• 17 Jan 2026

MP Wildlife Exchange with Assam

Why in News? 

Madhya Pradesh and Assam have signed an inter‑state wildlife exchange agreement to strengthen conservation by reintroducing locally extinct species and enhancing biodiversity in both states. 

Key Points 

• Inter‑state wildlife exchange agreement finalised: MP CM Mohan Yadav met Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma in Guwahati and finalised the pact for exchange of wild animals for conservation purposes. 
• Wildlife from Assam to MP:  Assam will translocate 50 wild water buffaloes in phased groups over three years. 
  • Along with one pair of one‑horned rhinos and three king cobras to MP. 
• Reintroduction site in MP: Rhinos and cobras will be housed at Van Vihar National Park, Bhopal. 
  • Wild water buffaloes (Bubalus arnee), extinct in MP for over a century, will be reintroduced into their historic habitat at Kanha Tiger Reserve. 
• From MP to Assam: Madhya Pradesh will provide Assam with a pair of tigers and six mugger crocodiles, strengthening biodiversity in Assam. 
• Alignment with broader conservation efforts: The initiative builds on MP’s larger strategy of species restoration, following the introduction of cheetahs at Kuno National Park.

Status of Species 

• Wild Water Buffalo (Bubalus arnee): 
  • IUCN Red List: Endangered 
  • CITES: Listed in Appendix III in some countries. 
  • WPA Status (India): Protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (highest protection). 
• Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris): 
  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable — protected and declining due to habitat loss. 
  • WPA Status (India): Protected under Schedule I 
• Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris): 
  • IUCN Red List: Endangered 
• One‑Horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis): 
  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable 
• King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah): 
  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable 

Read More:  Kanha Tiger Reserve, Kuno National Park. 

Gujarat launched ‘Poshan Udaan 2026

Why in News? 

Gujarat has launched ‘Poshan Udaan 2026’ during the Makar Sankranti festival to spread nutrition and health awareness across the state by leveraging traditional festivities and community engagement. 

Key Points 

• Initiative: Poshan Udaan 2026 uses the popularity of the kite festival with kites carrying nutrition and health messages to symbolically raise public awareness across the state. 
  • To highlight the importance of balanced diets and health for children, adolescent girls and mothers. 
• Integration: Conducted under ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) at Anganwadi centres. 
• Implemented by: A statewide nutrition awareness campaign organised by the Department of Women and Child Development, Gujarat. 
• Focus: The initiative emphasises dietary diversity, reduced junk food consumption, safe drinking water, and sanitation practices to improve nutrition outcomes. 
• Target groups involved: Outreach includes schoolchildren, adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women, and local community leaders. 
• Health interventions: Activities such as haemoglobin testing, IFA( Iron and Folic Acid) tablet distribution, BMI (Body Mass Index) check-ups and personalised nutrition counselling were conducted for mothers and children. 

Read More: Makar Sankranti festival, Poshan Abhiyan,  ICDS, BMI 

MoU between Govt. of MP and Digital India BHASHINI

Why in News

The Government of Madhya Pradesh signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Digital India BHASHINI Division, to promote multilingual digital governance and citizen-centric service delivery using artificial intelligence–based language technologies.

Key Points:

• Language Inclusion: The partnership aims to break language barriers by providing government services and information in various Indian languages through the Bhashini AI platform. 
• Voice-Based Access: A primary focus is on developing voice-first tools, allowing citizens to interact with government portals using their mother tongue. 
• AI Integration: Madhya Pradesh will leverage Bhashini’s real-time translation and speech-to-text capabilities across departments like Health, Agriculture, and Revenue. 
• Data & AI Labs: Alongside this MoU, the state announced the establishment of 30 Data and AI Labs to train youth and government officials in cutting-edge technologies. 
• Significance: This collaboration positions Madhya Pradesh as a front-runner among states adopting BHASHINI for governance, complementing national efforts to build Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).

BHASHINI 

• BHASHINI (Bharat Shared Repository of Inscriptions in Indian Languages) is a national language technology platform launched under the Digital India Programme.  
• It aims to enable translation, speech-to-text, text-to-speech and multilingual AI services across Indian languages, ensuring that digital services are accessible to citizens in their native languages. 

Read More:Digital India Programme,Digital Public Infrastructure 

Nitish Kumar has launched the Samriddhi Yatra

Why in News? 

