As part of India’s build-up to the India AI Impact Summit 2026, the Rajasthan Regional AI Impact Conference 2026 will be held on January 6, 2026, in Jaipur. The Conference will serve as a key regional platform to explore how Artificial Intelligence can drive governance reform, economic growth, innovation, and inclusive development.
The Rajasthan Regional AI Impact Conference will feature key announcements and the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) aimed at strengthening the state’s AI ecosystem, fostering innovation, and accelerating the adoption of AI across priority sectors.
Recognizing that national ambitions must be rooted in regional priorities, the government of India is planning a series of eight Regional AI Conferences which are to be held in eight different locations across India from October 2025 to January 2026. These will be organized in Meghalaya, Gujarat, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Kerala, and Telangana.
India has become the world's largest rice producer, beating China, with a total output of 150.18 million tonnes, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, he released 184 new varieties of 25 crops. The minister unveiled 184 improved varieties of 25 field crops developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research at an event held in the national capital.
The commerce ministry said India's traditional medicine system - AYUSH - has received formal recognition in bilateral trade agreements with Oman and New Zealand. Both the agreements, which were finalised last year in December, have dedicated annexures on health-related services and traditional medicine.
India's traditional medicine systems (AYUSH) have also received formal recognition in bilateral trade agreements, including the India-Oman CEPA and the India- New Zealand FTA. Exports of AYUSH and herbal products have registered a growth of 6.11 per cent, increasing from USD 649.2 million in 2023-24 to USD 688.89 million in 2024-25.
In Manipur, the Gaan Ngai festival of Kabui community kicked off today and the festival is celebrated across the State. The 5 days festival is one of the major festivals of Manipur which is celebrated every year after harvesting. The festival is being celebrated across the State where the Kabui community is inhabited.
The State Level Gaan Ngai Festival 2026 was held at Konthoujam Mamang Kabui Village in Imphal West district.The festival also marks the end of the year when the farmers have stored their food grains in their granaries. In the beginning of the festival, new fires by rubbing dry wood and bamboo pieces were made and distributed to every household to mark the beginning of year.
India's top private lender HDFC Bank posted a sequential quarterly loan growth, supported by the festive season and sweeping tax cuts, while deposits also rose. As of December 31, loans rose 2.7% sequentially to ₹28.45 lakh crore ($316.13 billion), while deposits increased 2.1% to ₹28.6 lakh crore.
HDFC Bank merged with its parent HDFC in July 2023, adding a significant pool of loans but a smaller volume of deposits. This created pressure for the lender to either raise deposits or ease loan growth. Since the merger, the bank has consistently grown deposits faster than loans to manage its loan-to-deposit ratio (LDR).
The government launched ₹4,531 market access support (MAS) intervention scheme for a six-year period (FY26-31) to improve global reach, visibility and competitiveness of Indian exporters through ‘structured and outcome-oriented’ interventions. The MAS was launched under Rs. 25,060 export promotion mission that was approved by the Union Cabinet in November.
The launch of the scheme came against the backdrop of exporters grappling with challenges due to the imposition of 50 per cent tariff by the United States (US) on several Indian products. During the current fiscal, Rs. 500 crore has been allocated towards the scheme. To begin with, arrears worth Rs. 330 crore will be cleared at the earliest.
Under MAS, structured financial and institutional support will be provided for buyer-seller meets, participation in international trade fairs and exhibitions, mega reverse buyer-seller meets organised in India, and trade delegations to priority and emerging export markets.
A forward-looking three-to-five-year calendar of major market access events will be prepared and approved in advance, enabling exporters and organising agencies to plan participation well ahead of time and ensuring continuity of market development efforts.
A minimum participation of 35 per cent MSMEs has been mandated for supported events, with special prioritisation being accorded to new geographies and smaller markets to encourage export diversification. Small exporters with export turnover of up to R75 lakh in the preceding year will be provided partial airfare support to encourage participation by new and small exporters.
The Indian Army declared 2026 as the 'Year of Networking & Data Centricity' and said this initiative will enhance connectivity, real-time decision-making and combat effectiveness, thereby strengthening resilience and agility for a future-ready force.
Highlighting the increasing role of technology, General Dwivedi said the adoption of indigenous systems, data-driven operations and enhanced networking was making the Army more agile and future-ready. As part of this push, the Indian Army has designated 2026 as the Year of Networking and Data Centricity, aimed at improving connectivity, real-time decision-making and combat.
