🇮🇳 National News
Gujarat has officially been reinstated as a tiger-bearing state after a gap of 33 years, as confirmed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). The state will now be included in the All India Tiger Estimation (AITE) 2026 under Project Tiger.
Gujarat was last part of the national tiger census in 1989, when only pugmark evidence was recorded. Due to the lack of confirmed photographic or physical proof, the state was excluded from the 1992 tiger census and remained outside the official estimation process for over three decades.
A major breakthrough occurred with the confirmed presence of a nearly four-year-old tiger in the Ratanmahal Sloth Bear Sanctuary in Dahod district, located along the Gujarat–Madhya Pradesh border. The tiger entered the region around mid-February 2025 and has remained there for nearly ten months, with continuous camera-trap images and CCTV footage confirming sustained habitation.
The All India Tiger Estimation 2026, one of the largest wildlife population surveys globally, has commenced from Indore. Gujarat will participate in the tiger census for the first time since 1989.
Major Wildlife Sanctuaries in Gujarat: Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, Velavadar Blackbuck Sanctuary, Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary, Barda Wildlife Sanctuary, and Purna Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Government of India has unveiled significant reforms to modernise the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). The announcement was made by Union Labour and Employment Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya during the inauguration of the Bhavishya Nidhi Bhawan at Vatva, Gujarat.
The reforms aim to make EPFO services technology-driven, citizen-centric, and easily accessible, with the objective of expanding social security coverage and ensuring long-term financial security for workers.
Key Reform Highlights:
- Modern EPFO Offices – Will be developed nationwide, modelled on Passport Seva Kendras, functioning as single-window service centres. A pilot project has already been launched in Delhi.
- Any-Office Service Facility – EPF members can now resolve grievances at any EPFO office across India, eliminating the need to visit their original or linked regional office.
- EPF Suvidha Providers – Authorised facilitators will assist members with claim filing, procedural guidance, and digital access, particularly benefiting first-time users and individuals with limited digital literacy.
Dhanu Yatra, the world’s largest open-air theatre festival, has been inaugurated in Bargarh district of Odisha. The festival is an eleven-day cultural celebration rooted in Indian mythology and folk traditions, attracting thousands of visitors from across Odisha and other parts of the country.
The event reenacts the life of Lord Krishna, beginning with his birth and concluding with the death of King Kansa.
The entire town of Bargarh is transformed into the mythological city of Mathura. Streets, courtyards, riverbanks, and palaces are converted into live performance venues, with locations such as Rangamahal and Nanda Raja’s court serving as natural stages.
The Union Government has launched India’s first national database to track lost, stolen, looted, and recovered government firearms. The initiative aims to strengthen efforts against terrorism, organised crime, and extremism.
The Lost, Looted and Recovered Firearm Database serves as a centralised digital repository covering firearms belonging to State Police Forces and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). Data has been compiled from all States and Union Territories, including Jammu and Kashmir, the North Eastern region, and Naxal-affected areas.
Key Features:
- Hosted by NIA – The database is hosted on a secure digital platform by the National Investigation Agency
- Real-time Access – Provides real-time access to authorised law enforcement and intelligence agencies
- Nationwide Coverage – Easy traceability with the ability to track weapon origins, movement patterns, and recovery history
The Government of India has integrated the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) with the National Population Register (NPR). The move aims to enhance intelligence gathering, improve criminal investigations, and strengthen internal security coordination among law enforcement agencies.
NATGRID was established after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks to address intelligence coordination gaps and functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Key Features of NATGRID:
- Database Integration – Integrates over 20 categories of civil and commercial databases including banking records, telecom data, passport and immigration details, tax identifiers, vehicle registrations, and FIRs under CCTNS
- Role-based Access – Offers on-demand access without permanently storing data
- Authorised Agencies – IB, RAW, NIA, Enforcement Directorate, FIU, NCB, DRI, and SP-level officers at the state level
- Gandiva Backbone – Supported by the Gandiva analytical backbone for advanced data fusion
💼 Business & Economy
Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has signed a strategic partnership with Sahaj Insurance Services Private Limited to enhance the reach of life insurance products in rural and semi-urban regions of the country.
The collaboration focuses on increasing insurance awareness and accessibility in underserved areas, particularly among populations with low literacy levels, supporting India’s broader agenda of financial inclusion and strengthening social security coverage.
Services Under This Partnership:
- Assisted Digital Services – Citizens will be guided to understand life insurance products through Sahaj’s digitally enabled rural service centres
- Policy Services – Policy onboarding, policy servicing, and assistance with claims
- Last-Mile Delivery – Simplified insurance delivery using digitally enabled rural service centres
The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has implemented changes to the BSE BANKEX index as part of its regular index reconstitution exercise, effective from December 26, 2025.
Banks Added to BANKEX:
- Canara Bank
- AU Small Finance Bank
- Punjab National Bank (PNB)
- Union Bank of India
No existing constituents were removed, increasing the total number of banking stocks in the index to 14.
Under the revised structure, the combined weight of the top three stocks has been capped at 45%, while the top five stocks together cannot exceed 60%. These changes aim to reduce concentration risk and improve index balance.
