The Ministry of Panchayati Raj in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (Department of School Education and Literacy) and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, is jointly organizing a National Award Ceremony to felicitate the winners of the Model Youth Gram Sabha (MYGS) on 28th January 2026 in New Delhi. Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj, Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel and Union Minister of State for Education, Dr. Sukanta Majumdar will grace the occasion. During the event, a comprehensive compendium documenting the transformative journey of the Model Youth Gram Sabha initiative will also be released. Senior officials from the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Department of School Education and Literacy, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti and Eklavya Model Residential Schools will attend the ceremony. The ceremony will celebrate the achievements of over 28,000 students from 619 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and 200 Eklavya Model Residential Schools who participated in simulated Gram Sabhas and Gram Panchayat proceedings across the country. Around 900 participants, including students and teachers from the winning schools, elected representatives of PRIs and key stakeholders associated with the MYGS initiative will also participate in the event.

The inaugural session scheduled from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM will feature live mock Gram Sabha demonstrations by Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Una (Himachal Pradesh) and Eklavya Model Residential School, Kosambuda (Chhattisgarh), highlighting experiential learning of democratic processes. While the award ceremony commencing at 2:30 PM will honour winning schools and students for their exemplary understanding of the three-tier Panchayati Raj system envisaged under the 73rd Constitutional Amendment.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati have identified 492 regions in the Himalayas where glacial lakes are likely to form, according to a new study. These lakes pose a serious risk as they can suddenly collapse, triggering floods that affect densely populated areas located far downstream from the mountains. Such events are known as Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs).

The research found that glacial lakes-and consequently GLOFs-do not form randomly. Instead, they are more likely to develop in specific zones of the Eastern Himalayas. The study used a data-driven framework based on 12,924 Google Earth images collected between 2018 and 2022. The research area covered parts of Arunachal Pradesh in India and neighbouring regions of Tibet.

Machine learning (ML) models were combined with geomorphological and topographic features to predict the probability of glacial lake formation (PGLF) in the Eastern Himalayas.

In a significant boost to the preservation and research-based revival of India’s classical medical heritage, the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), under the Ministry of Ayush, in collaboration with the Central Sanskrit University (CSU), New Delhi, has successfully completed a 15-day transliteration capacity-building workshop on Ayurvedic manuscripts in Kerala.

The residential workshop was held at the CSU Puranattukara (Guruvayoor) Campus in Thrissur from January 12 to 25, and brought together 33 scholars, including 18 Ayurveda scholars and 15 Sanskrit scholars, fostering an interdisciplinary approach to the study and preservation of ancient medical texts.

Organised under a Memorandum of Understanding between CCRAS and CSU, the programme forms part of a broader national initiative aimed at documenting, digitising, and facilitating research-oriented utilisation of classical Ayurvedic manuscripts. Participants received structured training in manuscriptology, palaeography, technical Ayurvedic terminology, and script orientation, with special focus on Grantha and Vattezhuthu scripts through dedicated Lipi Parichaya sessions.

The Uttarakhand Government has implemented the Uniform Civil Code (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, to introduce necessary amendments to the UCC Act, 2024, following the approval of the Governor.

As per the release from the Chief Minister’s Office, the ordinance has been promulgated by the Governor of Uttarakhand, under Article 213 of the Constitution of India and has come into force with immediate effect.

It said that through this ordinance, procedural, administrative, and penal improvements have been made to various provisions of the Code to ensure its effective, transparent, and smooth implementation.

According to the Chief Minister’s Office, along with promoting women’s empowerment, protecting children’s rights, and ensuring equality in civil rights, one of the UCC’s most significant contributions has been simplifying procedures.

Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) and state-owned China Electronics Technology Group Corporation International (CETC) have signed a deal under a G2G framework on Tuesday to establish an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV-drone) manufacturing and assembly plant and technology transfer.

The agreement was signed at the Air Force Headquarters in Dhaka Cantonment.

Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan was present at the ceremony as the chief guest, said an ISPR media release.

Under the agreement, the Bangladesh Air Force and CETC International will jointly establish a state-of-the-art UAV manufacturing and assembly facility plant in Bangladesh.

Continuing with the principle of celebrating ordinary Indians making extraordinary contributions, this year’s Padma Awards recognise a wide spectrum of unsung heroes from across the length and breadth of India. According to information received from sources so far, the government has selected 54 people for the Padma Shri award. The list of Padma Shri awardees includes six individuals from West Bengal, followed by Tamil Nadu with five. Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra have four awardees each. Assam, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Gujarat account for three recipients each. Two Padma Shri awards each have been conferred on individuals from Telangana, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, and Chhattisgarh. Meanwhile, Tripura, Puducherry, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Ladakh, Kerala, Haryana, Delhi, Chandigarh, Bihar and Arunachal Pradesh have one awardee each.

Using observations from the James Webb Space Telescope in a patch of the sky covering almost three times the area of the full moon, scientists have created the most detailed cosmic map to date of the mysterious substance called dark matter that accounts for most of the stuff that populates the universe.

Seen vs Unseen
Ordinary matter makes up stars, planets, people and everything else we can see. But it represents only about 15% of all the matter in the cosmos. The rest is dark matter, which does not emit or reflect light, making it invisible to the human eye and to telescopes.

Scientists infer its existence based on the gravitational effects it exerts on a large scale such as how quickly galaxies rotate, how galaxy clusters are held together and how light from distant objects bends as it passes through massive cosmic structures.

A new flowering plant species has been formally recorded from Arunachal Pradesh, adding to the Himalayan state’s growing biodiversity inventory and underlining the importance of continued botanical exploration in the region.

The species, Strobilanthes riteshii (family Acanthaceae), was discovered during recent floristic surveys at Chayangtajo in East Kameng district. The finding was made by researchers from the Botanical Survey of India Arunachal Pradesh Regional Centre, in collaboration with the Agharkar Research Institute, Pune.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu acknowledged the discovery in a social media post, congratulating the research teams and calling it “a proud addition to Arunachal’s biodiversity legacy”.

According to the researchers, the plant is currently known only from its type locality at an elevation of around 1,600 metres. It grows along roadsides on open hill slopes, often near small waterfalls and streams within evergreen forest patches. Flowering has been observed between August and October, while fruiting occurs from September to December.

Newly raised Bhairav light commando battalion and Shaktiban Regiment, rocket launcher system 'Suryastra' with deep-strike capabilities, and key military assets, including indigenous platforms accompanied with personnel, rolling down the Kartavya Path in a "phased battle array formation" -- the 77th Republic Day Parade saw many firsts.

Double-humped Bactrian camels and Zanskar ponies were also part of the ceremonial event for the first time, adding an element of curiosity and excitement among the crowds.

Also, marking a first, the contingent members of the mounted 61 Cavalry were seen in battle gear during the parade.

Silambam exponent K. Pajanivel of Puducherry has been conferred with the Padma Shri, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to traditional martial arts.

Born on 30th January 1973 at Pooranankuppam in Puducherry, Pajanivel began his journey in Silambam under the guidance of Master Rajaram. With a career spanning several decades, he has played a key role in preserving, promoting, and popularising this ancient Tamil martial art, both in India and abroad.

A master practitioner and dedicated teacher, Shri Pajanivel has trained several students free of cost, ensuring the transmission of this traditional art form to future generations. He has also represented Silambam through performances, demonstrations, and competitions at national and international forums.