The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, released the Constitution of India in the Santhali language at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan (December 25, 2025).
The President said that this year, we are celebrating the centenary of the Ol Chiki script. She appreciated the Union Minister of Law and Justice and his team,
for bringing the Constitution of India in Ol Chiki script in its centenary year.
Among the dignitaries present on the occasion were the Vice President of India, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan and the Union Minister of State for Law and Justice, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal.
The Santhali language, which was included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution through the 92nd Amendment Act, 2003, is one of the most ancient living languages of India. It is spoken by a significant number of tribal people in Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar.
The Kimberley Process (KP) Plenary has selected India to assume the chairpersonship of the Kimberley Process from 1 January 2026. The Kimberley Process is a tripartite initiative involving governments, the international diamond industry and civil society, aimed at preventing the trade in “conflict diamonds”—
rough diamonds used by rebel groups or their allies to finance conflicts that undermine legitimate governments, as defined in United Nations Security Council resolutions.
India will take over as KP Vice Chair from 25 December 2025, before assuming the chairpersonship in the new year.
This will be the third time India has been entrusted with the chair of the Kimberley Process.
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved three new corridors - 1. R.K Ashram Marg to Indraprastha (9.913 Kms), 2. Aerocity to IGD Airport T-1 (2.263 kms) 3. Tughlakabad to Kalindi Kunj (3.9 kms) as part of Delhi Metro’s Phase – V(A) project consisting of 16.076 kms which will further enhance connectivity within the national capital.
The Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, today celebrated National Consumer Day 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, with a strong focus on accelerating consumer justice delivery through digital reforms, data-driven grievance redressal, and strengthened regulatory enforcement.
The theme for National Consumer Day 2025 — “Efficient and Speedy Disposal through Digital Justice” — underscores the Department’s sustained efforts to reduce pendency, enhance transparency, and improve access to justice in line with the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
National Test House (NTH), under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, and the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications, Government of India, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate nationwide collection of samples and their safe, reliable, and timely delivery to NTH laboratories for testing.
Under the MoU, the Department of Posts will provide doorstep sample pickup from customers across the country and transport them to NTH laboratories located at Kolkata, Ghaziabad, Mumbai, Jaipur, Guwahati, Varanasi, and Chennai, leveraging its extensive and trusted postal network that spans urban, rural, and remote regions of India.
This strategic collaboration will significantly enhance the accessibility, affordability, and efficiency of NTH’s testing services by addressing logistical challenges and reducing turnaround time.
NHAI sponsored Raajmarg Infra Investment Trust (RIIT) has received approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) as an Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT). The Public InvIT aims to unlock monetization potential of the National Highway assets while creating a high-quality,
long-term investment instrument primarily targeting retail and domestic investors. The initiative marks an important step in broadening public participation in the National Highway infrastructure growth story.
Earlier, NHAI had incorporated M/s Raajmarg Infra Investment Managers Pvt. Ltd. (RIIMPL) as the Investment Manager for the Raajmarg Infra Investment Trust (RIIT).
RIIMPL has been established as a collaborative venture with equity participation from leading banks and financial institutions, including State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, NaBFID, Axis Bank, Bajaj Finserv Ventures Ltd., HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, IDBI Bank, IndusInd Bank, and Yes Bank.
NRVVMK Rajendra Kumar, Member (Finance), NHAI, shall be the Managing Director and CEO (Additional Charge) of the Investment Manager company.
RIIT will deepen public participation and play pivotal role in accelerating the development of robust National Highway network across country by enabling domestic retail investors to participate in national infrastructure development.
Good Governance Day is observed annually on December 25, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, whose leadership emphasised accountability, transparency, and inclusive growth.The day reminds us that governance is not just about administration, but about making life better for every citizen.
To commemorate his values, the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions publishes the Good Governance Index—a composite assessment of governance performance across states and union territories, translating policy intent into measurable, citizen-centric outcomes. Week-long celebrations spread the concept of good governance from districts to villages.
