Recent 6 months news in National

The Ministry of Mines has approved 58 companies as eligible participants under the “Incentive Scheme for Promotion of Critical Mineral Recycling” (IS-PCMR).

The scheme is a key initiative under the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) with a total financial outlay of ₹1,500 crore. The initiative has attracted pledged investments worth ₹5,000 crore and aims to achieve a recycling capacity of 850 Kilo Tonnes Per Annum (KTPA).

PM Narendra Modi has visited Sikkim to attend the closing ceremony of the Golden Jubilee (50th year) of the statehood of Sikkim at Paljor Stadium in Gangtok.

During the visit, the PM inaugurated and laid foundation stones for more than 30 development projects worth over ₹4,000 crore across various sectors. He also visited the Swarnajayanti Maitri Manjari Park in Gangtok, which serves as a world-class Orchid Experience Centre showcasing the floral heritage of the state.

SkyHop Aviation Pvt Ltd has received the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to launch the first-ever commercial seaplane services of India.

The initial flight operations are scheduled in Lakshadweep. The service will utilize a 19-seater De Havilland Canada (DHC)-6 Twin Otter aircraft, which has been indigenously converted into a seaplane using float attachments to facilitate take-offs and landings on both water and short runways.

The central government has included 6 strategically located border villages in the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) into the second phase of the Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP). The initiative aims to accelerate development and improve living conditions in remote frontier regions. The villages designated under the VVP-II include Bobiya, Kadyala, Gajnal, Karol Krishna, Rathua, and Gujjar Chak.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Jayant Chaudhary has inaugurated the first United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Chair in Asia on Gender Inclusion and Skill Development at the Symbiosis Skills and Professional University (SSPU) in Pune, Maharashtra.

The launch took place during the international conference “Women Leading the Future of Work”, organised in collaboration with UNESCO. Dr Swati Mujumdar, the Pro-Chancellor of SSPU, has been named the UNESCO Chairholder. The university has also introduced the “Kushal Saathi” initiative to provide structured mentorship for girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines and career opportunities.

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has launched the nationwide indigenously developed Cell Broadcast System (CBS) in New Delhi. The system was engineered by the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The initiative aims to strengthen the disaster management framework of the country through homegrown technology. The CBS features multilingual capabilities to deliver emergency alerts in multiple Indian languages to ensure effective communication across the population.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has inaugurated the first Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) based tolling system of India at the Chorayasi Toll Plaza, located on the Surat-Bharuch section of National Highway-48 (NH-48) in Gujarat. The system aims to modernize the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) infrastructure.

The MLFF framework enables barrier-less tolling with minimal human intervention, allowing vehicles to transit toll locations without stopping for a seamless traffic flow. It is to be noted that 41,500 vehicles used the facility on the inaugural day of its implementation.

The Supreme Court of India (SCI) has officially declared the “Right to Safe Road Travel” as an integral part of the Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

The judgment was delivered in the case of “In Re: Phalodi Accident”, where the SCI examined critical issues related to road safety and the accountability of authorities on highways and expressways.

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE) has launched the ‘SMILE–Beggary Survey Mobile Application’ during the ‘Chintan Shivir’ held in Chandigarh. The initiative is part of the Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise (SMILE) scheme (2021-2026), which focuses on rehabilitating individuals through shelter, skill development, and social reintegration.

The project has been extended to cover 181 cities across India. It is supported by model shelter home guidelines and is integrated with the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) 2.0 App for drug demand reduction. The platform also provides access to the Mental Health and Normalcy Augmentation System (MANAS).

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (MoCAF&PD) has expanded procurement operations under the PM Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) in Chhattisgarh and launched the first structured pulse procurement under the Atmanirbhar Pulses Mission (APM) in Bihar.

The procurement drive is led by the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Ltd (NCCF) and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED). In Bihar, the NCCF has started the first organized procurement of masoor (lentil) under the APM. In Chhattisgarh, the process includes digitized farmer registration through the Electronic-Samyukti (E-Samyukti) portal and awareness campaigns.

Union Minister CR Patil has launched the 9th edition of the India International Water Week (IIWW-2026) at Shram Shakti Bhavan in New Delhi. During the launch, he noted that over 60 lakh artificial recharge and water conservation structures have been created under the initiative. The Government of India (GoI) has set a target to establish 1 crore such structures by May 2026.

