Official releases, distilled into exam-ready intelligence.

On 29 July 2026, ICAR‑Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) North Goa, under the ICAR‑Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute (CCARI), conducted a live vermicompost demonstration at Guirim, Bardez. Agricultural Scientist Mr Rahul Kumar explained the full process – from selecting organic material and maintaining moisture to earthworm‑mediated decomposition and harvesting quality vermicompost. The session targeted 24 participants – local farmers and students of St. Anthony High School – to promote cost‑effective, eco‑friendly nutrient management, improve soil health and reduce reliance on chemical fertilisers.

The Government of India has operationalised an Inventory‑based Cross‑border E‑Commerce Export Framework under the Foreign Trade Policy 2023 through Notification No. 27/2026‑27 and Public Notice No. 25/2026‑27 dated 5 August 2026. The framework allows eligible e‑commerce entities to conduct export‑only inventory operations via a registered Exporter‑on‑Record (EOR), which purchases goods from Indian Sellers‑on‑Record (SORs) against confirmed overseas orders and handles export documentation, customs, destination‑country compliance, and logistics. Safeguards include procurement only against confirmed orders, segregation of export inventory in a digital repository, prohibition of domestic diversion, timely payments to sellers, and mandatory annual compliance certification. The policy aims to expand global market access for Indian manufacturers, artisans and MSMEs while ensuring transparency and regulatory oversight.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released a consultation paper proposing amendments to ‘The Standards of Quality of Service of Access (Wireline and Wireless) and Broadband (Wireline and Wireless) Service Regulations, 2024’. The original regulations were notified on 2 August 2024 and came into force on 1 October 2024, establishing technology‑agnostic performance standards, strengthened reporting and greater consumer transparency. Based on implementation experience, stakeholder feedback and evolving technology, TRAI seeks comments (by 26 August 2026) and counter‑comments (by 7 September 2026) on the draft ‘First Amendment’ Regulations, available on www.trai.gov.in. Queries can be directed to Shri Tejpal Singh, Advisor (QoS‑I).

The Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS) links all 17,762 police stations in India as of 01‑06‑2026, enabling near‑real‑time collection, updating and analysis of crime data. It computerises police processes such as FIRs, investigations and court disposals, and allows search of national/state crime‑criminal databases. The system facilitates data sharing among police, central investigative agencies, courts, prisons, forensic labs and prosecution bodies, enhancing justice delivery. At the national level, citizens can access services like missing‑person search, vehicle NOC generation, offender information and nearest police‑station location via the Digital Police Portal and Central Citizen Services Portal. Additionally, nine mandated citizen services are offered through state police portals, including complaint filing, FIR copies, arrest details, and various verification requests.

The SVAMITVA Scheme, administered by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, aims to furnish a Record of Rights (RoR) for owners of rural inhabited (abadi) land. The scheme employs drone surveys and Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) technology to produce high‑accuracy GIS maps that demarcate property boundaries, thereby reducing disputes. As of the latest update, drone mapping has been completed in 3.30 lakh villages and 11,147 loans worth Rs 1,713 crore have been disbursed on the basis of SVAMITVA property cards. The generated spatial data are shared with states and integrated into the Gram Manchitra portal, enabling Gram Panchayats to plan and monitor development projects using detailed village‑level geospatial information.

The Ministry of Railways reports that out of the FY 2026‑27 budget grant of ₹2.93 lakh crore, ₹1.14 lakh crore has been spent by July 2026, i.e., about 39 %. Safety spending has risen from ₹39,200 crore in 2013‑14 to ₹1.20,389 crore in 2026‑27. The indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection system ‘Kavach’ version 4.0 has been commissioned on 2,633 route km covering Delhi‑Mumbai and Delhi‑Howrah corridors, with ₹3,875 crore utilized up to June 2026. Infrastructure projects total 514 (new lines, gauge conversion, doubling) covering 40,000 km and costing roughly ₹8.31 lakh crore. Approximately six lakh railway employees are trained annually through centralized institutes and Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences’ India Meteorological Department (IMD) assessed the 2026 El Niño impact on the Southwest Monsoon, issuing a below‑normal rainfall forecast of 92% of the Long Period Average (LPA) in its First Stage Long‑Range Forecast (13 April 2026) and revising it to 90% LPA in the Second Stage forecast, with model errors of ±5% and ±4% respectively. Historically, El Niño events have weakened the Indian monsoon, especially September rains. IMD provides daily rainfall updates, monthly El Niño updates, and district‑level data, and participates in meetings with the PMO, MHA and MoAFW. The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology is collaborating with agriculture and dam‑management departments on impact assessments, while the Ministry has not issued district‑wise risk guidelines for 2026. The information was supplied by MoES Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh in a Lok Sabha reply.

The Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs informed the Rajya Sabha that TRIFED is implementing the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM) in Tripura, covering retail marketing, MSP for minor forest produce (MFP), infrastructure, Van Dhan Vikas Kendra (VDVK) activities and R&D. In Tripura, 470 tribal artisans/suppliers representing 2,957 families have been empanelled. TRIFED has sanctioned 87 VDVKs (30 under PM‑JANMAN and 57 under PMJVM), of which 80 are operational and have sold value‑added products worth Rs 113.85 lakh. The Ministry has notified MSP rates for 87 MFPs applicable across all states, including Tripura.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs briefed the Rajya Sabha on four ST scholarship schemes – Post‑Matric, National Scholarship (Top Class), National Fellowship (NFST) and National Overseas Scholarship. The Post‑Matric scheme is centrally sponsored and administered by states/UTs, with scholarship disbursed via DBT; the Ministry does not hold data on pending dues to colleges. The National Scholarship (Top Class) is a central‑sector scheme; Annexure‑I lists pending dues to students (mainly Aadhaar‑bank linking issues) and to institutions (tuition/ admission fees) for academic years 2021‑22 to 2025‑26, with specific amounts and numbers of colleges affected. NFST and NOS have no pending claims reported. The Ministry monitors pending payments and pursues PFMS compliance for timely releases.

The Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, Shri Durgadas Uikey, informed the Rajya Sabha that Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) on 15 Nov 2023 and the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA JGUA) on 2 Oct 2024. An orientation programme on MoTA schemes, including PM JANMAN and DA JGUA, was conducted for State Government officers. For the current financial year, MoTA projects worth Rs 12,574.70 lakhs were approved in West Bengal under DA JGUA. Three PVTGs—Birhor, Lodha and Toto—have been identified in West Bengal, with 495 habitations, 19,991 households and 68,720 population recorded. Progress tables show limited sanctioning and completion of housing, roads, AWCs, and electrification under various ministries as of 30 Jun 2026, and financial releases for VDVKs amounting to Rs 13.9 lakhs (sanctioned) and Rs 6.95 lakhs (released). The state has surveyed 18,173 PVTG households and awaits further action based on the data.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs reported on the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM‑JANMAN) and related tribal development programmes in Odisha as of 30 June 2026. Data collection via the PM Gati Shakti mobile app identified 73,092 PVTG households (312,654 individuals). Financial progress shows that out of an approved ₹44.4 cr for Multi‑Purpose Centres (MPCs), ₹12.68 cr was released in 2023‑24 and ₹23.92 cr in 2024‑25, with further releases in subsequent years. Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) received ₹178.4 cr sanctioned, of which ₹88.91 cr was released in 2023‑24 and ₹84.55 cr sanctioned for 2025‑26 with ₹42.27 cr released. Annex I details district‑wise infrastructure such as houses, roads, and habitations covered; Annex II provides progress on health, education, electrification, and other schemes, including 1,11,370 houses sanctioned under PMAY‑G and 107 MMUs operational under NRHM‑MMU.

The Ministry of Labour & Employment’s National Career Service (NCS) portal, a digital one‑stop platform for job seekers and employers, has registered over 6.64 crore jobseekers (2.89 crore active as of 15 July 2026) and mobilised more than 10.05 crore vacancies (17.68 lakh active). The portal, now cloud‑based with AI‑driven job matching, skill‑gap analysis and multilingual support, is linked to major government schemes and private partners. Over 40 MoUs have been signed with firms such as Swiggy, Zomato and Amazon. The government has approved 407 Model Career Centres, upgrading 370 employment exchanges to deliver career services locally.

The Ministry of Science & Technology’s INSPIRE programme, covering INSPIRE‑MANAK, INSPIRE‑SHE, INSPIRE Fellowship and INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship, has supported thousands of students and young researchers over the last five years. INSPIRE‑MANAK reached 52,720 (2021‑22) to 49,805 (2025‑26) school students (ages 10‑17). INSPIRE‑SHE awarded 12,000 scholarships annually, with 24,276 beneficiaries in 2025‑26. INSPIRE Fellowship and Faculty Fellowship provided financial support to Ph.D. and post‑doctoral scholars, with 3,364 and 477 beneficiaries respectively in 2025‑26. The government has expanded outreach through state‑level dissemination, workshops, exhibitions and mentorship collaborations with IITs, NITs and IISERs, especially targeting rural and remote districts.

The Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, Shri Durgadas Uikey, briefed the Rajya Sabha that under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA), State Governments and UT Administrations implement the Act while the Ministry of Tribal Affairs compiles a Monthly Progress Report (MPR). For FY 2023‑24 to FY 2025‑26 (01‑04‑2023 to 31‑03‑2026), 8,56,159 claims were filed (8,21,908 individual and 34,251 community), 2,34,352 claims were approved/titles distributed (2,18,899 individual and 15,453 community), and 14,462 claims were rejected (13,756 individual and 706 community). The Act and its rules do not prescribe a time‑limit for claim disposal, and no central data on disposal timelines is maintained. Rejection reasons cited include land not occupied before 13 Dec 2005, duplicate claims, claims on non‑forest land, and lack of evidence.

The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions reported several digital reforms. CPGRAMS has been strengthened through a 10‑Step reform and guidelines issued in August 2024, cutting the grievance redressal timeline from 30 to 21 days. Between 1 Jan and 15 July 2026, 15,20,576 grievances were received and the average disposal time was 13 days for Central ministries. An AI‑enabled chatbot, ‘Samadhan Didi’, launched on 30 May 2026, offers multilingual voice‑based registration in 22 official languages. The ‘Bhavishya’ online pension system and Aadhaar‑linked Digital Life Certificate (Jeevan Pramaan) provide end‑to‑end processing, real‑time tracking and reduced delays. A new scheme, ‘Improving Pensioners’ Welfare’, aims to offer unified portal access for pensioners.

The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs reports that the National e‑Vidhan Application (NeVA) was designed as a generic platform to accommodate the varied rules of procedure, practices and business processes of State and Union Territory legislatures. The implementation faced challenges due to differences in ICT infrastructure, baseline digitalisation, digital capacity and the degree of adoption of paper‑less legislative processes. To address these, the Ministry incorporated configurable features in the software, provided financial assistance for ICT procurement and technical manpower, and organised capacity‑building, orientation and hand‑holding programmes, along with continuous coordination with the concerned legislatures. The details were furnished by Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

The Ministry of Cooperation’s White Revolution 2.0 aims to expand dairy cooperative activity by forming 75,000 new Dairy Cooperative Societies (DCS) and strengthening 46,422 existing ones. To date, 24,097 new DCSs have been created and 31,394 existing societies have been reinforced, with particular focus on villages and panchayats previously uncovered, especially in Maharashtra and Bihar. Two multi‑state cooperative societies – Gomay Sahkari Samiti Multi‑State Limited (BGSSL) and National Cooperative Inputs and Services Delivery Multi‑State Limited (CISDL) – have been set up to promote circularity and sustainability, including manure management and affordable input services. The initiative seeks to improve market access, ensure fair prices, raise farmer incomes, and increase women’s participation in the dairy sector.

The Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, Shri Durgadas Uikey, informed the Rajya Sabha that the Government is promoting sustainable livelihood opportunities for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), including the Irula community in Tamil Nadu, through the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM‑JANMAN). Under the scheme, TRIFED has sanctioned 37 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) across seven districts with a total sanctioned outlay of Rs 120.15 lakh, of which Rs 60.08 lakh has been released, benefitting 2,403 persons. Of these, 34 VDVKs serve 2,135 Irula beneficiaries, supporting value‑addition and marketing of minor forest produce such as honey, spices, cashew, broom sticks, herbs, tamarind and soap‑nut, generating sales worth Rs 75.89 lakh.

The Ministry of Minority Affairs is adopting artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tools to improve transparency, efficiency and effectiveness in its schemes, including AI‑enabled multilingual chatbots, virtual assistants and digital interfaces such as the Haj Suvidha App. The ministry’s use of AI is aligned with the IndiaAI Mission, which the Government approved to build an inclusive, responsible AI ecosystem and comprises seven pillars – IndiaAI Compute, Foundation Models, Application Development Initiative, Future Skills, AIKosh datasets, Safe & Trusted AI, and Startup Financing. The India AI Governance Guidelines (issued 5 Nov 2025) prescribe principles of trust, people‑first, fairness, accountability and safety, and mandate safeguards for privacy, data protection and security under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. All AI deployments are to follow the applicable policy, legal and regulatory framework.

The Ministry of Education notes that education is a concurrent subject and that the University Grants Commission (UGC) regularly lists fake universities. The latest UGC list (February 2026) identified 32 institutions as fake universities. UGC has issued clarification letters, show‑cause notices, public notices, and letters to chief, education and principal secretaries of states/UTs, urging them to register FIRs under the UGC Act, 1956. The Central Government has asked all state chief secretaries to take legal action for closure of these institutions and to inform the Centre of any additional fake universities. This information was provided by Minister of State for Education Dr. Sukanta Majumdar in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.