Chandigarh: Chandigarh’s CBSE Class 12 pass percentage fell by 3.03% points this year. While medical and non-medical streams recorded a decline of more than eight and 10 percentage points respectively, the number of students scoring above 90% almost doubled.The UT recorded an overall pass percentage of 92.29% for Class XII in 2026, compared to 95.32% last year. At the national level, the CBSE pass percentage dropped from 88.39% to 85.20%.Data released by the Chandigarh education department for government senior secondary schools showed a similar trend. The overall pass percentage in government schools declined from 88.79% last year to 87.25% this year. Of the 10,255 students who appeared, 8,948 passed.The sharpest decline was recorded in the science stream.The pass percentage of the medical stream dropped from 93.25% in 2025 to 82.88% this year, showing a decline of 10.37 percentage points. Non-medical declined from 87.71% to 79.06%, while commerce fell from 92.05% to 88.92%.Humanities has emerged as the only mainstream stream to improve, with the pass percentage increasing to 87.94% from 86.50% last year. Skills courses recorded the best performance overall with 97.17%, better than last session’s 94.68%.The results come amid major changes in the CBSE evaluation process. This year, the board implemented ‘On Screen Marking’ (OSM) for Class XII answer sheets and expanded competency-based assessment under NEP-2020, with more focus on conceptual understanding and application-based questions rather than rote learning. Officials linked the nationwide decline in results to the strict evaluation pattern.Despite the decline in the overall passing percentage, the number of people scoring high marks increased rapidly.The number of students scoring 90% and above increased from 225 last year to 348 this year. Similarly, the number of those scoring above 95% almost doubled from 29 to 57.Two schools recorded a pass percentage above 95%, while 16 schools crossed the 90% mark.Girls once again performed better than boys. Among government school candidates, the passing percentage of girls was 90.55%, while the passing percentage of boys was 84.51%.The results point to a growing gap between streams in Chandigarh’s Class 12 performance this year. While science and commerce subjects saw a significant decline in the pass percentage under the strict assessment pattern, humanities and skills courses recorded improvement, even as the number of students scoring above 90% and 95% increased sharply despite the overall decline.

Gold is one of the safest forms of investment in the world as it acts as an insurance instrument against inflation, foreign exchange risk and political instability. It is very normal for a country to have some amount of gold in its foreign exchange reserves. Gold remains an extremely important component of a country’s financial strategy, and many countries do not have substantial gold reserves, according to data available in the first quarter of 2026. In terms of gold reserves, the United States tops the list, followed by Italy, China, India and Japan, which fall in the category of Europe and Asia. Countries like Poland, Türkiye, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are among the developing countries that continue to invest in gold as part of their diversification efforts.According to World Atlas and World Gold Council, it reflects not only strength in terms of economics but also effective management and strategic use of finance. The list below mentions the top 10 countries with gold on May 5, 2026.

list of countries with the most gold reserve 2026

World’s largest gold reserves by country

United States – 8,133.46 tonnes

The United States holds the largest reserves of gold in the world, enjoying a dominant presence in worldwide monetary supremacy. It has reserves of more than 8,000 tonnes of gold. This huge amount of gold is kept in secure safes like Fort Knox, New York Federal Reserve Bank and the like. Gold serves as a fundamental underpinning of the United States economy.

Italy – 2,451.84 tonnes

Italy is at second place in the list, which has gold reserves of more than 2,400 tonnes. Italy’s ranking is attributed to its history of accumulating gold rather than purchasing it. Italy makes very strategic use of its gold reserves to maintain its financial integrity in Europe. It serves as a protection for Italy despite any economic turmoil and the country’s high national debt.

China – 2,313.46 tonnes

China is committed to continuously increasing its gold reserves and by the first quarter of 2026 it had accumulated more than 2,300 tonnes of gold. One of the most active central banks in increasing its gold reserves in recent years has been the People’s Bank of China. The move is part of a broader effort to reduce dependence on the dominance of the US dollar and increase financial autonomy.

India – 880.52 tonnes

India ranks very high in the list of developing countries when it comes to gold reserve balance. In the year 2026, India had more than 880 tonnes of gold in its reserves. The Reserve Bank of India in its efforts to diversify its foreign exchange reserve balance has been continuously adding more and more gold to its gold reserve balance. Gold holds great importance in Indian culture and economics; Therefore, it is considered an asset in every sense. The growing Indian economy and high demand for gold imports into the country have made it increasingly important in terms of the precious metal.

