Official releases, distilled into exam-ready intelligence.

The Ministry of Education is expanding digital learning and research initiatives through multiple centrally‑sponsored schemes. Under Samagra Shiksha, ICT labs and smart classrooms are being set up in schools, with funding linked to State‑submitted Annual Work Plans. The PM eVidya programme, launched in May 2020, integrates 200 DTH TV channels and 400 radio channels to deliver multi‑mode, multilingual education, with Gujarat receiving five dedicated DTH channels. The Union Budget 2026‑27 earmarks AVGC Content Creator Labs for 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges in partnership with IICT, Mumbai. The MERITE scheme allocates Rs 4,200 crore to improve quality and governance in 275 technical institutions. The Prime Minister Research Chair (PMRC) scheme supports Indian‑origin researchers abroad across three fellowship categories in 13 engineering, science and technology themes.

The Government of India launched the PM‑Vidyalaxmi scheme in November 2024 to provide collateral‑free, guarantor‑free education loans to merit‑based students admitted to Quality Higher Education Institutions. For students with annual family income up to Rs 8 lakh, the scheme offers a 3 % interest subvention on loans up to Rs 10 lakh, with an outlay of Rs 3,600 crore for 2024‑31. Since its launch, 1,12,817 loans worth Rs 15,634.78 crore have been sanctioned. Interest subvention is credited through a digital wallet after Aadhaar‑based de‑duplication and is contingent on academic performance. The portal has onboarded 12 public, 20 private, 25 RRBs and 7 cooperative banks, contributing to a rise in the higher‑education GER from 23.0 to 30.0.

The Union Cabinet approved an extension of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to December 2028, increasing the total outlay from ₹ 3.60 lakh crore to ₹ 8.69 lakh crore, with the central share rising to ₹ 3.59 lakh crore (an additional ₹ 1.51 lakh crore). As of 18 July 2026, 15.89 crore rural households (82.09 %) have functional tap connections, up from 3.23 crore (16.71 %) at launch in August 2019. States/UTs must prepare a Comprehensive Implementation and Reform Plan (CIRP) and adopt O&M policies empowering Gram Panchayats to levy user charges. The ‘Jal Arpan’ event and a new handbook promote community‑led handover and sustainable operation of water schemes.

Madanapalle Municipality in Andhra Pradesh, under the Swachh Bharat Mission‑Urban 2.0, is pursuing a ‘Zero Waste City’ vision by instituting systematic source segregation of its approx. 62 tonnes per day (TPD) of municipal solid waste into biodegradable, non‑biodegradable and up‑cycling streams. Wet waste is composted via windrow (≈15.5 TPD) and vermi‑composting (≈3 TPD), yielding 4.65 tonnes and 1.20 tonnes of compost daily respectively, which are used for parks and gardening. Dry waste is split at the doorstep into recyclable and non‑recyclable fractions; recyclables go to a Material Recovery Facility, while non‑recyclables are co‑processed in cement factories, generating revenue and improving calorific value. Legacy waste of 36,512 metric tonnes has been remediated through bio‑mining, reclaiming 9.40 acres, with 5 acres converted to green spaces, and waste‑to‑art initiatives have been created for public awareness.

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has launched the Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH), a Digital Public Infrastructure that integrates training, assessment, certification, employment and entrepreneurship services across schemes such as PMKVY 4.0, National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) and Skilling for AI Readiness (SOAR). As of 22 July 2026, SIDH registers 35,17,023 learners under PMKVY 4.0, 52,98,397 under NAPS, 10,19,992 under JSS and 4,96,426 under SOAR, with 78,647 trainers and 13,633 training centres. The platform is interoperable with National Career Service, eShram, DigiLocker and BHASHINI and is supported by multilingual outreach, community mobilisation and District Skill Committees to reach rural and aspirational districts.

The National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) was launched in 2016 and continued as NAPS‑2 from FY 2022‑23. Under NAPS‑2, the Government provides a partial stipend to apprentices under the Apprentices Act, 1961, transferred directly to beneficiaries via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). A total of 5,298,397 apprentices and 57,945 establishments (38,936 MSMEs) have been engaged from FY 2018‑19 to FY 2026‑27. A third‑party evaluation by AJNIFM reported that about 72 % of apprentices secured full‑time jobs after training. The scheme is supported by industry‑led training, a dedicated online portal, third‑party aggregators, and regular Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Melas (PMNAMs) – 7,370 events held nationwide since June 2022.

