Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command Lieutenant General Dinesh Singh Rana has taken over as the 23rd Colonel of the Regiment of Garhwal Rifles. He succeeds Vice Chief of the Army Staff Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani.
The ceremonial handing over of the Baton took place at the Garhwal Rifles Regimental Centre in Lansdowne, Uttarakhand,
amidst full military honours. It celebrated the proud lineage, valour, and time-honoured legacy of one of the Indian Army’s most distinguished infantry regiments, comprising 27 Battalions, including a Scouts Battalion.
Lt Gen DS Rana received the Guard of Honour and paid homage at the War Memorial, honouring the supreme sacrifice of the bravehearts of the regiment.
The Ministry of Power has announced the launch of a task force to conceive the India Energy Stack (IES), a pioneering initiative aimed at creating a unified, secure, and interoperable digital infrastructure for India's energy sector.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued revised guidelines for the Biomass Programme under Phase-I of the National Bioenergy Programme, applicable for the period FY 2021–22 to 2025–26. These amendments aim to promote cleaner energy solutions, ease of doing business, and accelerate the adoption of biomass technologies across India.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) said it has approved norms to conduct Class 10 board exams twice in an academic year from 2026.
According to the approved norms, the first phase will be conducted in mid-February, with results announced in April. It will be followed by the second phase in May, with results declared in June.
CBSE examination controller Sanyam Bhardwaj said it will be mandatory for students to appear for the first phase, while the second phase will be optional. “Students will be allowed to improve their performance in any three subjects out of science, mathematics, social science and languages,” he added.
The change in norms aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP), which recommends eliminating the “high-stakes” aspect of board exams by allowing students to take the exams on up to two occasions during an academic year.
The approved norms also state that Class 10 students from winter-bound schools will have the option to appear for the board exams in either phase.
In its recent report, the parliamentary panel led by Congress Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh stated that the draft notification leaves room for question paper leaks and other irregularities, particularly because non-core subjects could be examined over two to three days.
According to the draft scheme, core subjects such as science, mathematics, social science, Hindi and English would have fixed examination dates in both sessions. Exams for other subjects, except regional and foreign languages, would be conducted two to three times based on student preferences.
NATO leaders signed a deal to increase defence spending as the annual alliance summit in The Hague drew to a close after two days of meetings.
At the top of the agenda was a big new defence spending target demanded by US President Donald Trump, which will see NATO members spend 5 percent of their economic output on core defence and security.
The new spending target, which is to be achieved over the next 10 years, is a jump worth hundreds of billions of dollars a year from the current goal of 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).
NATO countries bordering Russia, such as Estonia and Lithuania, have significantly increased their defence spending — from less than one percent of their GDP just 10 years ago.
The only NATO country whose defence spending in 2024 was less, as a percentage of its GDP, than in 2014 is The United States.
At the summit, NATO Leaders addressed a variety of issues facing the Alliance. They focused on deterrence and defence, ensuring that NATO has the resources, forces and capabilities to face any threat.
India and South Africa signed two agreements in the domain of submarine cooperation during the 9th Joint Defence Committee (JDC) meeting held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh led the Indian delegation to the meeting, during which he highlighted India’s growing prowess in defence manufacturing and exports and,
exports and reiterated India’s commitment to strengthening relations with South Africa.
Areas of mutual interest were discussed and the way forward for further strengthening India-South Africa relations were also identified at the meeting, a Defence Ministry statement said.
The South African side was headed by the acting Secretary for Defence, Dr Thobekile Gamede.
In the finals of the first Hockey India Masters Cup Match women’s category at Chennai, Odisha beat Punjab by a single goal.
In the Men’s Category, Tamil Nadu will face Maharashtra shortly.
In today’s match for the third and fourth place in the Women’s Category, Haryana beat host Tamil Nadu 4-3. In the men’s section, Chandigarh took third place by scoring 2-1 against Odisha
In the women’s category, group A standings, Karnataka leads with nine points, followed by Himachal Pradesh. In Group B, Punjab leads with nine points, followed by Odisha.
In the Men’s group, Pool A, Tamil Nadu tops with six points, followed by Andhra Pradesh with three points. In Pool B, Odisha tops with six points, followed by Punjab with three points.
In the Master’s Cup, Men’s category, Odisha’s Lajrus Barla scored five goals, and in the women’s category, Chingshubam Sanggai Ibemhal from Haryana scored eleven goals.
Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, Shri Jual Oram said that sustainable and inclusive development in tribal areas must be rooted in community engagement, empathetic governance, and a shift from tokenism to transformation. He emphasized that Adi Karmyogi Beta version marks a strategic move toward creating a governance ecosystem that listens, responds, and uplifts.
Participating at the concluding session of the two days conference of Ministry of Tribal Affairs the Union Minister launched the Ministry’s flagship programme – Adi Karmyogi Beta version – aimed at building a cadre of highly motivated officers and change makers dedicated to grassroots transformation.
The programme seeks to bring a fundamental shift in the attitude and motivation of field-level officials, emphasizing citizen-centric ideation and delivery. Addressing the gathering Union Minster Shri Oram said it aims at achieving the target of reaching 1 lakh tribal villages and habitations,
Adi Karmyogi Beta version will enable capacity building of nearly 20 lakh stakeholders through a robust framework of more than 180 State Master Trainers, 3,000 District Trainers, and 15,000 Block Trainers.