The Rural Development Ministry has approved 56 new Watershed Development Projects that will be undertaken at a cost of Rs 700 crores in the ten best-performing states, the government said on Monday.

In a statement issued here, the ministry said the projects will be undertaken in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Nagaland, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim.

"Department of Land Resources announces sanction of 56 new Watershed Development Projects at a cost of Rs 700 crores under the ongoing scheme of PMKSY-WDC 2.0 in the 10 best-performing states...," the ministry said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit to be held held in France in February, President Emmanuel Macron has said.

“France will be hosting on February 11 and 12 the AI Summit, a summit for action, which will enable us to have a discussion on artificial intelligence,” President Macron said while addressing the 30th Conference of Ambassadors.

This summit will allow for an international conversation on AI, Macron said.

Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal unveiled the Bharat Cleantech Manufacturing Platform, an initiative designed to enhance India's cleantech value chains in the solar, wind, hydrogen, and battery storage sectors on Friday at the Bharat Climate Forum 2025 in New Delhi.

According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, during the address, Goyal highlighted that the Product Linked Incentives (PLIs) and subsidies are detrimental to the long-term growth and development of the clean energy sector.

He said, "The PLI scheme can only help kickstart the sector, but the clean energy sector must strive to become self-sustaining. The Cleantech sector must become independent of the Government."

A team of researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has discovered a new pangolin species — the Indo-Burmese pangolin (Manis indoburmanica) — in Arunachal Pradesh.

They have identified a previously unknown species of pangolin, genetically distinct from the Chinese and Indian pangolins that are typically found within the country.

As per the findings of the ZSI scientists, this species diverged from the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) approximately 3.4 million years ago.

The species is believed to have evolved in isolation during dramatic geo-climatic changes in the Indo-Burma region.

The National Health Authority (NHA) on Monday signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of Odisha to implement Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) in the eastern state.

With this agreement, Odisha has become the latest state to implement the PMJAY in convergence with the Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana Scheme (GJAY) in the Odia heartland.

So far 26 states and all 18 union territories have signed on to the scheme, leaving only Delhi and West Bengal to do so.

A total of 10.3 million families will benefit from the scheme in Odisha, out of which 6.78 million families will be supported by the Central government.

Public broadcaster Prasar Bharati's radio division Akashvani on Friday launched 'Kumbhvani'-- an FM channel dedicated to disseminating information related to the Maha Kumbh 2025, an official statement said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the FM channel at the Circuit House during the second day of his Prayagraj tour ahead of the mega religious congregation.

"Prasar Bharati has launched the OTT-based Kumbhvani FM channel to disseminate comprehensive information about the Maha Kumbh. Broadcasting at a frequency of 103.5 MHz, the channel will be on air from January 10 to February 26, operating daily from 5.55 am to 10.05 pm," the UP government said in the statement.

Kolkata, Eminent director Aparna Sen was honoured with the ‘Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the annual award ceremony of West Bengal Film Journalists Association for her contributions to Indian cinema.

Accepting the award here on Sunday, Sen expressed gratitude and praised contemporary Bengali filmmakers for carrying forward the legacy of Bengali cinema.

"I thank the organisers for conferring this honour to me. I have great respect and faith in contemporary filmmakers in Bengal like Srijit Mukherji, Atanu Ghosh and many others. Let us carry this rich legacy of Bengali cinema further," the 'Parama' director said at the acceptance speech.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday picked international jurist Nawaf Salam to form a government to pull the war-scarred country out of economic crisis.

A majority of Lebanese lawmakers endorsed Mr. Salam, the presiding judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, after two years of a caretaker government.

"The president of the republic has called on Judge Nawaf Mr. Salam to task him with forming a government," the presidency said.

India has successfully tested field evaluation trials of indigenously-developed third-generation anti-tank guided missile Nag Mk-2.

The defence ministry said the trials were conducted recently at a firing range in Rajasthan's Pokhran in the presence of senior Army officers.

"Field evaluation trials of indigenously-developed Nag Mk 2, the third-generation anti-tank fire-and-forget guided missile, were successfully conducted recently at Pokhran field range in the presence of senior officers of the Indian Army," it said.

"During the three field trials, the missile systems destroyed precisely all the targets — maximum and minimum range, thus validating its firing range," it said.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed the ‘HimKavach’ clothing system to protect soldiers operating in extreme cold conditions. The system, designed to function in temperatures ranging from 20°C to -60°C, has passed all user trials in operational settings.

The HimKavach system is made up of multiple layers, each tailored for insulation, breathability, and comfort. The modular design allows soldiers to add or remove layers depending on the weather. This feature is seen as critical for troops operating in the Himalayas, where temperatures can drop sharply.

Before HimKavach, the Indian Army used the Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS), a three-layered outfit developed by DRDO’s Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences. The ECWCS provided insulation and waterproofing and included a reversible outer layer for camouflage in snowy and non-snowy terrain.