Explanation: New Delhi Municipal Council organised the 4th edition of Tulip Festival 2026 at Shanti Path, New Delhi. The festival features nearly 5.5 lakh tulips and is held in collaboration with the Netherlands to strengthen bilateral ties. Indigenous tulips developed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research bloom during Delhi’s short winter and spring period. The initiative promotes local bulb cultivation, aligns with the “Viksit Bharat @2047” vision, and serves as a soft-power diplomatic tool.

Explanation: RailOne, the SuperApp of Indian Railways, crossed two crore downloads within eight months of its launch. The app surpassed five lakh ticket bookings per day in February 2026. It was developed by Centre for Railway Information Systems. It was launched by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on 1 July. RailOne integrates services like reserved and unreserved ticketing, platform tickets, train enquiries, PNR status, and other passenger utilities. RailTech Policy promotes innovation by engaging startups, innovators, industry, and institutions for Indian Railways modernization.

Explanation: India Meteorological Department has forecast above-normal heatwave days across most parts of India from March to May. It was established in 1875. It is the National Meteorological Service of India. It works under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. The headquarter is located in New Delhi, with observation stations across India and Antarctica.

Explanation: The 2nd Khelo India Beach Games officially began on 5th January 2026 at Ghoghla Beach in Diu. More than 2,100 athletes are participating across eight different sports in the event. The games are being organised by the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, under the technical supervision of the Sports Authority of India and national sports federations. The event will be held from 5th to 10th January 2026. There are six medal sports: Beach Soccer, Beach Volleyball, Beach Sepak Takraw, Beach Kabaddi, Pencak Silat, and Open Water Swimming. Two events, Mallakhamb and Tug of War, are included as non-medal events.

Explanation: The 22nd Senior, Junior and Sub-Junior National Mountain Bike Cycling Championship is scheduled to take place at Roing, Arunachal Pradesh from 12 to 15 February 2026. The event is organised under the aegis of Cycling Federation of India and hosted by Cycling Association of Arunachal Pradesh. Cyclists from various states and institutions across the country will participate. It is a prestigious and highly competitive national-level championship. The participating team will be guided by a Coach-cum-Manager during the competition.

Explanation: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin announced an annual literary award named œSemmozhi Illakiya Virudhu (Classical Language Literary Award). The award carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh for each language. In the first phase, awards will be given for Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odiya, Bengali, and Marathi. The initiative was announced following cancellation of the Sahitya Akademi awards due to alleged political intervention by the Union Culture Ministry. The state government will act as patron, while independent experts will handle the selection process.

Explanation: In October 2025, the United Nations (UN) Convention against Cybercrime was held in Hanoi, Vietnam, marking a major global step against cybercrime. The signing ceremony was co-hosted by Vietnam and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The Convention opened for signature on 25–26 October 2025 in Hanoi and remains open at the UN Headquarters, New York (USA) till 31 December 2026. The aim is to create the world’s first global legal framework to prevent, investigate, and prosecute cybercrimes. It covers ransomware, financial fraud, and non-consensual sharing of intimate images. It is the first treaty to criminalise the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, strengthening digital rights protection.

Explanation: The Haryana government will release a consolidated quarterly amount under the Deen Dayal Lado Lakshmi Yojana (DDLKY) instead of monthly payments of Rs 2,100. The scheme was launched on 25 September 2025, coinciding with Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay’s birth anniversary, with a budget of Rs 5,000 crore. It provides financial assistance to married and unmarried women aged 23–60 years with annual income up to Rs 1 lakh through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

Explanation: Researchers at National Centre for Radio Astrophysics – Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (NCRA–TIFR), Pune, discovered a new spiral galaxy named Alaknanda. It lies 12 billion light years away and shows a perfect spiral structure. The name comes from the Alaknanda River and the Hindi word for the Milky Way. The galaxy spans 30,000 light years, with two clear spiral arms around a bright central bulge. It forms stars rapidly, producing 60 solar masses per year. It resembles a young Milky Way, formed when our galaxy was only 10% of its current age. The discovery was made using National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

Explanation: The Bathou religion of the Bodo community in Assam has been officially given a separate code in the upcoming national census. Bathouism is the indigenous faith of the Bodos, mainly in Assam and parts of North Bengal, forming a key part of their cultural identity. The term “Bathou†means “Five Principlesâ€, representing Ha (Earth), Dwi (Water), Or (Fire), Bar (Air), and Okhrang (Sky). The religion focuses on nature worship, maintaining balance between humans and the environment through household and community rituals. Sacred Sijou plants and elemental symbols are central to Bathou practices.