During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Oman, he was honored with the prestigious ‘Order of Oman’ by Sultan Haitham bin Tarik Al Said, marking a significant recognition of his contributions to strengthening India-Oman relations as the two countries celebrate 70 years of diplomatic engagement. The visit culminated in the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), aimed at enhancing economic collaboration and opening new trade avenues in sectors such as energy, logistics, …

Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level meeting to establish the Bureau of Port Security (BoPS), aimed at enhancing the security of vessels and port facilities across India. The BoPS, modeled after the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, will operate under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and is set to be led by an IPS officer, focusing on comprehensive risk-based security measures. Emphasizing the importance of cyber security, the bureau will also …

An Indian Army officer was among three Pune residents who fell victim to a cyber fraud scheme, losing over Rs 11 lakh in a fake Regional Transport Office (RTO) challan scam. The victims received deceptive messages that imitated official RTO notifications, prompting them to click harmful links and provide sensitive banking information. The cyber police have initiated an investigation to trace the perpetrators and recover the stolen funds, while also issuing a public advisory urging …

The Indian Coast Guard has officially commissioned the fast patrol vessel ‘Amulya’, marking a significant enhancement in its maritime capabilities. Designed with advanced technology and constructed domestically, the Amulya will primarily operate along India’s eastern shores, bolstering security and supporting vital sea operations. This development underscores India’s commitment to strengthening its defense manufacturing sector while empowering the Coast Guard to effectively address maritime challenges. The commissioning of such modern assets is crucial for safeguarding India’s …

India’s private space sector received a significant boost with $150 million in funding, as announced by IN-SPACe Chairman Pawan Goenka at the India Economic Forum. This increase reflects the sector’s rapid evolution, with projections indicating funding could surpass $200 million by March 2026. The Indian space economy is expected to grow from $8 billion to $44 billion by 2033, driven by government initiatives like a venture capital fund for startups. As private firms increasingly engage …

President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the National Conference for the Chairpersons of Public Service Commissions in Hyderabad, emphasizing the critical role these commissions play in upholding constitutional ideals of social, economic, and political justice. She underscored the need for integrity, sensitivity, and competence among civil servants, advocating for a recruitment focus on honesty and the importance of gender sensitivity in governance. Highlighting India’s position as the world’s fastest-growing major economy, she called for effective governance systems …

The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, conducted a review of the preparations for the second edition of the Udyan Utsav at Rashtrapati Nilayam, Hyderabad, set to take place from January 3 to January 11, 2026. This nine-day Agriculture and Horticulture Festival aims to promote public awareness about sustainable agriculture and environmentally responsible practices, celebrating India’s green traditions. The festival will feature an array of attractions, including enhanced seasonal flower beds, curated floral installations, themed …

The Strategic Defence Leadership Summit 2025, part of a modular MBA program for the defence sector by IIM Visakhapatnam, commenced in New Delhi, focusing on enhancing leadership capabilities within India’s defence production ecosystem. Inaugurated by Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary of the Department of Defence Production, the summit aims to foster innovation and collaboration among government officials, industry leaders, and academics, aligning with the Government of India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative. Prof. M. Chandrasekhar of IIMV and Prof. …

The Indian Army has initiated an 8-day photography cadre at Government Degree College, Banihal, Ramban, aimed at enhancing the creative skills of local youth. Organized by the Rashtriya Rifles, the course covers essential photography and videography techniques, including camera operations, composition, and lighting, preparing participants for potential careers in this field. The initiative reflects the Army’s commitment to fostering financial independence among the youth, with positive feedback from students expressing gratitude for this opportunity. By …

The Indian Armed Forces’ first all-women tri-services sailing expedition, aboard the Indian Army Sailing Vessel Triveni, has arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand, as part of its round-the-world journey. This historic voyage emphasizes women’s leadership and inter-service unity, featuring a crew of six women officers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Skipper Lieutenant Colonel Anuja Varudkar highlighted the expedition’s challenges, including facing unpredictable weather and managing the crew’s well-being. The mission underscores India’s commitment to …

On December 16, 2025, Indian Army troops in Poonch’s Balakote sector apprehended 35-year-old Shehnaz Akhtar from Gimma village, Kotli district in PoK, after she crossed the LoC fleeing a family dispute with her father. Initial probes confirmed her spontaneous flight, though intelligence agencies are scrutinizing potential ties to Jaish-e-Mohammed’s women’s wing, Jamaat-ul-Mominaat, amid reports of her proximity to a Pakistan Army post and receipt of Rs 1,000 from one Zehen beforehand. Updated inquiries as of …

The Indian government has revived numerous pre-independence airstrips into operational airports under the UDAN scheme, as confirmed by Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu in Lok Sabha on December 17-18, 2025. Operational airports have surged from 74 in 2014 to over 160, enabling major airlines and smaller Northeast operators to enhance regional connectivity, with the scheme extended for 10 more years to democratize air travel. Key dates include UDAN’s 2016 launch and recent Budget 2025 …

