Recent 6 months news in National

The Ministry of AYUSH has signed an MoU with the Digital India BHASHINI Division to enhance multilingual digital services. The collaboration aims to integrate AI-powered multilingual access across various digital platforms and services of AYUSH. Under the partnership, BHASHINI technologies will be utilized to provide services related to AYUSH in all 22 Scheduled Indian languages.

The Union Cabinet has approved the extension of the lease for land held by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and leased to MIHAN India Ltd (MIL) beyond August 6, 2039. The extension facilitates the licensing of Nagpur Airport to the concessionaire, GMR Nagpur International Airport Ltd (GNIAL), for a 30-year duration from the Commercial Operation Date (COD).

The initiative marks a significant step in developing Nagpur Airport into a regional aviation hub under the Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN) project.

It is to be noted that MIL was established in 2009 as a Joint Venture Company (JVC) between the AAI and the Maharashtra Airport Development Company Ltd (MADC). The equity structure of the JVC consists of a 49% stake held by the AAI and a 51% stake held by the MADC.

NITI Aayog has inaugurated the Central Prabhari Officer (CPO) Portal in New Delhi to bolster real-time governance and streamline last-mile service delivery.

The digital platform is implemented under the framework of the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) and the Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP). The portal aims to minimize the disparity between field-level observations and administrative responses by utilizing a structured real-time reporting system.

The Union Cabinet has approved two semiconductor projects under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 1.0 with an investment of ₹3,936 crore. The projects include the first commercial Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology-based Mini/Micro-Light Emitting Diode (LED) display facility in India by Crystal Matrix Ltd (CML) and a semiconductor packaging unit by Suchi Semicon Pvt Ltd (SSPL) in Gujarat.

These are the final projects sanctioned under ISM 1.0, which is a specialized division of the Digital India Corporation under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). It is to be noted that ISM was launched in 2021 with a total outlay of ₹76,000 crore to build a self-reliant semiconductor and display manufacturing ecosystem in India.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the development of a brownfield ship repair facility at Vadinar in Gujarat with an estimated investment of ₹1,570 crore. The project will be jointly executed by the Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) and Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL).

The proposed infrastructure of the facility includes a 650-meter jetty. Additionally, the CCEA has sanctioned several railway multi-tracking projects with a total financial outlay of ₹23,437 crore.

Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has inaugurated the “Nationwide Annual Health Check-Up Initiative” at the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Medical College & Hospital in Basaidarapur, New Delhi.

The initiative provides free annual health screenings for industrial workers aged 40 years and above at ESIC hospitals across India.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has launched the “Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) 2.0 Guidelines” under the National Health Mission (NHM). The guidelines were released during the 10th edition of the “National Summit on Good Practices and Innovations in Public Healthcare Service Delivery” in Chandigarh.

The revised framework expands the national child health screening and early intervention programme for children from birth to 18 years. RBSK 2.0 enhances the “4Ds” model—comprising Defects at Birth, Diseases, Deficiencies, and Developmental Delays—by integrating screening for mental health conditions and behavioural disorders.

The Union Cabinet has approved the ‘Mission for Cotton Productivity’ (Kapas Kanti) with a total outlay of ₹5,659.22 crore. The mission will be implemented for a period of 5 years from FY27 to FY31.

The initiative aims to increase lint productivity from 440 kg/hectare to 755 kg/hectare by 2031, targeting a total production of 498 lakh bales (1 bale = 170 kg) by 2030-31. It is expected to benefit 32 lakh cotton farmers and will initially focus on 140 districts across 14 states to enhance national cotton production.

The Union Cabinet has approved the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, to increase the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court (SC). The bill proposes to expand the total number of judges to 38 from 34 (including the Chief Justice of India (CJI)), adding 4 more judges to the existing 33.

This marks the first increase in the judicial strength of the SC in 6 years, since the last expansion in 2019. The bill aims to amend the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956. It is to be noted that Article 124(1) of the Constitution of India empowers the Parliament to determine the number of judges in the apex court.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has released the “Guidance Document on Diabetes Mellitus in Children” during the National Summit on Best Practices in Public Healthcare Service Delivery held in Chandigarh.

