In a major push towards technology-driven governance and innovation-led transformation, the Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, today announced the RailTech Policy and the complete digitisation of the Railway Claims Tribunal (RCT) as Reform Number Three and Reform Number Four under Indian Railways’ flagship “52 Reforms in 52 Weeks” initiative.

Rail Tech Policy Reform

The Rail Tech Policy aims to engage innovators, startups, industry and institutions to promote innovation in Indian Railways. The new policy simplifies the selection of innovators and introduces a dedicated “Rail Tech Portal” for innovation. Innovation challenges can be initiated by any innovator or departmental user, with a single-stage detailed submission of proposals.

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), under NITI Aayog, today launched the first State Innovation Mission (SIM) in Tripura, marking a significant step towards embedding Innovation and Entrepreneurship into the State’s long-term development framework.

The State Innovation Mission is part of the approved AIM 2.0 programme, under the aegis of NITI Aayog’s State Support Mission (SSM), and is designed as a long-term institutional mechanism to support States and Union Territories in building robust, inclusive, and context-specific innovation ecosystems aligned with national priorities and local strengths.

The launch event was held at the Hapania International Exhibition Centre in Agartala in the presence of Prof. (Dr.) Manik Saha, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tripura; Shri Suman Bery, Hon’ble Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog; Jitendra Singh, Hon’ble Union Minister of State and Dr VK Saraswat, Hon’ble Member, NITI Aayog.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the Semiconductor Assembly, Test and Packaging (ATMP) facility of Micron Semiconductor Technology India Private Limited in Sanand during his visit to Gujarat. The inauguration marks a significant milestone in India’s semiconductor manufacturing journey, with the commencement of commercial production and shipment of the first made-in-India semiconductor memory modules from the Sanand ATMP facility.

This development represents a major step forward in strengthening India’s position in the global semiconductor value chain. Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Mr Modi said that the India AI Impact Summit, which was organised in India, introduced the world to its AI capability.

Mr. Modi asserted that while the previous century was regulated by oil, the microchip is going to be the regulator of this century. The Prime Minister emphasised that this historic day is a testament to India’s commitment to technology leadership, marking a shift from being known primarily for software to now stepping into the world of hardware and global value chains.

Climate change could lead to the habitat of Western Ghats endemic species such as the Nilgiri Wood Pigeon (Columba elphinstonii) become extremely limited to a few isolated pockets by the end of the century, a recent research paper warns.

The study, titled “Biogeography and habitat suitability of the Nilgiri Wood Pigeon using MaxEnt”, published in the “Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy” used MaxEnt, a machine-learning method to model habitat suitability for species, and estimates that the Nilgiri Wood Pigeon (NWP) faces a bleak future marked by “sharp declines in high-suitability areas and marked range contractions.”

The natural habitat of the pigeon comprises high-elevation wet evergreen and adjoining moist deciduous forests, particularly in regions such as The Nilgiris and Anamalai Hills in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Isolated populations are also reported from locations such as the Biligirirangan Hills, Nandi Hills, and northern Maharashtra.

Varanasi set a new Guinness World Record on Sunday by planting 2,51,446 saplings in just one hour, surpassing China’s eight-year-old record. The plantation drive was carried out on 350 bighas of land in Domari village on the banks of the Ganga.

According to a press communiqué issued by the Varanasi Nagar Nigam, around 20,000 people participated in the drive, which began at 8 am and lasted for about an hour. Guinness World Records judge Rishi Nath presented certificates to Mayor Ashok Kumar Tiwari and Municipal commissioner Himanshu Nagpal for the achievement.

The plantation site has been developed as an “Urban Forest,” divided into 60 sectors named after Kashi’s prominent ghats, including Dashashwamedh, Manikarnika, Kedar, Lalita, and Sheetla. Over 4,000 saplings have been planted in each sector, creating what officials described as a future “mini-Kashi” along the riverbank.

India’s customs administration took a digital step forward on Thursday with the launch of the revamped AATITHI 2.0 mobile application for international passengers, followed by the rollout of SWIFT 2.0, a single-window platform aimed at faster cargo clearances.

The initiatives were unveiled by Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary during the International Customs Day 2026 celebrations organised by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs. The launch forms part of the government’s broader digital customs reforms and measures announced around the Union Budget push for trade facilitation and ease of travel.

CBIC Chairman Vivek Chaturvedi said the twin initiatives aim to make customs processes paperless, reduce processing time at airports and ports, and improve coordination among regulatory agencies.

South Central Railway (SCR) achieved a significant digital milestone by launching a next-generation ‘Rail Parcel App’ at Rail Nilayam, Secunderabad. This first-of-its-kind digital e-marketplace aims to revolutionise freight logistics by offering seamless end-to-end services, including doorstep pickup and delivery. General Manager Sanjay Kumar Srivastava inaugurated the application, emphasising its role in eliminating long queues and bringing the parcel office directly to the customer’s fingertips.

The app features real-time tracking, automated notifications, and secure digital payment options. Initially, the service is being rolled out as a pilot project across seven major locations, including Hyderabad, Vijayawada, and Bengaluru. In a parallel strategic move, SCR signed a Memorandum of Understanding with IIM Bangalore to conduct a comprehensive study on the freight logistics market. This collaboration seeks to identify infrastructure gaps and enhance rail-based logistics to help achieve the national mission of 3,000 million tonnes of cargo loading by 2030.

The seventh waterbird count at the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve in Assam released on Wednesday (February 25, 2026) has spotlighted a new avian guest — a diving duck from the Eurasian taiga breeding grounds.

“The smew (Mergellus albellus) signals wetland health in India, but its vagrant status flags climate-driven range shifts and the need to protect refuelling stops amid hunting and oil pollution threats,” said ornithologist Nilutpal Mahanta, a part of the waterbird census held from January 4 to 11.

A striking diving duck, the smew is a rare visitor to India. Male smews have a black-masked white body, while females have a mottled brown body. Sightings are sporadic and localised, mainly in northern or central Indian wetlands, including Haiderpur in Uttar Pradesh.

During the census, the smew was recorded at Rowmari-Donduwa beels in Laokhowa, part of the Kaziranga landscape covering 1,302 sq. km., and in the core areas of the park that are better known for its one-horned rhinoceroses.

Pakistan has declared an open war against Afghanistan after the Taliban administration said that its forces killed and captured several Pakistani soldiers during a cross-border offensive. In a social media post, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Pakistan’s patience has reached its limit and Now it is open war between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Pakistan carried out airstrikes targeting Afghan cities, including Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia, after a fresh round of clashes between the two sides. Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the Pakistani strikes but said there were no casualties. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi described the military action as a befitting response, saying Pakistan’s armed forces acted after Afghan forces allegedly attacked Pakistani border troops.

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday flew as a co-pilot in the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Prachand near the India-Pakistan border in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district. According to the Indian Air Force (IAF), the helicopter took off from the Jaisalmer Air Force Station after the president was briefed by the captain. She waved from the cockpit before departure.

With today's sortie, she became the first Indian president to fly in an attack helicopter, adding another milestone to her engagements with frontline military platforms.

Wearing an olive-green flight suit and helmet, she was seen waving from the cockpit moments before take-off.