26 March 2026

India's Index of Industrial Production (IIP) grew 5.8% year-on-year in January 2026, according to NSO data. Manufacturing output (weight: 77.6% of IIP) rose 5.9%; electricity generation grew 6.1%; and mining output expanded 4.7%. Capital goods production — a proxy for investment — surged 11.2%. The IIP is compiled by NSO using 2011-12 as the base year and is released six weeks after the reference month.

Lok Sabha passed the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Rules 2026, amending the Forest Conservation Rules 2022 under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Act. Key changes include extending the timeline for forest diversion approval for linear infrastructure in LWE-affected areas to 120 days, and mandatory payment of Net Present Value (NPV) of forest to compensatory afforestation fund. NPV ranges from ₹4 lakh to ₹10.43 lakh per hectare.

India's first Quantum Computing-Aided Drug Discovery Laboratory was inaugurated at IIT Delhi under the National Quantum Mission. The lab uses a 20-qubit IBM Quantum System One to simulate molecular interactions, reducing candidate drug screening time from months to days. The facility is a collaboration between IIT Delhi, CSIR, and the Department of Biotechnology, aimed at developing affordable drugs for tropical diseases prevalent in India.

India hosted the inaugural International Seminar on Blue Economy in Visakhapatnam, building on India's G20 Presidency legacy. The seminar, attended by 34 countries, focused on deep-sea mining, sustainable fisheries, and marine biotechnology. India's Blue Economy contributes approximately 4% of GDP; the Ministry of Earth Sciences has a dedicated Blue Economy Policy (2020). India's EEZ spans 2.37 million sq km.

India successfully test-fired the extended-range variant of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile with a strike range of 500 km from a Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft off the Bay of Bengal coast. BrahMos is a joint venture between DRDO and NPO Mashinostroyenia (Russia) and travels at Mach 2.8. The extended range version was enabled after India's accession to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in 2016.

Wildlife Institute of India (WII) released a population assessment showing the Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) population has stabilised at 150 individuals in Rajasthan following the Supreme Court-mandated underground power cabling in critical habitats and predator management measures. The species is listed as Critically Endangered (IUCN) and Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. Project GIB was launched in 2020.

The Stand Up India scheme, launched on April 5, 2016, completed 10 years of operation. The scheme has disbursed ₹47,000 crore in bank loans ranging from ₹10 lakh to ₹1 crore to over 2.25 lakh beneficiaries — SC/ST entrepreneurs and women borrowers — for greenfield enterprises. The scheme is administered by SIDBI and all scheduled commercial banks, with the Department of Financial Services providing guarantees.

A joint report by the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) and Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology found that the Siachen Glacier — the world's highest battlefield and the longest glacier outside polar regions at 76 km — has lost 30% of its ice mass since 1980 due to climate warming. The glacier feeds the Nubra River, a tributary of the Shyok, which joins the Indus. India administers Siachen under Operation Meghdoot since 1984.

The National Archives of India (NAI) announced the digitisation of 1.5 crore pages of pre-independence records spanning 1750–1947, including Foreign Department files, Home Political Department records, and princely state correspondence. The digitised records are accessible on the NAI e-Records Portal. NAI, established in 1891 as the Imperial Record Department, is the custodian of non-current records of the Government of India.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the appointment of Ms. Priya Bhatia, IRS (IT:1992), as Director General of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), making her the first woman to head the agency. ED functions under the Ministry of Finance and enforces the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002, the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) 1999, and provisions of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act 2018.