Recent 6 months news in National

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has approved financial assistance of ₹150 crore for India's first private-sector 91 Kilo Litres Per Day (KLPD) Hybrid Second-Generation (2G) Ethanol Biorefinery, located in Dhanaura, Uttar Pradesh.

The assistance is provided through the Centre for High Technology (CHT) under the PM JI-VAN (Jaiv Indhan- Vatavaran Anukool fasal awashesh Nivaran) Yojana. The biorefinery produces sustainable 2G ethanol using agricultural residues.

The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has inaugurated the world's first hydrogen production facility utilizing a Copper–Chlorine (Cu–Cl) thermochemical cycle at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) in Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu.

The facility is powered by nuclear heat derived from a Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR). The Cu–Cl cycle is a multi-step chemical process that splits water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen through the application of high-temperature thermal energy.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has awarded the IndiaAI Fellowship to 7 Computer Science Engineering (CSE) students at Chandigarh University.

Each recipient will receive financial assistance of ₹1 lakh for innovative projects using AI and Machine Learning applications.

PM Narendra Modi has visited West Bengal to participate in the 'Paschimbanga Divas' (West Bengal Day) celebrations held at Tarakeswar in Hooghly. The event was organised under the theme "West Bengal: Heritage, Harmony and Development".

During the visit, he also released the 23rd instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) have launched "AIR SUVIDHA 2.0", an upgraded contactless Passenger Health Self-Declaration Portal.

The portal aims to strengthen public health surveillance at Points of Entry in response to the ongoing Ebola disease outbreak.

Union Minister of State Arjun Ram Meghwal has approved the continuation of the Central Sector Scheme 'Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice' (DISHA), which is now restructured as 'DISHA 2.0'.

The scheme has been allocated an outlay of ₹255 crore for 5 years (April 2026 to March 2031). The funding is provided through 100% Gross Budgetary Support from the Government of India (GoI), following recommendations from the Standing Finance Committee chaired by Niraj Verma.

The scheme aims to strengthen access to justice as mandated by the Preamble and Articles 14, 21, and 39A of the Constitution of India, and supports the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-16) on Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. It targets 3 crore beneficiaries.

The scheme comprises 4 components: 'Tele-Law' (Reaching the Unreached), 'Nyaya Bandhu' (Pro-Bono Legal Services) Programme, 'Legal Literacy and Legal Awareness Programme' (LLLAP), and 'VIDHI Sanjeevani'.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued an emergency nationwide order to block the messaging platform 'Telegram'. The directive was executed under the provisions of Section 69A of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000.

This measure was implemented after the National Testing Agency (NTA) and intelligence agencies identified a significant rise in organized cheating rackets on the platform, specifically in the period leading up to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2026 re-test.

Union Minister Amit Shah has launched four initiatives to expand governance and assistance for farmers in New Delhi. The 'DRISHTI' portal was introduced as a dedicated tracking system to streamline the real-time inventory management of pulses and oilseeds.

The digital e-auction platform 'NAFEX.in' of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) was launched to connect farmers directly with buyers to eliminate middlemen, ensuring transparent bidding and direct payments to the bank accounts of farmers within 48 hours.

The 'NAFED-KALYAN' scholarship was launched as a social welfare initiative that allocates 1% of the profits of NAFED to fund the higher education and career development of the children of farmers. Additionally, an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) portal was launched to strengthen internal digital governance and increase overall operational efficiency.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has launched the Green Hydrogen Certification Portal of India (GHCI Portal) during the National Workshop on "Strengthening the National Green Hydrogen Mission: Through State Policies, Hubs & Infrastructure" in New Delhi.

The portal will serve as a digital platform to enable transparent certification, verification, and regulatory compliance under the Green Hydrogen Certification Scheme of India (GHCI). The platform is scheduled to become operational in July 2026.

Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, along with Conrad K Sangma, the CM of Meghalaya, and Prem Singh Tamang, the CM of Sikkim, has inaugurated the largest organic spice processing unit of Northeast India at Bhoirymbong in Meghalaya.

