Recent 6 months news in National

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched Hub & Spoke International Flight Operations at the Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar, Punjab. The initiative was virtually inaugurated by Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu.

It is to be noted that Amritsar is the second spoke airport in India under this framework, following the initial implementation in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

President Droupadi Murmu has completed 4 years in office. To mark the occasion, she inaugurated and laid foundation stones for various initiatives at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and the President's Estate.

She launched an application-based e-Audio Guide for visitors, available in Hindi, English, and 14 other Indian languages. She also launched the 3rd edition of 'e-Upahaar', featuring 300 curated Presidential gifts for public auction.

For children in the President's Estate, she inaugurated the 'Bachpan Bal Parisar' initiative, which includes 'Kilkari' (a play zone) and 'Samarth Anganwadi-cum-Palna' (a facility for growth and development). She also launched the Rashtrapati Bhavan Access And Heritage Interconnector (RAAHI), a fare-free electric bus service to promote green mobility.

She laid the foundation stone for a service block under the Net Zero Energy Strategy. She also inaugurated accommodation facilities at Rashtrapati Niketan (Dehradun) and Rashtrapati Nilayam (Secunderabad), and laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of staff quarters in the President's Estate.

Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh has launched the 'Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme', 'SAMARTH Panchayat Portal', and the 'Model Own Source of Revenue (OSR) Rules' for Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) at Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi.

The 'Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme' aims to develop 350 projects over 4 years (50 in the first year, and 100 in each of the subsequent 3 years). NABARD and HUDCO are the institutional partners for the programme.

The 'SAMARTH Panchayat Portal' is a digital initiative by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj to strengthen the financial capacity of Gram Panchayats through technology-enabled management of OSR. The 'Model OSR Rules' serve as a framework for States and Union Territories (UTs) to enhance the financial independence of PRIs, incorporating recommendations from the Sixteenth Finance Commission.

The Union Cabinet has approved amendments to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 to curb paper leak incidents. The minimum prison sentence for those convicted has been increased from 3 years to 5 years, while the maximum is 10 years.

For organized crimes, the financial penalty has been increased to ₹10 crore from the previous ₹1 crore. The legislation also mandates a fast-track mechanism to complete investigations, trials, and judgments within a 3-month timeframe.

Maharashtra has become the first state to qualify for the second installment of funds under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan chaired a review meeting to assess the utilization of funds. The Government of India (GoI) had released ₹335 crore as the first installment, of which Maharashtra utilized ₹260 crore, exceeding the mandatory 75% utilization benchmark required for the release of the second installment.

Union Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia and Meghalaya CM Conrad K Sangma have launched the "Mission Golden Spice – Integrated Lakadong Turmeric Value Chain Enhancement Project" in New Delhi.

It is a 5-year roadmap (2025–2030) with a total outlay of ₹175.45 crore, aimed at transforming Meghalaya's Geographical Indication (GI)-tagged Lakadong turmeric into a globally competitive premium spice.

The mission is divided into two phases: Phase 1 (Value Chain Strengthening) and Phase 2 (Expansion and Scale-up). The project funding is shared between the state government, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare (MoA&FW), and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER), with MDoNER contributing 50% of the budget.

The National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) has officially recognised the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) as an Awarding Body (Dual).

Under this, NCVET has approved two custom-developed qualifications: 'Industrial General Pest Management Technician' and 'Micro-Credential on Generation and Mobilisation of Own Source Revenue by Panchayats'.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal has announced the formation of a task force to support the toy sector, with the aim of achieving a 5% share in the global toy market by 2032.

The announcement was made during the 'Team Up for Toys: Driving SCALE, Innovation and Exports' stakeholder meet, organised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi.

The IIT Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh has established a Centre of Excellence (CoE) on Innovative and Integrated Ecosystem for Green Hydrogen (ECOGEN). This initiative has been launched under the UP Green Hydrogen Policy 2024.

Dr Prabodh Bajpai has been appointed as the Principal Investigator to lead the ECOGEN initiative. The proposal for this CoE was approved by the committee constituted by the Government of Uttar Pradesh and sanctioned by the UP New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA).

PM Narendra Modi has announced the formation of a high-powered task force to suggest reforms for the examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The task force is chaired by Nandan Nilekani (Infosys co-founder).

The committee members include S Somanath (former Chairman of the ISRO), V Kamakoti (Director of the IIT Madras), Tapan Deka, Anita Karwal, and Amrit Lal Meena.

The Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, has been inscribed as the 45th UNESCO World Heritage Site of India. The announcement was made during the 48th Session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) held in Busan, South Korea.

The site had been on the UNESCO Tentative List since 1998, marking the end of a 28-year wait for this designation. This is the 4th UNESCO World Heritage Site in Uttar Pradesh. With 45 sites, India now ranks 6th globally in terms of the number of World Heritage properties.

The Maharashtra government has approved the establishment of the first AI-powered bird sanctuary in India, named 'Bhandup Bird Park', at the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS) in Mumbai.

The project, estimated to cost ₹45 crore, will be developed across 20.09 hectares along the Thane Creek shoreline. The park will feature an AI surveillance system with a 1.5-km radius to track bird migration and identify species in real-time.

Union Minister Amit Shah has inaugurated the first phase of 'Shabdalok (The Museum of Word)', which is India's first immersive language museum.

Developed by the National Library under the Ministry of Culture, the museum is located at the National Library campus in Kolkata and was built at a cost of ₹41 crore.

India hosted the 3rd BRICS Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in New Delhi under its BRICS Chairship. The meeting was chaired by Union Minister of State Nityanand Rai.

The meeting concluded with the adoption of the 'BRICS Joint Statement on DRR'. The statement reaffirms the commitment of BRICS nations to accelerate the 'BRICS DRR Work Plan (2025-2028)'.

The Union Cabinet has approved the 'Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojana Rasayan' (BHAVYA - Rasayan Scheme) to establish 3 dedicated Chemical Parks in India. The scheme has a total outlay of ₹3,030 crore (₹3,000 crore for infrastructure and ₹30 crore for administrative expenses) and will be implemented over 5 years from FY27 to FY31.

Under the scheme, the central government will provide a grant of up to ₹1,000 crore per park, while the respective state government must contribute a minimum of ₹500 crore.

President Droupadi Murmu has inaugurated 'Saushrutam 2026', an international seminar on Ayurvedic surgery, at the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) in New Delhi. The seminar was held to commemorate Sushruta Jayanti, celebrated in honour of Sushruta, known as the 'Father of Surgery'.

During the event, the President released a study by the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) regarding the professional careers of women Ayurveda graduates.

Union Minister G Kishan Reddy has inaugurated the Exhibition on Mine Closure and Mine Repurposing in New Delhi, showcasing initiatives by Coal India Ltd (CIL) and its subsidiaries.

During the event, he released the 'AAROH Annual Report on Mine Closure', developed by the Coal Controller Organisation. It provides India's first comprehensive documentation on scientific mine closure and repurposing practices for 42 coal mines. The Minister also virtually inaugurated Coal NEER Plants established by CIL through its subsidiaries.

During the event, the Ministry of Coal signed an Implementation Agreement with the German agency Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) for technical cooperation on 'To-be closed mines'. The project, commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and co-financed by the European Union (EU), has a total volume of €10 million and will be implemented until 2030.

Additionally, Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL) and the Jharia Rehabilitation and Development Authority (JRDA) signed tripartite MoUs with Hindalco Industries Ltd and Rajdhani Universal Fabrics Pvt Ltd to establish an Industry-Linked Skill Centre in the Dhanbad region for apparel manufacturing training.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) has granted in-principle approval for two maritime infrastructure projects in Gujarat under the Shipbuilding Development Scheme (SbDS).

The first project is a Greenfield Shipbuilding Cluster at Kuchhadi in the Porbandar district, covering nearly 2,000 acres. The second project is a Ship Repair Facility at Vadinar in the Gulf of Kutch, which will be developed at a cost of ₹1,570 crore by Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) and the Deendayal Port Authority (DPA).

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan unveiled the roadmap for 'Viksit Krishi and Samruddh Kisan' as a key pillar of 'Viksit Bharat 2047' during the 98th Foundation Day of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in New Delhi.

During the event, 43 new crop varieties, 17 technologies/products, and 14 publications were released, and over 70 MoUs were signed.

ICAR aims to establish 100 'Climate Smart Villages' before its centenary. Under 'Mission ICAR-100', Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) will be transformed, with each KVK mandated to cover at least 100 villages. Additionally, under the 'One Institute-One Grand Innovation' initiative, every ICAR institute is tasked to develop at least one transformational innovation within 2 years.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Arjun Ram Meghwal has launched the electronic - Vidhi Sahitya Prakashan (e-VSP) portal. It is a digital platform designed to provide seamless access to legal books, publications, and educational resources.

Developed in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and the Official Languages Wing, the portal facilitates access to legal publications in Hindi.