CURRENT AFFAIRS

The PM-SURAJ portal disbursed ₹1,389.61 crore in loans to 1.39 lakh entrepreneurs during the 2024–25 fiscal year, surpassing its initial target and marking a significant step toward digital, inclusive credit delivery for disadvantaged communities.

India’s aviation sector is under scrutiny following repeated operational disruptions, safety incidents, and declining service reliability among major airlines, raising concerns about the sustainability, safety, and resilience of the country’s rapidly expanding air transport system.

The Supreme Court of India has placed an interim stay on the implementation of the UGC (Promotion of Equality in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026. The Court directed that the previous 2012 guidelines remain in effect until further orders. It also expressed concern that the language of the new regulations is ambiguous and could potentially create divisions in society.

Recently, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), a Maharatna company under the Ministry of Steel, in collaboration with MyGov, launched a special contest called "SAIL-e-BRATION: Building the Nation with Steel, SAIL is the Identity of Strong Trust." This contest provides citizens with the opportunity to share their stories related to SAIL through video reels, short films, or digital advertisements.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has launched a new web-based portal named PAIMANA for mandatory monitoring of Central Sector infrastructure projects with a project cost of ₹150 crore or more.

Recently, the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry and Electronics and Information Technology dedicated the new Aadhaar App to the nation, marking a significant milestone in the field of identity verification in the public interest.

A plane crash in Baramati that killed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has reignited concerns over India’s civil aviation safety framework, particularly in the non-scheduled aviation sector. The tragedy closely mirrors warnings issued months earlier by a Parliamentary Standing Committee in its August 2025 report, which cautioned that India’s rapid aviation growth was outpacing regulatory oversight, safety enforcement, and institutional capacity.

The Ministry of Power has released the Draft National Electricity Policy (NEP) 2026, outlining a comprehensive roadmap to overhaul India’s power sector in line with the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.

The Supreme Court has delivered a split verdict on the constitutional validity of Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, which mandates prior government approval before investigating certain corruption allegations against public servants.

India is likely to be invited to join the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative, a multilateral framework aimed at securing global supply chains of semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), and critical minerals.

The development reflects growing international efforts to reduce strategic vulnerabilities arising from over-concentration of key technology inputs and to build resilient, trusted, and diversified technology ecosystems.