Notes: Recently, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) launched AI-powered climate advisory services for farmers on July 30, 2025, in Hyderabad. The initiative is named “AI-powered Context-Specific Agromet Advisory Services for Climate-Resilient Agriculture at Scale.” It is a joint project by International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). It uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to deliver real-time, personalised climate and weather advisories.

Notes: Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that its Digital Payments Index (RBI-DPI) rose to 493.22 in March 2025. This is a sharp increase from 465.33 recorded in September 2024, showing rapid growth in digital transactions. The Digital Payments Index is a tool created by RBI to measure the extent of digitisation of payments across India. It was first launched in January 2021 to track and encourage the adoption of digital payment systems. It is the first-of-its-kind index to map the nationwide spread of digital transactions. The base year for the index is March 2018, with the score for that year set at 100.

Notes: Recently, Assam’s successful ‘Hargila Army’ model was introduced in Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve for stork conservation. The model is led by Purnima Devi Barman, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Champion of the Earth and biologist at Aaranyak. A training was held on July 28 for 20 Cambodian women conservationists and park rangers at Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary. The training focused on protecting the endangered greater adjutant stork using community-led, women-centric strategies.