Impact Summit 2026

[Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)]

Key Updates:

  • The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) officially unveiled VoicERA, an open-source, end-to-end Voice Artificial Intelligence (AI) stack, at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
  • VoicERA serves as a national execution layer for the Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD), targeting over 700 dialects to bridge the digital divide.
  • The infrastructure is designed to be pluggable and interoperable, allowing deployment on-premise or within sovereign cloud environments to ensure citizen data remains within India.
  • The stack utilizes advanced models trained on the Bharat Data Sagar, a repository containing phonetic markers, accents, and colloquialisms from across India.
  • VoicERA incorporates high-fidelity Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) and Text-to-Speech (TTS) capabilities to handle code-switching between local languages and English or Hindi.
  • Initial applications include voice-based agricultural advisories, transcription of court proceedings in the judicial sector, and voice-first government helplines for welfare schemes.
  • The project is a collaborative effort between the DIBD, EkStep Foundation, International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIIT Bengaluru), and AI4Bharat.

Similar Coverage

Google releases TranslateGemma open-source translation models supporting 55 languages (Mid of January) ▼
  • Google released TranslateGemma, a set of open-source translation models that work across 55 languages.
  • The collection comes in three sizes—4B, 12B, and 27B parameters—designed to run on different devices from smartphones to cloud servers.
  • The 12B model outperforms Google's 27B baseline on the WMT24++ benchmark while using less than half the computing power.
  • The 4B version matches the 12B baseline's performance, making it practical for mobile apps that need offline translation.
  • Google built these models by fine-tuning Gemma 3 on a dataset that mixes human translations and synthetic text from Gemini.
  • A second training phase used reinforcement learning with metrics like MetricX-QE and AutoMQM to improve how natural the translations sound.
  • The models inherited the multimodal capabilities from Gemma 3 and can translate text within images without extra training.
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to organise BHASHINI Samudaye Workshop (Mid of January) ▼
  • The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology will organise the BHASHINI Samudaye workshop, Strengthening India’s Language AI Ecosystem, in New Delhi.
  • BHASHINI Samudaye is a BHASHINI-led collaborative initiative that brings together language experts, academic institutions, civil society organisations, and data practitioners to co-create, govern, and scale language AI solutions for India.
  • The workshop will feature focused sessions on scaling BHASHINI, including discussions on platform capabilities, strategic priorities, and pathways for collaboration with stakeholders and implementation partners.
India’s 2025 AI Leap: BharatGen Multimodal LLU, 34,000-GPU Compute Pool, and Ethical Governance (Start of December) ▼
  • India’s national compute capacity crossed 34,000 GPUs under the IndiaAI Mission.
  • BharatGen AI, the first multimodal large language model built to work across 22 Indian languages, was launched on June 2, 2025.
  • Over Rs. 10,300 crore was allocated to the IndiaAI Mission over five years for infrastructure, talent, safety, and data access.
  • Bhashini, India’s multilingual AI platform, signed an MoU with the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) to provide services in 22 languages at railway stations.
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and Hitachi MGRM Net Ltd sign pact to build AI-enabled national innovation platform (Start of December) ▼
  • The platform, MStarTM Global AI Connect, will form a national digital backbone linking schools with mentors, incubators, research institutions, accelerators and industry.
  • It will support virtual Atal Tinkering Labs and virtual incubation centres linked to physical facilities.
  • The collaboration will provide workflows for ideation-to-pilot projects, readiness-level tracking and challenge grants.
  • Analytics generated by the platform will aid policy decisions at the Centre and State levels.