Akashvani (All India Radio, AIR), operating under Prasar Bharati (PB), has partnered with the National Portal of India (MyGov) to launch two nationwide contests to celebrate the 90-year legacy of AIR.

The contests include the ‘Signature Tune-Making Contest’ and the ‘Jingle-Making Contest’, held under the themes “Akashvani @90 – The New Rhythm of Bharat” and “Akashvani @90 – The Vibrant Voice of India” respectively.

The Ministry of Culture (MoC) has launched ‘VM Frames’, a national filmmaking competition to encourage the youth to celebrate the heritage of India. The initiative is organised to mark the 150th anniversary of the national song “Vande Mataram”, which was written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1875.

The competition features three categories: Reels, AI-based films, and Short Films. The MoC has announced awards worth up to ₹50 lakh across the various categories of the competition.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has proposed to notify an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of 408.7 sq km around the Barasingha Wildlife Sanctuary (formerly Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary) in Uttar Pradesh.

The ESZ will act as a “shock absorber” to reduce the impact of external activities on the ecosystem. A Monitoring Committee will be set up to oversee the management of the area, and a Zonal Master Plan is mandated to be formulated within 2 years.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal has launched “Bharat Taxi”, the first cooperative-led ride-hailing platform of India, in Mumbai. The initiative aims to increase the earnings and welfare of auto rickshaw and cab drivers by offering zero commission and no subscription charges.

The platform provides a free insurance cover of ₹5 lakh and access to loans from the Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency (MUDRA). It was established by 8 national-level cooperative institutions in 2025 and was officially launched in 2026. It currently facilitates more than 25,000 rides per day.

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), in consultation with the Department of Higher Education (DoHE) under the Ministry of Education (MoE), has expanded the eligibility criteria for the pilot phase of the ‘Prime Minister Internship Scheme’ (PMIS) to include final-year undergraduate and postgraduate students.

The age limit for PMIS is revised to 18-25 years (from the previous 21-24 years), while maintaining all other conditions. The Government of India (GoI) has increased the monthly stipend to ₹9,000 for the one-year internship, with 90% of the funding provided by the government. Additionally, interns will receive financial assistance of ₹6,000, disbursed in two installments.

The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has announced a target to increase the nuclear power capacity of India from the current 8.8 Gigawatt (GW) to 100 GW by 2047. The announcement was made during the inaugural session of “India’s 100 GW Nuclear Power Roadmap” held in New Delhi. Achieving this target will require an estimated investment of at least ₹20 lakh crore, based on a baseline cost of ₹22 crore per Megawatt (MW).

The National Health Authority (NHA) has concluded the “Chintan Shivir 2026” to review the Ayushman Bharat PM Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) to enhance digital healthcare. During the event, the NHA presented 18 awards under AB PM-JAY and 5 awards under ABDM to recognize the performance of States and Union Territories (UTs). Key winners for digital adoption under the mission included Ladakh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, AIIMS Bhopal, and Tripura.

The event highlighted the National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX) as a unified and standardized health claims ecosystem. A framework designed by the World Bank, named the “ABDM Adoption Index”, was also introduced to track the progress of states. Furthermore, a new regulatory requirement for mandatory integration of the Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) was established to connect hospital systems with the ABDM.

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), under the Ministry of Education (MoE), has launched the third edition of the ‘Vibrant Advocacy for Advancement and Nurturing of Indian Languages’ (VAANI) scheme in New Delhi.

Inaugurated by AICTE Chairman Yogesh Singh, the scheme aims to foster technical education in indigenous languages. The scheme, which spans the 2026-27 period, has an annual outlay of ₹4 crore to support events in 22 Indian languages listed under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has issued operational guidelines for the “Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0” (FoF 2.0) to streamline capital flow into the national startup ecosystem. The scheme operates with a corpus of ₹10,000 crore.

Under the scheme, capital will be allocated through commitments to Category I and II Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) registered with the SEBI. These AIFs are required to invest in startups recognized by the DPIIT. The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) will serve as the initial Implementation Agency to oversee the selection and monitoring of the participating AIFs.