Six years after becoming India's primary Covid-19 contact-tracing application, Aarogya Setu is getting its biggest transformation yet. The Government of India is launching Aarogya Setu 2.0, repositioning the platform as a comprehensive national digital health application rather than a pandemic-specific tool. The new version aims to integrate multiple healthcare services under one interface, making it easier for citizens to access medical records, locate healthcare facilities, book appointments, manage health insurance benefits and securely share health information with doctors.

The launch is closely aligned with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), India's flagship initiative to create a digitally connected healthcare ecosystem. Through the use of Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) IDs, the government hopes to reduce paperwork, improve continuity of care and make healthcare more accessible, particularly for patients who frequently visit different hospitals or relocate between cities.

The Centre has said that the Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA) platform has become India's "One Nation, One Digital Platform" for school education. The platform provides digital learning resources to students and teachers across the country.

Launched in 2017, DIKSHA is led by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) along with the Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET). The platform supports students from early learning stages to senior secondary classes and is being used by education boards in almost all states and Union Territories.

The Army is set to establish and operationalise its first Integrated Battle Groups (IBG) by next month, marking a significant transformation under which self-contained, agile, brigade-sized fighting units will be carved out of the Panagarh-based XVII Corps — the mountain strike corps (MSC) facing China — for swift deployment in mountainous areas, The Indian Express has learnt.

Sources privy to the development told The Indian Express that the earlier plan was to create four IBGs under the two divisions operating under the XVII MSC — the 59 Division and the 23 Division — by September. However, this is now learnt to have been advanced to July 1.

The Indian Express had first reported in January this year that the long-drawn plans to create IBGs had gathered pace and may be implemented soon.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has received the Special Award for Exceptional Leadership in Elevating UK-India Relations at the Annual UK-India Awards 2026 in London. The minister shared this information through a social media post today. He said the recognition belongs to the many bridge-builders across governments, businesses, academia, culture, and the vibrant diaspora who continue to strengthen India-UK ties. He congratulated all his fellow awardees for their outstanding contributions towards enriching this valuable partnership. Mr Goyal said that the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, taking effect on the 15th of July, will become the fastest-implemented trade deal in British parliamentary history.

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, IRCTC has introduced a new tourism circuit titled “Divine East Temple Tour” on its Bharat Gaurav Deluxe Tourist Train. The 11-day rail-based journey offers devotees and travelers a unique opportunity to visit some of the most revered pilgrimage destinations along with culturally rich heritage sites across Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Jharkhand.

The journey will begin from Safdarjung, Delhi and would cover Varanasi, Puri, Konark, Chilika, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Gangasagar and Baidyanath Dham before returning back to Delhi. The significant sites that will be toured are Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Ganga Aarti at Varanasi. From there, the journey will continue to Puri, and offering darshan at the revered Shri Jagannath Temple, along with a tour of the comprehensive Odisha circuit including Bhubaneswar, Dhauli Shanti Stupa, Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves, and the Konark Sun Temple.

India's ambition to transform itself into a global aviation hub has moved from blueprint to reality, with the launch of the country's first hub-and-spoke international flight network that promises seamless overseas travel for passengers from Tier-II and Tier-III cities.

The first service under the model, operated by Air India as an "Easy Connect" flight, was launched from Varanasi on Thursday, allowing international passengers to complete baggage check-in and immigration formalities at their origin airport before connecting to overseas flights through Delhi.

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said the network will expand rapidly, with flights from six more cities expected to begin within the next six weeks.

Seven Indian schools have been named in the top 10 shortlist for the World’s Best School Prizes 2026, announced in London on Thursday. India has set a new record this year as the highest number of schools shortlisted in a single year by any country in the four-year history of the prizes.

The World’s Best School Prizes, presented across five categories, were founded by UK-headquartered T4 Education in the wake of COVID-19 as a platform to recognise schools that are changing lives in their classrooms and beyond.

External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar announced Operation Amistad, under which two Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft took off for Venezuela carrying urgent humanitarian assistance to support post-earthquake relief efforts. Amistad means friendship in Spanish.

In a social media post, Dr Jaishankar said the assistance includes an Indian Army Field Hospital Unit and over 35 tonnes of relief supplies, medicines and medical equipment, including two BHISHM Cubes.

He said India is committed to supporting the government and people of Venezuela during this difficult time.

OpenAI is expanding its India leadership while tightening model safeguards, announcing both a key executive hire and the release of GPT-5.6 Sol with what it calls its "most robust safety stack yet."

The company has hired former Uber India head Prabhjeet Singh as Managing Director for India. With his appointment, Singh will become OpenAI's most senior leader in India, with responsibility for performance across consumer growth, enterprise adoption and partnerships. The appointment comes as India is increasingly gaining importance in the AI space and is proving to be an important hub for Open AI as it scales ChatGPT, enterprise APIs, and developer adoption in one of the world's largest digital markets.

India has been a major driver of ChatGPT usage and a focus for OpenAI's outreach to startups, large enterprises, and government skilling initiatives.

Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy, Ajit Kumar Mohanty has inaugurated the world’s first Hydrogen Production Facility based on the Copper-Chlorine (Cu-Cl) Thermochemical Cycle utilizing nuclear process heat generated from the Fast
Breeder Test Reactor at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam.

Addressing the gathering, Dr Mohanty said that the integration of nuclear energy with emerging clean energy technologies, such as hydrogen production represents a strategic pathway towards a sustainable energy future. He said that nuclear power with its unique ability to provide reliable carbon-free electricity is ideally suited to support large-scale hydrogen production while contributing to India’s energy security, decarbonisation goals and long-term sustainable development objectives.