NATIONAL NEWS

Census of India 2027: First Phase Notification Issued

• The Union Home Ministry has released the notification for the initial stage of Census 2027.

• House Listing and Housing Census will be undertaken across States and UTs between April 1 and September 30, 2025, with each region completing it in 30 days.

• A self-enumeration option has been introduced, allowing citizens to fill details online for 15 days before field surveys begin.

• The upcoming census will mark India’s first fully digital census, moving away from paper-based methods.

• Dedicated mobile applications for Android and iOS will be used for real-time data collection.

• Census operations will be conducted in two stages—housing data first, followed by population counting.

• Population enumeration is scheduled for February 2027, with early enumeration in Ladakh and snow-bound areas in September 2025.

• The Union Cabinet has approved the census with a budget of ₹11,718.24 crore, including caste enumeration as part of the exercise.

New Delhi World Book Fair 2026

• The 53rd New Delhi World Book Fair will be held from January 10 to 18, 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

• The nine-day event aims to connect publishers, writers, readers and cultural voices from India and across the world.

• More than 1,000 publishers from over 35 countries are expected to participate.

• Entry will be free for all visitors for the first time in the fair’s history.

• Qatar has been chosen as the Guest of Honour, while Spain will feature as the Focus Country.

• A dedicated Children’s Pavilion will encourage reading habits among young audiences.

• The fair will honour the Indian Armed Forces through the theme “Indian Military History: Valour and Wisdom @ 75”.

• A special Theme Pavilion will display 500+ books on military history, defence and strategic studies.

UIDAI Introduces ‘Udai’ — Official Mascot of Aadhaar

• UIDAI has unveiled ‘Udai’ as the official mascot for Aadhaar to improve public outreach.

• The initiative aims to make Aadhaar-related communication simpler and more user-friendly.

• Udai will help explain key Aadhaar services such as updation, authentication and offline verification.

• The mascot was selected through a nationwide design initiative hosted on the MyGov platform.

• Citizens across the country were invited to conceptualise and name the Aadhaar mascot.

• Arun Gokul from Thrissur, Kerala secured the top position in the mascot design category.

• Riya Jain from Bhopal won first prize for proposing the mascot’s name.

• The mascot was officially launched by UIDAI Chairman Neelkanth Mishra.

STATE NEWS

Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat: India’s Mission to End Child Marriage

• Child marriage continues to affect health, education and gender equality, with NFHS-5 showing about one-fourth of young women married before 18.

• To counter this, the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat (BVMB) campaign was launched on 27 November 2024 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

• The mission targets a 10% reduction by 2026 and complete elimination of child marriage by 2030, in line with SDG 5.3.

• It follows a multi-sector strategy, linking education, healthcare, law enforcement and community institutions.

• Child marriage is barred under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, and strengthened by Supreme Court directions issued in October 2024.

• A digital portal and a 100-day national drive support reporting, monitoring and awareness, focusing on 257 high-burden districts.

• The programme converges with schemes like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao to deepen social impact.

• Chhattisgarh has led by example, with Balod becoming the first child marriage-free district and Surajpur declaring dozens of child marriage-free panchayats.

GOVERNMENT SCHEME

PANKHUDI Portal Launched for Women & Child Welfare

• Union Minister Annpurna Devi has introduced a new integrated digital platform named PANKHUDI.

• The portal aims to enhance the well-being and daily life quality of women and children across India.

• It is designed to improve coordination among all stakeholders working in the women and child development space.

• Structured and collaborative participation from partners and contributors is actively promoted.

• Key focus areas include nutrition, healthcare, early childhood care and education.

• Child welfare forms the core theme, with strong emphasis on women’s safety and empowerment.

• The platform connects individuals, NRIs, NGOs and institutions to support welfare initiatives.

• Contributions are enabled only through digital (non-cash) modes, including CSR-based support.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Raisina Science Diplomacy Initiative (RSDI) 2026 Launched

• India has unveiled RSDI 2026 to integrate science and technology discussions into its global diplomatic engagement.

• The initiative strengthens the link between scientific cooperation and foreign policy within India’s strategic dialogue framework.

• It is a joint effort of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) and the Observer Research Foundation (ORF).

• The announcement was made by Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood and Dr. Samir Saran, highlighting high-level policy intent.

• RSDI will function as a dedicated science diplomacy platform under the Raisina Dialogue.

• Key focus areas include emerging technologies, research security, and global technology governance.

• The initiative seeks to ensure fair participation in international standards and regulatory processes.

• It reflects India’s aim to enhance strategic autonomy and partnerships in a rapidly changing multipolar world.