Election commission of India’s conference International Conference on Democracy and Election Management 2026 concluded with adoption of Delhi Declaration 2026.

About Delhi Declaration 2026

• Global Election Management Bodies (EMBs) adopted 5 key-pillars to safeguarding democratic integrity:
  • Purity of Electoral Rolls: EMBs should strive to provide Photo Identity Cards to all electors.
  • Conduct of Elections: EMBs to function as per the mandate laid down in their Constitution or in their respective laws.
  • Research and Publications: Bring out Encyclopaedia of Democracies of the World.
  • Use of Technology: India to share its experience of the digital platform ECINET, for co-development of a similar platform for any other EMB.
  • Training and Capacity Building: India to share its vast experience through training and exchange of its transparent practices.

The President of India inaugurated Granth Kutir at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

About Granth Kutir

• It has a rich collection of manuscripts and books in 11 classical languages of India which are Tamil, Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Odia, Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali.
• Aim:To enhance awareness among the citizens regarding the rich cultural and literary heritage of India.
• Coverage: it covers a wide range of subjects such as epics, philosophy, linguistics, history, governance, science, and devotional literature as well as Constitution of India in these languages
• Support the vision of Gyan Bharatam Mission(GBM) : GBM is an initiative of ministry of culture to preserve, digitise, and disseminate India’s vast manuscript heritage.

Indian Railways has deployed a humanoid robot ASC ARJUN at Visakhapatnam Railway Station in Andhra Pradesh.

About ASC ARJUN

• Objective of Robot deployment: To enhance passenger safety, security and service delivery by assisting RPF personnel .
• Key Features and Functions: 
  • It is equipped to assist in intrusion detection through Face Recognition System (FRS), AI-based crowd monitoring, and real-time alerts to Railway Protection Force (RPF) control rooms. 
  • It can make automated public announcements in English, Hindi and Telugu, helping guide passengers and improve awareness on safety and security matters.

Lack of critical technologies is threatening the Advanced Chemistry Cell Production Linked Incentive (ACC-PLI) scheme.

About ACC-PLI scheme

• The scheme was approved in 2021.
• Type: Central Sector Scheme 
• Purpose: For enhancing India's Manufacturing Capabilities of ACC Battery storage 
  • ACC are the new generation advanced energy storage technologies that can store electric energy (either as electrochemical or as chemical energy ) and convert it back to electric energy as and when required.
• Localization: Achieving a domestic value addition of at least 25% and raise it to 60% domestic value addition within 5 Years.
• Incentive: The total annual cash subsidy to be disbursed by the Government will be capped at 20GWh per beneficiary firm.

Prime Minister launched the PM SVANidhi Credit Card for street vendors.

About PM SVANidhi Credit Card

• Eligibility Criteria: All street vendors who have successfully repaid their 2nd tranche loan and are eligible for the 3rd tranche under the PM SVANidhi Scheme.
• Credit Limit: It will be a RuPay retail (personal) credit card with ₹30,000 limit and revolving credit facilities.

PM SVANidhi Scheme.

• Launched in 2020, it is a Central Sector Scheme to facilitate street vendors to access affordable working capital loans for resuming their livelihoods activities, after easing of COVID lockdown.
• Implementation: joint responsibility of the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and Department of Financial Services (DFS).

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released GITM.

• UNCTAD (Founded in 1964, based in Geneva) is the UN's principal organ for trade, investment, and development.

Key Findings of GITM

• India:
  • FDI inflows surged by 73% to $47 billion in 2025.
  • Reason: due to large investments in services including finance, IT, and R&D as well as manufacturing, supported by policies aimed at integrating India into global supply chains.
• Global:
  • FDI reached $1.6 trillion in 2025 (14% increase). 
  • FDI inflows to China declined for the third consecutive year, falling by 8% to an estimated $107.5 billion.