Recently, Government notified National Sports Governance (National Sports Bodies) Rules, 2026, under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025. 

• National sports bodies includeNational Olympic committee, Regional Sports Federations, etc.

About the Rules 

• Each body to have a General body and an executive committee. 
  • Composition of General Body: At least 4 sportspersons of outstanding merit (SOMs), not less than 25 years in age, with 50% being women.
  • Women’s representation in Executive Committee: specific posts to be reserved for women to ensure at least 4 women members. 
• National Sports Election Panel to oversee elections of national sports bodies must consist of at least 20 members at all times.
• Disqualification criteria: persons convicted by a court followed by a sentence of imprisonment.

Recently 1st general body meeting of National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) was held. 

About NCVET 

• Genesis: Established by the under Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in 2018. 
  • It subsumed National Skill Development Agency and National Council for Vocational Training integrating the fragmented regulatory system
• It is a national regulator for Skilling and is responsible for the development, qualitative improvement, and regulation of vocational education and training. 
• Key Functions: It grants recognition to and monitors the functioning of awarding bodies, assessment agencies, and skill information providers.

Recently, PNGRB and their German counterpart inked a MoU to establish a framework for cooperation on hydrogen regulations and standards in India

About PNGRB 

• Genesis:  It is a statutory body formed under the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, of 2006.
• Ministry:  Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas 
• Functions:
  • Fosters fair trade and competition and ensure competitive market for gas.
  • Regulates refining, transportation, distribution, etc. of petroleum products and natural gas, excluding production of crude oil and natural gas.
  • It can adjudicate upon dispute arising amongst entities on issues relating to petroleum, petroleum products and natural gas.
    • Appeals against its decisions go before the Appellate Tribunals for Electricity established under Electricity Act, 2003.

DRDO successfully flight-tests indigenously developed third generation Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) against a moving target. 

About MPATGM

• It is a shoulder-launched, portable missile system, specifically designed to counter enemy tanks and armoured vehicles.
• It consists of state-of-the-art indigenous technologies like Imaging Infrared (IIR) Homing Seeker, all electric Control Actuation System, Fire Control System, etc. 

Indian diplomat has been nominated by the UN Secretary General as chair of his Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters for 2026-27.

About Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters

• Established in 1978.
• Secretariat: New York.
• Functions:
  • To advise the Secretary-General on matters within the area of arms limitation and disarmament.
  • To serve as the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).
• Membership: Secretary-General chooses the members of the Board from all regions of the world for their knowledge and experience in the field of disarmament and international security. There are 15 members of the Board.

India will be invited to join Pax Silica.

About Pax Silica

• It is an U.S. led initiative to build a secure, resilient, innovation-driven technology ecosystem
• The program covers the full technology supply chain, spanning:
  • Semiconductors and AI infrastructure
  • Critical minerals and energy inputs
  • Advanced manufacturing and high-end hardware
  • Compute and data logistics
• Objectives:
  • Reduce coercive dependencies.
  • Protect sensitive technologies and build trusted digital infrastructure.
•  Members: Japan, South Korea, Singapore, United Kingdom, Israel, etc. 

The Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister chaired a meeting of the National Institute for Research and Application of Natural Resources to Transform, Adapt and Build Resilience (NIRANTAR).

About NIRANTAR

• It is a platform to enhance cooperation and collaboration among various institutes of the Environment Ministry without establishing any institution or increasing manpower.
• Aim: To make institutes of Ministry more effective and responsive to the fast changing local and global challenges.

Recently, Australia Group celebrated its 40th anniversary.

About Australia Group

• Genesis: It was founded in 1985, in the wake of chemical weapons use in the Iran–Iraq war.
• It is an informal arrangement with no legally binding obligations for participants.
• It aims to allow exporters or transshipment countries to minimize the risk of further proliferation of chemical and biological weapons (CBW).
• Participants: 43 participants (42 countries and the European Union)
  • India became a member in 2018.
• It is a key multilateral export control regime. 
  • Multilateral export control regime also includes Wassennar Arrangement, Nuclear Suppliers Group, and Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)