Official releases, distilled into exam-ready intelligence.

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.

The Ministry of Education’s press release outlines the nutritional standards under the PM POSHAN Scheme for government and aided schools. Primary‑class children must receive 450 kcal and 12 g protein per day, while upper‑primary children must receive 700 kcal and 20 g protein. Corresponding food‑grain, pulse, vegetable, oil and salt allocations are specified (100 g + 20 g + 50 g + 5 g for primary; 150 g + 30 g + 75 g + 7.5 g for upper‑primary). States/UTs implement the scheme, may customize menus with locally grown items, and receive a 5 % flexi component of the recurring budget for School Nutrition Gardens. NITI AAYOG’s 2025‑26 evaluation, cited by the Minister of State for Education, found a positive impact on child nutrition and learning outcomes.

The Union Agriculture Minister chaired a virtual review of Maharashtra’s Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) implementation. Maharashtra received a first installment of ₹335 crore and has utilised about ₹260 crore, surpassing the 75 percent utilisation benchmark, making it the first state eligible for the second installment of ₹335 crore. The Minister praised the state’s generation of Farmer IDs and the rapid transfer of approximately ₹14,000 crore in flood relief to farmers’ bank accounts within five days. He urged faster spending on Digital Agriculture, NHM, Seeds, Oilseeds and Agro‑forestry, and highlighted the need for accurate disclosures under PMFBY and Kisan Credit Card schemes.

The One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) Scheme, launched in January 2025, offers access to over 13,000 journals from 32 publishers to eligible higher‑education and research institutions. As of July 2026, 7,073 HEIs and 426 R&D institutions across India have been covered, including 305 HEIs and 5 R&D institutions in Andhra Pradesh (total 310). In Andhra Pradesh, around 3.11 lakh students and 6,974 faculty members have accessed journals, while 68 institutions (242 onboarded, 68 pending) await onboarding. The Ministry of Education, via INFLIBNET, conducts lectures, webinars and FAQs to promote awareness, especially in tier‑2/3 cities and institutions with limited digital access.

The Ministry of Minority Affairs reports that it is implementing schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS), Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) and low‑interest loans through the National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation (NMDFC) to improve the socio‑economic condition of minority groups, including Sikhs. Harjit Singh Grewal of the Sikh community has been appointed Chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM). The NCM has conducted a study on ‘Outreach to the Sikh community’ to identify gaps and suggest improvements. It also regularly organises Sarv Dharm Samvad inter‑faith dialogues and advises states/UTs to institutionalise such meetings to promote social harmony. This information was provided by Union Minister of Minority Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

The Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation released a trial Index of Services Production (ISP) on 14 July 2026, covering 19 sub‑sectors of the formal economy using monthly outward‑supply data from GST and other administrative sources. The trial ISP is intended to gather feedback from stakeholders, academicians and researchers, employing appropriate deflators and validation against secondary data. The ISP pertains to the formal sector, while the Annual Survey of Incorporated Service Sector Enterprises (ASISSE) covers incorporated services and the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) measures the unincorporated sector, publishing quarterly and annual results. The information was presented by Minister of State (Independent Charge) Rao Inderjit Singh in the Rajya Sabha.

The Department of Atomic Energy marked World Head and Neck Cancer Day (27 July 2026) with a workshop on oral and head‑and‑neck cancer screening and basic clinical management, organised by the Division of Implementation Science and Behavioural Research, Centre for Cancer Epidemiology, in partnership with Maharashtra’s Public Health Department. Held at ACTREC, Tata Memorial Centre, the event trained over 100 medical officers, clinicians, dentists and public‑health professionals from Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai on evidence‑based screening, early detection and multidisciplinary care, aligning with the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non‑Communicable Diseases. The workshop highlighted India’s burden of >3.16 lakh new cases and 1.41 lakh deaths annually, underscoring the need for preventive and early‑diagnostic interventions.

The Government of Maharashtra has approved a Rs 22,425.39 crore development plan for the upcoming Nashik‑Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela. The plan was sanctioned by the Chief Minister at an Apex Committee meeting on 13 March 2026. A 40‑member Apex Committee, chaired by the Chief Minister and including the Nashik Lok Sabha MP, has been constituted along with an Executive Committee for planning and a Kumbh Mela Ministers’ Committee for policy decisions. Additionally, the state has set up the Nashik‑Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela Authority to coordinate inter‑departmental activities, manage funds and execute development works. The Ministry of Tourism noted that no proposal has been received from Maharashtra for central financial assistance, and Union Tourism Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat conveyed this information in a Lok Sabha reply.

On 26 July 2026, the 27th Kargin Vijay Diwas was observed at the War Memorial, Guards Regiment Centre, Kamptee. Maj Gen Varun Malhotra, GOC Uttar Maharashtra and Gujarat Sub‑Area, laid a wreath on behalf of all ranks to honour the soldiers who fell in the 1999 Kargil War. The ceremony was attended by serving personnel, veterans, Veer Naris and civilian dignitaries and concluded with a pledge to uphold the Indian Army’s traditions. In parallel, Military Hospital Kamptee organised a blood‑donation camp with AIIMS Nagpur, a breast‑cancer screening camp and an HPV‑vaccination drive for families of army personnel.