Central government has decided to extend the deadline for submission of fresh applications under the Production Linked Incentive Scheme for textiles up to 31 March 2026. Reports noted that a total of 91 companies have been selected under the PLI scheme for textiles as on 09 September 2025, with investment of Rs 7,731 crore, exports of Rs 733 crore and turnover of Rs 7290 cr
Following a 9 per cent year-on-year (YoY) contraction in the Indian cotton year 2025 (01 October to 30 September), the acreage is seen reducing by around 3 per cent YoY in CYi 2026 due to water shortage issues in the northern region, uneven monsoons, a shift towards more profitable alternative crops in many regions, among other factors.
The ministry of textiles noted that the extension follows the significant response received since the application portal has been re-opened in August 2025, with proposals being submitted by textile companies across priority areas including man-made fibre (MMF) apparel, MMF fabrics and technical textiles.
The Indian Army, in collaboration with the local administration, has set up a community radio station in the Dongi area of Rajouri along the Line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir to strengthen outreach to border residents and counter misinformation. The station - Radio Sangam (88.8 FM) - has been established at Keri village and is billed as the 1st community radio station.
Officials said the initiative is intended to provide a credible platform for local communication, counter propaganda from across the border, and address civic and social concerns of residents in forward areas. Given its strategic location, the broadcasts can also be heard across the LoC.
The Telangana government has secured a major funding boost for the long-pending rejuvenation of the Musi river, with the Asian Development Bank agreeing in principle to provide Rs 4,100 crore (USD 500 million) for parts of Phase-I of the Musi River Development Project.
A preliminary project report has been submitted to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, seeking Rs 3,188 crore under the National River Conservation Plan for pollution abatement and conservation works along the Musi. An international consortium led by Singapore-based engineering firm Meinhardt, along with Cushman & Wakefield India and RIOS Design Studio.
The Musi river originates in the Ananthagiri Hills and flows through Hyderabad before feeding the Osmansagar and Himayatsagar reservoirs, which have historically served as major drinking water sources for the city.
ICICI Bank has announced the launch of the Capital Gains Account Scheme,a facility that allows taxpayers to park unutilised long-term capital gains or sale proceeds and claim tax exemptions while earning interest on the deposited amount. The launch comes after the government approved Bank as an authorised institution to accept deposits under the Capital Gains Account Scheme
Effective January 1, 2026, the scheme is available to resident individuals and Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs). The bank said the facility will be extended to non-individual entities and non-resident Indians (NRIs) at a later stage. Customers can open a Capital Gains Account by visiting an ICICI Bank branch, except rural branches, in line with CGAS rules.
Under the scheme, customers can choose between two types of accounts. Type A accounts, similar to savings accounts, allow flexible withdrawals linked to approved reinvestment purposes. Type B accounts function like term deposits and can be opened in cumulative or non-cumulative formats for a fixed tenure.
Deposits made before the ITR due date can be used to claim exemption on long-term capital gains under relevant provisions of the Income Tax Act. The deposited funds can be temporarily parked for up to three years, during which taxpayers can plan reinvestment without losing the exemption benefit.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 successfully launched a COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation satellite. The Italian Space Agency and the Italian Ministry of Defence launched their low-Earth orbit satellite payload from a launch pad at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
This launch was the 21st flight for the first-stage booster supporting this mission. Previous lift offs include the launch of Crew-7, CRS-29, PACE, Transporter-10, EarthCARE, NROL-186, Transporter-13, TRACERS, NROL-48, and 11 Starlink missions.
According to the European Space Agency (ESA), the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation satellite carries synthetic aperture radar instruments to monitor the Earth for the sake of emergency prevention, strategy, scientific and commercial purposes, providing data on a global scale.
Braille is a tactile representation of alphabetic and numerical symbols using six dots to represent each letter and number, and even musical, mathematical and scientific symbols. Braille (named after its inventor in 19th century France, Louis Braille) is used by blind and partially sighted people to read the same books and periodicals as those printed in a visual font.
World Braille Day, observed on January 4th, commemorates the birthday of Louis Braille, the visionary who developed a tactile script that revolutionized communication for blind and partially sighted individuals. Celebrated globally since 2019, this day highlights the significance of Braille in empowering visually impaired individuals to access education and information.
Government of India has undertaken a comprehensive array of initiatives to empower visually impaired individuals, emphasizing their rights, education, employment, and overall well-being.
