Latest News: Indian share markets will be open for trading on Sunday, February 01, as the Union Budget is being presented on that day * Key Highlights of Economic Survey 2025–26: GDP & GVA Growth Estimates for FY 2026: First advance estimates at 7.4% and 7.3% respectively * India’s Core Growth Projection: Around 7%, with real GDP growth for FY 2027 expected between 6.8% and 7.2% * Central Government Revenue: Rose to 11.6% of GDP in FY 2025 * Non-Performing Assets: Declined to a multi-decade low of 2.2% * PMJDY Accounts: Over 552 million bank accounts opened by March 2025; 366 million in rural and semi-urban areas * Investor Base: Surpassed 120 million by September 2025, with women comprising ~25% * Global Trade Share: India’s export share doubled from 1% in 2005 to 1.8% in 2024 * Services Export: Reached an all-time high of $387.6 billion in FY 2025, up 13.6% * Global Deposits: India became the largest recipient in FY 2025 with $135.4 billion * Foreign Exchange Reserves: Hit $701.4 billion on January 16, 2026—covering 11 months of imports and 94% of external debt * Inflation: Averaged 1.7% from April to December 2025 * Foodgrain Production: Reached 357.73 million metric tons in 2024–25, up 25.43 MMT from the previous year * PM-Kisan Scheme: Over ₹4.09 lakh crore disbursed to eligible farmers since inception * Rural Employment Alignment: “Viksit Bharat – Jee Ram Ji” initiative launched to replace MGNREGA in the vision for a developed India by 2047 * Manufacturing Growth: 7.72% in Q1 and 9.13% in Q2 of FY 2026 * PLI Scheme Impact: ₹2 lakh crore in actual investment across 14 sectors; production and sales exceeded ₹18.7 lakh crore; over 1.26 million jobs created by September 2025 * Semiconductor Mission: Domestic capacity boosted with ₹1.6 lakh crore invested across 10 projects * Railway High-Speed Corridor: Expanded from 550 km in FY 2014 to 5,364 km; 3,500 km added in FY 2026 * Civil Aviation: India became the third-largest domestic air travel market; airports increased from 74 in 2014 to 164 in 2025 * DISCOMs Turnaround: Recorded first-ever positive PAT of ₹20,701 crore in FY 2025 * Renewable Energy: India ranked third globally in total renewable and installed solar capacity * Satellite Docking: India became the fourth country to achieve autonomous satellite docking capability * School Enrollment Ratios: Primary – 90.9%, Upper Primary – 90.3%, Secondary – 78.7% * Higher Education Expansion: India now has 23 IITs, 21 IIMs, and 20 AIIMS; international IIT campuses established in Zanzibar and Abu Dhabi * Maternal & Infant Mortality: Declined since 1990, now below global average * E-Shram Portal: Over 310 million unorganised workers registered by January 2026; 54% are women * National Career Service Portal: Job vacancies exceeded 28 million in FY 2025 and crossed 23 million by September 2026

 Agriculture & Environment

Under the Swachhata Pakhwada 2023, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation embarked on an innovative journey to raise awareness about waste management in their vibrant city. The ingenious approach they took was the 'Swachhata Train' initiative, a creative endeavor designed to foster a culture of cleanliness and waste management in Ahmedabad.

Read More

Higher levels of air pollution in a city increase rates of property crime finds new research from Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Business.

Read More

India’s coal-based thermal power plants continue to drag their feet in meeting emission norms, says a new analysis done by the Centre for Science and Environment. Sulfur dioxide emissions are a case in point: the CSE analysis finds that a mere five percent of the installed capacity in this sector has put in place an air pollution control device – flue gas de-sulfurization (FGD) system -- for controlling SO2 emissions.

Read More

Illegal wildlife trafficking risks triggering future global pandemics and loss of biodiversity and needs to be tackled, finds new research into the ways in which global supply chains are being hijacked by criminals, from the University of Sussex.

Read More

Of India’s 4,041 census cities and towns, a mere 12 percent have air quality monitoring systems. What’s more, only 200 of these cities monitor all six key criteria pollutants. This is when compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards and clean air targets under the National Clean Air Programme requires robust air quality monitoring.

Read More

The ‘social cost’ of carbon – the economic damage it causes - has risen dramatically. A study recently found that the social cost of carbon rises by over two percent each year...

Read More