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| PHOTO NEWS: Vice President of India C.P. Radhakrishnan arrived in Odisha on January 23, 2026 on his maiden visit to the State to attend the Parakram Diwas celebrations at the birthplace of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at Cuttack. (PIB) |
India Pulse | January 22, 2026: Your Daily Digest of India's Governance, Progress, and Vision
Harrdiip Bedii
The India Pulse Newsletter for January 22, 2026 covers Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighting India’s strong reform momentum and economy on track for high growth, Pralhad Joshi stating energy transition driving jobs and industrial growth, India urging Kenya to deepen defence industry collaboration at Nairobi exhibition, Education Ministry forming panel to probe student suicides at IIT Kanpur, UAE-India Business Council unveiling 2026 roadmap to deepen economic ties, Jaishankar meeting EU envoys, CAQM lifting Stage-III GRAP in Delhi-NCR as air quality improves, ECINET launch and bilateral meetings at IICDEM 2026, MSDE signing MoU with World Economic Forum to boost skill ecosystem, and DRDO set to showcase national security innovations at Republic Day Parade.
NEWS IN DETAIL
India’s Reform Momentum Strong, Economy on Track for High Growth: Ashwini Vaishnaw
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that India’s reform momentum is firmly on track, driven by deep structural reforms personally steered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He said that the leadership of PM Modi has transformed the Indian economy into a high-growth, resilient and globally trusted destination.
Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting at Davos, Mr Vaishnaw said, key reforms across sectors have boosted strong investor confidence, with global companies expanding their investments in India.
He said India is the fastest-growing major economy, with growth projected at six to eight per cent over the next five years, and stressed that the government is strengthening internal capabilities to enhance economic resilience amid global uncertainties.
Referring to prevailing global uncertainties, the Minister emphasised the need to strengthen internal capabilities to enhance resilience amid geopolitical, geoeconomic and geotechnical turbulence.
Alongside this, the Minister added that global perception of India at Davos has been overwhelmingly positive, with a broad consensus that India’s emergence as the world’s third-largest economy is only a matter of time.
India’s Energy Transition Driving Jobs, Industrial Growth and Global Competitiveness: Pralhad Joshi
New and Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi has said that India’s energy transition is driving industrialisation, job creation and global competitiveness, offering a model for emerging economies.
Addressing a high-level session on Energy: The Great Funding Gap at World Economic Forum in Davos, the Minister said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has transformed clean energy into a people-centric development movement, while strengthening energy security and reducing power costs.
Mr Joshi said India has achieved 267 gigawatts of non-fossil fuel capacity, with renewables accounting for about 52 per cent of total installed power capacity. He highlighted schemes such as PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana and PM-KUSUM, which are turning consumers into prosumers and boosting rural incomes. The Minister said falling renewable energy costs are helping reduce electricity tariffs for industry and households.
He also highlighted India’s rapid expansion of domestic clean energy manufacturing, including solar modules, cells, storage and wind power, generating large-scale employment.
On the sidelines of WEF, Mr Joshi held bilateral meetings with ministers and global industry leaders to advance clean energy investments, technology collaboration and international partnerships.
India Urges Kenya to Deepen Defence Industry Collaboration at Nairobi Exhibition
Defence Production Secretary Sanjeev Kumar has urged the Kenya Defence Forces to explore collaborative opportunities with Indian defence companies. He was addressing the third India and Kenya Defence Exhibition and Seminar held in Nairobi during his three-day visit to Kenya.
The secretary has highlighted the strong capabilities of India’s defence industrial ecosystem and called for deeper cooperation, building on the long-standing bilateral ties between the two countries.
The third India and Kenya Defence Exhibition and seminar provided a platform for industrial collaboration, co-development and capacity building.
The Ministry of Defence informed that during the exhibition twenty-one Indian defence companies showcased specialised products across key domains including shipbuilding, armoured vehicles, UAVs, missile systems, weapons, ammunition, cyber security and protection systems.
During the visit, Mr Kumar held bilateral meetings with senior officials of Kenya’s Ministry of Defence and the Kenya Defence Forces to discuss defence industrial partnerships, training, capacity building and long-term cooperation in defence exports and maintenance.
Education Ministry Forms Panel to Probe Student Suicides at IIT Kanpur
The Ministry of Education has constituted a three-member committee to examine recent incidents of student suicides at Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Kanpur.
The Ministry has taken cognisance of the recent incident of student suicide and reiterated that student mental health and emotional well-being remain its highest priority. The committee has been asked to submit its report within fifteen days.
In an order issued on Thursday, the Ministry recalled that it had notified the Framework Guidelines for Emotional and Mental Wellbeing of Students in Higher Education Institutions in July 2023 to create an inclusive and supportive campus environment across the country.
The guidelines emphasise faculty sensitisation, student counselling and handholding, early detection of stress, institutional SOPs for suicide prevention, and buddy-mentor systems.
The committee will assess compliance with the 2023 framework, examine the circumstances surrounding student suicide cases, identify gaps in institutional support systems, and recommend measures to strengthen mental health and wellbeing mechanisms.
UAE-India Business Council Unveils 2026 Roadmap to Deepen Economic Ties
The UAE-India Business Council, UAE Chapter (UIBC-UC), has announced an ambitious roadmap for 2026 aimed at deepening economic cooperation between India and the United Arab Emirates and translating policy commitments into tangible outcomes.
