Ecologist Madhav Gadgil has died. He was born in 1942. He wrote the concept plan for the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India's first biosphere reserve under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme, and founded the Centre for Ecological Sciences at IISc Bengaluru.
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) launched BHARATI (Bharat's Hub for Agritech, Resilience, Advancement and Incubation for Export Enablement) to support agri-food and agri-tech startups in reaching global markets. APEDA will select the top 10 startups to showcase products internationally.
UNICEF signed a landmark partnership with the Government of Tamil Nadu, making it UNICEF's first-ever sub-national government partner anywhere in the world. UNICEF's Office of Innovation will support technical capacity and public-sector innovation to scale evidence-based solutions for children and communities - the first collaboration of its kind between UNICEF Innovation and any sub-national government globally.
The Ministry of Transport proposed a unique Aadhaar-like identification system for electric-vehicle batteries. Under draft guidelines, each EV battery would get a 21-character Battery Pack Aadhaar Number (BPAN) from the producer or importer, enabling full traceability from raw-material extraction and manufacturing through usage, recycling and disposal, with dynamic battery data uploaded to an official BPAN portal.
In January 2026, the Government of India introduced new measures to strengthen irrigation infrastructure as part of its broader agricultural development strategy. The initiative focuses on improving water management systems, expanding irrigation coverage, and promoting efficient water usage across agricultural regions.
In January 2026, the state-of-the-art Porunai Museum located in Tirunelveli rapidly cemented its formidable reputation as a highly premier central hub for intimately documenting, researching, and flawlessly preserving the incredibly ancient Tamil civilization. Constructed at a massive, highly substantial state cost of exactly Rs 56.36 crore, this monumental architectural facility firmly houses thousands of absolutely priceless, perfectly preserved antiquities.
Operating continuously at maximum capacity in early 2026 following its grand inauguration, the Rs 56.36-crore Porunai Museum located in Tirunelveli has rapidly cemented its reputation as a premier central hub for intimately documenting and researching Tamil civilization.
A SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition)-based reservoir management system for Chennai's reservoirs is ready for commissioning. The Rs 32-crore project, implemented by the Water Resources Department with World Bank support, allows remote operation of reservoir shutters from a central monitoring centre.
That’s every story for now. Come back tomorrow for more.
See all current affairs Read daily on the appSwipe up