The facility was established under the Eastern Ri-Bhoi Organic Farmer Producer Company Ltd (FPC) with an investment of ₹32 crore. The processing unit has an annual capacity to process over 10,000 metric tonnes (MT) of high-value organic spices.

Union Minister of State Sanjay Kumar has laid the foundation stone for the new Force Headquarters building of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at the CGO Complex in New Delhi.

The building is being constructed by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) at an estimated cost of ₹75.78 crore. During the event, he also inaugurated and dedicated multiple infrastructure projects of the CISF to the nation, valued at ₹136.03 crore.

The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), has launched two new portals: the Grievance Redressal Mechanism (GRM) and the Money Restoration Module (MRM).

These portals are designed to streamline direct operational coordination among police forces, banking networks, and the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP).

Osmania University in Hyderabad has become the first university in India to receive four International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Management System Certifications from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

The university has been awarded certifications for ISO 21001:2018 (Educational Organisations Management System), ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental Management System), ISO 50001:2018 (Energy Management System), and ISO 22000:2018 (Food Safety Management System).

The Department of Public Enterprises under the Ministry of Finance has upgraded Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd (CPCL) as India's 28th Navratna company and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE) as the 29th Navratna Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE).

Following this, both Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) can invest up to Rs 1,000 crore or 15% of their net worth on a single project without prior approval from the central government.

The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has hosted the First BRICS MSME Forum and the Third SME Working Group Meeting in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The event was held under the theme 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability'.

The Third SME Working Group Meeting deliberated on the theme 'Building MSME Ecosystem - Sustainable Roots to Global Routes'.

Six northern states including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan, have signed an MoU for the implementation of the Kishau Multipurpose Dam Project. The agreement was signed during a meeting chaired by Union Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.

The project is a hydroelectric and water storage initiative on the Tons River, a tributary of the Yamuna, located on the border of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh in the Dehradun-Sirmour region. The project is estimated to cost ₹15,000 crore. The Central Government will provide 90% of the water component cost as Central Assistance, while the remaining 10% will be shared by the participating states.

The National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB), chaired by Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, has approved the development of 4 greenfield cities, branded as “Namo Cities”, in the Delhi-NCR region under the Regional Plan 2041.

One city will be developed in each of the 4 states and territories: Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. The project is estimated to cost ₹5,000 crore and will be implemented over a period of 5 years.

The National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) has celebrated 50 years of its contribution to India's urban development. The golden jubilee celebrations were held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi under the theme 'Resilient Urban India @2047'.

Dr PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, attended the event as the Chief Guest. During the event, the National Urban Learning Platform was launched to strengthen technical capacity building in urban governance through an integrated hybrid learning system and newly introduced technical courses.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has launched the 'Wind Turbine Materials and Resources Utility Tracker' (WT-MARUT) at the Global Wind Day Conference 2026 in Goa. It is India's first Wind Turbine Supply Chain Management Portal.

Developed by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in collaboration with the Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association (IWTMA), the portal aims to strengthen domestic wind manufacturing and improve supply-chain transparency. The initiative is designed to support the national target of achieving 100 GW of wind energy capacity by 2030.

During the conference, the Union Minister also unveiled the Wind Domestic Content Requirement (DCR) Portal, a coffee table book titled 'Pawan Urja', and a series of knowledge and state-wise policy reports.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has concluded the 13th BRICS Urbanisation Forum at Sushma Swaraj Bhavan in New Delhi. Held under the BRICS Chairship of India 2026, the forum was themed "Cities for People: BRICS Cooperation for Inclusive and Resilient Urban Futures".

The event resulted in the adoption of a 'Ministerial Declaration' and the proposal for a 'BRICS Urban Research and Knowledge Network' to strengthen urban cooperation among member nations. Two publications, "India's Urban Transformation: Stories of Change" and "Cities for People: Urban Stories from BRICS Nations", were also showcased.