The reconstitution is part of a wider review by BSE Index Services, which also covered major indices such as BSE SENSEX, BSE 100, and BSE SENSEX 50. The MD and CEO of BSE is Sundararaman Ramamurthy.
India has crossed the milestone of more than 1 lakh petrol pumps, positioning itself as the third-largest fuel retail market globally, after the United States and China.
The number of fuel retail outlets in the country has nearly doubled over the past decade, with this rapid expansion primarily driven by state-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs).
Rural fuel stations now account for 29% of India’s total petrol pump network, up from 22% ten years ago, highlighting the government’s increased emphasis on strengthening rural infrastructure.
Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) leads the Indian fuel retail sector with 41,664 outlets — larger than China’s biggest fuel retailer, Sinopec, which operates just over 30,000 stations.
Ola Electric has received a sanction order of ₹366.78 crore under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Automobile and Auto Components. The sanction was issued by the Ministry of Heavy Industries for FY 2024–25.
The incentive falls under the Demand Incentive for Determined Sales Value component of the scheme, with disbursement to be handled by IFCI Limited, the designated financial institution for PLI-Auto.
The PLI-Auto Scheme aims to boost domestic manufacturing, promote advanced automotive technologies and global competitiveness, and support India’s goals of self-reliance and the transition to electric mobility.
🔬 Science & Technology
Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered a new soil-dwelling micro-arthropod species named Neelus sikkimensis. The species was found in the high-altitude regions of Sikkim.
This marks the first recorded presence of the genus Neelus in India, adding significantly to India’s documented biodiversity.
The findings were published in the Journal of the Entomological Research Society. The research was conducted by the Apterygota Section of ZSI, led by Dr. Guru Pada Mandal, with Kusumendra Kumar Suman as a key researcher. With this discovery, the global count of Neelus species has increased to eight.
Japan is set to conduct a test operation for extracting rare-earth mud from the deep seabed at a depth of approximately 6,000 metres. This will be the world’s first continuous deep-sea mining operation of its kind.
The test will take place off Minamitori Island, about 1,900 km southeast of Tokyo, scheduled between January and February 2026.
Key Details:
- Capacity – The mining system is designed to lift up to 350 metric tonnes of rare-earth mud per day
- Investment – Japan has invested nearly ¥40 billion since 2018 in deep-sea rare-earth research
- Monitoring – Environmental impacts will be closely monitored both on the seabed and onboard the vessel
Rare-earth mud consists of pelagic sediments formed from accumulated plankton remains, rich in rare-earth elements. The initiative aligns with Japan’s strategy to secure critical mineral resources.
Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) has delivered the first batch of indigenously developed WhAP 8×8 armoured vehicles to the Royal Moroccan Army. The delivery strengthens India’s defence exports under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat and “Make with Friends / Make for the World” initiatives.
A total of 150 WhAP vehicles were contracted in September 2024, with deliveries scheduled over a three-year period and production capacity of up to 100 vehicles annually.
WhAP (Kestrel) Specifications:
- Development – Jointly developed by DRDO and TASL
- Engine – Powered by a 600 hp turbocharged diesel engine
- Speed – Can achieve 100–104 km/h on roads; up to 10 km/h in water via hydro-jet propulsion
- Armament – Supports remote-controlled weapon systems with 7.62 mm machine guns and can be equipped with anti-tank guided missiles
- Configurations – APC, ICV, reconnaissance, command post, ambulance, mortar carrier, and CBRN response
The WhAP production facility in Berrechid, Morocco, inaugurated in September 2025, is India’s first private defence manufacturing unit in Africa.
Rajpura in Punjab will host India’s first manufacturing facility for Chlorinated Polyethylene (CPE). The project aims to reduce India’s dependence on imports in the chemical sector.
The plant will be set up by Shivtek Spechemi Industries Ltd, with an MoU signed with Bodal Chemicals Ltd to acquire 8 acres of land. The total investment for the project is ₹50 crore.
Key Facts:
- Current Imports – India currently imports around 2,000 metric tonnes of CPE annually
- Primary Supplier – China dominates global CPE production and is India’s primary supplier
- Strategic Location – Rajpura’s proximity to Bodal Chemicals’ chlorine facility allows direct pipeline supply, lowering logistics costs and reducing carbon emissions
🏆 Sports News
Alpine SG Pipers won the Global Chess League 2025 Season 3. The team, led by Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Anish Giri, defeated defending champions Triveni Continental Kings in the finals held in Mumbai.
This marked Alpine SG Pipers’ first Global Chess League title.
Finals Results:
- Match 1 – Alpine SG Pipers won 4–2
- Match 2 – Alpine SG Pipers dominated with a 4.5–1.5 victory
Key Performances:
- Anish Giri – Defeated Wei Yi in both games with the Black pieces; earned the Most Valuable Player of the Finals award
- Praggnanandhaa – Secured a key win against Vidit Gujrathi in a 35-move tactical game
- Alireza Firouzja – Made a significant contribution by defeating Fabiano Caruana
The Global Chess League is a franchise-based international tournament that aims to make chess more engaging through rapid formats and team strategies. Season 3 featured elite global players and concluded with a high-quality final in Mumbai.
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