Forty-eight teachers received the National Teachers Award 2026 from President Droupadi Murmu at Vigyan Bhawan on September 5.

The Teachers’ Day ceremony celebrated the awardees’ work in improving school education and enriching students’ learning experiences.

This year’s honourees include 26 men and 22 women, representing 27 states, seven Union Territories and six Central Government organisations.

A three-stage selection process, involving district, state and national-level scrutiny, was used to choose the awardees.

The event also featured short documentaries on each teacher, showcasing their contributions both inside and outside the classroom.

The National Teachers Awards are conferred annually on September 5, marking the birth anniversary of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, India’s second President and a noted educator.

The awards are administered by the Department of School Education and Literacy under the Ministry of Education, which oversees the nomination and selection process each year.

Recognising teachers from across the country, including from Union Territories and Central Government-run institutions, reflects the award’s aim of celebrating educators working in a wide range of settings.

The event at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi typically draws senior officials from the Ministry of Education alongside the honoured teachers and their families.

Teachers’ Day is widely observed across Indian schools each year, with many institutions holding their own local celebrations alongside the national ceremony in Delhi.

The 48 awardees include 26 men and 22 women, representing 27 states, seven Union Territories and six Central Government organisations.

Teachers were selected through a rigorous, transparent three-stage process involving district or regional scrutiny, followed by state or organisation-level review, and finally national-level evaluation.

Online self-nominations from eligible teachers were invited through the Ministry of Education’s portal between June 15 and July 20 as part of the selection process.

The ceremony also featured short documentaries showcasing each awardee’s work, highlighting their contributions both inside and beyond the classroom.

Official portrait of President Droupadi Murmu, Wikimedia Commons, GODL-India

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is visiting Ukraine and Poland from September 3 to 5 as part of an official diplomatic trip.

He is set to hold talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister Radoslaw Sikorski during the visit.

The trip is aimed at enhancing bilateral relations with both countries and includes discussions on regional developments.

Jaishankar’s visit began in Warsaw on September 2, where he was received by India’s Ambassador Neeta Bhushan at Chopin Airport.

The trip comes after an August 26 phone call between Jaishankar and Sybiha, during which the Black Sea situation was discussed.

During that call, Sybiha briefed Jaishankar on the situation in the Black Sea and discussed ways to restore freedom of navigation in the area.

India has periodically positioned itself as a voice for dialogue amid the ongoing Ukraine war, with Ukrainian officials previously describing India’s engagement as an important channel for peace efforts.

The visit follows a series of recent exchanges between Indian and Ukrainian officials, including meetings at multilateral forums such as the Raisina Dialogue.

India’s engagement with both Ukraine and Poland reflects its broader effort to maintain and expand ties with countries across Europe, even as it navigates its long-standing relationship with Russia.

The three-day visit is one of the more prominent recent instances of top-level Indian diplomatic engagement with Kyiv since the start of the ongoing conflict.

Jaishankar’s trip began with his arrival in Warsaw on September 2, where he was received by India’s Ambassador Neeta Bhushan at Chopin Airport.

In Poland, the EAM is set to hold talks with Deputy Prime Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, focused on enhancing bilateral relations between the two countries.

The visit will also provide an opportunity to exchange views on regional developments and issues of mutual interest between India and its European partners.

Photo of EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar, Wikimedia Commons, GODL-India

The JKNC will gherao BJP headquarters in Srinagar and Jammu today, deepening a political standoff between the two parties in Jammu and Kashmir.

The counter-move follows the BJP’s own announcement of a protest march towards the Civil Secretariat, targeting the NC-led state government.

JKNC’s demands include constitutional guarantees for the region, full statehood restoration, clearance of the pending reservation file, and Union Government accountability over commitments made in Parliament and before the Supreme Court.

The Srinagar gherao is scheduled for 10:00 am at Gindun Park near the Rajbagh police station, with a parallel protest set for Jammu.

Security has been tightened around BJP offices in both cities as authorities prepare for the day’s twin demonstrations.

The escalating standoff between the two parties reflects the broader post-statehood political tensions in Jammu and Kashmir, where governance is split between an elected NC-led administration and continued central oversight.

Both parties have described their planned actions as peaceful, though the scale of security deployment suggests authorities are treating the day’s twin protests as a significant flashpoint.

The JKNC has framed its gherao as an accountability exercise aimed squarely at the Union Government rather than at any local administrative failure.

Political observers have noted that simultaneous protests by two rival parties on the same day, each targeting the other’s offices or institutions, is a relatively unusual escalation even by the standards of Jammu and Kashmir’s often fraught politics.

The standoff comes against the backdrop of long-pending demands for the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, an issue that has repeatedly resurfaced in the region’s post-reorganisation political discourse.

The JKNC’s demands include constitutional guarantees for Jammu and Kashmir, restoration of full statehood, clearance of the pending reservation file and justice for people affected by past incidents in the region.

The Srinagar protest has been scheduled for 10:00 am at Gindun Park, near the Rajbagh police station, with a parallel demonstration planned in Jammu.

Photo of the J&K legislative assembly building, Srinagar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0