Researchers discover new pistol shrimp species Alpheus madhusoodanai in Kochi backwaters

Key Updates:

  • Researchers from the School of Industrial Fisheries at Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) discovered a new species of pistol shrimp, also known as snapping shrimp, in the Kochi backwaters.
  • The newly identified species belongs to the family Alpheidae and has been named Alpheus madhusoodanai.
  • The species is named in honour of Prof B Madhusoodana Kurup, the first vice-chancellor of Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) and a noted fisheries scientist.
  • The discovery was published in the Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.
  • This is the first alpheid shrimp species to be recorded from an estuary in the Kochi region.
  • The shrimp contributes to the health of mangrove ecosystems by releasing toxic gases trapped in swampy soil through its burrowing tendency.
  • The research team included scholars KP Vishnu, AbhaiKrishna U, and Nidhin B M, led by Prof M Harikrishnan of Cusat.

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Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) discovers two new polychaete worm species in Bay of Bengal (Start of February) ▼
  • Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) researchers identified two new marine worm species, Namalycastis solenotognatha and Nereis dhritiae, in Digha and Bankiput regions of Purba Medinipur, West Bengal.
  • Namalycastis solenotognatha inhabits sulfide-rich, foul-smelling mudflats and decomposing mangrove wood, and possesses a channeled jaw structure with multiple pulp-cavity canals.
  • Nereis dhritiae was found inside wooden dock piles on sandy beaches submerged at high tide and is named after ZSI’s first woman director Dhriti Banerjee.
  • Both species tolerate heavy human activity and industrial pollution, highlighting their resilience and potential as bioindicators for monitoring coastal health.
Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) discovers new Diplura hexapod species Lepidocampa sikkimensis in eastern Himalayas (Mid of February) ▼
  • The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) identified the new Diplura species Lepidocampa sikkimensis near Ravangla in Sikkim.
  • Additional specimens of Lepidocampa sikkimensis were later found in Kurseong in Bengal.
  • The findings were published on 7 January 2026 in the international taxonomic journal Zootaxa.
  • The study provides the first DNA barcode data for an Indian Lepidodcampa species.
  • The research team rediscovered the rare sub-species Lepidocampa juradii bengalensis after nearly five decades.
Researchers identify new dragonfly species Lyriothemis keralensis in Kerala (Mid of February) ▼
  • Researchers have identified a new dragonfly species named Lyriothemis keralensis, commonly known as the Slender Bombardier, in the coastal regions of Kerala.
  • The study was conducted by a team led by Dr Dattaprasad Sawant, Dr A Vivek Chandran, Renjith Jacob Mathews, and Dr Krushnamegh Kunte, and published in the International Journal of Odonatology.
  • The species was first spotted in 2013 in the Varappetty area of Kothamangalam and was initially mistaken for Lyriothemis acigastra, also known as the Little Bloodtail.
  • Lyriothemis keralensis measures approximately three centimetres in length and features a slimmer abdomen with a unique tail and genital structure.
  • Male dragonflies of this species possess a deep blood-red abdomen with black markings, while females are broader with yellow and black colouring.
  • The species thrives in human-modified irrigation landscapes such as pineapple and rubber plantations rather than protected forest areas.
  • The dragonfly primarily inhabits shaded canals and seasonal pools within agricultural land and is typically active during the monsoon season.
Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) discovers two new polychaete worm species in Bay of Bengal (Start of February) ▼
  • Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) researchers identified two new marine worm species, Namalycastis solenotognatha and Nereis dhritiae, in Digha and Bankiput regions of Purba Medinipur, West Bengal.
  • Namalycastis solenotognatha inhabits sulfide-rich, foul-smelling mudflats and decomposing mangrove wood, and possesses a channeled jaw structure with multiple pulp-cavity canals.
  • Nereis dhritiae was found inside wooden dock piles on sandy beaches submerged at high tide and is named after ZSI’s first woman director Dhriti Banerjee.
  • Both species tolerate heavy human activity and industrial pollution, highlighting their resilience and potential as bioindicators for monitoring coastal health.

Archaeologists digitally map Alexander-era Mesopotamian city Charax Spasinou in Iraq.

[Iraq]

Key Updates:

  • Charax Spasinou, founded in 324 BCE near the Tigris River, was one of Alexander the Great’s final planned settlements.
  • Drones captured thousands of aerial images and magnetometers scanned the soil to build a digital map without excavation.
  • The survey revealed wide streets, oversized housing blocks, temples and kiln-equipped industrial workshops across more than 500 square kilometres.
  • Pottery, bricks and industrial debris scattered across the surface helped archaeologists confirm the city’s extent.