Japan – 845.97 tonnes

Japan has huge reserves of gold, about 846 tons, even though Japan has one of the most sophisticated financial systems in the world. Gold reserves in Japan are mostly held for the purpose of instilling confidence in the system as the Japanese economy relies heavily on exports, meaning the country has huge foreign exchange reserves primarily denominated in foreign currencies, especially US dollars.

Poland – 581.64 tonnes

Poland can now be considered among the top countries that have rapidly increased their gold reserves in Europe. The country now claims more than 580 tonnes after increasing its gold reserve levels over the past few years. This is a result of the country’s effort to achieve some degree of self-reliance and ensure their financial stability. The National Bank of Poland is acquiring gold in an effort to reduce its dependence on foreign currency.

Turkey – 534.85 tons

Gold reserves in Türkiye exceed 534 tons, which shows that Türkiye takes a very flexible approach when managing reserves. Gold reserves in Türkiye have seen both increases and changes due to economic conditions and currency fluctuations. Gold is used by the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye as a stablecoin during inflation and foreign exchange challenges. What makes Türkiye’s gold policy extraordinary is that some of its gold is managed through commercial banking.

Uzbekistan – 415.54 tonnes

Uzbekistan can be considered one of the best examples of countries possessing gold in relation to its economic strength. With over 415 tonnes of gold in its reserves, strong domestic production helps Uzbekistan hold significant amounts of gold in its central banks. Gold has played an important role for Uzbekistan in maintaining financial stability and earning money through exports. Using gold as a means of increasing economic sovereignty and stabilizing its currency has been a smart move by the government.

Kazakhstan – 353.59 tonnes

Kazakhstan has gold reserves of over 353 tonnes, supported by its significant mining sector. The National Bank of Kazakhstan has historically followed a policy of hoarding domestically produced gold. This strategy helps the country maintain strong financial resilience while taking advantage of its natural resource base. Gold also plays an important role in protecting the economy from fluctuations in global commodity prices and external financial shocks. Kazakhstan’s position as a major gold producer ensures a stable supply that supports its long-term reserve strategy.

United Kingdom – 310.29 tonnes

The United Kingdom has gold reserves of about 310 tonnes, which is actually low considering its maximum quantity at any time in history. A large portion of the United Kingdom’s gold reserves are held in the vaults of the Bank of England, and these vaults also serve as a hub for gold trading globally. The United Kingdom reduced its gold reserves significantly during the early 2000s, but has kept them stable since then. London is still an important city when it comes to the international gold trade.

Nashik: Bird flu infection continues to spread in Navapur, with samples from two more poultry farms testing positive, prompting authorities to launch a fresh bird culling drive and expand surveillance beyond the already identified epicentres.Dr Sanjay Khachane, District Deputy Commissioner of Animal Husbandry Department, said the latest investigation indicated that the infection has spread outside the earlier prohibited areas.“The department had conducted surveillance of poultry farms beyond the centre, which included two different poultry farms. Samples from them were sent to the laboratory, where samples from two farms in different areas were found positive. This is the third group of farms, and both farms extend beyond the infected areas surrounding the first farms. This means the infection is still increasing,” he said.The authorities have now declared both the farms as new centers and have started re-survey of poultry units in the surrounding areas. Birds within the affected perimeter will be culled to prevent the spread.“Currently, the number of birds killed in both the farms is around 50,000. The survey will establish the exact number of birds killed in the farms,” ​​Khachane said.In the first outbreak, birds were culled at nine farms in the three epicentres. In the second phase, four farms from three epicenters were affected. In the latest instance, two new epicenters have emerged, indicating that the infection has spread beyond a 1 km radius of previously affected areas.Around 3.9 lakh birds have been culled so far, while 21.6 lakh eggs and 4.99 lakh tonnes of fodder have been destroyed by the rapid reaction teams engaged in containment efforts. The latest campaign to cull birds at newly identified farms will begin on Thursday as part of intensified measures to control the outbreak, officials said.Despite decline, Navapur remains an important food artery. Currently about 12 lakh layer birds lay an estimated 10 lakh eggs every day.