Union Minister Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh launched the Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme, the SAMARTH Panchayat Portal and Model Own Source of Revenue (OSR) Rules to strengthen Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). The programme aims to convert local assets into bankable, revenue‑generating projects, targeting 350 projects over four years with financing through PPPs, CSR, scheme convergence and bank loans, and eligibility criteria of Rs 50 lakh OSR for Gram Panchayats and Rs 1 crore for Block Panchayats. SAMARTH is a unified digital platform that enables online registration, demand generation, payment and real‑time monitoring of Panchayat revenues, with over 51 lakh taxpayers, Rs 95 crore demand notices and Rs 27 crore collected so far. The Model OSR Rules provide a uniform framework for states to assess, collect and manage Panchayat revenues, aligning with the Sixteenth Finance Commission recommendations. The initiatives were recognised with Gold Awards at the National Awards for e‑Governance 2026.

The Ministry of Electronics & IT reports that the Safe & Trusted AI pillar under the IndiaAI Mission, approved in March 2024 with a ₹10,371 crore outlay, aims to promote responsible AI through indigenous governance frameworks, standards, tools and evaluation mechanisms. Thirteen Responsible AI projects have been approved in educational institutions, covering bias mitigation, privacy‑preserving AI, explainability, deep‑fake detection and machine unlearning. The AI Safety Institute and India AI Governance Guidelines have been established to oversee risk‑based governance, including bodies such as the AI Governance and Economic Group, Technology and Policy Expert Committee and AI Safety Institute. India also engages in global AI governance forums like GPAI, G20 and the UN, and hosted the India AI Impact Summit 2026 to shape international norms.

Under the Gyan Bharatad Mission, the National Manuscript Survey was conducted across all States and Union Territories, reporting more than 1.19 crore manuscripts without setting district‑wise targets. The mission has launched the Gyan Bharatam Web Portal, which employs AI‑enabled technologies such as Large Language Script Models, OCR, Handwritten Text Recognition, script recognition, semantic search and machine‑assisted translation. The portal’s AI‑driven tools – Gyan Mitram, BharatiyaGPT (with “Talk to Manuscript”) and Pandulipi Darpan – enable intelligent interpretation, contextualisation, multilingual access and script‑to‑text conversion of digitised manuscripts. Where legally permissible, digitised copies and metadata may be made publicly available through the National Digital Repository, subject to custodial rights.

The Government of Gujarat’s proposed Kalpasar Project aims to create a large coastal freshwater reservoir by constructing a dam across the Gulf of Khambhat, which is expected to boost freshwater availability and alleviate water scarcity in Saurashtra. The project includes a highway‑cum‑rail corridor that would cut the Bhavnagar‑Surat travel distance by about 179 km, improving regional connectivity. The Detailed Project Report is being finalised with Indo‑Dutch technical cooperation to incorporate best practices in coastal engineering, hydraulic modelling, salinity management and climate resilience. Additionally, around 2,470 MW of hybrid renewable energy is planned on reclaimed land to power freshwater pumping for irrigation. The information was provided by Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary in a Rajya Sabha reply.

The Ministry of Education, guided by NEP 2020, created the National Assessment Centre PARAKH on 8 Feb 2023 to set assessment norms and monitor school education through large‑scale surveys. The PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024, conducted in Dec 2024, covered 21.15 lakh students, 2.70 lakh teachers and school leaders from over 74,000 schools across 781 districts, assessing competencies at Grades 3, 6 and 9. The survey reported significant improvement over NAS 21 scores in foundational literacy and numeracy, attributing gains to the NIPUN Bharat Mission. Data on teacher training, pedagogy, infrastructure and digital access were also collected to enable evidence‑based interventions. Reports are available on the PARAKH dashboard.

The National Coal Gasification Mission aims for 100 MT of coal gasification capacity by 2030. Currently about 22.6 MTPA is operational or under implementation, including Jindal Steel Limited (~8 MTPA operational) and Talcher Fertilisers Limited (~2.6 MTPA under implementation). The Government approved a ₹37,500 crore scheme on 13 May 2026 for surface coal/lignite gasification, expected to use ~75 MTPA of coal, and an earlier ₹8,500 crore scheme (approved 24 Jan 2024) supporting eight projects with 15 % capex incentive and up to 20 % plant‑machinery cost support. Additional policy measures include a 50 % revenue‑share rebate, extended 30‑year coal linkage, and reduced floor price for underground gasification. A BRICS side event on clean coal technologies was held on 24 June 2026. The initiatives are projected to generate about ₹1.5 lakh crore of annual import substitution.

