In a significant move to bolster the agricultural sector, the Indian government has launched the PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana. This comprehensive scheme, with an annual outlay of ā¹24,000 crore for six years, merges 36 existing central government agricultural schemes into one unified framework. It aims to impact 1.7 crore farmers, particularly focusing on 100 underperforming districts, by enhancing agricultural productivity, promoting climate-resilient farming, and strengthening credit access to achieve the national goal of doubling farmer incomes and supporting 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'.
The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2024 Rankings were released, providing a comprehensive assessment of higher educational institutions across India. For the ninth consecutive year, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, topped the Universities Category and the Research Institutions Category for the fourth consecutive year. IIT Madras maintained its first position in the Overall and Engineering categories for the sixth and ninth consecutive years, respectively. IIM Ahmedabad continued to lead in the Management subject, and AIIMS, New Delhi, secured the top slot in Medical for the seventh consecutive year. A new addition to the ranking methodology is the introduction of negative scores for institutions with papers retracted from journals in the last three calendar years.
In the realm of defence, the Indian Army successfully test-fired the Akash Prime missile in Ladakh. This advanced version of the Akash air defence system, developed indigenously, is equipped with an active RF seeker, enhancing its ability to accurately target threats across diverse terrains and weather conditions. The medium-range surface-to-air missile can operate at altitudes up to 4,500 meters and has a range of 25ā30 km.
Significant scientific progress was reported with the discovery of a new lichen species, Allographa effusosoredica, in the biodiverse Western Ghats. This discovery was made by Indian researchers at the MACS-Agharkar Research Institute in Pune, operating under the Department of Science & Technology. The identification utilized both traditional taxonomy and modern molecular methods, contributing to a deeper understanding of symbiotic life forms and their genetic diversity.
Furthermore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for various infrastructure projects worth ā¹7,200 crore in Motihari, Bihar. These projects are part of the broader Viksit Bharat Mission, focusing on urban renewal, connectivity, and housing development, aiming to accelerate Bihar's transformation and improve urban living standards.
Other notable developments include the unveiling of the Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 at the Khelo Bharat Conclave, aimed at transforming India into a global sporting powerhouse by 2047 and improving its performance in the 2036 Olympics. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) also issued revised rules allowing the voluntary pledge of gold and silver as collateral for agriculture and MSME loans. Gujarat launched India's first Tribal Genome Sequencing Project to tackle inherited diseases among tribal communities.