• Chairperson: The Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology (currently Ashwini Vaishnaw) will serve as its Chairperson.
• Vice-Chairperson: The Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology (currently Jitin Prasada) will serve as its Vice-Chairperson.
• Member-Convener: The Secretary to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology will steer the operations and coordination of this group.
• Support Committee: To assist this group, a Technology and Policy Expert Committee (TPEC) will be constituted to provide advice on global developments and emerging risks.
• Apex Institutional Mechanism: It will function as the country's apex body for AI governance policy development and inter-ministerial coordination in India.

• Location: Dholera, Gujarat
• Proponent: Tata Semiconductor Manufacturing Private Limited
• Area: Approximately 66.166 hectares
• Total Investment: Approximately ₹91,000 crore
• Objective: To reduce dependence on imports by boosting semiconductor production within India and to emerge as a global electronics hub.

Key Provisions:

• The use of Khasi and Garo will be permissible in government communications, administrative functions, and legislative debates.
• Amendments will be made to relevant laws—including the Meghalaya State Legislature (Continuance of English Language) Act, 1980—to enable legislators to participate in debates within the Assembly using these languages.
• These languages ​​will be gradually incorporated into various state-level examinations, thereby expanding opportunities for the youth.
• Constitutional Provisions (Part XVII): Under Article 345 of the Indian Constitution, the legislature of a state is empowered to adopt, by law, any one or more of the languages ​​in use in that state as the language(s) to be used for official purposes.
• Demand for Inclusion in the Eighth Schedule: The Meghalaya Legislative Assembly had previously passed a resolution requesting the Central Government to include the Khasi and Garo languages ​​in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. This recent decision is expected to further strengthen the state's claim.

Linguistic Families:

• Khasi Language: It belongs to the Mon-Khmer branch of the Austro-Asiatic language family.
• Garo Language: It belongs to the Tibeto-Burman language family.

Meghalaya:

• It is a northeastern state of India, the name of which means "The Abode of the Clouds."
• It is one of the "Seven Sister States" (including Sikkim) and is renowned for its natural beauty, dense forests, and for being home to the wettest place on Earth.
• The state is known for the Khasi, Jaintia, and Garo Hills. Capital: Shillong
• Formation: January 21, 1972
• Official Languages: English, Khasi, and Garo (recently confirmed by ordinance on April 16, 2026)
• Major Tribes: Khasi, Garo, Jaintia
• Chief Minister: Conrad Sangma
• Sex Ratio: 986 (Higher female literacy)
• Literacy Rate: 75.48%
• Districts: 12 (Currently)
• Borders: Assam to the northeast, Bangladesh to the southwest

• Supreme Commander: The President of India
• Chief of Army Staff (COAS): General Upendra Dwivedi
• Motto: 'Seva Paramo Dharma' (Service Before Self)
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Army Day: January 15 (Commemorating the day in 1949 when Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa became the first Indian Commander-in-Chief)

Structure and Command:

• The Indian Army is divided into 7 commands based on geographical and operational considerations.
• Northern Command: Udhampur
• Western Command: Chandimandir
• Central Command: Lucknow
• Eastern Command: Kolkata
• Southern Command: Pune
• South-Western Command: Jaipur
• Training Command (ARTRAC): Shimla

Major Military Operations:

• Operation Vijay (1961): To liberate Goa, Daman, and Diu from Portuguese control.
• Operation Meghdoot (1984): To secure control of the Siachen Glacier.
• Operation Cactus (1988): To thwart a coup attempt in the Maldives.
• Operation Vijay (1999): To evict Pakistani intruders during the Kargil War.

• Working Mechanism: This device works like a biological synapse, performing both memory (data storage) and computing (data processing) at the same place.
• Energy Efficiency: It operates at significantly lower energy (about 1 million times less) compared to traditional computing systems.
• Hafnium Oxide (HfO₂): This material is already used in CMOS transistors, making it easier to integrate into large-scale chip manufacturing.
• Significance: It is a major discovery in 2026 and is highly important for the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI), as it can help reduce the growing energy demand.

• Leading Cricketer in the World (Men): Mitchell Starc (Australia) – For his magnificent performance in the Ashes.
• Leading Women's Cricketer in the World: Deepti Sharma (India) – For her contribution to the 2025 Women's ODI World Cup.
• Leading T20 Cricketer in the World: Abhishek Sharma (India) – For setting a record for runs scored in T20 cricket.
• Five Cricketers of the Year: Shubman Gill (India), Ravindra Jadeja (India), Rishabh Pant (India), Mohammed Siraj (India), and Haseeb Hameed (England).
• Indians won 7 out of the 9 awards, demonstrating a historic dominance.

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack:

• It is referred to as the "Bible" of cricket.
• It is the world's oldest and most prestigious annual cricket reference book, published in Britain since 1864.

