Recently, the Ichamati River in Taki, West Bengal, has been in the news for its historic Bijoya Dashami Durga idol immersion tradition involving people from India and Bangladesh. The Ichamati River serves as a natural international boundary separating India (Taki, North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal) and Bangladesh (Debhata, Satkhira district). It is one of the bifurcations of the Mathabhanga River, which is a distributary of the Padma River. The river originates at Mahjdia village in Nadia district of West Bengal.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar has developed ‘AVNI’, a child-oriented digital platform. AVNI leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to teach children about plants, crops, and agriculture through interactive, observation-based activities. Available in both Hindi and English, the application aims to spark early interest in farming and botany. By utilizing computer vision, the app helps identify plants and leaves based on physical features like shape and color. This initiative bridges the gap between technology and agricultural education for the younger generation.

The National Statistics Office (NSO), under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), conducted India’s first-ever National Household Travel Survey (July 2025 – June 2026), covering 14,274 villages, 10,377 urban blocks, and over 20.34 lakh individuals. Two-wheelers emerged as the primary mode of commuting to fixed workplaces, used by 42.6% of workers. The average national monthly expenditure on workplace commuting stands at Rs 785 per worker, with urban commuters spending significantly more (Rs 1,044) than rural commuters (Rs 612). The survey establishes baseline empirical data to guide evidence-based policy formulation, multimodal infrastructure investments, and urban-rural regional transit planning.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) launched ‘Project Jagrook’ to enhance investor education and raise awareness against financial frauds in the securities market. This initiative includes the “Samajh Se Investing Simple” campaign and the MUST (Market Useful Safety Tips) initiative. Project Jagrook aims to empower retail investors by simplifying financial concepts, promoting risk awareness, explaining the process of dematerialisation, and warning against unauthorized digital financial influencers. It helps investors navigate stock exchanges and depositories safely.

Recently, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched India’s first indigenously designed and built Fleet Support Ship (FSS), named ‘Surya’, at Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Visakhapatnam. He also laid the keel of the fifth Fleet Support Ship (FSS-5). Fleet Support Ships are designed to provide at-sea replenishment, logistics and maintenance support to naval vessels, helping the Navy operate for longer periods in distant maritime areas. These ships will have large cargo and fluid capacity, maintenance workshops, helicopter decks and self-defence systems.