January 2026 Current Affairs

Maharashtra Deputy CM and NCP chief Ajit Pawar passed away aged 66 in a Learjet 45 crash at Baramati Airport on 28 January 2026.

Wikimedia Foundation signed strategic partnerships with Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Mistral AI and Perplexity for paid AI training access to Wikipedia content.

Jitin Prasada launched a new Aadhaar Application on UIDAI Day (28 January 2026) — a next-gen mobile app to carry, share and verify digital identity.

All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) signed an MoU with CAYEIT for digital health collaboration.

RBI granted final PA-CB authorisation to BRISKPE, the Prosus-backed cross-border payments platform.

Sagarmala Finance Corporation (SMFCL), India's first maritime-focused NBFC, commenced lending with Rs 4,300 crore worth of sanctioned loans.

India and Namibia signed an MoU on election management on the sidelines of IICDEM 2026.

India Ratings (Ind-Ra) projected India's FY27 GDP growth at 6.9%, lower than its 7.4% FY26 estimate.

Former Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the Indian Lighthouse Festival 3.0 as Chief Guest.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan made a one-day visit to India on 19 January 2026.

Sarbananda Sonowal launched Rs 235 crore worth of port projects and the e-Port Clearance Portal at Chennai Port and Kamarajar Port on 8 January 2026.

Indian Railways deployed its first humanoid robot 'ASC ARJUN' at Visakhapatnam Railway Station under the Railway Protection Force.

Indian Navy's First Training Squadron started Long-Range Training Deployment to Southeast Asia on 7 January 2026 with INS Tir, INS Shardul, INS Sujata and ICGS Sarathi.

Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya inaugurated 'Sanskaar Shaala' for children aged 4–14 at Lohia Lions Auditorium, Guwahati on 4 January 2026.

Retail inflation remained below RBI's 2% lower tolerance threshold for the 4th consecutive month.

Skydo received final RBI authorisation to operate as a Payment Aggregator–Cross Border (PA-CB) entity on 9 January 2026.

Slice SFB also launched a UPI-integrated credit card and digital fixed deposits offering up to 7.25% interest.

The 72nd Senior National Volleyball Championship mascots were 'Nandu' (Nandi bull) and 'Neera' (Ganga River Dolphin).

Two new rare ant fly species — Metadon ghorpadei and Metadon reemeri — were discovered in Delhi's Northern Ridge and Western Ghats' Siruvani Hills — first in over 100 years.

CCEA approved a 6-lane access-controlled Nashik–Solapur–Akkalkot Corridor (~374 km) in Maharashtra on BOT toll mode for Rs 19,142 crore.

ICAR signed an MoU with the National Dairy Development Board to collaborate on multidisciplinary research in the dairy sector.

PM Modi performed Bhoomi Pujan of the 86 km Kaziranga Elevated Corridor Project worth over Rs 6,950 crore at Kaliabor, Assam on 18 January 2026.

Singapore retained the most powerful passport in the world for the third time with access to 192 destinations.

GAIL signed a term sheet with J. M. Baxi Marine Services and Japan's K LINE for an LNG ship-owning company in Singapore.

Indian Army signed an agreement with USA's Shield AI for V-BAT VTOL drones, to be manufactured in India.

NDRF Raising Day on 19 January 2026 marked the 21st year of the National Disaster Response Force.

MeitY inaugurated supercomputing facility 'Param Shakti' at IIT Madras on 3 January 2026, powered by PARAM RUDRA with 3.1 petaflops peak performance.

Haryana finished 1st at KIWG 2026 ice phase with 4G/1S/2B; Ladakh was 2nd with 11 medals and Maharashtra 3rd with 7.

International Day of Education on 24 January 2026 carried the theme 'The Power of Youth in Co-Creating Education'.

Union Cabinet extended Atal Pension Yojana (APY) up to FY31 along with funding for promotional and developmental activities.

Each APY subscriber receives a guaranteed Central-backed pension of Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 per month after age 60.

Jyotiraditya Scindia laid the foundation stone for a Rs 450 crore Matabari Tourism Circuit project near Dumboor Lake in Tripura.

National Girl Child Day on 24 January 2026 marked the 19th observance.

TN unveiled India's first Deep-Tech Startup Policy 2025–26 (TNDTSP) at the 4th Umagine TN with a Rs 100 crore corpus for 100 startups over 5 years.

