Category: National

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on February 10 informed the J&K Legislative Assembly that his government is working with the Centre to revive two projects that had been put into abeyance following objections from Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). One of the key projects under consideration is the Tulbul Navigation Project (TNP). Also known as the Wular Barrage, the Tulbul Navigation Project was first conceived in Read More …

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Budget Speech on February 1, announced the launch of Bharat-VISTAAR (Virtually Integrated System to Access Agricultural Resources), a multilingual AI-powered platform aimed at strengthening India’s digital agriculture ecosystem. The tool will integrate the AgriStack portals with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)’s package of agricultural practices, enabling seamless access to agricultural data and AI-driven advisory services for farmers. AgriStack: Digital Public Infrastructure for Read More …

The Union government has issued a fresh set of guidelines directing that all six stanzas of the National Song Vande Mataram should be sung or played before the National Anthem Jana Gana Mana whenever both are performed at an event. The instructions, uploaded on the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) website on February 6, clarify the protocol to be followed during official functions and public events. According to the guidelines, Read More …

India’s doctor-to-population ratio has improved to one doctor for every 811 people, surpassing the benchmark of one doctor per 1,000 population often cited as the World Health Organization’s norm, the Union government informed Parliament on Tuesday. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav said the estimate is based on the latest data from Health Dynamics of India (Infrastructure Read More …

he Opposition on February 10 moved a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, invoking constitutional provisions that allow for the removal of the Speaker through a formal resolution. Constitutional Provision The removal of the Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha is governed by Article 94(c) of the Constitution of India. The Article provides for the vacation, resignation and removal of these constitutional office-holders. Under Article 94(c): Read More …

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has informed the Lok Sabha Secretariat that Parliamentary questions and matters related to the PM CARES Fund, the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) and the National Defence Fund (NDF) are not admissible under the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha. According to the reasoning conveyed by the PMO, these questions are inadmissible because the corpus of all three funds Read More …

The Government of India has accelerated work on a major hydroelectric project on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir, with the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) floating a ₹5,129 crore tender for the construction of the Sawalkot Hydroelectric Project in Ramban district. The Sawalkot project is the first new large hydropower project to receive approval following the abrogation of the Indus Water Treaty, marking a significant development in India’s Read More …

In a significant step towards strengthening disaster response and humanitarian handling of mass fatalities, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) released India’s first-ever guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) in January 2026. The guidelines aim to ensure recognition, registration and dignified handover of human remains to families during mass fatality incidents, addressing a long-standing challenge where victims of disasters often remained unidentified or were difficult Read More …

The Centre’s Sahyog Portal, a digital platform designed to expedite the blocking of “objectionable content” online, has been challenged before the Bombay High Court, raising fresh questions over its impact on fundamental rights and intermediary liability under India’s IT framework. The Sahyog Portal, developed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), was launched in 2024 to streamline and automate Read More …

India on February 6, 2026, successfully conducted a test-firing of the nuclear weapons-capable Agni-3 ballistic missile from Chandipur off the Odisha coast, reaffirming the credibility of its strategic deterrence capabilities. The surface-to-surface missile, which has a strike range of over 3,000 kilometres, was launched by personnel of the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) from a mobile launcher as part of a routine training exercise. The missile selected for the test was Read More …

Government procurement of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) at Minimum Support Price (MSP) witnessed a steep decline in 2024–25, according to data tabled in Parliament on February 5, 2026. The data shows that procurement across 19 States fell by over 92% compared to the previous year. In 2022–23, total MSP procurement of MFPs in these States stood at 26,744 metric tonnes (MT), valued at around ₹94.23 crore. This figure nearly doubled Read More …

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1 tabled the 16th Finance Commission (FC) report in the Lok Sabha, laying down the framework for tax devolution between the Centre and the States for the next five years. A key highlight of the report is a significant enhancement in funding for Urban Local Governments (ULGs). The Commission has recommended an allocation of ₹3.5 lakh crore to ULGs for the forthcoming five-year period. Read More …

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off a joint Indian mountaineering expedition to Mount Aconcagua in Argentina from New Delhi. The expedition is being undertaken jointly by the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), Uttarkashi, and the Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering & Winter Sports (JIM&WS), Pahalgam, showcasing India’s growing expertise and institutional collaboration in high-altitude mountaineering. Mount Aconcagua, rising to about 6,960 metres, is the highest peak in South America and the Read More …

The Central Government, the Government of Nagaland and the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) have signed a landmark agreement for the formation of the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA), marking a major step towards addressing long-standing demands for greater regional autonomy in eastern Nagaland. ENPO is the apex body representing eight recognised Naga tribes inhabiting the six eastern districts of Nagaland. The demand for region-specific administrative and developmental powers has Read More …