Similar Coverage

Saudi Arabia to observe International Day of the Arabian Leopard on 10 February 2026 (Start of February) ▼
  • The International Day of the Arabian Leopard is observed annually on 10 February to raise global awareness about the critically endangered big cat.
  • The official theme for the 2026 observance is Protecting the Pride of Arabia.
  • The day was officially established by Saudi Arabia to spotlight conservation challenges including habitat loss, illegal hunting, and declining prey populations.
  • The initiative aligns with regional biodiversity goals and Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, which prioritises environmental sustainability and wildlife protection.
  • The Arabian leopard is native to the mountainous regions of the Arabian Peninsula, with fewer than a few hundred individuals estimated to survive in the wild.
  • The species plays a vital ecological role in regulating prey populations and serves as a symbol of natural and cultural identity in the region.
Kuwait Launches First Geological Park to Showcase Rock Formations and Desert Landscapes (Start of December) ▼
  • Kuwait has launched its first geological park as a public, educational and eco-tourism project designed to showcase the country’s rock formations, desert landscapes and natural heritage while supporting research, schools and sustainable tourism.
  • The GeoPark features outdoor geological trails, interpretive signage, interactive exhibits and a visitor centre to explain Kuwait’s Earth history and biodiversity.
  • The park includes diverse rock formations, important fossil sites, an Interactive Mineral Garden, educational trails, guided nature walks, workshops and sand injectite ground-surface features resembling the landscape of Mars.
  • The site preserves evidence of Neolithic communities and archaeological sites dating back over 10,000 years, including those linked to the ancient Ubaid civilization, and Kuwait's first oil exploration well, Bahra-1, drilled in 1936.
  • The project aligns with New Kuwait 2035 Vision and aims for inclusion in the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network (GGN), with Phase 1 developing 20 square kilometers and Phase 2 expanding to 1,000 square kilometers including planting over 300 native plant species like ghaf and acacia trees.
Forest Department records first-ever sighting of Sirkeer Malkoha in Uttarkashi hills (Start of January) ▼
  • The Sirkeer Malkoha (Taccocua leschenaultii), a bird species typically found in Uttarakhand's plains, has been recorded for the first time in Uttarkashi district.
  • The species is known to inhabit dry scrub forests and open woodlands below 1,000m.
  • The sighting in the Barkot area is rare and a significant subject for research.
Republic Day Parade 2026: Bactrian Camels to march on Kartavya Path (End of January) ▼
  • Two Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus) named Galwan and Nubra will participate in the Republic Day Parade 2026 on Kartavya Path.
  • The camels will be part of the Animal Contingent led by the Remount & Veterinary Corps (RVC).
  • The contingent will also feature indigenous Zanskar ponies from Ladakh and Army dog breeds including Rajapalayam, Chippiparai, Mudhol, Kombai, and Rampur.
  • Ladakh is the only region in India where the double-humped Bactrian camel species is found.
  • The genus Camelus includes two domestic species: the single-humped Dromedary (Camelus dromedarius) and the double-humped Bactrian (Camelus bactrianus).
  • The name Bactrian is derived from the ancient kingdom of Bactria, located in modern-day Balkh, Afghanistan, which was known as Bahlika or Tushara in ancient Sanskrit sources.
  • Bactrian camels were historically known as the Ships of the Silk Road and were used by Chinese monks Faxian (Fahien) and Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) to travel to India.
  • The species is capable of carrying average loads of approximately 180 kilograms and can travel between 35 to 40 kilometres per day.

