The Indian Railways authorities have introduced a One-Time Password (OTP) based ticketing system to enhance transparency and legal mobility of travellers on its routes across the country. Alerted by issues encountered due to the old ticketing system in the past, the Indian Railways has come up with an advanced tech procedure to verify the identity of those travelling.

The new OTP-based ticketing system came into effect on Monday, January 12. It has been made operational on 300 major trains across the country. According to the new regulation, tickets for these trains will no longer be issued without OTP verification on the Indian Railways’ portal. The move makes the booking process better, more secure and convenient for the passengers.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has taken a major step towards strengthening India's Olympic movement with the launch of the National Olympic Education and Development Programme (NOEDP) and the formal reactivation of the National Olympic Academy (NOA).

The decisions were made during the IOA Executive Council meeting on January 8 and were unanimously endorsed by the IOA General House at its Annual General Meeting on January 9, both held in Ahmedabad, according to an IOA release.

The initiatives reflect the IOA's renewed focus on athlete-centric development, Olympic education, and institutional capacity building, aligned with global best practices, the release said.

Tripura Gramin Bank has created a national milestone by becoming the first Gramin Bank in the country to introduce a solar-powered ATM van, marking a major step towards sustainable and inclusive banking services.

Expressing pride over the achievement, the bank's Marketing Head Jeet Bhattacharya said it was a moment of great honour not only for the institution but also for the people of Tripura.

He stated that the innovative initiative has earned the bank the prestigious SKOCH Silver Award, one of the most respected national-level recognitions for excellence in governance and innovation.

The Responsible Nations Index will be launched by the World Intellectual Foundation on January 19 in collaboration with Jawaharlal Nehru University, the Indian Institute of Management Mumbai and the Dr Ambedkar International Centre.

Addressing a Press Conference in New Delhi, World Intellectual Foundation Chairperson Prof. Jagdish Mukhi said that the Responsible Nations Index will be launched in the presence of former President of India Ram Nath Kovind.

It was informed that the Index is structured around three core dimensions, namely internal responsibility focusing on dignity, justice, and the well-being of citizens, environmental responsibility covering stewardship of natural resources and climate action, and external responsibility measuring a country’s contribution to peace, cooperation, and global stability. The Index covers 154 countries and is built on transparent, globally sourced data to ensure credibility and comparability.

Indian Army Day 2026: It is celebrated annually on January 15th to honour the day in 1949 when Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa became the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army. On the eve of this day, let's try to explore tthe op 7 missiles powering India’s military strength.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Tuesday visited the Wildlife Care Centre in Ahmedabad’s Bodakdev area to review ongoing operations under the statewide Karuna Abhiyan, an initiative aimed at rescuing and treating birds injured by kite strings during the Uttarayan festival. Forest and Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia accompanied him.

During the visit, the Chief Minister inspected various facilities at the centre, including the specialised Water Birds Unit, and interacted with teams involved in rescue and treatment efforts. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests A.P. Singh said the campaign, conducted under the Chief Minister’s guidance, has emerged as one of the most impactful rescue operations in the country.

“Thousands of injured birds have been saved so far. Departments, municipal bodies and voluntary organisations are working together to ensure no injured bird is left unattended,” he said.

The Ministry of Rural Development has launched a National Campaign on Entrepreneurship to boost rural women-led enterprises and support the government’s Lakhpati Didi initiative.

The campaign, launched on January 12, aims to train 50,000 Community Resource Persons (CRPs) in enterprise promotion and provide Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) training to 50 lakh women Self Help Group (SHG) members under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).

Ministry said the programme is designed to accelerate non-farm rural enterprise development and strengthen grassroots entrepreneurship capacity. The initiative builds on existing non-farm livelihood models, including those under the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme, which have shown success in helping SHG women launch and run small enterprises with the support of trained community cadres.

India on Tuesday hosted the 16th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) Experts Working Group (EWG) on Counter Terrorism, co-chaired by India and Malaysia, reaffirming the region's collective commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms.

Addressing the meeting, Amitabh Prasad, Joint Secretary (International Cooperation), Ministry of Defence, said, "India is privileged to co-chair the initiative alongside Malaysia and expressed deep appreciation for the participation of representatives from ASEAN member states, the ADMM-Plus countries and the ASEAN Secretariat." He noted that their presence underscored a shared resolve to strengthen regional and international cooperation against terrorism.

The Digital India Corporation, under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, to foster the Artificial Intelligence (AI) ecosystem in the country has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Uttar Pradesh Development Systems Corporation Limited (UPDESCO), Lucknow.

Under the IndiaAI Mission, a total of 65 Data and AI Labs are planned to be established across Uttar Pradesh. Of these, two IndiaAI Data and AI Labs at NIELIT Centres located in Lucknow and Gorakhpur are already operational, while one Data and AI Lab have been established by an industry partner at Pilibhit. Further, 49 Data and AI Labs have been approved by the State Government and implementation work has commenced, and 13 additional locations will be identified in due course.

The IndiaAI Data Labs will be equipped with modern AI-ready infrastructure, including computing resources, software platforms, curated datasets, and learning modules specifically designed to support AI skilling and experiential learning. Students will receive hands-on training through real-world use cases, project-based learning, and problem-solving exercises, enabling them to design, develop, and deploy AI-based solutions relevant to practical and industry scenarios.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research- ICAR today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Dairy Development Board – NDDB to enhance collaboration in multidisciplinary research, innovation, and capacity building across the entire dairy sector. The Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry informed that the MoU aims to synergise ICAR’s scientific and research expertise with NDDB’s extensive field-level experience and address emerging challenges at the grassroots level.

Director General of ICAR, Dr. Mangi Lal Jat, said that the MoU will pave the way for a structured partnership to address complex challenges such as climate resilience, low productivity, and value chain development. The Ministry highlighted that the collaboration places strong emphasis on knowledge sharing, technology development and validation, human resource development, and the conduct of joint training programmes for researchers, professionals, and farmers.