Lt Commanders Dilna K. and Roopa A of the Indian Navy received the Shaurya Chakra in 2026.

AYUSHEXCIL signed an MoU with Zepto to facilitate online access to Ayush medicines and wellness products.

India, the world's 3rd-largest tyre producer and consumer, generates 1.5–2 MT of waste tyres annually.

India celebrated its 77th Republic Day on 26 January 2026 under the theme '150 Years of Vande Mataram'.

Niryat Protsahan's first intervention provides interest subvention on pre- and post-shipment export credit; the second offers collateral support.

Department of Posts signed an MoU with SIDBI for Contact Point Verification of Informal Micro Enterprises on the Udyam Assist Platform.

Mark Tully was awarded the Padma Shri (1992) and Padma Bhushan (2005) in Literature and Education.

Phase I of Musi project covers 21 km out of a 55-km stretch from Osman Sagar/Himayatsagar to Bapu Ghat.

India became the world's largest rice producer in 2024-25 at 150.18 million tonnes, surpassing China's 145.28 MT.

Tamil Nadu launched 'Namma Arasu', a Meta-built WhatsApp e-governance service — TN became the 3rd state on this platform after AP and Odisha.

India is the world's 3rd-largest startup ecosystem.

VP C. P. Radhakrishnan released the Hindi edition of Dr. C. Palanivelu's autobiography 'Palanivelu GUTS' in New Delhi.

The 'Sankhyiki' mascot is a friendly citizen-centric character representing the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

Department of Posts signed an agreement with Stock Holding Services Limited to expand regulated capital market services on 27 January 2026.

World Day of War Orphans was observed on 6 January 2026; the first observance was on 6 January 1995.

NMCG's Executive Committee approved a project to protect breeding habitats of Indian Skimmer and other sandbar-nesting birds at its 68th meeting.

EbixCash's Buyforex received in-principle Payment Service Provider authorisation from IFSCA at GIFT-IFSC — the first AD-II group entity to do so.

Cabinet cleared widening and strengthening of NH-326 in Odisha from 68.6 km to 311.7 km at Rs 1,526.21 crore.

Azista Space's MoU portfolio with Gujarat is worth over Rs 500 crore for the private satellite manufacturing plant.

Ashwini Vaishnaw conferred the 70th Ati Vishisht Rail Seva Puraskar 2025 to 100 railway officials and 26 shields to top railway zones.

ILO's 'Employment and Social Trends 2026' projects global unemployment rate unchanged at 4.9% in 2026 — 186 million workers.

VP C. P. Radhakrishnan released 'Chalice of Ambrosia: Ram Janmabhoomi-Challenge and Response' by Dr. Surendra Kumar Pachauri on 20 January 2026.

Padma Bhushan awardee and former world No. 1 Saina Nehwal retired from competitive badminton after a 21-year career.

Former Indian hockey Olympian and Major Dhyan Chand Awardee Davinder Singh Garcha passed away aged 73 in Jalandhar.

6th Khelo India Winter Games 2026 ice sports phase ended in Leh on 26 January 2026 with Haryana topping the medal tally.

Former Rajya Sabha MP and Kerala Congress (M) leader Thomas Kuthiravattam passed away aged 80 in Alappuzha.

Japan's FM Toshimitsu Motegi visited India 15–17 January 2026; the 18th India–Japan Strategic Dialogue was held.

Piramal Finance secured USD 350 million from IFC and ADB — its first borrowing from Development Finance Institutions with a 5-year maturity.

The Piprahwa Buddhist relics' repatriation was finalised on 30 July 2025 through a first-of-its-kind PPP between the Ministry of Culture and Godrej Industries.

World Hindi Day is observed globally on 10 January, distinct from India's Hindi Diwas observed on 14 September.

SMFCL allocated Rs 4,000 crore for a Greenfield Port Project as part of port-led development.

Choice Wealth secured a contract from India Post Payments Bank to launch a digital investment platform across IPPB's network.

Fintech firm ZET secured NPCI approval to operate as a Third-Party Application Provider (TPAP) for UPI on RuPay credit cards.

CDS General Anil Chauhan released the Military Quantum Mission Policy Framework on 22 January 2026, built on four pillars including quantum communication and computing.

Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor was named Director General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

PM Modi laid the foundation for an innovation and entrepreneurship hub at CSIR-NIIST in Thiruvananthapuram.

