🇮🇳 National Affairs

Union Health Minister JP Nadda Chairs 16th CCHFW; Launches Flagship Healthcare Initiatives

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Jagat Prakash (JP) Nadda, chaired the 16th Conference of the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare (CCHFW) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The high-level conference served as a platform for launching several crucial healthcare roadmaps and digital systems:

  • SUMAN Roadmap 2030: A targeted framework under the Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) initiative aimed at drastically reducing India's Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) to below 70 per 1 lakh live births by 2030. It also targets a steady decline in neonatal and infant mortality rates.

  • Samagra Shishu Bal Swasthya Karyakram (SSBSK): A unified healthcare programme designed to integrate Home-Based Newborn Care (HBNC) and Home-Based Care for Young Child (HBYC). It ensures structural, home-based care for children from birth up to 5 years of age.

  • Unified Health Interface (UHI): Launched as an open digital network under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), UHI enables interoperable, seamless connectivity between patients and healthcare providers across varying digital platforms.

  • National Drug Registry: Introduced as a standardized national medicines database under the ABDM. This marks the 4th national core registry after the ABHA ID, Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR), and Health Facility Registry (HFR).

MOSPI Releases 2026 SDG Publications on 20th Statistics Day

Marking the celebration of the 20th National Statistics Day on June 29, 2026, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) released a new series of publications detailing India’s progress towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

  • National Indicator Framework (NIF): The data highlights monitoring under the NIF, 2026, which consists of 277 national indicators covering all 17 SDGs to drive evidence-based policymaking.

  • Key Publications: The releases include the SDGs-NIF Progress Report, 2026, its accompanying Data Snapshot, and a specialized volume titled Transforming Lives: India's Achievements under the People Dimension of the SDGs.

PM Family Care Tracker Pilot Project Launched in Gandhinagar

Union Home Affairs and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah launched the Prime Minister Family Care Tracker (PM-FCT) pilot project in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

  • Core Objective: An integrated digital system to monitor the health, education, nutrition, and welfare delivery of children continuously from pregnancy until they reach 18 years of age.

  • Features: Every child will be assigned a unique ID linked to their Birth Registration Number (BRN) or Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) ID. The platform bridges multiple databases to generate automatic alerts for school dropouts or missed vaccinations, compiling records into a dynamic digital "Health Passport".

Cabinet Approves Rs 30,000 Crore Additional Infusion into NIIF

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved a massive additional investment commitment of Rs 30,000 crore into the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF).

  • Doubling Commitment: This fresh capital injection effectively doubles the Government of India’s total commitment to NIIF to Rs 60,000 crore.

  • Utilization: The Rs 30,000 crore infusion will establish NIIF’s Infrastructure Fund II (a successor to its flagship first fund) to scale sector-specific platforms across transportation, energy, digital infrastructure, urban development, and e-mobility.

OPSA Launches TRL Compass Platform for Innovation Standardisation

The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA) to the Government of India, under the chairmanship of Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, collaborated with the Data Security Council of India (DSCI) to launch the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) Compass platform.

  • The Standard: The platform adapts the globally recognized 9-level TRL scale to standardise project assessments requiring public funding across India’s research ecosystem. It directly assists frameworks like the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF).

  • MoU Exchanged: DSCI CEO Vinayak Godse and OPSA Adviser Dr. Preeti Banzal signed an MoU to collaborate further on technology readiness mapping and developing a national 'Technology Radar' methodology.

MCA Partners with IIT Madras to Launch Corporate Mitra Scheme

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) signed a structural MoU in New Delhi with IIT Madras (via IIT Pravartak and SWAYAM Plus) and the premier professional institutes—ICAI, ICSI, and ICMAI—to launch the Corporate Mitra Scheme.

  • Purpose: Envisaged under the Union Budget 2026-27, the scheme trains a dedicated pool of "Corporate Mitras" to guide MSMEs through regulatory compliance, taxation, financial governance, and accounting.

  • Structure: It consists of 150 hours of online coursework via SWAYAM Plus followed by 6 months of mandatory practical training. Open to Indian graduates under 30 years old, it features a 50% fee concession for women and candidates from Northeastern and Himalayan regions.

🌍 International Affairs

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s 3-Day Official Visit to the United Kingdom

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal completed a high-level 3-day official visit to London, UK, from June 25 to 27, 2026. The visit acts as the final precursor to the official enforcement of the historic India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the companion Double Contribution Convention (DCC), both slated to come into force on July 15, 2026.

  • Bilateral Highlights: Minister Goyal held strategic regulatory alignment and customs coordination talks with Peter Kyle, the UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade.

  • Key Rollouts: He launched the "UK-India CETA Business Utilisation Manual" and announced the deployment of 1,000 advisory personnel across India to maximize corporate benefits from the trade pact.

  • Leadership Award: During the visit, Minister Goyal was conferred the Special Award for Exceptional Leadership in Elevating India-UK Relations at the 10th anniversary of the India Global Forum (IGF) UK-India Awards.