India batting star Virat Kohli on December 24, 2025 went past the iconic Sachin Tendulkar as the fastest to reach 16,000 runs in List A cricket, achieving the milestone in his 330th innings in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Tendulkar had achieved the landmark in 391 innings.
The 37-year-old Kohli touched the mark during his team Delhi's opening Vijay Hazare game against Andhra in Bangalore. at the BCCI Centre of Excellence.
Kohli now holds the record for being the fastest to each block of 1000 List A runs from 10,000 runs onwards.
Kohli is playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy after a gap of 15 years, but the former India skipper has a stellar record in the tournament.
In the premier domestic one-day competition, he has made 819 runs from 13 matches at an average of 68.25 and a strike-rate of 106 with four centuries and three fifties.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi went berserk en route to a blistering 84-ball 190, including hitting 15 sixes, while reaching the three-figure mark in just 36 balls for Bihar in their Vijay Hazare Plate Group match against Arunachal Pradesh on December 24, 2025.
At 14 years and 272 days, Bihar sensation also became the youngest player to hit a century in men’s List A cricket.
Suryavanshi's ton is the second-fastest hundred by an Indian in List A cricket. The Indian record is held by Punjab's Anmolpreet Singh, who struck a 35-ball hundred against the same opposition in 2024.
The list of the quickest hundred in this form of the game is topped by Jake Fraser-McGurk (29 balls) for South Australia against Tasmania in the 2023-24 season and,
the great AB de Villiers (31 balls) for South Africa against West Indies in Johannesburg.
Suryavanshi, though, now holds the record for the youngest List A centurion.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has issued fresh policy guidance that could significantly alter how green card applications for professional athletes are adjudicated, following changes in the US Department of Labor’s labour certification process.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has postponed the January 3, 2026 deadline for implementing faster cheque clearance under its Continuous Clearing and Settlement on Realisation (CCSR) initiative in the Cheque Truncation System (CTS).
The directive comes under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, underscoring the RBI’s legal authority to regulate payment processes and safeguard financial stability.
Phase 1 of the CCSR project, which aims to shorten the time taken for cheque settlement, was launched on October 4, 2025.
Under Phase 2, cheques were set to be cleared within three hours, significantly reducing the settlement timeline compared with the traditional T+1 or T+2 framework.
However, the RBI has now decided to defer the rollout “until further notice” to allow participating banks to better prepare for operational changes.
Alongside the delay, the RBI has also revised the operational timings for CTS sessions:
Presentation session: 09:00 AM to 03:00 PM
Confirmation session: 09:00 AM to 07:00 PM
These adjustments are intended to provide more flexibility to banks while ensuring a smoother transition when the faster cheque clearance system is finally implemented.
For cheque issuers and recipients, the immediate impact is minimal, as the existing clearance timelines will continue until Phase 2 is officially launched. Once implemented, the three-hour settlement window is expected to benefit businesses and individuals by improving liquidity management and reducing delays in fund transfers.
In Chess, Indian Grandmasters R Praggnanandhaa and Anish Giri’s Alpine SG Pipers clinched the Global Chess League 2025 Season 3 title, beating defending Champions Triveni Continental Kings in the finals in Mumbai. Alpine SG Pipers defeated Triveni Continental Kings 4-2 in match one, and 4.5-1.5 in the second match to claim their maiden GCL title.
In the first match, Pipers surged to a 4-2 victory. Alireza Firouzja outplayed Fabiano Caruana in a sharp tactical battle. However, the Pipers responded emphatically through Anish Giri, who orchestrated a masterclass against Wei Yi. In the second match, Praggnanandhaa delivered when his team needed him most, defeating Vidit Gujrathi in a crisp 35-move tactical showcase.
Anish Giri emerged as the most valuable player in the finals, winning both his games with Black.