Canara Bank became the first bank to implement NBSL's plugin-based UPI solution.

American biologist Dr. Toby Kiers won the 2026 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement ('Nobel for the Environment') with a USD 250,000 cash prize.

L&T signed a contract with the Indian Army's EME to overhaul, upgrade and support the Pinaka MLRS.

TRAI approved RANext Technologies as a Digital Connectivity Rating Agency (DCRA).

Galgotias University inaugurated the IIT Mandi Catalyst Satellite Centre at its Greater Noida campus.

Justice Mahesh Sharadchandra Sonak was appointed Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court under Article 217(1).

Kerala's tableau 'Water Metro & 100% Digital Literacy' took 3rd place in the State/UT category at the 77th Republic Day Parade.

SWM Rules, 2026 mandate Refuse-Derived Fuel use by cement and waste-to-energy plants to rise from 5% to 15% over six years.

ESIC extended its SPREE 2025 employer-registration window till 31 January 2026 — without past liabilities.

NITI Aayog's Export Preparedness Index 2024: Maharashtra (68.01) topped large states, Tamil Nadu (64.41) was 2nd and Gujarat (64.02) 3rd.

Australia Women's captain Alyssa Healy announced retirement from all cricket formats; she has 8 World Cup titles (6 T20 and 2 ODI).

Oscar-winning composer M. M. Keeravani composed a special piece for the 77th Republic Day Parade marking 150 years of Vande Mataram.

Nominal GDP growth for FY26 was projected at 8% — well below FY25's record 10.4%.

Martyrs' Day on 30 January 2026 marked the 78th death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Veteran BBC broadcaster Sir William Mark Tully — known as 'Voice of India' — passed away aged 90 in New Delhi.

Bio-bitumen with 15% blending could save India ~Rs 4,500 crore in foreign exchange.

The National Primary Standard Facility for Solar Cell Calibration at CSIR-NPL — the world's fifth — was built with Germany's PTB.

NITI Aayog launched the 5th edition of 'Trade Watch Quarterly' for Q1 FY26 with focus on India's automotive exports.

Praveen Vashista was appointed Vigilance Commissioner in the Central Vigilance Commission on 16 January 2026.

India Post discontinued certain outward international letter mail services from 1 January 2026; Blind Literature and M-bags continue under UPU rules.

MIB, the Principal Scientific Adviser and Netflix launched 'Inspiring Innovators – Naye Bharat Ki Nayi Pehchaan', featuring 8 short animated films on 8 Indian start-ups.

IP 2026 added 121 new monographs (total 3,340), including 20 monographs for blood components under the Drugs and Cosmetics (Second Amendment) Rules, 2020.

Karnataka's Gruha Lakshmi Scheme pays Rs 2,000 a month to women heads of eligible households.

Cumulative ECMS approvals reached 46 projects worth Rs 56,567 crore after the 3rd tranche.

Cement production is projected to rise from 391 MT (2023) to ~2,100 MT by 2070; aluminium from 4 MT to 37 MT.

Former World Billiards Champion Manoj Kothari passed away aged 67 in Tirunelveli; he was Major Dhyan Chand awardee (2005).

Sunita Williams was conferred the Padma Bhushan in 2008 in the field of Science and Engineering.

The Composite Salary Account offers personal accident cover up to Rs 1.5 crore, air-accident cover up to Rs 2 crore and term insurance up to Rs 20 lakh.

China topped the AMI 2026; Malaysia was 2nd and Vietnam 3rd.

Rakesh Aggarwal was appointed Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Australia's University of New South Wales (UNSW) will set up a Bengaluru campus at Manyata Tech Park by August 2026.

MYAS notified the National Sports Governance (NSB) Rules, 2026 under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025.

National Startup Day on 16 January 2026 marked 10 years of Start-up India; DPIIT-recognised startups grew from 500 in 2014 to over 2 lakh by December 2025.

6th ASEAN-India Digital Ministers' Meeting was hosted virtually by Vietnam under the theme 'Adaptive ASEAN: From Connectivity to Connected Intelligence'.

Lucknow became UP's first 'Zero Fresh Waste Dump' city after achieving 100% scientific processing of municipal solid waste under SBM-Urban.

Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board signed an MoU with FICCI-FLO to establish a Women Entrepreneurs' Industrial Park.

