Indian Navy marked the successful culmination of the landmark IOS SAGAR deployment with the flag-in of INS Sunayna at Kochi on 20 May 2026, following an extensive multinational deployment across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
The joint mission with 38 personnel from 16 partner nations stands as a significant demonstration of India’s emergence as the Preferred Security Partner in the region and its enduring commitment towards strengthening maritime collaboration, interoperability, and capacity building amongst IOR navies.
The deployment, jointly undertaken by the Indian Navy and partner nations (Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritius, Maldives, Mozambique, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor Leste, and United Arab Emirates) represents one of the most comprehensive multinational operational engagements conducted in the region.
VAdm Sameer Saxena, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, was the Chief Guest for the flag-in ceremony of IOS Sagar.
IOS Sagar was flagged off from Mumbai on 02 April 2026 by Hon'ble Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Sanjay Seth. During the deployment, the ship undertook port calls at Malé, Phuket, Jakarta, Singapore, Yangon, Chattogram, and Colombo.
Multilateral military exercise PRAGATI 2026 commenced today at Umroi Military Station, Meghalaya, with the participation from 12 friendly nations, namely Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
PRAGATI, which stands for Partnership of Regional Armies for Growth and Transformation in the Indian Ocean Region, is being conducted in the spirit of equality, friendship and mutual respect. The exercise provides a common platform for participating armies to engage in professional exchange, learn from one another’s experiences and build closer military-to-military ties.
The two-week exercise will focus on counter-terrorism operations in semi-mountainous and jungle terrain. The training programme will include joint planning exercises, tactical-level drills and coordinated operations designed to improve adaptability, endurance and tactical proficiency of participating troops.
Mahindra & Mahindra and DBS Bank India have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to launch India’s first sustainability-linked dealer financing programme in the automotive sector, offering authorised Mahindra dealers preferential interest rates on vehicle loans tied to their environmental performance.
Under the programme, dealers will be ranked against a set of ESG parameters drawn from Mahindra’s Green Dealership Programme. These include greenhouse gas emissions monitoring, water consumption, renewable energy use, rainwater harvesting, waste management, availability of public EV charging facilities, and the volume of eSUVs sold.
The ESG metrics were jointly designed by Mahindra and DBS Bank India. The programme is structured to address Scope 3 emissions — those generated across a company’s value chain rather than directly by the company itself — by drawing dealer networks into the broader decarbonisation effort.
Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan has nominated BJP member Medha Vishram Kulkarni as chairperson of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has also appointed BJP member Sudheer Gupta as chairperson of the Joint Committee on Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
Vinod Shridhar Tawde, Sujeet Kumar, Ujjwal Deorao Nikam, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Vivek K. Tankha, R. Girirajan, S. Niranjan Reddy, Sanjay Kumar Jha and Masthan Rao Yadav Beedha (all from Rajya Sabha) are members of the joint committee on the Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill 2026, another notification said.
Senior IAS Saurabh Vijay, gets appointed as the Executive Officer of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
Vijay, a civil engineer from IIT Delhi, is a 1998-batch IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre. In his new role, he will lead the authority responsible for administering India’s Aadhaar-based digital identity infrastructure.
Prior to joining UIDAI, Vijay served as Principal Secretary in the Finance Department, for the state of Maharashtra. His initial assignments in the cadre include Principal Secretary Planning, Development Commissioner of Maharashtra, Principal Secretary Tourism, Secretary Medical Education and Secretary Higher and Technical Education.
On central deputation, he has served as the Director at the President’s Secretariat, holding international responsibilities as Advisor to the Executive Director for Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Sri Lanka at the World Bank.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was conferred with the prestigious Agricola Medal for 2026 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, at the FAO Headquarters in Rome. The award was conferred in recognition of his exceptional leadership to address food security, sustainable agriculture and rural development in India and at the global level.