On December 17, 2025, locals spotted a migratory seagull fitted with a Chinese-made GPS device near Thimmakka Garden beach in Karwar, Uttara Kannada, mere kilometers from the strategic INS Kadamba naval base—India’s key western fleet hub hosting submarines and warships. Forest department’s marine wing captured the exhausted bird, confirming the tracker linked to Beijing’s Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, ostensibly for studying migration routes spanning over 10,000 km across …

India has achieved self-reliance in space transportation systems, enabling launches of satellites up to 10 tonnes to Low Earth Orbit and 4.2 tonnes to Geo-Synchronous Transfer Orbit, as stated by Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh in a Lok Sabha reply on December 17, 2025. The operational success of ISRO’s PSLV, GSLV, and LVM3 has ensured independent access for earth observation, communication, navigation, and exploration missions, while the approved Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) will boost …

India plans to deploy at least five indigenously designed Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) by 2033, advancing its Nuclear Energy Mission to achieve 100 GW capacity by 2047, as confirmed by Union Minister Jitendra Singh in a Lok Sabha reply on December 16-17, 2025. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) leads designs for the 200 MWe Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR-200) and 55 MWe SMR-55, targeting captive power for energy-intensive sectors like steel and aluminum, remote areas, …

The Moradabad Municipal Corporation is nearing the completion of the Trishul War Museum, which will showcase significant military hardware, including a MiG-27 and the INS Vikrant, alongside exhibits celebrating the valor of the Indian armed forces. Currently, construction is 90% finished with an expected completion of the audio-visual segment in the next 10-12 days. Concurrently, the Indian Army has received the final three Boeing Apache AH-64E attack helicopters, enhancing its operational capacity significantly. These advanced …

Sajid Akram, a 50-year-old native of Hyderabad, Telangana, originally from Tolichowki, has been identified as one of two suspects in the mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, December 14, 2025, which killed 15 people, including a 10-year-old and a Holocaust survivor, and injured over 40 others. Telangana Police confirmed Akram migrated to Australia in November 1998 with a BCom degree, retained his Indian passport, married a European-origin woman there, …

Adarsh Behera, a 36-year-old mechanic from Kotakana village in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district, returned safely to Bhubaneswar on December 17, 2025, after 45 days of captivity by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia in Al-Fashir, North Darfur. Abducted amid the civil war while working at a plastic factory since 2022, he endured severe torture, beatings, starvation, three days in a jungle, and over a month in a prison without basic facilities, calling his survival “a rebirth.” …

On December 17, 2025, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada informed the Lok Sabha that the Aadhaar system, serving approximately 134 crore users as the world’s largest biometric identity program, has recorded no data breaches from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) database to date. This statement underscores India’s robust digital infrastructure, with UIDAI employing a multi-layered “defence-in-depth” security framework, advanced encryption for data transmission and storage, and continuous …

India launched the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) 2.0 on December 17, 2025, at the Supercomputing India 2025 event in Bengaluru, hosted by MIT–MAHE and flagged off by IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Building on phase one’s deployment of 37 indigenous supercomputers delivering 39-40 petaflops—used for COVID-19 drug screening and astronomical breakthroughs—this phase integrates high-performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence (AI), and quantum technologies to achieve 2 exaflops by 2030, with pre-exascale systems of 100, 200, and 500 …

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently shared a Sanskrit Subhashitam that emphasizes the strength of collective effort, illustrating that even small contributions can lead to significant achievements when coordinated effectively. The message conveyed is that, akin to a rope made from hay, which can ensnare powerful elephants, unity and collaboration are vital for overcoming challenges. This philosophical perspective resonates deeply within the context of national development and defense strategies, underscoring the importance of teamwork among various …

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Param Vir Gallery at Rashtrapati Bhavan, honoring the nation’s Param Vir Chakra awardees and serving as a tribute to the sacrifices of India’s indomitable heroes. This initiative replaces the portraits of colonial soldiers with those of Indian warriors, symbolizing a shift in national consciousness and a move away from a colonial mindset. Modi emphasized the gallery’s significance for the younger generation, encouraging them to connect with India’s valiant …

The Indian government reported to Parliament that since 2014, 23,926 infiltrators have been apprehended along its borders with Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, and Bhutan, while no infiltration cases have been recorded along the India-China border during the same period. The highest number of arrests was along the India-Bangladesh border, highlighting persistent infiltration challenges on India’s western and eastern frontiers. The data, provided by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, indicates a continual threat from …

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang inaugurated the opening of strategic Cho La and Dok La passes along the India-China border for battlefield tourism on December 15, 2025, flagging off 25 motorbikes and tourist vehicles from Ridge Park in Gangtok. This initiative under the Centre’s Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan programme, a collaboration between the Ministry of Tourism and Indian Army, aims to boost regulated tourism in border areas, honour the armed forces’ valour during the 1967 …

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presided over the Defence Estates Day celebrations on December 16, 2025, at Raksha Sampada Bhawan in Delhi Cantonment, marking the centenary of the Defence Estates Department, which manages India’s largest government landholding under the Ministry of Defence. Originating from the first cantonment in Barrackpore in 1765 and formally established on December 16, 1926, the department has evolved through key sites like Danapur, Meerut, Ambala, and Delhi, driving robust defence land administration. …