Lake Victoria turns green and toxic from nitrogen and phosphorus runoff, threatening East Africa's fisheries

Key Updates:

  • Lake Victoria, the world’s largest tropical lake, now shows near-permanent green algal blooms loaded with liver-damaging microcystin.
  • Nyando River dumps over 6,000 kg of nitrate daily during peak rains, while Nzoia River adds about 22,000 kg daily, fuelling explosive cyanobacterial growth.
  • Microcystis and Dolichospermum dominate the blooms, producing toxins that create dead zones and crash fish populations.
  • The lake supports a $600 million fish export industry and hundreds of thousands of tons of annual catch now at risk from oxygen depletion and food-web collapse.
  • Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda rely on the lake for drinking water and livelihoods, but seasonal die-offs have become systemic and recovery may be impossible on human timescales.

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Lantana camara’s allelopathy and toxicity turn invaded lands into biodiversity deserts (End of December) ▼
  • Lantana camara grows in a notoriously aggressive way, releasing chemicals into the soil that suppress other vegetation.
  • Its leaves, flowers, and berries contain toxins that make them harmful to livestock.
  • The plant’s roots dig deep into the soil and spread wide in search of water and nutrients.
  • A fine coat of resin on its leaves slows down water loss, letting it thrive even in the poorest soils and through the hottest and driest days.
Freshwater influx threatens Maharashtra’s Lonar meteor lake and submerged ancient temples (End of January) ▼
  • Lonar lake in Buldhana district is India’s only basaltic meteor impact crater and a Ramsar wetland.
  • The lake’s pH has dropped from 11.5 to nearly 8.5 due to freshwater influx.
  • Fish were spotted in the lake last year for the first time, signalling ecosystem shift.
  • Nine of the 15 shoreline temples are now partially or fully underwater.
  • Lake level has risen by around 20 feet because deep borewells drilled by farmers punctured basalt layers.
  • Two additional freshwater springs now flow into the crater beyond the historical two.
  • Hydrogeologist Ashok Tejankar recommends intercepting spring water to supply Lonar town after purification.
United Nations (UN) releases State of Finance for Nature 2026 report (End of January) ▼
  • The United Nations (UN) released the State of Finance for Nature 2026 report on 22 January 2026.
  • The report finds that for every $1 invested in protecting nature, $30 is spent on activities that destroy it.
  • Global nature-negative finance flows are estimated at $7 trillion, while nature-positive finance flows amount to $200 billion.
  • Environmentally harmful subsidies are concentrated in sectors including fossil fuels, agriculture, water, transport, and construction.
  • The data identifies utilities, industrials, energy, and basic materials as sectors where environmental damage is particularly significant.
  • The report advocates for scaling up nature-positive investments such as regenerative agriculture, sustainable forestry, and nature-based infrastructure.
Heat Stress and Rare Disease Wipe Out Goniopora Coral Colonies on Great Barrier Reef (Mid of December) ▼
  • Three-quarters of Goniopora corals at One Tree Reef have died after bleaching and black band disease.
  • The losses occurred during the fourth global mass bleaching event, affecting 84% of reefs worldwide.
  • Extreme heat weakened corals, enabling rapid, unprecedented spread of the disease.
  • Goniopora are usually thermally tolerant, making the event a major warning for global reef resilience.
  • Severe bleaching triggered by extreme ocean temperatures was followed by an unprecedented outbreak of black band disease (BBD).
  • Black band disease (BBD) is a rare but aggressive bacterial infection that kills coral tissue as it spreads across a colony.
  • Black band disease, common in the Caribbean but historically rare in the southern Great Barrier Reef, appeared in a few colonies in February 2024.
  • By April, 61 per cent of bleached colonies were infected, and the disease spread in an epizootic-like manner.
  • The disease occurred only on corals that had bleached.
  • During the bleaching event, water temperatures exceeded 28°C for 74 consecutive days.
  • Temperatures peaked at 34-35°C during the year.
  • One Tree Reef’s (OTR) offshore location means it is largely sheltered from coastal stressors like pollution and nutrient loading, which are often associated with BBD.
  • The current trajectory of climate change is progressing too quickly for corals to adjust.
  • Recurrent anomalous heatwaves and mass bleaching are the greatest threat to coral reef survival.
  • The loss of these large, structure-forming corals would have long-term repercussions on reef biodiversity, coastal protection and food security.