RBI cancelled the Certificate of Registration of 35 NBFCs for regulatory non-compliance from 9–31 December 2025.

Government e-Marketplace marked seven years of the 'Womaniya Initiative'; over 2 lakh women-led MSEs have secured public procurement orders exceeding Rs 80,000 crore.

MoSPI unveiled a new logo and mascot 'Sankhyiki' on 1 January 2026 in New Delhi.

Union Minister J. P. Nadda launched an Integrated e-Bill system on 1 January 2026 to digitally process fertilizer subsidies worth about Rs 2 lakh crore.

Major Swathi was recognised for her project 'Equal Partners, Lasting Peace' with UNMISS in South Sudan.

SBI's Ecowrap projected India's FY26 GDP growth at 7.5% with an upward bias, above the NSO's 7.4% advance estimate.

DAP subsidy was raised to Rs 29,805 per metric tonne (up from Rs 21,911) for Rabi 2024-25 to shield farmers from price volatility.

IRDAI reconstituted its Reinsurance Advisory Committee for three years; A. V. Girija Kumar of Oriental Insurance is the new chairman.

Ganesh Lakshminarayanan, former Airtel Business executive, was named MD & CEO of Tata Communications.

NITI Aayog signed a Statement of Intent with NIIT Foundation to advance digital literacy and financial inclusion across Aspirational Blocks.

India and UAE agreed to expand the CEPA, targeting bilateral trade of USD 200+ billion by 2032.

The 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards were held on 11 January 2026 at the Beverly Hilton, California; hosted by Nikki Glaser.

PM Modi inaugurated the International Kite Festival 2026 at Sabarmati Riverfront with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as Chief Guest.

India was ranked 16th globally on the inaugural Responsible Nations Index (RNI) 2026 with a score of 0.551513, launched by Ram Nath Kovind.

Moody's Ratings projected India's FY26 GDP at a robust 7.3%, up from 6.5% in FY25.

Tejas LCA's maiden flight was flown by Wing Commander Rajiv Kothiyal in Technology Demonstrator-1 from HAL Bengaluru on 4 January 2001.

Goa signed an MoU with Starlink India to leverage satellite-based broadband for connectivity and disaster resilience.

Indian Army declared 2026 as the 'Year of Networking & Data Centricity' under COAS General Upendra Dwivedi.

Coromandel International signed an MoU with IIT Madras to set up a Corporate Research Centre at IIT-M Research Park.

GoI launched a Rs 4,531 crore Market Access Support (MAS) Scheme for exporters spanning FY26–FY31 under the Rs 25,060 crore Export Promotion Mission.

President Droupadi Murmu launched initiatives under SOAR (Skilling for AI Readiness) at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre on 1 January 2026.

Of the 184 new crop varieties — ICAR developed 60, state and central agricultural universities 62, and private seed companies 62.

Under the new FEMA rules, banks must upload exporter-submitted EDF details into EDMPS within 5 working days.

Indian Army launched 'Radio Sangam' community radio station at Keri village in Rajouri, J&K on 2 January 2026 — the first along the LoC.

Amit Shah inaugurated development projects worth over Rs 629 crore in Mansa Municipality, Gujarat, covering sports, civic, BSL-4 and heritage works.

Assam launched a financial assistance scheme paying Rs 1,500 per month to about 620 Udasin Bhakats.

MoD announced 77th Republic Day Parade winners: Indian Navy was Best Marching Contingent; Maharashtra won Best Tableau for 'Ganeshotsav'.

Indian Railways completed a 100-metre 'Make in India' steel bridge over a metro tunnel on the Kalupur-Shahpur stretch for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train.

Paysharp received the PA-Physical licence from RBI; it had earlier received PA-Online in August 2024.

The 2 January 2026 launch was SpaceX's first mission of 2026 and the first orbital rocket launch globally for the year.

MoPR unveiled PANCHAM (Panchayat Assistance and Messaging Chatbot), the 2024-25 PESA State Rankings and the 17th Gramoday Sankalp magazine on 25 January 2026.

Small Savings Scheme rates were unchanged for Q4FY26 — the 8th consecutive quarter of no revision since Q4FY24.

Veteran BJP leader and former Union MoS Kabindra Purkayastha passed away aged 94 in Silchar on 7 January 2026.

GoI notified 'Coking Coal' as a critical and strategic mineral under the MMDR Act, 1957.

