In a landmark policy announcement with deep economic, industrial, and geopolitical implications, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the creation of dedicated Rare Earth Corridors (RECs) across four mineral-rich Indian States — Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu — during her Union Budget 2026–27 speech in Parliament on Sunday, February 1, 2026 . Presenting her ninth consecutive Union Budget for the financial year April 2026 to March 2027 , Sit

In the Union Budget 2026–27 , Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a new reform-oriented initiative called the Corporate Mitra programme , aimed at providing structured professional support to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across India. The proposal was presented in Parliament on February 1, 2026 , as part of the government’s wider economic strategy focused on growth, employment generation, enterprise development, and improved compliance mechanisms f

Kerala Left Out as Union Budget 2026 Skips High-Speed Rail Despite State Push for Thiruvananthapuram–Kannur Corridor Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman , while presenting the Union Budget 2026–27 , announced the development of seven new high-speed rail corridors across India , marking a major step towards modernising the country’s passenger rail infrastructure and promoting environmentally sustainable transport systems. The announcement was made during her ninth consecutive

In 1999, when February 28 fell on a Sunday, then Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha presented the Budget a day earlier on Saturday, February 27, during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee–led NDA government. Nirmala Sitharaman Creates History With 9th Consecutive Union Budget Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman created history on February 1 by presenting her ninth consecutive Union Budget , becoming the first Finance Minister in India to deliver nine Budgets in an unbroken sequence

Test your UPSC CSE 2026 preparation with today’s Indian History & Culture Quiz — covering Irwin Declaration (1929), freedom fighters, Nehru Report of 1928, India’s Republic Day, Padma Award winners and more. If you missed Monthly Current Affairs Pointers (CAP) | Nov - Dec 2025, read it here. Previous UPSC History & Culture Quiz 24 Jan 2026 Click Here 17 Jan 2026 Click Here 10 Jan 2026 Click Here 03 Jan 2026 Click Here 13 Dec 2025 Click Here 06 Dec 2025 Click Here 29

India’s counter-intelligence agencies have arrested a 28-year-old man from Pokhran in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district for allegedly spying for Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) , and transmitting sensitive and strategically important information related to the Indian Army to handlers across the border. The arrest was made by the Intelligence Wing of the Rajasthan Police , amid heightened vigilance along Rajasthan’s western border, where in