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has launched the Samriddhi Yatra from West Champaran (Bettiah) district. 

Key Points 

• Duration and coverage: The first phase of the Samriddhi Yatra will continue from 16 to 24 January 2026. 
  • It covers nine districts and will conclude in Vaishali district. 
• Objective of the yatra: The yatra aims to review ongoing development schemes, assess implementation at the district level, inaugurate completed projects, lay foundation stones for new works, and strengthen public participation in governance. 
• Development works: On the first day at Kumarbagh industrial area the Chief Minister laid foundation stones for 125 projects worth ₹153 crore. 
  • Also Inaugurated 36 projects worth ₹29 crore focusing on infrastructure and industrial development. 
• Governance significance: The Samriddhi Yatra serves as a platform for direct feedback from citizens, on-ground assessment of schemes, and reinforcement of the government’s commitment to inclusive and region-balanced development. 

MSME Defence Conclave-2026 in Jharkhand

Why in News? 

Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth inaugurated the two-day MSME Defence Conclave-2026 at the Adityapur Auto Cluster in Saraikela-Kharsawan district of Jharkhand. 

Key Points 

• Objective: The conclave aims to strengthen MSME participation in defence production, promote Atmanirbhar Bharat in defence manufacturing. 
  • To facilitate defence-industry linkages with organisations like DRDO, HAL and major defence firms. 
• Focus: MoS Defence highlighted Adityapur’s potential to develop as an industrial and defence equipment manufacturing hub. 
  • Defence manufacturing corridor: Jamshedpur-Adityapur-Ranchi-Bokaro. 
  • India's growing defence exports to over 90+ countries and the need for MSMEs to contribute to both domestic production and exports. 
• Organisers: Adityapur Small Industries Association (ASIA), Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce & Industry, with India Chamber of Commerce as nodal agency. 
• Local Industrial Impact: The event is expected to open new opportunities for local MSMEs, boost employment and integrate regional manufacturing with national defence supply chains. 

Read More: MSME , Atmanirbhar Bharat , DRDO, 

Maharashtra Tops NITI Aayog’s Export Preparedness Index

Why in News? 

Maharashtra secured the first position among large states in NITI Aayog’s 4th Export Preparedness Index (EPI)-2024. 

Key Points 

• Export Preparedness Index 2024: The EPI assesses states and UTs based on 70 parameters under four pillars:  
  • Export infrastructure, policy & governance, industry & innovation ecosystem, and export performance. 
• Categories of States: States are grouped into Four Categories: 
  • Champions, Aspirants, Emerging, and Beginners – based on export readiness and ecosystem. 
• Champions (Large States): Maharashtra secured 1st place among large states with a score of 68.01, signalling strong export ecosystem and policy support. 
  • Tamil Nadu ranked 2nd and Gujarat ranked 3rd among large states, reflecting robust export facilitation and infrastructure.  
• Champions (Small States/UTs): Uttarakhand ranked 1st, followed by Jammu & Kashmir and Nagaland. 
• Aspirers: States with lower export infrastructure, weak policy support, or limited industrial ecosystem, including Bihar, Odisha, and Jharkhand. 
  • States in Aspirers and Emerging categories need better export infrastructure, trade facilitation, institutional support, and policy clarity. 
• Purpose: The EPI aims to promote competitive federalism and help governments identify policy and infrastructure gaps to strengthen export growth. 

Read More:  NITI Aayog,  Competitive federalism 

Tamil Nadu to Establish India’s First ‘Sovereign AI Park’

Why in News? 

On 13th January, 2026, the Government of Tamil Nadu signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sarvam AI to establish India’s first Sovereign AI Park in Chennai.

Key Points 

• Full-Stack Infrastructure: The park will host the entire AI lifecycle, including specialized Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)-based data centers, indigenous Large Language Models (LLMs), and application-layer tools. 
• Indic-Centric AI: A primary focus of the facility is the development of Indic LLMs (specifically Tamil-language models) to bridge the digital divide for non-English speaking populations. 
• Data Sovereignty: By hosting data and compute power within the state, the project ensures that sensitive citizen and government information remains under local jurisdiction, protected from foreign surveillance or cross-border legal complexities. 
• Strategic Collaboration: The park will be managed in coordination with the Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency (TNeGA) to integrate AI into public service delivery. 
• ‘Sovereign AI’:Sovereign AI refers to a nation's or state's capability to build AI using its own infrastructure, data, and human capital. 
  • Strategic Autonomy: It is considered essential for national security and economic resilience, preventing "Digital Colonialism." 
• Significance: This initiative marks a strategic step toward achieving Digital Autonomy and making Tamil Nadu a global hub for high-end Artificial Intelligence. 
  • The project aligns with the Central Government’s IndiaAI Mission to democratize AI compute access.

