India marked half a century of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, which outlawed bonded labour, wiped out bonded debts and required release of bonded labourers. District Magistrates and Vigilance Committees identify, free and rehabilitate victims, who receive financial aid, land, housing and livelihood support.
Overview In February 2026, National Productivity Day was observed with a special focus on 'Artificial Intelligence: The Catalyst for MSME Growth.' The National Productivity Council (NPC) organized a nationwide campaign to demonstrate how automation and AI tools can optimize supply chains and reduce operational costs for small businesses.
Overview: The Tamil Nadu State Budget for 2026-27 was presented in the Legislative Assembly, prioritizing the 'One Trillion Dollar Economy' roadmap. Significant funds were allocated for digital transformation in the MSME sector and the expansion of the 'Pudhumai Penn' scheme. Key Highlights: 1. Allocation of ₹2,000 crore for a new Semiconductor Design Park in Hosur. 2.
Indian-origin climate scientist Veerabhadran Ramanathan has been awarded the Crafoord Prize 2026 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for his climate science research. The prize, often called the 'Nobel of geosciences', covers fields not included in the Nobel Prizes, such as geosciences and astronomy.
A rare red aurora appeared over Hanle in Ladakh after an X-class solar flare, the most powerful category, launched a coronal mass ejection that hit Earth's magnetosphere and caused a severe G4-level geomagnetic storm. The red glow came from excited oxygen atoms at altitudes above 300 km. Observations from India's Aditya-L1 solar mission recorded strong compression of the magnetosphere.
The James Webb Space Telescope identified MoM-z14, the most distant galaxy yet known, seen as it was about 280 million years after the Big Bang; its light travelled over 13.5 billion years. High nitrogen levels suggest early star formation.
Anna Chakra, India's digital decision-support system for moving food grains under the Public Distribution System, is a finalist for the 2026 Franz Edelman Award, a global honour in operations research and analytics.
Researchers at IIT Guwahati have devised a method to forecast glacial hazards in the Eastern Himalayas, identifying 492 locations where glacial lakes could form in the future. Such lakes can trigger Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) that cause sudden, destructive flooding downstream. The study is expected to strengthen early warning and disaster preparedness.
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