This is the first structured and standardized national framework in India for the screening, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management of diabetes in children. The framework introduces the “4Ts awareness framework” (Toilet, Thirsty, Tired, and Thinner) to promote the early detection of Type 1 Diabetes among children.

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has launched the fourth phase of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY-IV) in Rayagada, Odisha, with an outlay of ₹1,700 crore. Under the initiative, 827 road projects spanning 1,701.84 km have been initiated at a cost of ₹1,698.04 crore to provide all-weather connectivity to 898 habitations for the first time.

The project targets 898 villages across 8 districts in Odisha to enhance connectivity in remote and underserved regions. It is to be noted that the financial responsibility for the PMGSY-IV is shared between the central and state governments in a 60:40 ratio.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has launched the “Swasth Bharat Portal” during the 10th edition of the “National Summit on Innovation and Inclusivity: Best Practices Shaping India’s Health Future” held in Chandigarh.

The portal aims to integrate fragmented health programme systems into a unified digital platform to streamline healthcare data management.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has notified the ‘Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2026’, which modifies the ‘Citizenship Rules, 2009’. The rules became effective on April 2026. Under the new provisions, minor children are prohibited from holding both Indian and foreign passports at the same time.

The rules introduce the electronic Overseas Citizen of India (e-OCI) system for issuing digital or physical OCI cards through a central digital database. The entire application process for OCI status has been moved to an online format. Additionally, the renunciation of OCI cards must be filed electronically, after which an official acknowledgment is issued and the name of the individual is removed from central records.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has officially notified the establishment of the South Coast Railway (SCoR) zone, headquartered in Visakhapatnam. The SCoR is the 18th railway zone in India and is scheduled to start operations from June 2026. The newly created zone will integrate the Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, and Guntur divisions in Andhra Pradesh to strengthen railway administration and infrastructure in the region.

PM Narendra Modi has participated in the ‘Mahila Sammelan’ in Varanasi (Kashi) and inaugurated development projects worth ₹6,350 crore.

He also inaugurated the 594 km long Ganga Expressway in Hardoi, which is a greenfield access-controlled project. Constructed at a cost of ₹36,230 crore, the expressway connects 12 districts and features a 6-lane configuration (expandable to 8 lanes).

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has published 6 new standards for priority Assistive Technologies (AT) under the framework of the National List of Essential Assistive Products (NLEAP). It is to be noted that NLEAP is an initiative led by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

The new standards for mobility aids include IS 18558 (elbow crutches), IS 5145 (multi-leg walking sticks), and IS 19631 (portable ramps) to ensure safety, performance, and accessibility. BIS has also established standards for accessibility aids, specifically IS 19189 (tactile guide maps) and IS 19190 (Braille on signage).

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched the “Journey of Antenatal, Natal, and Neonatal Integrated Care” (JANANI) platform during the National Summit on Best Practices. The platform, which aims to strengthen maternal and child healthcare in India, is an upgraded version of the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) portal.

To date, the platform has recorded 1.34 crore beneficiary registrations and over 30 lakh registrations of pregnant women. It has also generated more than 30 lakh Maternal and Child Health (MCH) cards and completed over 1 lakh biometric verifications.

Union Minister of State Sanjay Seth has launched the ‘Namo Stall Scheme’ in Ranchi, Jharkhand, to empower street fruit and vegetable vendors with better infrastructure.

The initiative is implemented under the PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme. In the first phase of the project, stalls worth ₹50,000 each were distributed to 5 vendors to help them secure stable livelihoods.

The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is set to launch a digital platform named ‘E-PRAAPTI’ (EPF Aadhaar-based Access Portal for Tracking Inoperative Accounts). The portal is designed to facilitate the identification, tracking, Universal Account Number (UAN) linking, and activation of legacy EPF accounts.

The initial phase of the implementation will be member Identification (ID)-based. The EPFO plans to later expand the scope of the portal to include members who are unable to recall or access their historical member IDs. It is to be noted that the organization settled 8.31 crore claims in the FY26, representing an increase from the 6.01 crore claims settled during FY25.

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).