A team of researchers from Nagaland University has recorded a new plant species in the high-altitude forests of Nagaland, cementing the northeastern region of India as a biodiversity hotspot and reaffirming the vital role of community-protected forests in conservation.

The hitherto undocumented species, Hoya nagaensis, was found during botanical surveys in remote forest areas that have remained largely unexplored by science.

Nagaland’s forests are unusual in that many are protected and managed by local communities rather than the State. While this traditional stewardship has preserved vast tracts of forest, limited scientific documentation has left much of the region’s biodiversity unrecorded.

NITI Aayog today launched Sampoornata Abhiyan 2.0, a three-month campaign aimed at achieving saturation of critical development indicators in Aspirational Districts and Aspirational Blocks across the country. Launched by the Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog, B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, in New Delhi today, the campaign will run till 14th of April, this year. The abhiyan seeks to build on the successful outcomes of the 2024 campaign and focuses on saturating five key performance indicators in 112 Aspirational Districts and six indicators in 513 Aspirational Blocks. These indicators cover priority areas such as health and nutrition, sanitation, education, maternal and child health, tuberculosis case detection and animal vaccination.

The state of Goa is considering a ban on social media for children under the age of 16, following the introduction of similar legislation in Australia.

As per reports by Reuters, Goa’s Minister for Information Technology, Rohan Khaunte, said on January 26 that the state government is currently studying the Australian model. The move aims to protect the mental health and well-being of the younger generation, who are increasingly occupied by digital platforms.

"If possible, (we will) implement a similar ban on children below 16 for usage of social media," Khaunte told reporters. "Details will follow." He added.

The proposed ban would target popular social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter). Under the Australian law being used as a reference, social media companies are required to take "reasonable steps" to prevent minors from holding accounts, with the threat of significant fines for non-compliance.

France's National Assembly has backed a bill that would ban social media access for under-15s, a proposal supported by President Emmanuel Macron.

Lawmakers in the lower house on Monday agreed key elements of the bill, before voting 116-23 in its favour. Next, the bill will go to the upper house, the Senate, for approval.

If it is passed, young teenagers would not be able to use networks such as Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok.

The French move is part of a growing trend of restricting social networks for children, triggered by increasing evidence of the damage they can cause to mental health. A similar law was passed in Australia late last year.

Chandrakant Lahariya, former staff member of the World Health Organisation, has won the prestigious Wiley Research Heroes Prize 2025.

He is credited to be the first and only Indian so far to have won this International Wiley Prize, which had received over 2,000 nominations. These awards highlight individuals who ensure that research is inclusive, innovative and impactful.

Lahariya is India’s leading health policy researcher, academician and medical practitioner. He is a leading public health physician, who has done primary research in the area of vaccination, conditional cash transfers for mother and child health services and on primary healthcare.

International Data Privacy Day, observed annually on 28 January, underscores the importance of safeguarding personal data in an increasingly digital world. Also known as Data Protection Day, it commemorates the signing of Convention 108 in 2006 by the Council of Europe, the world’s first legally binding international treaty on data protection. The day serves as a reminder of the shared responsibility of governments, digital platforms, and citizens in building a secure, trusted, and inclusive digital ecosystem.

Data privacy remains a foundational pillar of responsible digital governance. It safeguards citizens’ personal information across large-scale digital platforms, builds trust in government-led digital services, and enables the ethical and secure adoption of emerging technologies. Robust data protection frameworks also reduce cyber risks by preventing misuse, mitigating threats, and improving accountability through transparency and effective institutional oversight.

India’s expanding digital footprint and the privacy imperative

The Ministry of Jal Shakti organized a ‘Samvad Samaroh’ and recognition programme for WaSH Warriors at the PSOI, New Delhi today. The event honoured individuals who have demonstrated leadership in water conservation and sanitation at the grassroots level. These WaSH Warriors have worked closely with local communities to address water and sanitation challenges by promoting inclusive and equitable solutions. Their efforts reflect the spirit of Jan Bhagidari and community ownership that underpins the flagship initiatives of the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

As part of this national recognition, 58 WaSH Warriors nominated by States and Union Territories under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) participated in the programme today and attended the Republic Day Parade at Kartavya Path on 26 January 2026 as Special Guests.

The selected WaSH Warriors were drawn from Swachh Sujal Gaon villages, including rural households, poor and marginalised communities, Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) majority villages, and vulnerable tribal groups. A Swachh Sujal Gaon is a village that is Har Ghar Jal certified under the Jal Jeevan Mission and ODF Plus Model verified under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen). The representatives showcased community-led progress in drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene across rural India.

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.