The MoEFCC amended forest conservation guidelines under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, allowing non-government participation in restoring degraded forest land and exempting plantation/afforestation from Compensatory Afforestation and NPV payments, targeting restoration of about 2.08 lakh sq km.
Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin laid the foundation stone for the Mamallan reservoir on East Coast Road, proposed as Chennai's sixth drinking-water source and the State's first coastal freshwater reservoir.
The Department of Posts delivered its first online order through the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), acting as a Logistics Service Provider under the Click & Book model; the order was placed by the ONDC-enabled rural initiative UdyamWell.
Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi declined to read his customary address prepared by the State government and walked out of the Assembly on 20 January, the fourth consecutive year; the House resolved that only the government text read by the Speaker would go on record, invoking Article 176.
In January 2026, India strengthened its focus on cultural heritage preservation and archaeological research, with new excavation updates and conservation initiatives across key historical sites. These developments provided deeper insights into ancient Indian civilization and heritage continuity.
The Ministry of Defence rejected Tamil Nadu's proposal for an airport at Hosur because Hindustan Aeronautics Limited requires the controlled airspace; the proposed international airport in Shoolagiri taluk also faces the 150 km distance rule from Bengaluru Airport.
Actor Kamal Haasan filed a John Doe suit in the Madras High Court to protect his personality rights, seeking to stop unauthorised commercial use of his name, initials, image and likeness, including misuse through AI and deepfakes.
India reported its first scientifically confirmed case of pufferfish poisoning in Veraval, Gujarat; freshwater pufferfish Tetraodon cutcutia contain tetrodotoxin, a potent neurotoxin, and India lacks a freshwater fish-toxin surveillance programme.
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