Recent 6 months news in National

The CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI) has flagged off an indigenous Network Survey Vehicle (NSV) to conduct a comprehensive road condition survey across the Delhi-NCR region.

This event marks the commencement of field surveys under the project titled 'Implementation of the Standard Framework for Paving and Greening of Urban Roads in Delhi NCR.'

Union Minister Giriraj Singh has inaugurated the Centre of Excellence for Handloom Technology (CoE-HT) at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi.

During the event, 5 flagship initiatives were launched: 'Handloom 4.0 Mobile App', 'Handloom e-Vidya', 'HandloomX', 'Kalagriha Handloom Studio' (GenZ Design Studio), and 'Threads of Valour'.

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav has announced Glaw Lake as the first Ramsar Site in Arunachal Pradesh. The lake is situated in the Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh, within the Kamlang Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary in the Eastern Himalayas.

With this addition, the total number of Ramsar sites in India has reached 101, maintaining its position as the country with the highest number of Ramsar wetlands in Asia.

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) has released guidelines titled "Norms, Guidelines and Procedures for Implementation of Indian Space Policy-2023 in respect of Authorisation for Undertaking Planned Re-entry of Space Objects".

Under these guidelines, entities of India must obtain approval from IN-SPACe for the planned re-entry of space objects. Foreign entities intending to perform re-entry must apply through an entity incorporated in India. Entities are required to maintain a casualty risk of less than 1 in 10,000 and must submit trajectory and risk assessments for approval.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) celebrated its 20th Foundation Day at Prithvi Bhawan in New Delhi, presided over by Dr. N Kalaiselvi, MoES Secretary. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) established 13 Centres of Excellence (CoEs) for specialized meteorological research and upgraded the Thiruvananthapuram Cyclone Warning Centre into an Area Cyclone Warning Centre (ACWC).

It also launched ‘IMD NOVA’ for thunderstorm nowcast monitoring and signed an MoU with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research–National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI) to establish the 'Weather Driven Animal Disease Risk Forecasting Unit (WAADRU)' for district-level livestock disease forecasting.

The National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) introduced the ‘WINGS’ mobile application for numerical weather prediction and real-time analysis, launched the National Doppler Weather Radar Reflectivity Mosaic to monitor severe weather, and upgraded its Open Data Portal.

The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) released the ‘Compendium of Monthly Seismological Bulletins’ for 2023 and 2024, and the ‘Strong Motion Atlas of India (2010–2020)’ for earthquake engineering and hazard assessment.

The Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE) released taxonomic manuals covering 100 Tintinnid ciliate species and 225 seamount-associated species, and issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the collection, preservation, and analysis of marine biological samples.

PM Narendra Modi has launched the 'Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan', a 100-week nationwide campaign to eradicate substance abuse among the youth.

The initiative includes a 'Jan Bhagidari' (people participation) drive to engage the community. To raise awareness, the campaign will conduct weekly activities every Sunday, such as sports, meditation, and cultural events.

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has unveiled "Scale without boundaries" as the theme for the 10th edition of the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026.

The event, recognized as the largest digital technology forum in Asia, is scheduled to be held in October 2026 at Yashobhoomi (India International Convention & Expo Centre) in New Delhi. The 10th edition of the IMC is anchored around four key pillars: Srishti, Suraksha, Sashakt, and Samvardhan.

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) has launched the 'DAANVEER initiative', a citizen participation framework aimed at upgrading digital infrastructure across rural local bodies.

This initiative provides a transparent system for individuals, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), and organizations to donate computer hardware and digital devices to nearly 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats (GPs) across India. The initiative features the 'Meri Panchayat' App and the 'DigiHaat' Marketplace.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched Hub & Spoke International Flight Operations at the Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar, Punjab. The initiative was virtually inaugurated by Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu.

It is to be noted that Amritsar is the second spoke airport in India under this framework, following the initial implementation in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

President Droupadi Murmu has completed 4 years in office. To mark the occasion, she inaugurated and laid foundation stones for various initiatives at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and the President's Estate.

She launched an application-based e-Audio Guide for visitors, available in Hindi, English, and 14 other Indian languages. She also launched the 3rd edition of 'e-Upahaar', featuring 300 curated Presidential gifts for public auction.

For children in the President's Estate, she inaugurated the 'Bachpan Bal Parisar' initiative, which includes 'Kilkari' (a play zone) and 'Samarth Anganwadi-cum-Palna' (a facility for growth and development). She also launched the Rashtrapati Bhavan Access And Heritage Interconnector (RAAHI), a fare-free electric bus service to promote green mobility.