NSO data showed India's retail CPI inflation climbed to a 3-month high of 1.33% in December 2025, from 0.71% in November 2025.

India and Japan launched an AI Dialogue led by Foreign Ministers and agreed to convene a Joint Working Group on critical minerals in early 2026.

Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation launched 'Jal Seva Aankalan', a GP-led digital drinking-water assessment tool on the JJM portal.

Bank of Baroda secured RBI in-principle approval to switch its Bank Primary Dealer business to a wholly-owned subsidiary for Standalone PD operations.

Dr. Jitendra Singh announced 200 Automatic Weather Stations across Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Pune (50 each) under Mission Mausam Phase II.

Olympic medallist boxer Vijender Singh was appointed a member of the Asian Boxing Council.

PSLV-C62 carried EOS-N1 'Anvesha' and 15 co-passenger satellites from the First Launch Pad at SDSC Sriharikota.

Nitin Gadkari announced India became the world's first country to commercially produce bio-bitumen at the CSIR 'From Farm Residue to Roads' event on 7 January 2026.

Pralhad Joshi launched the Beta Version of the BIS Integrated Standardisation portal on 6 January 2026, on BIS's 79th Foundation Day.

Dr. Chandrakant Lahariya, former WHO staff, won the Wiley Research Heroes Prize 2025 'Impact Beyond Academia' — first Indian to receive it.

Two bamboo sector projects with combined outlay of Rs 82.5 crore were launched in Guwahati under MDoNER.

TN's TAPS requires employee contribution of 10% of basic pay, with the state bearing the full additional liability.

Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar was elected new President of the Olympic Council of Asia in Tashkent.

16 other NBFCs voluntarily surrendered their CoR to RBI for strategic and operational reasons.

Japan and South Korea shared 2nd position in the 2026 Henley Passport Index with access to 188 destinations.

NASA's Hubble Telescope discovered the first starless gas cloud 'Cloud-9' — a Reionization-Limited HI Cloud (RELHIC).

Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurated Asia's first and the world's second pollution-monitoring National Environmental Standard Laboratory at CSIR-NPL on 5 January 2026.

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana completed 11 years on 22 January 2026; 4.53 crore accounts hold over Rs 3.33 lakh crore in deposits.

MoF notified a revised tax framework for 'sin goods' effective 1 February 2026 — pan masala, cigarettes and other tobacco at 40% GST; biris at 18%.

OPSA and Observer Research Foundation launched the inaugural Raisina Science Diplomacy Initiative (SDI), to be held 5–7 March 2026 in New Delhi.

A Smart and Integrated Fishing Harbour was approved for Mayabunder in A&N Islands with Rs 199.24 crore outlay under PMMSY.

PM Modi flagged off Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Metro Rail Project Phase 2's final stretch from Mahatma Mandir Metro Station on 11 January 2026.

Lav Aggarwal was appointed Director General of DGFT under MoC&I, succeeding Ajay Bhadoo who held additional charge.

PM Modi inaugurated the 'Grand International Exposition of Sacred Piprahwa Relics' at Rai Pithora Cultural Complex on 3 January 2026.

Indian Army and HAL laid the foundation for HAL's Helicopter MRO Hub at Missamari, Assam.

Khelo India Beach Games 2026 mascot was 'Pearl', a dolphin, symbolising the host UT of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.

Rajasthan launched 'Raj-UNNATI' — a state PRAGATI-style digital governance platform — making it the first state to replicate the model regionally.

The EU became India's 22nd FTA partner; AYUSH was included for the first time, allowing Indian practitioners services in EU member states.

Ministry of Culture won Best Tableau (Central Ministries) at R-Day 2026 for 'Vande Mataram: The Soul Cry of a Nation'.

IMF's WEO ('Global Economy: Steady amid Divergent Forces') revised India's FY26 forecast up to 7.3% from 6.6% (October 2025).

President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated 'Granth Kutir' at Rashtrapati Bhavan — housing about 2,300 books and 50 rare manuscripts.

Technology Development Board signed an MoU with Vijai Marine Services for the 'Smart Sea by VACE' project — a 20-passenger electric boat.

Ministry of Women and Child Development launched the integrated CSR portal 'PANKHUDI' on 8 January 2026.

Axis Finance launched the 'Axis Finance Vyapar Business Loan' for MSEs — collateral-free credit up to Rs 10 lakh.

