In a major boost to rail connectivity in the Northeast, India’s first direct passenger train service between Silchar in Assam and Sairang in Mizoram was inaugurated on February 9, 2026. The new rail link, virtually flagged off by Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, is being seen as a game-changer for travel, trade, and economic integration between the two states.

The service directly connects Silchar in Assam’s Barak Valley with Sairang, located close to Mizoram’s capital Aizawl, marking a historic milestone in the region’s transport network.

In Mizoram, Chief Minister Pu Lalduhoma attended a special commemorative programme at Sairang Railway Station, joined by Rural Development Minister Lalnilawma, Revenue Minister B. Lalchhanzova, and Adviser to the CM and MLA TBC Lalvenchhunga.

The landmark judgement by the Supreme Court is likely to be remembered not only for the public consensus it has generated but for the legal clarity with which it expands the meaning of life and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. By recognising access to menstrual health as a fundamental right, the court has acknowledged a long-ignored reality: that millions of adolescent girls in India navigate puberty without adequate education, equity, health or dignity.

In a departure from past approaches, the Bench led by Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan reframed menstrual health and hygiene not as a matter of welfare or budgetary discretion, but as an enforceable constitutional entitlement. The judgement affirms that prioritising girls’ menstrual health is not a policy preference, but a requirement of gender-inclusive constitutional justice.

Two years after it was announced, India’s first private sector helicopter final assembly line (FAL)—to manufacture Airbus’s best-selling H125 helicopters—was inaugurated on Tuesday at Vemagal in Karnataka’s Kolar district. The facility, built by Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) in partnership with European aerospace major Airbus, was inaugurated virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting French President Emmanuel Macron. The project, seen as a big boost to aircraft manufacturing in India, was first announced on Republic Day in 2024 in conjunction with Macron’s visit to India at the time.

While Modi and Macron inaugurated the facility virtually from Mumbai, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu, and France’s Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Catherine Vautrin, were present at the FAL site for the inauguration. The delivery of the first made-in-India H125 helicopter is expected in early 2027, and the FAL will serve the Indian market as well as other markets in the region.

Leaving a complete void in the entertainment industry, veteran star Pravina Deshpande breathed her last at the age of 60 on February 17. The actress, known for her memorable supporting roles in Marathi and Hindi cinema, passed away after a prolonged battle with cancer since 2019. Her family shared the heartbreaking news on social media, revealing her final rites were conducted on the same day in the afternoon at the Hindu Crematorium in Andheri, Mumbai.

Best remembered for her role in Salman Khan’s 2011 film Ready, as well as impactful roles in several TV serials, Pravina Deshpande enjoyed a career spanning decades, working across Hindi and Marathi films, television serials, and web series.

The Delhi Government has taken a historic step in modernising school education with the launch of CM Shri Schools, the nation’s first AI-driven comprehensive education model. One of these schools was inaugurated on Tuesday by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta at Sarojini Nagar. The foundation stones for 75 such schools across the Capital were also laid.

This initiative aligns with the National Education Policy, aiming to provide students with technology-integrated, globally competitive education directly within government schools. CM Shri Schools are being developed as “Centres of Excellence”, offering modern infrastructure, skill development, career guidance, and holistic personality growth.

“These schools are not just new buildings, they represent our commitment to making Delhi’s children globally competitive,” said Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. AI-enabled smart classrooms, equipped with interactive panels, digital content, and advanced learning tools, will allow personalised education based on each student’s ability.

The Assam Cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Tuesday (February 17, 2026) approved a proposal to reserve 3% of the Class I and Class II government jobs for the “tea tribes” and Adivasi community.

The approval, in addition to a similar decision for the community in Class III and Class IV government jobs, is significant ahead of the elections to the 126-member Assembly expected by April. The “tea tribes”, a term used to mean Adivasis who were brought by the British planters from central India, and “ex-tea tribes” (those who are no longer associated with tea plantations) account for almost 20% of the voters in Assam.

Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have achieved a breakthrough in Indian entomology with the discovery of a new soil-dwelling micro-arthropod species from the eastern Himalayas, underscoring the region’s global ecological significance.

In a historic first, ZSI researchers have described a new species of Diplura — primitive, wingless hexapods. Diplura means "double tail" in Greek.

This is for the first time an Indian research team has formally documented a species from this group within the country.

The species, named Lepidocampa sikkimensis, was identified from specimens collected near Ravangla in Sikkim, with additional records from Kurseong in Bengal, indicating a wider distribution across the eastern Himalayan landscape.

India and South Korea on Friday reaffirmed their commitment to deepening their Special Strategic Partnership, agreeing to advance ties in 2026 through a series of high-level engagements including visits by senior ministers and joint commission meetings.

The pledges came during the 6th Foreign Policy and Security Dialogue (FPSD) held in Seoul, co-chaired by P. Kumaran, Secretary (East) in India’s Ministry of External Affairs, and Park Yoon-joo, First Vice Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea.

The two sides held comprehensive discussions covering the full range of bilateral relations — from political and economic cooperation to defence, security, science and technology, culture, and people-to-people exchanges. Kumaran spotlighted significant opportunities for Korean firms in India’s shipbuilding and maritime sectors and called for stronger collaboration on economic security.

Kerala has taken a significant step by approving India's first comprehensive graphene policy, hailed as the wonder material of the future, aiming to position itself as a global hub for research, development and production of this advanced material.

As the first step, the Union Cabinet has approved the Grefine Park. Kerala Industries Minister P Rajeev outlined a series of strategic incentives to attract both domestic and global investors, including a 50 per cent subsidy on lease payments for manufacturing units established in government-managed parks.

This initiative is part of a broader vision to transform the state into a global hub for advanced materials, supported by the planned establishment of a graphene industrial park in Palakkad and a dedicated Digital Innovation Centre backed by a 200 crore investment.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has announced a first-of-its-kind initiative to create pollinator or “Bee Corridors” along national highways as part of its sustainable infrastructure programme.

The project marks a shift from ornamental roadside plantations to ecological vegetation, with continuous stretches of bee-friendly plants and flowering trees aimed at ensuring year-round availability of nectar and pollen.

The initiative is intended to address growing ecological stress on honeybees and other pollinators, which affects pollination services, agricultural productivity and ecological balance.