Recent 6 months news in National

Indian Railways (IR) has inaugurated a Centre of Excellence (CoE) named “CHIRAG” (Centre for HR Information Systems, Research and Analytics in Governance) at the South Central Railway (SCR) grounds in Secunderabad, Telangana.

The centre is dedicated to human resource management training, research, and digital transformation within IR. It aims to serve as the technological backbone for the Human Resource Management System (HRMS) by providing nationwide certified, role-based training. The project is scheduled for full completion by May 2028.

Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav and Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav have inaugurated the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) Pre-Summit at the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) in Bhopal. The summit was held on the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity, observed on May 22.

To promote biodiversity conservation, the MP Forest Department, with support from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd (HUDCO), flagged off 20 motorcycles and a rescue truck.

Google has announced the ‘Google for Education Schoolers (GES)’, a free AI training programme for teachers, at the Education World Forum 2026 in London. Launched in collaboration with the UNICEF, the initiative aims to provide mobile-first AI training to school and higher education teachers on the responsible use of AI tools.

In its initial phase, the programme will be implemented in partnership with the governments of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Punjab, and the UT of Ladakh. During the first year, the programme will be accessible in 6 Indian languages namely Assamese, Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Odia, and Punjabi.

Union Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma have launched Mission ‘Senehjori’ to transform the Assam Muga Silk sector into a globally competitive luxury textile ecosystem.

Muga silk is the world’s only naturally golden silk and India’s first GI-tagged silk. The total budget for the revitalization of this sector is ₹396-411 crore, with a contribution of ₹136-151 crore from the Ministry. The initiative is structured as a 3-year roadmap with milestones to be completed by 2028.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) has notified the ‘National Sports Governance (National Sports Board (NSB)) Rules, 2026’ and the ‘National Sports Governance (National Sports Tribunal (NST)) Rules, 2026’ under the provisions of the ‘National Sports Governance Act, 2025’.

Under the NSB Rules 2026, the National Sports Board (NSB) shall consist of a Chairperson and 2 members. As per the NST Rules 2026, the Chairperson of the National Sports Tribunal (NST) will hold office for a term of 5 years or until attaining the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier. Members of the NST will hold office for a term of 5 years or until they attain the age of 67 years, whichever is earlier.

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has unveiled the nationwide “Maritime Reform Utsav” during a review meeting of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) in New Delhi.

The initiative commemorates 12 years of maritime reforms in India. It focuses on reform gap analysis, inter-ministerial coordination, stakeholder participation, and skill development in maritime technologies and digital governance.

The Ministry of Jal Shakti has signed an MoU with the ISRO to enhance water resource management using satellite technology. The collaboration involves joint research across 24 key areas. It is to be noted that the Ministry has already supported 113 research projects in the water sector over the past decade.

Additionally, the third phase of the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) campaign has been launched, aiming to create 2 crore water conservation structures between June 2026 and May 2027. The previous phase of the campaign successfully created over 1.5 crore water conservation structures.

Union Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar has launched the Joint Elderly Empowerment & Virtual Assistance Network (JEEVAN) mobile application for senior citizens.

He has also launched the Senior Holistic Care Assistance and Training For Your Utility (SHATAYU) Geriatric Caregiver Dashboard. These platforms were unveiled during a virtual national workshop titled ‘Creating a Well-Functioning Care Economy’.

The National Steering Committee (NSC) has approved the Strategic Investment Plan (SIP) for the Visakhapatnam Industrial Training Institute (ITI) Cluster in Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh has become the first state to operationalise an industry partnership under the PM-SETU scheme.

The plan was submitted by ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India in collaboration with its academic partner, New Age Makers Institute of Technology (NAMTECH). It is to be noted that this is the first-ever Strategic Investment Plan cleared under the PM-SETU scheme, which has an outlay of ₹60,000 crore.

The Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) has amended the Legal Metrology (Government Approved Test Centre (GATC)) Rules, 2013, to strengthen the legal metrology system of India and expand the national infrastructure for the verification of weights and measures.