Sandeep Bakshi was reappointed MD & CEO of ICICI Bank Limited for two more years, from 4 October 2026 to 3 October 2028.

NPS Swasthya allows non-government subscribers above 40 years to transfer up to 30% of their CSA contributions into the scheme.

Goa CM Pramod Sawant launched the 2nd edition of 'History That India Ignored' by ANI Chairman Prem Prakash in Panaji.

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) campaign completed 11 years on 22 January 2026; PM Modi launched it on 22 January 2015 from Panipat.

Dharmendra Singh Deol (Arts, Maharashtra) and V. S. Achuthanandan (Public Affairs, Kerala) received the Padma Vibhushan posthumously.

PM Modi virtually inaugurated the 72nd National Volleyball Tournament (Senior National Championship) at Sampurnanand Stadium, Varanasi on 4 January 2026.

National Voters' Day on 25 January 2026 marked 76 years of ECI's service with the theme 'My India, My Vote — Citizen at the Heart of Indian Democracy'.

Indian Army placed a Rs 168 crore order with NewSpace Research & Technologies for the solar-powered MAPSS UAV.

Pakistan Air Force conducted a flight test of the indigenous Taimoor Air-Launched Cruise Missile from a Mirage IIIE during a live-trial exercise.

Razorpay POS received the Payment Aggregator–Physical licence from RBI.

Earth's Rotation Day on 8 January 2026 marked the 175th anniversary of Léon Foucault's pendulum demonstration of 1851.

Womaniya orders make up 4.7% of GeM's total order value — well above the 3% mandated procurement target.

PFRDA constituted a 15-member high-level expert committee chaired by M. S. Sahoo to draft a framework for assured payouts under NPS.

India's fish production rose from 96 lakh tonnes (2013-14) to 197.75 lakh tonnes (2024-25).

Kerala FM K. N. Balagopal presented an FY27 budget of about Rs 2.40 lakh crore — up over 25% from the FY26 revised estimate of Rs 1.92 lakh crore.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited India 12–13 January 2026, his first official visit to India and the Asian region.

Discovery of 'Calamaria mizoramensis' took the global Calamaria count to 70 and Mizoram's herpetofauna to 169 species.

President Murmu also inaugurated an IGNOU Regional & Skill Centre at Rairangpur in tribal-dominated northern Odisha.

UNGA declared 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists at its 76th session in New York.

World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day on 30 January 2026 carried the theme 'Unite. Act. Eliminate' — its 7th observance.

Visakhapatnam Port got Rs 230 crore worth of new project foundations including LPG berth fire-fighting upgrade, ORS Dry Dock and a new AOB.

MoEFCC notified Greenhouse Gas Emission Intensity targets for 4 new sectors — petroleum refineries, petrochemicals, textiles and secondary aluminium — covering 208 entities under CCTS.

GoI imposed a definitive 3-year safeguard duty on non-alloy and alloy steel flat product imports via Notification No. 02/2025-Customs (SG).

India has an estimated 37.37 billion tonnes of coking coal resources, mainly in Jharkhand.

Indian Railways electrified 69,427 RKMs — about 99.2% — of its broad-gauge network of 70,001 RKMs by November 2025.

Indian Skimmer (Rynchops albicollis) conservation work in the Ganga Basin was inaugurated by Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Patil in Dehradun.

Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat were 'Aspirants' in PESA Ranking 2024-25; Odisha and Jharkhand were 'Beginners'.

Magnus Carlsen won his 9th World Blitz title in the Open; Bibisara Assaubayeva of Kazakhstan won the Women's Blitz title.

Receivables Exchange of India (RXIL) became India's first TReDS platform to declare an interim dividend — at 21.6% of face value.

Kerala's FY27 budget earmarks Rs 14,500 crore for social-security pensioners and new community programmes.

HPCL commissioned the world's first and largest Liquid Conversion–Maximum (LC-Max) Residue Upgradation Facility at its Visakh Refinery on 5 January 2026.

Foundation stone for India's first integrated private satellite plant 'Palmnaro' was laid by Azista Space at Khoraaj Industrial Estate, Sanand, Gujarat.

Union MoS Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani launched the 'Land Stack' portal in pilot locations Chandigarh and Tamil Nadu under DILRMP.

