NATIONAL NEWS

Assam Governor Launches ‘Sanskaar Shaala’ Value-Based Education Programme

Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya inaugurated the Sanskaar Shaala programme in Guwahati.

It is a value-based education initiative designed for children aged 4 to 14 years.

The programme focuses on moral education, ethics, compassion, Indian cultural values, and social responsibility.

It aims to complement formal education and help build responsible, disciplined and value-oriented citizens.

The Governor highlighted that values form the foundation of personality and social harmony and should accompany academic learning.

He also stressed that ancient Indian texts provide timeless guidance on righteous living.

The initiative is significant for preserving India’s moral and cultural heritage, encouraging early social responsibility, and balancing technological progress with ethics.

During the event, the Governor also attended the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Guwahati Blind High School.

Government Announced ‘SAMPANN’ System Transforming Pension Administration

The Government of India announced that SAMPANN (System for Accounting and Management of Pension) enables pensioners to securely access, store, and retrieve official pension documents anytime and anywhere.

SAMPANN is an integrated online pension management system for Department of Telecommunications (DoT) pensioners.

It provides a single platform for processing, sanctioning, and directly disbursing pension into bank accounts.

The system offers online grievance redressal, digital profile management, and transaction records, improving transparency and efficiency.

Important pension documents including Gratuity Payment Orders, Pension Certificates/ePPOs, Pension Commutation Orders, and Form 16 are now available through DigiLocker, supporting digital governance and paperless services.

During the 15th Pension Adalat held at IIPA on 24th December 2025, 1,087 long-pending pension grievances were taken up and 815 were resolved on the spot.

Gross enrolment under Atal Pension Yojana (APY) reached 8,45,17,419 (as on 30 November 2025).

APY aims to provide a universal social security system, especially for the poor and unorganised sector workers, offering minimum guaranteed pensions of ₹1,000 to ₹5,000 per month.

Tamil Nadu Government Signs MoU with UN Women

The Government of Tamil Nadu signed an Memorandum of Understanding with UN Women to strengthen cooperation in advancing gender equality, women’s safety, and women empowerment in the State.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.

Tamil Nadu government will establish technical support mechanisms to promote gender equality and sustainable development focusing on women’s welfare.

Key implementing departments: Social Welfare and Women Empowerment, Home and Excise, and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.

A tripartite MoU was also signed among UNICEF, OECD, and OPSI to promote innovative governance services and validation mechanisms for government and quasi-government sectors.

This MoU focuses on creating new infrastructure facilities, formulating State-level innovative policies, and strengthening collaborative reform initiatives.

The State termed OECD collaboration as a major milestone in international institutional partnership.

The Chief Minister also released Tamil Nadu State Indicator Framework 2.0 with 244 indicators aligned to 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India Launches e-Production Investment Business Visa (e-B-4) for Chinese Nationals

India introduced a new electronic business visa category e-B-4 Visa for Chinese nationals to facilitate structured and legitimate business engagement.

The move aims to simplify business travel, support production and investment-related activities, and gradually normalise India–China people-to-people exchanges.

The e-B-4 Visa can be applied entirely online, without visiting the embassy.

It is specifically meant for production, investment, technical and industrial business activities, not for general commercial visits.

Processing Time: Around 45–50 days.

Maximum Stay: Up to 6 months in India.

Permitted activities include installation and commissioning of equipment, plant setup, IT and ERP systems ramp-up, staff training, quality checks, maintenance, supply chain development, vendor empanelment, and senior management visits.

Applications can be submitted through the Indian e-Visa portal (Bureau of Immigration).

Indian companies inviting Chinese nationals may also register through DPIIT’s National Single Window System (NSWS) for coordinated processing and regulatory oversight.

Pakistan Successfully Tests Indigenous ‘Taimoor’ Air-Launched Cruise Missile

Pakistan Air Force (PAF) successfully conducted a flight test of the indigenously developed Taimoor Air-Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) during a live-trial exercise.

The Taimoor ALCM was launched from a Mirage IIIE fighter aircraft, demonstrating Pakistan’s operational air-launch capability.

The missile is developed by Pakistan’s Air Weapons Complex, reflecting indigenous defence manufacturing efforts.

Taimoor is a turbojet-powered, subsonic cruise missile, capable of engaging both land and sea targets.

It carries a conventional high-explosive warhead, optimized for precision strikes against defended infrastructure.

The missile has an operational range of approximately 600 kilometres (km), enabling long-distance precision attacks.

It is equipped with a state-of-the-art navigation and guidance system, ensuring high accuracy.

The missile can operate at very low altitudes, enhancing its ability to evade enemy air defence and missile interception systems.

 

BANKING

RBI Proposes Banks to Cap Dividend Payouts at 75% of Net Profit

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed to raise the dividend payout cap for banks to 75% of net profit, up from the earlier 40%, subject to conditions.

Bank boards are required to review asset quality, provisioning gaps, capital projections, and long-term growth plans before declaring dividends.