Jammu and Kashmir defeats Bengal to reach first Ranji Trophy final

[Jammu and Kashmir]

Key Updates:

  • Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) secured a six-wicket victory over Bengal to qualify for their first-ever Ranji Trophy final in 66 years.
  • The semifinal match was contested at the Kalyani ground, located near Kolkata.
  • J&K captain Paras Dogra completed 10,000 career first-class runs during the course of the match.
  • Auqib Nabi was named Player of the Match for taking nine wickets in the game and scoring 42 runs in the first innings.
  • Abdul Samad contributed scores of 82 off 85 balls in the first innings and 30 off 27 balls in the second innings to guide the chase.
  • Bengal was dismissed for 99 runs in their second innings, setting up the final target for J&K.
  • The J&K team is coached by Ajay Sharma, with P Krishna Kumar serving as the bowling coach.

Similar Coverage

Paras Dogra becomes second batter to scale 10,000 Ranji Trophy runs (Mid of February) ▼
  • Jammu and Kashmir captain Paras Dogra reached 10,000 Ranji Trophy runs during the semifinal against Bengal at Bengal Cricket Academy ground.
  • Dogra scored 58 in the first innings and shared a 143-run stand with Abdul Samad.
  • Mumbai’s Wasim Jaffer is the only other batter to have previously achieved the 10,000-run mark in the Ranji Trophy.
  • The 41-year-old had already accumulated 10,000 runs in overall First Class cricket before this Ranji milestone.
Jharkhand women defeat Rajasthan to win Para Throwball National Federation Cup 2026 (Start of February) ▼
  • Jharkhand’s women’s team clinched the gold medal in Women’s Category at the Para Throwball National Federation Cup 2026 with a 21-17 victory over hosts Rajasthan in the final at Jhunjhunu.
  • The tournament was held from February 3 to 5, 2026.
  • In the men’s category, Andhra Pradesh lifted the title, Telangana finished runners-up, Haryana claimed the bronze medal, and Jharkhand placed fourth.
Jharkhand defeats Haryana to win Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (Mid of December) ▼
  • Jharkhand clinched their first-ever Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy SMAT title at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, defeating Haryana by 69 runs.
  • Jharkhand posted a massive 262/3 - the highest-ever total in a T20 tournament final.
  • Ishan Kishan became the first captain to score a hundred in a SMAT final, finishing with 101 runs.
Vidarbha defeats Saurashtra to win maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy (Mid of January) ▼
  • Vidarbha secured their maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy title by defeating Saurashtra by 38 runs in the final held in Bengaluru.
  • Atharva Taide scored 128 runs off 97 balls, marking his first List A hundred in five years, to help Vidarbha reach a total of 317/8.
  • Yash Thakur took 4 wickets for 50 runs to bowl out Saurashtra for 279 and secure the victory.
  • For Saurashtra, Prerak Mankad top-scored with 88 runs and Chirag Jani made 64, while bowler Ankur Panwar took 4 wickets for 65 runs.
  • This win marks the first senior white-ball title for Vidarbha in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) domestic circuit.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti 2026 observed on February 19

[Maharashtra]

Key Updates:

  • Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti 2026 was observed on February 19 as per the Gregorian calendar.
  • According to the Hindu calendar the day falls on March 10.
  • Shivaji Jayanti is recognised as a public holiday in Maharashtra.
  • Shivaji Maharaj was born on February 19, 1630, at the Shivneri Fort.
  • He was crowned as the ruler of the Maratha Empire in 1674 at the Raigad Fort.