Prime Minister received the award from Dr. Qu Dongyu, Director General of FAO. He dedicated the honour to Indian farmers and the Indian agricultural scientific community, who tirelessly work to ensure food security and nutrition for Indians and for people around the World.
Prime Minister recalled that as a founding member of FAO, India was privileged to work with the organization to foster global food security, sustainable agriculture and a hunger-free world. Prime Minister Modi’s visit to FAO Headquarters was the first by an Indian Head of Government in the last 30 years.
India’s GDP is likely to grow at 6.2 per cent in FY27, down from the earlier estimate of 6.5 per cent amid elevated crude oil prices triggered by the West Asia crisis, according to rating agency ICRA.
For FY26, ICRA estimates GDP growth at 7.5 per cent, marginally lower than the National Statistical Office's (NSO) Second Advance Estimate (SAE) of 7.6 percent for the fiscal.
The rating agency also said GDP growth in the fourth quarter is expected to ease to a three-quarter low of 7 per cent from 7.8 per cent in Q3 of 2025-26.
A slower expansion across the industrial and services sectors is expected to have moderated GDP growth between these quarters, even as the performance of the agriculture sector is likely to have improved slightly.
In a major boost to India's defence capabilities, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully completed the final development trials of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3.
The tests were successful in both air-to-ground and air-to-air modes.
The defence ministry informed in a statement that the trials were conducted at a DRDO test range near Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh using an integrated ground control system (GCS) to command and control the ULPGM weapon system.
The GCS features state-of-the-art technologies to automate readiness and launch operations.
"The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully completed the final deliverable configuration development trials of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3 in air-to-ground and air-to-air modes," the ministry statement said.
West Bengal’s approval for the 7th Pay Commission will raise state government salaries, pensions and allowances but the actual jump in take-home pay will depend on the fitment factor to be notified later.
The decision, cleared during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, is being seen as one of the biggest financial policy moves for state employees in recent years. Alongside the pay panel announcement, the state also approved a new cash transfer scheme for women, free bus rides for women, and changes in welfare schemes.
A pay commission revises salaries, pensions and allowances of government employees periodically to account for inflation and rising living costs. West Bengal had implemented the 6th Pay Commission in 2019 with retrospective arrears from January 1, 2016.
Recognizing the long history and the cultural and economic significance of tea around the world, as well as the significant role it plays in rural development, poverty reduction and food security in developing countries, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21 May as International Tea Day, calling on FAO to lead the observance.
The origins of tea stretch back more than 5 000 years, but its contributions to health, culture and socioeconomic development are still as relevant today. Tea is currently grown in very localized areas, and supports over 13 million people, including smallholder farmers and their households, who depend on the tea sector for their livelihoods.
Held every year on 21 May, UNESCO leads the celebration of World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development highlighting not only the richness of the world’s cultures, but also the essential role of intercultural dialogue for achieving peace and sustainable development.
Cultural diversity is a driving force of development, not only with respect to economic growth, but also as a means of leading a more fulfilling intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual life. This is captured in the culture conventions, which provide a solid basis for the promotion of cultural diversity.
The combined Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) increased by 1.7 per cent (provisional) in April, 2026 as compared to the Index in April, 2025. The production of Cement, Steel and Electricity recorded positive growth in April, 2026.
Ms. Neelam Shami Rao, Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, launched the Bharat Tex 2026 Event App, a unified digital platform designed to enhance the experience of buyers, international delegates, speakers, sourcing consultants, partners, exhibitors, and visitors at India’s largest global textile event.
The official Bharat Tex 2026 App reflects the event’s digital-first approach and will play a key role in strengthening business matchmaking, improving attendee experience, enabling data-driven engagement and supporting the overall scale and ambition of Bharat Tex 2026.
The app has been developed as a comprehensive digital companion for Bharat Tex 2026, enabling registered participants to access event information, discover exhibitors, schedule meetings, navigate the venue, capture leads, access knowledge sessions and receive real-time updates, all through a single mobile interface.