Read More: IndiaAI Mission, Strategic Autonomy, Large Language Models 

Chintan Shivir on Indian Wool Sector in Rajasthan

Why in News? 

The Central Wool Development Board (CWDB), Ministry of Textiles organised Chintan Shivir on the Indian Wool Sector at Avikanagar in Rajasthan in January 2026. 

Key Points 

• Event Name: Chintan Shivir on Challenges, Opportunities and Future Prospects of the Indian Wool Sector in collaboration with ICAR‑Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute (CSWRI), Avikanagar. 
• Objectives: The primary objective was to reduce India's heavy dependence on imported fine wool by 
  • Strengthen the wool value chain. 
  • Promote sustainable sheep rearing and wool production 
  • Encourage R&D and innovation in wool and technical textiles 
  • Facilitate marketing, branding, and export promotion of Indian wool 
  • Expand Common Facility Centres (CFCs) for wool processing 
• Key Recommendations:  
  • Establish Centres of Excellence for wool branding and quality. 
  • Improve infrastructure and technology adoption in wool processing. 
  • Enhance linkages between farmers, MSMEs, and industry 
  • Promote value addition and export competitiveness 
• Exhibition: Display of sheep breeds, wool apparel, technical textiles, innovations, including start-up contributions. 
• Significance: Supports rural livelihoods, Boosts India’s wool sector globally and Aligns with Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives. 

Read More: ICAR, MSMEs,  Make in India,  Atmanirbhar Bharat 

India Post Delivers First-Ever ONDC Order as Logistics Provider

Why in News? 

The Department of Posts (India Post) achieved a major milestone by successfully delivering its first-ever online order as a logistics service provider for the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).

Key Points:

• Transaction: The inaugural order featured a shipment of Walnuts sourced from a local seller in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, delivered to a consumer in New Delhi. 
• Role of India Post: Moving beyond traditional mail, India Post acted as the core Logistics Service Provider, managing the entire value chain—from first-mile pickup in a remote location to last-mile delivery in a metro city. 
• Integration: The delivery was made possible through the seamless integration of India Post's internal logistics software with the ONDC open protocol, allowing real-time tracking and automated dispatch.  
• Logistics Empowerment: By onboarding India Post, ONDC gains access to over 1.6 lakh Post Offices, ensuring that even the most remote rural sellers can reach a national market. 
• Level Playing Field: Small-scale artisans and MSMEs can now access high-quality logistics at competitive rates, previously a major barrier to entering the digital economy.  
• Vocal for Local: This integration provides a massive boost to the One District One Product (ODOP) initiative by providing a reliable supply chain for regional specialties. 
• Financial Inclusion: It encourages rural entrepreneurs to adopt digital payments and formalize their businesses, contributing to the goal of a Viksit Bharat @2047. 

Read More:MSME, One District One Product,Open Network for Digital Commerce 

IOA launches National Olympic Education and Development Programme

Why in News? 

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) formally launched the National Olympic Education and Development Programme (NOEDP) to strengthen India's entire Olympic ecosystem from the grassroots to the elite levels 

Key Points: 

• Integrated Framework: The NOEDP is designed as a comprehensive national framework to deliver structured education initiatives across the entire sports ecosystem, in collaboration with National Sports Federations (NSFs) and State Olympic Associations (SOAs). 
• Reactivation of the National Olympic Academy (NOA): A cornerstone of this program is the formal reactivation of the National Olympic Academy (NOA) in Ahmedabad. The NOA will serve as the central hub for Olympic education, learning, research, and dialogue in India. 
• Leadership: IOA President and sprint legend P.T. Usha was ratified as the President of the NOA, while Olympic medallist and IOA Vice President Gagan Narang was appointed as its Director. 
• International Alignment: The NOA will collaborate with the International Olympic Academy in Olympia to ensure India's programs meet global standards and adhere to the Olympic Charter. 
• Significance: The initiatives reflect a renewed focus on placing athletes at the heart of the Olympic movement, providing them with leadership skills and educational support throughout their careers.