Under the Legal Metrology Amendment Rules, 2026, GATCs are now authorized to verify 5 additional fuel dispensing systems: Petrol/Diesel, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), and Hydrogen. This expansion increases the coverage of weights and measures under the Legal Metrology framework from 18 to 23 categories.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Dr Jitendra Singh has launched the Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) AI-enabled voice chatbot named “Samadhan Didi” at Kartavya Bhawan in New Delhi.

The chatbot is developed by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) in collaboration with Bhasini. It allows citizens to lodge grievances by speaking in their native language.

The central government has constituted the High-Level Committee on Demographic Change (HLCDC) to conduct a scientific assessment of ‘unnatural demographic changes’ resulting from illegal immigration and other abnormal factors.

The committee, set up under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), is chaired by Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar (Retired). The other members of the HLCDC include Mritunjay Kumar Narayan (Census Commissioner of India), Durga Shankar Mishra, Balaji Srivastava, and Dr Shamika Ravi.

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (MoCAF&PD), has notified specifications for E22, E25, E27, and E30 fuel blends. These specifications set standards for petrol blended with up to 30% ethanol, extending beyond the existing E20 blend target.

The new norms have been established under the standard ‘IS 19850:2026’ for ‘E22, E25, E27 and E30 Fuel, Admixture of Anhydrous Ethanol and Motor Gasoline for Usage in Positive Ignition Engine Powered Vehicles’.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) has completed its first-ever all-women international mountaineering expedition to Mount (Mt) Everest, the highest peak in the world at 8,848 m. The 14-member team scaled the summit through the South Col Route from Nepal.

Meanwhile, the Border Security Force (BSF), a Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), has also successfully scaled Mt Everest through its inaugural all-women expedition named ‘Mission Vande Mataram’. This expedition was organised as a part of its Diamond Jubilee celebrations, marking 60 years of service.

The Ministry of Textiles has launched the “Bharat Tex 2026 Event Application” to facilitate AI-driven networking and business matchmaking for the upcoming “Bharat Tex 2026” exhibition. The exhibition is scheduled to be held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

The application features an AI-powered smart assistant designed to provide 24x7 conversational support for event schedules, venue details, directions, and other related queries.

Union Minister Virendra Kumar has launched the Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY) Portal and AJAY Mobile App to digitise and strengthen the implementation of Scheduled Caste (SC) welfare schemes across India.

The unified digital platform, introduced by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, eliminates paper-based workflows to ensure real-time reporting, enhanced transparency, and accountable service delivery.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), in collaboration with the Vertis Foundation, has launched “Project Saksham” to empower rural women through skill development and employment opportunities.

The initiative aims to provide industry-relevant skills, promote financial independence, and facilitate access to formal employment opportunities for rural women. Project Saksham operates through a network of 12 training centres established across India.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the ₹20,667 crore Ahmedabad (Sarkhej)–Dholera Semi High-Speed Double-Line railway project in Gujarat.

Spanning a distance of 134 km, this is the first Indian Railways (IR) project to utilize indigenous semi high-speed technology. The technology is designed to support train speeds of up to 220 km/h.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry has released the detailed operational guidelines for the implementation of the BHAVYA Scheme. The Central Sector Scheme aims to develop investment-ready, world-class industrial parks across the country.

The scheme aims to develop 100 industrial parks over a 6-year period from FY27 to FY32, with a total financial outlay of ₹33,660 crore. In the first phase, up to 50 industrial parks will be selected through a challenge-based competitive selection process.

The guidelines permit the development of both greenfield and eligible brownfield industrial parks. The minimum land requirement is set at 100 acres for non-hilly states and 25 acres for hilly states, northeastern states, Union Territories (UTs), and smaller states, with provisions to consider larger parks up to 1,000 acres.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), under the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT)), has launched an AI-based helpbot named ‘ABHAY’ (AI-Based Helpbot for Authentication of Your Notice).

The initiative aims to authenticate official CBI notices and safeguard citizens against cyber fraud and digital arrest scams.