Recent 6 months news in National

The National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA), under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, has designated the Borjuli wetland in the Sonitpur district of Assam as a 'Biodiversity Heritage Site'. This initiative aims to conserve India's wild rice genetic resources, specifically the ancestral species Oryza rufipogon.

The conservation is being carried out under the project 'In-situ Conservation and Management of Wild Rice (Oryza rufipogon) of Assam', which has been operational since 2022. The project is executed by scientists from the ICAR–National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBPGR), New Delhi.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved a reform to improve the quality of rice distributed under the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and other welfare schemes.

Under the new policy, the permissible limit for broken grains in raw rice has been reduced to 10% from 25%, and for parboiled rice, it has been limited to 5% from 16%. The procurement of this improved-quality rice will be implemented across all states in a phased manner by the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2027–28.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has successfully completed India's first satellite-based landing system (SLS) approach on a commercial jet aircraft. The demonstration was conducted using an IndiGo Airbus A320 at Maharana Pratap Airport in Udaipur, Rajasthan.

The operation utilized the indigenous GAGAN (Global Positioning System (GPS) Aided GEO (Geostationary Earth Orbit) Augmented Navigation) system to execute a Localiser Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV) approach.

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has unveiled a development pipeline of 63 projects worth Rs 5,028.17 crore during the 154th foundation day celebrations of the Mumbai Port Authority (MPA). The event was held under the theme "Together We Can".

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved 2 major infrastructure projects. The first is the construction of the 117.7 km Kanpur–Kabrai Access-Controlled Greenfield Highway, a key segment of the Bhopal–Kanpur Economic Corridor, at an estimated cost of ₹7,145.14 crore.

The second project involves the construction of an 8.1 km, 6-lane road tunnel for National Highway (NH)-148AE, connecting the Dwarka Expressway (NH 248 BB) with Nelson Mandela Marg, Vasant Kunj in Delhi. The tunnel project, estimated at ₹6,969.67 crore, will be executed on the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM).

The first Vande Mataram Camp 2026, organised by Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat) under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, has concluded at Brainware University in Kolkata.

The event commemorated the 150th anniversary of the National Song 'Vande Mataram'. It hosted 150 youth delegates from Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands to promote national integration, cultural exchange, and youth leadership.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Ministry of Ayush have prohibited the use of leaves and leaf extracts of the Withania somnifera plant in food products and supplements.

It is to be noted that the roots and their extracts remain permitted and are considered safe for consumption.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has approved the first private Point-in-Space (PinS) Instrument Approach Procedure for helicopter operations in India at the Undavalli Heliport in Andhra Pradesh.

The procedure was developed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Union Minister Virendra Kumar has presided over the valedictory event of 'Nasha Mukt Bharat Saptah (Drug-Free India Week)' in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. The event was observed under the theme "Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan – Viksit Bharat Ki Pehchaan".

During the event, the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJE) signed MoUs with the Akhil Vishwa Gayatri Pariwar to strengthen the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (NMBA) by focusing on awareness, community mobilisation, drug demand reduction, and senior citizen welfare.

Union Minister Amit Shah has launched the Prime Minister Family Care Tracker (PM-FCT) pilot project in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The initiative aims to strengthen beneficiary identification and ensure the timely delivery of government welfare schemes.

The PM-FCT serves as an integrated digital platform to monitor the health, nutrition, education, and welfare benefits of children from the prenatal stage up to 18 years of age.

Union Minister Amit Shah has launched the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) 2.0 Portal and the electronic Overseas Citizen of India (e-OCI) Card in New Delhi.

The FCRA 2.0 portal transitions the regulatory framework for Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) into a fully digital system. Hosted on the MeghRaj Government Cloud, the portal supports 14,500 active FCRA-registered organizations and manages up to 20,000 application cycles annually.

The Ministry of Steel has granted 'Miniratna Category-I' status to MECON Ltd, a Schedule 'A' Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE).

This recognition is awarded due to the consistent financial performance of the company, which has reported profits for the last 3 financial years. Established in 1959, the company is headquartered in Ranchi.

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has highlighted that the VO Chidambaranar Port Authority (VOCPA) has achieved a 45% reduction in net carbon emissions, emerging as a model for sustainable maritime development. The port has also been recognised as a Scope-2 Emission Free Port.

During the event, the minister dedicated 6 key initiatives. The port released its inaugural sustainability disclosure, the "VOCPA Sustainability Report 2026" titled "Towards a Green Maritime Future", along with a case study by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta titled "The Hydrogen Pivot: Orchestrating the Green Transition at VO Chidambaranar Port Authority."

The port also inaugurated the 'vidya pravesh' (academic activities) for the 2026-27 academic year at the newly established Kendriya Vidyalaya located at the Port Colony in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu.

The Geographical Indication (GI) Registry in Chennai has granted the GI tag to 3 agricultural products from Madhya Pradesh (MP): Khurasani Imli (Mandu), Garadu Tuber (Ratlam), and Balam Kakdi (Sailana).

These certifications are part of an initiative to protect 12 distinct regional agricultural items from the state.

PM Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu have visited Odisha and inaugurated/laid foundation stones for various developmental projects worth over ₹47,600 crore at Rairangpur.

They jointly laid the foundation stone for India's first commercial-scale 'Coal-to-Ammonium Nitrate Project' at Lakhanpur. They also participated in a programme marking the completion of 2 years of the Odisha government, themed 'Vikas ra Dhara, Odisha Sara'.

During the visit, 60 projects were inaugurated and foundation stones were laid for 12 projects across various sectors. PM Modi also announced that Pahadpur will be developed as a 'Model Solar Village', ensuring every household is equipped for solar power generation.

The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India (OPSA), in collaboration with the Data Security Council of India (DSCI), has launched the 'TRL Compass Platform'.

The platform provides a common national standard for evaluating projects seeking public funding by standardizing Technology Readiness Level (TRL) assessments across sectors.

The BRICS Heads of Space Agencies (HOSA) meeting was held in Bengaluru. It was hosted by the ISRO and the Department of Space (DoS) with support from the Ministry of External Affairs, featuring participation from all BRICS member nations.

The 11th BRICS Energy Ministers’ Meeting was held in Gurugram, Haryana, under the BRICS Chairship of India for 2026. The meeting was conducted under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” with the Energy Track focusing on the theme “Energy for All.”

The National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) has celebrated its 23rd Foundation Day and launched 4 digital platforms.

The platforms include: 'IX Portal' to optimize the operations and management of domestic internet exchanges. 'myIRINN Portal' as a secure platform for members and affiliates of the Indian Registry for Internet Names and Numbers (IRINN). '.IN Auction Portal' to streamline the bidding and acquisition process for premium '.in' domain names. 'AI-Powered WHOIS Screening Platform' to secure the '.in' domain space of India.

Union Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu has inaugurated India's first hub-and-spoke flight service, designated as Air India flight 1111, at the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

Launched under Air India's 'Easy Connect' initiative, the service provides connectivity to 17 international destinations.

Union Minister Amit Shah has launched 4 digital policing applications at the 26th All India Fingerprint Conference in New Delhi. The applications are National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)-Abhigyan, Criminal Procedure Identification (CrPI), e-Prosecution 2.0, and e-Forensics 2.0.

These applications are designed to strengthen the Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS) by leveraging AI for biometric identification, forensic integration, and digital prosecution management.