Recent 6 months news in National

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.

The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) has launched a strategic initiative to re-enroll approximately 2 crore out-of-school children (OOSC). This drive aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and aims to address the dropout rate in India, where only 62 out of 100 students reach Class 12.

The initiative targets adolescents aged 14-18 who dropped out due to financial constraints, domestic responsibilities, or early entry into the workforce. The long-term goal is to achieve 100% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) from pre-school to secondary level by 2030.

Union Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia has launched the mission “Arunachal Kiwi: The USP of Arunachal Pradesh” in New Delhi. This cluster-based cultivation and value chain development program, with an outlay of ₹167 crore, aims to transform Arunachal Pradesh into a premium, traceable, single-origin global organic kiwi hub by FY28.

The mission targets increasing farmer realization for Grade A kiwis from ₹120 per kg to premium global export prices, while Grade C kiwis (previously sold at ₹20–₹40 per kg) will be upcycled into premium sub-products. The program also aims to extend product shelf life from 7–10 days to 45 days and establish cold-chain logistics with a capacity of 2,000 Metric Tonnes (MT).

The Union Cabinet has approved a new Scheme for Promotion of Surface Coal/Lignite Gasification Projects with a total outlay of ₹37,500 crore. The initiative, structured under the National Coal Gasification Mission launched in 2021, aims to boost clean energy production and reduce reliance on imports of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), urea, and methanol.

The scheme provides financial incentives of up to 20% of the cost of plant and machinery, disbursed in 4 equal installments linked to project milestones. the coal linkage tenure has been extended to a maximum of 30 years under the ‘Production of Syngas leading to Coal Gasification’ sub-sector in the Non-Regulated Sector (NRS) linkage auction framework.

The centre has capped the financial incentive at ₹5,000 crore for any single project, ₹9,000 crore for any single product (excluding Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG) and urea), and ₹12,000 crore for any single entity group across all projects.

PM Narendra Modi participated in the Somnath Amrut Mahotsav at the Somnath Temple in Gir Somnath, Gujarat. He released a commemorative stamp and a ₹75 coin to mark 1,000 years of faith at Somnath and 75 years of the reconstruction of the temple after Independence.

PM Modi also inaugurated the Sardardham Hostel in Vadodara, Gujarat, built at a cost of ₹150 crore. He launched the Sardar Dham Education Support Yojana with an outlay of ₹500 crore to provide financial assistance, mentorship, and academic guidance to economically weaker students.

Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy has unveiled the Unified Bharat e Charge (UBC) platform, a national unified electric vehicle (EV) charging platform, during the ‘National Conference on Enabling Nationwide EV Charging Infrastructure’ held in Bengaluru.

The platform is being developed by Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) with technical support from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). He also approved the installation of 1,243 EV charging stations in Karnataka with a financial outlay of ₹123.26 crore.

Union Minister JP Nadda and Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan have launched the ‘SEHAT Mission’ (Science Excellence for Health through Agricultural Transformation) in New Delhi. The mission is jointly launched by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW).

The initiative aims to connect agriculture, nutrition, and public health through scientific collaboration to build a framework for ‘Healthy Food, Healthy Farms and a Healthy India’.

Indian Railways has approved infrastructure works, including slope stabilisation, tunnel rehabilitation, and bridge protection, on the Jammu-Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra section with an investment of ₹238 crore.

The 54 km Kiul-Jhajha 3rd line project has been approved at a cost of ₹962 crore to enhance capacity on the high-density Howrah-Delhi route. Further, the Arakkonam-Chengalpattu doubling project has been sanctioned at a cost of ₹993 crore to strengthen the Chennai suburban rail network.

The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has notified the implementation of the ‘Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin)’ (VB–G RAM G) Act, 2025, which will come into effect from July 2026. This Act will repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA, 2005).

The new Act provides a statutory guarantee of 125 days of unskilled manual work per financial year to every household, an increase from the 100-day provision under the MGNREGA. The scope of work under the VB–G RAM G Act, 2025, covers 4 key areas: water security, rural infrastructure, livelihood infrastructure, and climate resilience.

Union Minister Prataprao Jadhav has launched the ‘Ayush Anudan Portal’ to enhance transparency, efficiency, and accountability in grant management for the Ayush sector. The portal is developed under the ‘Ayush Grid’ initiative.

It enables the online submission, processing, and monitoring of funding proposals under Central Sector Schemes. The portal is integrated with the ‘NGO Darpan Portal’ for faster verification, aiming to reduce manual processes and support the ‘Digital India’ and ‘Ease of Living’ initiatives.

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has launched the PM Gram Sadak Yojana-IV (PMGSY-IV) during the silver jubilee celebrations of the scheme in Bhairunda, Madhya Pradesh. Under PMGSY-IV, the government has approved 973 roads spanning 2,117.52 km in Madhya Pradesh at a cost of ₹1,763.08 crore. Separately, the centre approved 259 roads, spanning 600.39 km, for the Vidisha parliamentary constituency.

He also handed over a mother sanction worth ₹2,055 crore to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister (CM) Dr. Mohan Yadav under the PM Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G). Additionally, road projects worth ₹261.81 crore, covering 384.34 km, were approved under the PM Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN).

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched the ‘Intellectual Property (IP) Catalyst’ initiative and its dedicated digital platform (https://cipie.in). The launch took place during the national conference ‘From Patent to Product: Accelerating IP Commercialization in Electronics & Information Technology (IT)’ held at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi.

The initiative is implemented by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) with the support of MeitY. It is to be noted that the CIPIE platform serves as a unified online gateway for Intellectual Property and technology commercialization support services.