The announcement comes in the wake of the recent visit of the UAE President to India, where talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed the strength of the bilateral partnership under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, or CEPA.
The council said the relationship continues to expand across trade, investment, technology, infrastructure and people-to-people engagement.
At the centre of the 2026 roadmap are four research papers intended to guide investment and policy coordination. These will focus on artificial intelligence collaboration, UAE sovereign wealth fund participation in India’s infrastructure expansion, consumer and supply chain integration under CEPA, and joint India-UAE ventures in Africa.
The council also plans at least two UAE-to-India business missions next year, along with inbound delegations from India, targeting sectors such as infrastructure, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, fintech and healthcare innovation.UIBC-UC said the initiatives are aligned with a revised ambition to scale bilateral trade and investment to 200 billion US dollars, supporting leadership-level decisions with sustained, ground-level execution.
Building on initiatives undertaken in 2025, the council highlighted key milestones including the India-UAE Partners in Progress Conclave, high-level engagements with India’s commerce minister Piyush Goyal, progress on the UAE-India Friendship Hospital project, and education initiatives such as the Dream School project in Kashmir.
It also pointed to its participation in the official delegation accompanying Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum during his visit to India.
Jaishankar Meets EU Envoys
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar interacted with ambassadors from European countries on Thursday.
Minister Jaishankar said that he was pleased to meet E.U. ambassadors and discussed about a world where volatility and instability are the new normal.
He made a strong case for a deeper India-E.U. relations to de-risk the global economy through resilient supply-chains, provide public goods and development projects, and, stabilise the global order through stronger trade, mobility, and, security partnerships.
He also shared that he looks forward to welcoming the President of the European Council, António Costa, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to India for the Republic Day celebrations.
CAQM Lifts Stage-III GRAP in Delhi-NCR As Air Quality Improves
The Commission for Air Quality Management in Delhi and NCR region has revoked Stage-III of Graded Response Action Plan with immediate effect.
The decision was taken after the improvement of the Air Quality Index level in the national capital. The air Quality index was recorded at 322 today.
The Commission has said that action under Stage 1 and 2 will remain in force. Meanwhile, there will be a complete ban on all construction and demolition activities including earthwork, piling, trenching, Road construction activities and major repairs.
IICDEM 2026: ECINET Launched, Bilateral Meetings with Heads of 32 EMBs Held
The India International Conference on Democracy and Election Management is underway in New Delhi.
On the second day on Thursday, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar along with Election Commissioners, Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi launched ECINET, a unified digital platform integrating over 40 apps and web services.
Speaking on the occasion, CEC said that this is a comprehensive digital platform to facilitate citizen engagement and participation in the electoral process. He added that ECINET connects citizens, candidates, political parties, and election officials, offering all key election services on one platform.
Mr Kumar also informed that the platform has been developed in all 22 Indian languages along with English.
The CEC and ECs also held bilateral meetings with Heads of 32 Election Management Bodies (EMBs) on the sidelines of the (IICDEM)-2026.
A wide range of global electoral experiences and innovations were discussed during the bilateral meetings. These engagements aimed to further strengthen India’s longstanding partnerships in election management and democratic cooperation.
During the interactions, India offered to collaborate with the EMBs to help them developing technology platforms similar to ECINET in their respective countries as per their own laws. India also offered to provide training support to the election officials of the EMBs through the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM).
While appreciating the ECINET digital platform, many EMBs evinced interest in collaborating with India for adopting similar technological solutions in their respective countries.
The three-day international conference will conclude on Friday.
MSDE Signs MoU with World Economic Forum to Boost India’s Skill Ecosystem
The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the World Economic Forum to collaborate on strengthening India’s skills and Technical and Vocational Education and Training ecosystem.
The Ministry said that through this MoU, it will collaborate with the World Economic Forum to launch and implement a skills accelerator in the country. It added that this initiative will significantly benefit the nation by bridging critical skill gaps, enhancing the global employability of country’s youth.
The Ministry further said that this MOU will ensure that India’s talent pool is aligned with emerging domains such as artificial intelligence, green energy, robotics, and advanced manufacturing.
Emphasising on this step, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Jayant Chaudhary said that the formalization of the India Skills Accelerator, in partnership with the World Economic Forum marks a milestone in building a future-ready, globally competitive workforce.
DRDO to Showcase National Security Innovations at Republic Day Parade
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will showcase its innovations for national security during this year’s Republic Day Parade at Kartavya Path and Bharat Parv.
The Ministry of Defence informed that the systems are Long Range Anti-Ship Hypersonic Missile (LR-AShM) and DRDO Tableau- Naval Technologies for Combat Submarines.
It added that the LR-AShM is a first-of-its-kind hypersonic glide missile with indigenous avionics systems and high-accuracy sensor packages. The theme of the DRDO tableau is Naval Technologies for Combat Submarines which will display the indigenously developed systems at Bharat Parv at Red Fort till 31st of this month.
Many more DRDO developed systems will also be displayed in Armed Forces contingents including Arjun Main Battle Tank, Nag Missile System (NAMIS-II), BrahMos Missile and Anti-Tank Guided Missile during the parade.