State PCS - Odisha (OPSC)

• 17 Jan 2026

Gujarat launched ‘Poshan Udaan 2026

Why in News? 

Gujarat has launched ‘Poshan Udaan 2026’ during the Makar Sankranti festival to spread nutrition and health awareness across the state by leveraging traditional festivities and community engagement. 

Key Points 

• Initiative: Poshan Udaan 2026 uses the popularity of the kite festival with kites carrying nutrition and health messages to symbolically raise public awareness across the state. 
  • To highlight the importance of balanced diets and health for children, adolescent girls and mothers. 
• Integration: Conducted under ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) at Anganwadi centres. 
• Implemented by: A statewide nutrition awareness campaign organised by the Department of Women and Child Development, Gujarat. 
• Focus: The initiative emphasises dietary diversity, reduced junk food consumption, safe drinking water, and sanitation practices to improve nutrition outcomes. 
• Target groups involved: Outreach includes schoolchildren, adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women, and local community leaders. 
• Health interventions: Activities such as haemoglobin testing, IFA( Iron and Folic Acid) tablet distribution, BMI (Body Mass Index) check-ups and personalised nutrition counselling were conducted for mothers and children. 

Read More: Makar Sankranti festival, Poshan Abhiyan,  ICDS, BMI 

Tamil Nadu to Establish India’s First ‘Sovereign AI Park’

Why in News? 

On 13th January, 2026, the Government of Tamil Nadu signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sarvam AI to establish India’s first Sovereign AI Park in Chennai.

Key Points 

• Full-Stack Infrastructure: The park will host the entire AI lifecycle, including specialized Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)-based data centers, indigenous Large Language Models (LLMs), and application-layer tools. 
• Indic-Centric AI: A primary focus of the facility is the development of Indic LLMs (specifically Tamil-language models) to bridge the digital divide for non-English speaking populations. 
• Data Sovereignty: By hosting data and compute power within the state, the project ensures that sensitive citizen and government information remains under local jurisdiction, protected from foreign surveillance or cross-border legal complexities. 
• Strategic Collaboration: The park will be managed in coordination with the Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency (TNeGA) to integrate AI into public service delivery. 
• ‘Sovereign AI’:Sovereign AI refers to a nation's or state's capability to build AI using its own infrastructure, data, and human capital. 
  • Strategic Autonomy: It is considered essential for national security and economic resilience, preventing "Digital Colonialism." 
• Significance: This initiative marks a strategic step toward achieving Digital Autonomy and making Tamil Nadu a global hub for high-end Artificial Intelligence. 
  • The project aligns with the Central Government’s IndiaAI Mission to democratize AI compute access.

Read More: IndiaAI Mission, Strategic Autonomy, Large Language Models