She laid the foundation stone for a service block under the Net Zero Energy Strategy. She also inaugurated accommodation facilities at Rashtrapati Niketan (Dehradun) and Rashtrapati Nilayam (Secunderabad), and laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of staff quarters in the President's Estate.

Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh has launched the 'Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme', 'SAMARTH Panchayat Portal', and the 'Model Own Source of Revenue (OSR) Rules' for Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) at Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi.

The 'Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme' aims to develop 350 projects over 4 years (50 in the first year, and 100 in each of the subsequent 3 years). NABARD and HUDCO are the institutional partners for the programme.

The 'SAMARTH Panchayat Portal' is a digital initiative by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj to strengthen the financial capacity of Gram Panchayats through technology-enabled management of OSR. The 'Model OSR Rules' serve as a framework for States and Union Territories (UTs) to enhance the financial independence of PRIs, incorporating recommendations from the Sixteenth Finance Commission.

The Union Cabinet has approved amendments to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 to curb paper leak incidents. The minimum prison sentence for those convicted has been increased from 3 years to 5 years, while the maximum is 10 years.

For organized crimes, the financial penalty has been increased to ₹10 crore from the previous ₹1 crore. The legislation also mandates a fast-track mechanism to complete investigations, trials, and judgments within a 3-month timeframe.

Maharashtra has become the first state to qualify for the second installment of funds under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan chaired a review meeting to assess the utilization of funds. The Government of India (GoI) had released ₹335 crore as the first installment, of which Maharashtra utilized ₹260 crore, exceeding the mandatory 75% utilization benchmark required for the release of the second installment.

Union Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia and Meghalaya CM Conrad K Sangma have launched the "Mission Golden Spice – Integrated Lakadong Turmeric Value Chain Enhancement Project" in New Delhi.

It is a 5-year roadmap (2025–2030) with a total outlay of ₹175.45 crore, aimed at transforming Meghalaya's Geographical Indication (GI)-tagged Lakadong turmeric into a globally competitive premium spice.

The mission is divided into two phases: Phase 1 (Value Chain Strengthening) and Phase 2 (Expansion and Scale-up). The project funding is shared between the state government, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare (MoA&FW), and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER), with MDoNER contributing 50% of the budget.

The National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) has officially recognised the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) as an Awarding Body (Dual).

Under this, NCVET has approved two custom-developed qualifications: 'Industrial General Pest Management Technician' and 'Micro-Credential on Generation and Mobilisation of Own Source Revenue by Panchayats'.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal has announced the formation of a task force to support the toy sector, with the aim of achieving a 5% share in the global toy market by 2032.

The announcement was made during the 'Team Up for Toys: Driving SCALE, Innovation and Exports' stakeholder meet, organised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi.

The IIT Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh has established a Centre of Excellence (CoE) on Innovative and Integrated Ecosystem for Green Hydrogen (ECOGEN). This initiative has been launched under the UP Green Hydrogen Policy 2024.

Dr Prabodh Bajpai has been appointed as the Principal Investigator to lead the ECOGEN initiative. The proposal for this CoE was approved by the committee constituted by the Government of Uttar Pradesh and sanctioned by the UP New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA).

PM Narendra Modi has announced the formation of a high-powered task force to suggest reforms for the examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The task force is chaired by Nandan Nilekani (Infosys co-founder).

The committee members include S Somanath (former Chairman of the ISRO), V Kamakoti (Director of the IIT Madras), Tapan Deka, Anita Karwal, and Amrit Lal Meena.

The Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, has been inscribed as the 45th UNESCO World Heritage Site of India. The announcement was made during the 48th Session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) held in Busan, South Korea.

The site had been on the UNESCO Tentative List since 1998, marking the end of a 28-year wait for this designation. This is the 4th UNESCO World Heritage Site in Uttar Pradesh. With 45 sites, India now ranks 6th globally in terms of the number of World Heritage properties.

The Maharashtra government has approved the establishment of the first AI-powered bird sanctuary in India, named 'Bhandup Bird Park', at the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS) in Mumbai.

The project, estimated to cost ₹45 crore, will be developed across 20.09 hectares along the Thane Creek shoreline. The park will feature an AI surveillance system with a 1.5-km radius to track bird migration and identify species in real-time.