India’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) outlines three quantitative targets – reduction in GDP emissions intensity, increase in non‑fossil fuel share of installed power capacity, and creation of an additional carbon sink. By 2022, emissions intensity fell 37.38% from 2005 levels, short of the 45% target for 2030. The share of non‑fossil installed capacity crossed 50% in June 2025 and stood at 54.18% by June 2026, achieving the 2030 goal five years early. An additional carbon sink of 2.44 billion t CO₂e was created (2005‑2022) against a 2.5‑3.0 billion t target. For 2035, the NDC targets are enhanced to a 47% emissions‑intensity reduction, 60% non‑fossil capacity, and a 3.5‑4.0 billion t carbon sink. Monitoring is done by the PM’s Council on Climate Change, Executive Committee on Climate Change and Apex Committee for Implementation of the Paris Agreement, with reporting through Biennial Transparency Reports under the Paris Agreement’s Enhanced Transparency Framework.

The Ministry of Education reports that India has 57 operational Central Universities, of which 47 (excluding IGNOU) are administered by the Ministry. These 47 universities currently enrol 309,542 students and all, except Sindhu Central University, offer undergraduate programmes. In the past five years, two new Central Universities were created: Sammakka Sarakka Central Tribal University in Telangana and Sindhu Central University in Ladakh. The universities have undertaken several environment‑friendly initiatives such as rooftop solar, rainwater harvesting and waste management, and the Ministry has funded a green‑energy building for the Central University of Odisha and identified infrastructure needs for Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya, Chhattisgarh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Pawan Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, co‑founders of Skyroot Aerospace, on 27 July 2026. During the interaction, the Prime Minister highlighted the success of the Vikram‑1 launch vehicle, noting it featured prominently in their discussion. He praised the founders’ energy, ambition and positivity, describing them as reflective of the vibrant private space ecosystem, and extended best wishes to the entire Skyroot team. The meeting was shared by the Prime Minister on X, underscoring governmental encouragement of indigenous private space initiatives.

The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs reports that 33 of the 37 State/UT Legislatures have signed MoUs to implement the National e‑Vidhan Application (NeVA). Twenty‑one legislative houses have been converted into digital legislatures under the project, while the two Houses of Parliament remain outside its scope. NeVA enables electronic processing of house business, cuts paper usage, speeds up document handling, and yields cost savings in printing, handling and storage. A mid‑term evaluation by NITI Aayog notes reduced paper usage, improved legislative workflows, better coordination with government departments and real‑time public access to documents. Capacity‑building through NeVA Seva Kendras, migration to the secure NIC MeghRaj 2.0 cloud, and integration with BHASHINI for text‑to‑text translation further enhance security and linguistic accessibility.

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Minority Affairs aimed at creating community infrastructure in Minority Concentration Areas across sectors such as health, skill development, education, women‑centric projects, drinking water, sanitation, sports, renewable energy and other community infrastructure. The scheme is demand‑driven; no state‑wise allocation is made and funds are released based on eligible project proposals. Budget Estimates, Revised Estimates and actual expenditures for the last five financial years (2021‑22 to 2025‑26) are detailed, with total outlays ranging from ₹1,266.36 crore to ₹1,563.87 crore. Independent third‑party studies by IIPA and NITI Aayog have assessed implementation and impact, reporting no instances of poor‑quality work and mandating third‑party quality assurance for all projects. Annexure‑I lists state‑wise fund releases, while Annexure‑II records 859,972 units completed across 31 states and UTs.

The Ministry of Education released details on the construction of permanent Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (NV) buildings, specifically hostels/dormitories, across various states. Construction proceeds in three phases (A, B, and B‑balance) and depends on land identification, lease formalities, agency drawings, fund availability and approvals. Annexure data show that in 2023‑24, 1,248 hostel beds were built in Uttar Pradesh, while 2024‑25 saw 384 beds and 2025‑26 recorded 72 beds in the state. Similar constructions were reported for other states, indicating a continuous expansion of NV infrastructure over the last three years.

The Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD), under the Digital India Corporation of the Ministry of Electronics & IT, conducted a Multilingual AI Workshop for officials of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha Secretariat. The workshop demonstrated AI‑powered language tools—including Automatic Speech Recognition, Neural Machine Translation, Text‑to‑Speech, Optical Character Recognition, and transliteration—and discussed their integration into legislative workflows to improve multilingual access to documents, enable voice‑first interactions, and enhance citizen‑centric governance. Senior officials, including the CEO of DIBD and the Secretary of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, emphasized that AI should augment human expertise, promote transparency, and remove language barriers while preserving the integrity of official records.

The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) undertook a study on the Jain community’s contribution to education and organized three national seminars in 2026 covering Buddhism, the Jain community’s role in the economy and education, and the Parsis’ cultural and socio‑economic pathways. It also convened the Conference of State Minorities Commissions on 19 May 2026 in New Delhi to discuss institutional strengthening, grievance redressal and welfare delivery for minority communities. The activities were highlighted in a written reply by Union Minister of Minority Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju in the Rajya Sabha.