National Affairs

NSO Releases First Advance Estimates of GDP (2025-26)

The National Statistics Office (NSO), under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), released the First Advance Estimates (FAE) of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the Financial Year 2025-26.

• Real GDP Growth: Estimated to grow by 7.4% in FY26 compared to 6.5% in FY25. Real GDP is projected at Rs 201.90 lakh crore against Rs 187.97 lakh crore in the previous year.
• Nominal GDP Growth: Projected to grow by 8.0% in FY26 (Rs 357.14 lakh crore), cooling down from the 10.4% growth recorded in FY25.
• Gross Value Added (GVA): Real GVA growth is estimated at 7.3% (Rs 184.50 lakh crore), while Nominal GVA growth is pinned at 7.7% (Rs 323.48 lakh crore).

BIS Launches Integrated Standardisation Portal & SHINE Scheme

On the occasion of the 79th Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Foundation Day in New Delhi, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi launched a suite of new digital and social initiatives:

• Integrated Standardisation Portal (Beta): A unified digital interface linking the entire standards development lifecycle.
• SHINE Scheme: Standing for Standard Help Inform & Nurture Empowered Women, this program trains Self-Help Groups (SHGs) on Indian quality standards to foster economic empowerment.
• BIS-SAKSHAM: An internal merit-recognition framework to map skill sets across the organization.
• Educational Outreach: Comic books and 2D animated videos designed to teach children about safety, standards, and identifying counterfeit items.

National Logistics Mechanism for Rural India Established

The Department of Posts (India Post) signed two separate Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to bridge logistical gaps for rural entrepreneurs and farming communities.

• MoU with Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD): Partners with the Day-NRLM scheme to manage digital financial tracking and shipping logistics for women-led rural SHGs under the "Dak Sewa, Jan Sewa" blueprint.
• MoU with Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DoAFW): Streamlines a secure network to transport seed, pesticide, and fertilizer samples to testing hubs. Delivery timelines are being slashed from 10-15 days down to 48-72 hours. The system features address-masking QR codes to ensure complete testing confidentiality.

Indian Navy Sets Up Base at Haldia, West Bengal

To bolster security, maritime surveillance, and emergency operations in the northern Bay of Bengal, the Indian Navy has set up a new detachment base at Haldia. Located along the Hooghly River, the detachment utilizes the Haldia Dock Complex infrastructure. It is designed to accommodate approximately 100 personnel and support highly maneuverable, fast-attack assets like Fast Interceptor Crafts (FICs).

India's First Paperless District Court Opens in Kalpetta, Kerala

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant virtually inaugurated India’s first fully digital, paperless district court system in Kalpetta, Wayanad. Developed in-house by the Kerala High Court, the platform handles every phase of litigation electronically. It relies on custom Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to auto-generate structured summaries, manage interactive digital annotations, and provide secure digital signatures for judicial orders.

India Becomes World's First Commercial Bio-Bitumen Producer

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced that India has broken ground as the first global economy to commercially scale up bio-bitumen production.

Developed jointly by CSIR-CRRI and CSIR-IIP, the process uses pyrolysis to convert agricultural waste—such as paddy straw—into high-grade bio-oil, which is then blended into standard asphalt. Implementing a target 15% blend rate across green highway construction is projected to save India roughly Rs 4,500 crore in crude oil import costs while drastically curbing stubble burning.

ICJS 2.0 National Rankings: Uttarakhand Ranks First

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) released its performance review for the Inter-Operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS 2.0). The platform establishes a "One Data, One Entry" policy across police stations, courts, prisons, and forensics.

• Rank 1: Uttarakhand Police (Score: 93.46)
• Rank 2: Haryana Police (Score: 93.41)
• Rank 3: Assam Police (Score: 93.16)

International Affairs

US Formally Exits 66 Multilateral Organizations

Citing the administration's "America First" doctrine, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order initiating the withdrawal of the United States from 66 international bodies, treaties, and commissions. The list is split between 35 non-UN organizations and 31 UN-affiliated groups.

A notable exit includes the India-and-France-led International Solar Alliance (ISA), headquartered in Gurugram, India. The US also announced exits from the UNFCCC, IPCC, IUCN, and the UN Population Fund.

UN Declares 2026 the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists

Following a resolution spearheaded by Mongolia and backed by 60 member nations, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP).

Managed primarily by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the declaration highlights the protection of rangelands, which cover nearly 50% of the planet's land surface and support over 2 billion people.

Banking & Finance

RBI Cancels Registration of 35 NBFCs

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) exercised its regulatory authority under Section 45-IA (6) of the RBI Act, 1934, to cancel the Certificate of Registration (CoR) of 35 Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) for ongoing compliance failures. The affected companies are barred from operating as non-banking financial institutions. The cancellations were primarily concentrated around firms operating within the Delhi-NCR zone. Additionally, 16 other NBFCs voluntarily surrendered their licenses due to corporate restructuring or business exits.

Awards & Recognitions

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Receives 2026 IEEE Medal of Honor

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) named Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang the recipient of the 2026 IEEE Medal of Honor. The award recognizes his work in pioneer-scaling Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and accelerated computing systems that underpin modern global artificial intelligence architectures. The honor includes a USD 2 million cash prize.

Sports

Middle-Distance Runner Jinson Johnson Retires

Two-time Olympian and Asian Games gold medalist Jinson Johnson announced his retirement from competitive track and field events. Over his 15-year international running career, Johnson set milestone national marks. He still holds the active 1500m Indian National Record of 3:35.24, which he set at ISTAF Berlin in 2019.

Australian Batsman Usman Khawaja Retires from International Cricket

Left-handed opening batsman Usman Khawaja concluded his international cricket career following the conclusion of the 5th Ashes Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). As Australia’s first Muslim Test cricketer, Khawaja leaves the international arena with 6,206 Test runs across 87 matches (including 16 centuries) and 1,554 ODI runs.

Obituary

Veteran Leader and Former MoS Kabindra Purkayastha passes away

Founding BJP leader and former Union Minister of State for Communications (1998-1999) Kabindra Purkayastha passed away at 94 in Silchar, Assam. Entering public service through the RSS in 1951, he went on to serve as a three-time Member of Parliament representing the Silchar Lok Sabha constituency. He was widely regarded as a foundational figure for his political party in the Barak Valley.

Father of Modern Indian Ecology Madhav Gadgil Passes Away

Pioneering environmental scientist, author, and researcher Madhav Dhananjaya Gadgil passed away at the age of 83 in Pune.

He was best known as the Chairman of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP)—frequently referred to as the Gadgil Commission—which laid out critical guidelines for environmental protection in southwestern India. He played an instrumental role in shaping the historic Biological Diversity Act of 2002 and establishing the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India's very first biosphere reserve. He was a recipient of the Padma Shri (1981), Padma Bhushan (2006), and the UN Champion of the Earth Award.