Similar Coverage

Government raises allocation for women-centric schemes by 11.55% to Rs 5.01 lakh crore in 2026-27 (Mid of February) ▼
  • Allocation for women and girls under various schemes increased by 11.55% to Rs 5.01 lakh crore in 2026-27 from Rs 4.49 lakh crore in the previous year.
  • Gender budget share in the Union Budget rose to 9.37% in 2026-27 from 8.86%.
  • 53 ministries/departments and five Union territories reported allocations in the Gender Budget Statement (GBS) for 2026-27.
  • Rs 1,07,688.42 crore (21.50%) reported under Part A by nine ministries and one UT for 100% women-specific schemes.
  • Rs 3,63,412.37 crore (72.54%) reported under Part B by 28 ministries and one UT for schemes with 30-99% allocation for women.
  • Rs 29,777.94 crore (5.95%) reported under Part C by 37 ministries and five UTs for schemes with less than 30% allocation for women.
  • Ministry of Women & Child Development allocated 81.73% of its budget to gender-specific schemes.
  • Department of Rural Development allocated 69.92% of its budget to gender-specific schemes.
  • Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region allocated 48.60% of its budget to gender-specific schemes.
Union Budget 2026-27: New Initiatives for Livestock, Fisheries, and High-Value Agriculture (Start of February) ▼
  • Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman announced a loan-linked capital subsidy scheme to increase the availability of veterinary professionals by more than 20,000.
  • The veterinary scheme will support the establishment of private colleges, veterinary hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, and breeding facilities.
  • The government will undertake the integrated development of 500 reservoirs and Amrit Sarovars to strengthen the fisheries value chain.
  • Fisheries development will be enabled through market linkages involving startups, women-led groups, and Fish Farmers Producer Organisations (FFPOs).
  • A credit-linked subsidy programme will be launched for animal husbandry entrepreneurship development and the modernisation of livestock enterprises.
  • The Coconut Promotion Scheme aims to replace old and non-productive trees with new varieties in major coconut-growing states.
  • A dedicated programme for Indian cashew and cocoa aims to achieve self-reliance and transform them into premium global brands by 2030.
  • The government will partner with states to promote sandalwood cultivation and post-harvest processing to restore the Indian sandalwood ecosystem.
  • A dedicated programme for hilly regions will support the rejuvenation of old orchards and high-density cultivation of walnuts, almonds, and pine nuts.
Budget 2026 Kartavya framework sets three growth, inclusion and reform agendas (Start of February) ▼
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a three-pronged Kartavya framework in Union Budget 2026 to guide policy action.
  • First Kartavya is to accelerate and sustain economic growth by enhancing productivity and competitiveness and building resilience to volatile global dynamics.
  • Second Kartavya focuses on people-centric development by fulfilling aspirations and building capacity, making citizens strong partners in India’s prosperity.
  • Third Kartavya aims to ensure inclusive access to growth opportunities so that every family, community, region and sector can meaningfully participate.
  • Budget 2026 was prepared at Kartavya Bhavan, drawing inspiration from these three core Kartavya to strengthen India’s economic and social foundations.
Union Budget 2026 allocates ₹1.63 lakh crore for high-value agriculture and allied sectors (Start of February) ▼
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allocated ₹1,62,671 crore to the agriculture sector in Union Budget 2026-27, a 7% rise from 2025-26’s revised estimate of ₹1,51,853 crore.
  • The government will support high-value crops such as coconut, sandalwood, cocoa, cashew, agarwood, walnut, almond and pine nut under dedicated programmes for rejuvenating old orchards and expanding high-density cultivation.
  • A new coconut promotion scheme targets replacing non-productive trees with improved varieties in major coconut-growing states, benefiting around 30 million people including nearly 10 million farmers.
  • A dedicated programme for Indian cashew and cocoa aims to make India self-reliant in raw material production and processing and to establish these products as premium global brands by 2030.
  • Sandalwood cultivation will receive focused support through partnerships with state governments to promote scientific farming and post-harvest processing.
  • The Budget proposes integrated development of 500 reservoirs and water bodies to strengthen the fisheries value chain, with emphasis on market linkages and support to startups, women-led groups and fish farmer producer organisations.
  • A credit-linked subsidy programme will be introduced for animal husbandry to promote entrepreneurship, modernise livestock enterprises and scale up integrated value chains across dairy, poultry and livestock sectors.
  • The government announced the launch of Bharat Vistar, a multilingual AI tool integrating AgriStack portals and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) practices to deliver customised advisory support and boost farm productivity.