• Best Team Ranking: Out of 67 participating countries, the Indian team secured an impressive 6th position. This marks India's highest-ever ranking since its first participation in 2015.
• Total Medals: The four-member Indian contingent won a total of one gold, one silver, and one bronze medal.
• List of Medal Winners:
• Gold Medal: Shreya Shantanu Mundhada (Mumbai)
• Silver Medal: Sanjana Philo Chacko (Kerala)
• Bronze Medal: Shivani Bharath Kumar (Tamil Nadu)
• Fourth Member: Shrimoyi Bera (Kolkata), who contributed significantly to the team's ranking.
• Participation: 260 students from 67 countries participated in this edition.
• Nodal Agency: In India, the primary responsibility for identifying and training meritorious students lies with the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE-TIFR)—a premier autonomous institution operating under the Department of Atomic Energy.
• What is EGMO?: It is a prestigious international mathematics competition organized for high school girls. Its objective is to promote the participation of girls in the field of mathematics.

• Representation Across Diverse Fields: In this 2026 list, India is represented across distinct sectors—such as technology, cinema, and the culinary arts—reflecting India's growing 'Soft Power' on the global stage.
• Sundar Pichai: CEO of Google and Alphabet. He has been recognized for his pivotal role in advancing Artificial Intelligence (AI) through Google's ecosystem.
• Ranbir Kapoor: He is the only Indian actor to secure a spot on this list. Through this recognition, his acting prowess and the global reach of Indian cinema have been celebrated. The tribute (profile) for him in the magazine was penned by actor Ayushmann Khurrana.
• Vikas Khanna: Renowned celebrity chef. He has been honored for his excellence in the culinary arts, as well as for his humanitarian efforts and contributions to cultural exchange.
• Other Names of Indian Origin: The list also features YouTube CEO Neal Mohan and New York Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani.
• Notable Name from a Neighboring Nation: Nepal's young Prime Minister, Balendra Shah, has also earned a place on this prestigious list.

• Winner: Amelia (Melie) Kerr
• Country: New Zealand (White Ferns)
• Achievement: She has claimed this prestigious award for the third time.

Outstanding All-Round Performance:

• She took 16 wickets in just 3 matches during the ODI series against Zimbabwe.
• In the same series, she also recorded her career-best bowling figures (7/34).
• Displaying brilliance with the bat as well, she scored 276 runs in the T20 series against South Africa.
• New Milestone: During this period, she also rose to become the No. 1 all-rounder in the ICC Women's T20 Rankings.
• Men's Player of the Month (March 2026): India's opening batsman Sanju Samson was awarded this honor in the men's category.
• ICC Player of the Month Awards: This award was instituted by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in January 2021 to recognize and honor the top-performing male and female cricketers each month.

• Global Growth Rate: 3.1% in 2026; 3.2% in 2027 (slower pace)
• Asia: Declining from 5.0% in 2025 to 4.4% in 2026
• Emerging Economies: Particularly affected, experiencing a slowdown in growth
• Inflation: A marginal increase in 2026, followed by a decline in 2027
• India: 6.5% (2026–27)—the fastest growth rate in Asia

Primary Factors:

• Middle East Conflict: Impact on commodity markets, energy prices, and supply chains
• Trade Barriers: Elevated trade barriers and uncertainty
• Positive Factors: Technology investment (AI) and policy support have provided some degree of balance

International Monetary Fund (IMF):

• Establishment: Founded in July 1944 during the Bretton Woods Conference; formally began operations in 1945
• Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
• Current Membership: Currently comprises 190 member countries (following the accession of Liechtenstein in May 2024)
• Managing Director (MD): Kristalina Georgieva currently serves as the Managing Director of the IMF. She commenced her second five-year term on October 1, 2024.

• Organizing Body: Hockey India
• Winner: Hockey Jharkhand (Gold Medal) – They defeated Hockey Madhya Pradesh 2-1 in the final match.
• Runner-up: Hockey Madhya Pradesh (Silver Medal)
• Third Place: Hockey Association of Odisha (Bronze Medal)
• Edition: This was the 16th edition of this championship.
• Participating Teams: A total of 29 teams from various states and Union Territories across the country participated in the event.

• Massive Sewage Leaks: In January 2026, the rupture of an aging sewer line resulted in millions of gallons of raw sewage flowing into the river, severely compromising water quality.
• Expansion of Data Centers: Millions of gallons of water are being drawn daily to cool the large number of data centers currently being constructed in Virginia and the surrounding areas.
• Aging Infrastructure: Decades-old pipes and sewage systems are unable to withstand the pressure of a rapidly growing population.

The Potomac River:

• Geographical Location: It is the fourth-largest river on the East Coast of the United States.
• Origin: The river originates in the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia, emerging as two distinct branches (the North Branch and the South Branch).
• Mouth: Flowing through Virginia and Maryland, it empties into the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and the third-largest in the world.
• Major Cities on its Banks: Washington, D.C.—the capital of the United States—is situated along the banks of this river.
• Natural Boundary: The river serves as a natural boundary, separating Maryland and Washington, D.C., on one side from West Virginia and Virginia on the other. Sister River: This river has been designated as the "Sister River" to the Arakawa River, which flows through Japan's capital, Tokyo. The banks of both rivers share a cultural connection centered around cherry blossoms.
• Major Tributaries: The Shenandoah River, Anacostia River, and Monocacy River are its primary tributaries.
• Following the Potomac River, other rivers included in the list are the San Joaquin (California), Boundary Waters (Minnesota), Lumber (North and South Carolina), Rogue (Oregon), Chilkat (Alaska), Nissequogue (New York), Dan (North Carolina and Virginia), Amargosa (California and Nevada), and Suwannee (Florida and Georgia).