India came 6th out of 11 Asian economies in the Asia Manufacturing Index 2026, released by Dezan Shira & Associates, an advisory firm based in Hong Kong. The index compares how attractive countries are for manufacturing, using 8 pillars and 43 indicators such as infrastructure, labour, market access, regulation and supply-chain resilience. Malaysia was second and Vietnam third.
Overview In January 2026, India introduced and strengthened several governance and policy initiatives aimed at improving administrative efficiency, digital governance, and public service delivery. The focus remained on transparency, accountability, and citizen-centric governance through technology-driven reforms.
The Union Cabinet extended the Atal Pension Yojana until 2030-31. The scheme was launched on 9 May 2015 for workers in the unorganised sector, such as labourers, vendors and domestic workers. It guarantees a monthly pension of ₹1,000 to ₹5,000 from age 60, depending on contributions. By 19 January 2026, over 8.66 crore people had joined.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin launched Sprint 1 under STAR 3.0 (Simplified and Transparent Administration of Registration) to make property registration fully digital. It provides paperless registration for all 30 deed types without carrying physical documents and 'presence-less' registration for 10 document types including sale and lease deeds, letting citizens complete end-to-end registration online via the TNREGINET portal and…
Spain joined India's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and handed its declaration of accession to the External Affairs Minister. India launched IPOI in 2019 under its SAGAR vision. It is a voluntary, non-treaty platform for practical cooperation in a free and open Indo-Pacific. Its areas include maritime security, marine ecology and resources, disaster management, science and technology, trade and connectivity.
Former President Ram Nath Kovind released the Responsible Nations Index 2026 in New Delhi. The index is prepared by the World Intellectual Foundation. Instead of measuring power or wealth, it ranks 154 countries on how responsibly they treat their citizens, the environment and the rest of the world. Singapore came first.
The Numbeo Safety Index 2026 was released covering 304 cities worldwide. Qingdao (China) was ranked the safest city in the world and Mangaluru (Karnataka) the safest in India. India's top five safest cities are Mangaluru (74.4), Ahmedabad (68.5), Jaipur (65.3), Coimbatore (62.0) and Thiruvananthapuram (61.0).
Scientists discovered a new ginger species named Parakaempferia alba of the Zingiberaceae family in the Siang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh.
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