2300-Year-Old Rock Paintings Protected Monument Lacks Basic Security

Key Updates:

  • The Kumittipathi rock paintings in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, are estimated to be more than 2,300 years old.
  • The site was declared a protected archaeological monument under Section 3(1) of the Tamil Nadu Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1966 last year.
  • The paintings are located in two caves on Pathimalai hill under Thirumalayampalayam town panchayat near Madukkarai.
  • The lower cave displays an elephant and a chariot; the upper cave shows human-like figures.
  • No fencing, security guard, or information board has been installed so far despite official promises.
  • Locals report cooking fires, graffiti, and stone arrangements for meditation damaging the pigment.
  • District and revenue archaeology officials recently removed stones placed inside the caves.

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67,800-year-old hand stencil in Indonesian cave becomes oldest known rock art (End of January) ▼
  • A red hand stencil in Liang Metanduno cave on Muna Island, Sulawesi, Indonesia, is dated to at least 67,800 years ago, making it the oldest rock art discovered.
  • Indonesian and Australian archaeologists used uranium-thorium laser analysis of cave popcorn calcite to determine the minimum age.
  • The stencil is over 1,000 years older than Neanderthal-attributed hand stencils in a Spanish cave and more than 15,000 years older than previous Sulawesi art found by the same team.
  • The cave shows repeated use for rock art, with some works painted over up to 35,000 years later.
  • The discovery supports the northern migration route for Homo sapiens from Asia through Sulawesi to Papua New Guinea and into the ancient supercontinent Sahul that included Australia.
2,000-year-old Buddhist site from Kushan Period resurfaces in Kashmir (End of December) ▼
  • Archaeologists in Zehanpora village have unearthed a significant Buddhist site dating back to the Kushan period, revealing stupas and monastic structures.
  • The discovery was initially sparked by old photographs in a French museum.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the discovery a 'proud moment' and described the site as a window into the state’s ancient identity.
2,000-year-old Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions discovered inside Egypt’s Valley of the Kings royal tombs (Mid of February) ▼
  • Approximately 30 Tamil-Brahmi and Prakrit inscriptions dated to 2,000 years ago were documented inside six rock-cut royal tombs in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings.
  • The inscriptions were recorded by Professor Ingo Strauch of the University of Lausanne and Professor Charlotte Schmid of the French School of Asian Studies.
  • The name ‘Cikai Korran’ appears in eight locations, with one inscription reading ‘Cikai Korran vara kanta’ meaning ‘Cikai Korran came and saw’.
  • The discovery confirms that ancient Tamil traders travelled beyond Egyptian port cities and visited inland heritage sites during the early historic period.
  • The findings were presented on 11 February at the International Conference on Tamil Epigraphy organised by the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology in Chennai.
  • Tamil Nadu accounts for nearly 30,000 documented inscriptions in India, providing an unbroken historical record from the 6th century BCE.
Karnataka archaeology dept classifies Lakkundi gold find as treasure, recommends one-fifth value reward to finder family (End of January) ▼
  • Karnataka’s Department of Archaeology, Museum and Heritage classified the gold ornaments recovered from a copper pot at Lakkundi in Gadag district as a treasure.
  • The ornaments weighed around 500 g and included rings, bracelet and a bangle.
  • Director Dr Shejeshwar R stated the ornaments are definitely more than 100 years old and thus qualify as antique treasure.
  • The department will recommend financial compensation equal to one-fifth of the treasure’s value to Ganagavva Basavaraja Ritti’s family who unearthed the pot during house modification.
  • Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) senior archaeologist Ramesh Mulimani had earlier said the ornaments were unlikely to be centuries-old buried treasure and suspected recent ancestral burial.