The RBI has introduced a graded structure for dividend payment based on banks' Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) capital levels.

Stronger banks with CET1 above 20% can pay 100% of adjusted net profit, which is calculated as net profit minus net non-performing assets for the dividend payment year, while adhering to the 75% payout limit.

Systemically important banks such as State Bank of India (SBI), HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank require CET1 ratios of 20.8%, 20.4%, and 20.2% respectively to pay 100% of adjusted profits.

Banks with CET1 below 8% will not be permitted to declare dividends.

These RBI directions will come into effect from the financial year 2026-27.

The term dividend refers to the amount paid on equity shares, including interim dividend, but excludes dividends on Perpetual Non-Cumulative Preference Shares (PNCPS).

Banks can declare dividends only if they have a positive adjusted profit after tax (PAT) in the year for which the dividend is proposed.

For Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) and Local Area Banks, the RBI has proposed a higher dividend cap of up to 80% of PAT.

Federal Bank Launches New Brand Identity ‘The Fortuna Wave’

Federal Bank Limited, an Indian private sector bank, launched a refreshed brand identity named ‘The Fortuna Wave’ as part of a strategic brand refresh to signal modernization and future-readiness.

The launch of ‘The Fortuna Wave’ took place in Mumbai, Maharashtra, in the presence of Vidya Balan, the brand ambassador of Federal Bank.

The core element of the brand refresh is a new visual insignia called the ‘Fortuna Wave’.

The Fortuna Wave insignia is built around three wave elements representing authenticity, togetherness, and prosperity.

The new design is more fluid and adaptable than the earlier boxed logo structure, enhancing visibility across both digital and physical platforms.

Key visual features of the refreshed identity include a dynamic wave motif, a fluid and rounded typeface for the ‘FEDERAL BANK’ wordmark, the retention of the signature yellow underline, and a vibrant, digital-friendly colour palette.

Axis Bank Introduces ‘Safety Centre’ on Mobile App

Axis Bank has launched a new ‘Safety Centre’ on its mobile banking app, open, to help customers protect their accounts from unauthorised or suspicious activities.

The Safety Centre empowers customers to control and customise security settings independently, without the need to visit a branch or contact customer care.

Customers can tailor security settings based on their usage patterns and comfort levels, enhancing digital banking safety.

The Safety Centre includes an SMS Shield, which verifies the authenticity of SMS messages by checking the Sender ID against Axis Bank’s official IDs.

Customers can disable Internet Banking access completely if not required, and instantly restrict all fund transfer capabilities across Mobile Banking and Internet Banking with a single toggle.

The platform also allows blocking of transactions initiated through third-party apps (e.g., e-commerce platforms) that use Net Banking as a payment mode.

Users can restrict UPI transactions via the bank’s mobile app, prevent the addition of new payees, and set limits for fund transfers and UPI transactions.

Overall, the Safety Centre strengthens account security, gives customers control over key digital banking functions, and reduces the risk of unauthorised access or fraud.

HDFC Bank Enables Digital Rupee (CBDC) Payments on SmartGateway

HDFC Bank integrated the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), known as the Digital Rupee (e₹), into its online merchant payment platform, SmartGateway.

The integration allows SmartGateway to support Digital Rupee (CBDC) payments alongside existing options such as Unified Payments Interface (UPI), cards, and net banking.

Under the new system, merchants can accept Digital Rupee payments at zero transaction cost, enabling an intermediary-free and efficient settlement process.

The integration provides customers with a seamless, instant, and secure digital payment experience, combining UPI-like convenience with a sovereign-backed digital currency.

The initiative strengthens HDFC Bank’s digital-first strategy and supports India’s transition towards a cash-light and inclusive digital economy.

 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Appointments Committee of the Cabinet Approves One-Year Extension of Abhishek Dev as APEDA Chairman

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved a one-year extension of Abhishek Dev’s tenure as Chairman of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).

The extension will be effective from February 8, 2026, and was granted under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I).

Abhishek Dev is a 2007-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer belonging to the Arunachal Pradesh–Goa–Mizoram and Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre.

He previously served as Director in the Department of Commerce (DoC) under the MoC&I from 2021 to 2023.

In July 2023, Abhishek Dev was appointed as the Chairman of APEDA.

Chairman of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, appointed distinguished scientist A. K. Balasubrahmanian as the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) for a three-year term.

A.K. Balasubrahmanian succeeded Dr. D. K. Shukla, who completed his tenure on December 31, 2025.

A.K. Balasubrahmanian has nearly 40 years of experience in the design, development, safety assessment, construction, and commissioning of Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs).

He previously served as Director (Technical) on the Board of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).

He held the position of Chairman of the Project Design Safety Committee for Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR)-based nuclear power plants.

He also served as a member of the Safety Review Committee for Operating Plants (SARCOP) under the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).

He contributed to first-of-a-kind nuclear systems with indigenous safety features, promoting self-reliance in nuclear reactor technology.

A.K. Balasubrahmanian represented India at international conferences and technical forums related to reactor technology and nuclear safety.