MoEFCC declared 0–1 km around Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary (Aravalli Range, Rajasthan) as an Eco-Sensitive Zone.

Randhir Singh ended his tenure as President of the Olympic Council of Asia due to health reasons.

Cloud-9 results were published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters and presented at the 247th American Astronomical Society meeting in Phoenix.

J. P. Nadda released the 10th edition of Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP 2026) on 2 January at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.

SEBI notified phased net-worth requirements for existing Merchant Bankers — Category-I MBs must maintain Rs 25 crore by 2 January 2027 and Rs 50 crore by 2 January 2028.

Tripura Gramin Bank became the first RRB in India to introduce a solar-powered mobile ATM van, 'TGB on Wheels'.

The BRICS India 2026 logo is inspired by the lotus, and the official site is brics2026.gov.in.

SBI signed an MoU with the Tamil Nadu government to extend enhanced Corporate Salary Package benefits for state PSU employees.

Assam Petro-Chemicals signed an MoU with Deendayal Port Authority for a 150 TPD e-Methanol plant at Kandla Port, Gujarat.

Khawaja scored his first Ashes century (171 runs) at SCG against England in 2018.

Praveen Kumar was named Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF).

Justice Revati Mohite-Dere was sworn in as the first woman Chief Justice of Meghalaya HC at Shillong's Lok Bhavan.

HDFC Bank integrated the Digital Rupee (e₹) CBDC into its SmartGateway merchant payment platform with zero transaction cost.

National Youth Day on 12 January 2026 marked the 163rd birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

DRDO's Defence Laboratory Jodhpur developed the portable seawater desalination system 'SWaDeS' for soldiers, available in manual and engine-driven variants.

Ecologist Padma Bhushan awardee Madhav Dhananjaya Gadgil passed away aged 83 in Pune on 8 January 2026.

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang was awarded the 2026 IEEE Medal of Honor with a USD 2 million cash prize on 6 January 2026.

Tamilnad Mercantile Bank tied up with TechFini to strengthen UPI acquiring and issuing capabilities.

World Bank approved Rs 5,700 crore for Haryana's 'Jal Sanrakshit Haryana Project' to be disbursed in phases through 2026–2032.

Visakhapatnam hosted the 3rd Indian Lighthouse Festival 3.0 on 9–10 January 2026 at MGM Park, organised by MoPSW and DGLL.

Major Swathi Shantha Kumar of the Indian Army received the UN Secretary-General's Award 2025 in the Gender Category.

PM Modi launched the PM SVANidhi Credit Card on 23 January 2026 in Thiruvananthapuram — a UPI-linked interest-free revolving credit facility for street vendors.

Parakram Diwas on 23 January 2026 marked the 129th birth anniversary of Subhash Chandra Bose.

TN CM M. K. Stalin announced the 'Tamil Nadu Assured Pension Scheme' (TAPS) providing OPS-equivalent retirement benefits.

Adani Defence & Aerospace signed an MoU with Brazil's Embraer on 27 January 2026 to develop aircraft manufacturing and aviation services in India.

NITI Aayog projected end-of-life vehicles to nearly double from 23 million (2025) to 50 million (2030).

Indian Air Force commemorated the 25th anniversary of Tejas LCA's first flight on 4 January 2026.

India became the 3rd Asian country, after Japan and South Korea, to sign the India-EU Security and Defence Partnership (SDP).

Two MSME Technology Centres were approved in Pandoga (Una) and Parwanoo (Solan) districts of Himachal Pradesh at ~Rs 10 crore each.

VP C. P. Radhakrishnan visited Puducherry, Kerala and TN from 29-30 December 2025 — his first VP visit to Puducherry.

Italy's COSMO-SkyMed CSG-FM3 Earth observation satellite was launched by SpaceX's Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base on 2 January 2026.

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann launched the 'Mukhya Mantri Sehat Yojana' on 22 January 2026 — universal free cashless cover up to Rs 10 lakh per family.

India and Germany signed 19 MoUs and Joint Declarations during Chancellor Merz's visit.

Ida Liu was appointed CEO of HSBC Private Bank effective 5 January 2026, succeeding Gabriel Castello.

Indian Army signed a Rs 293 crore Emergency Procurement deal with NIBE Limited for the Suryastra rocket launcher system.

PFRDA launched the 'NPS Swasthya Pension Scheme' as a Proof of Concept under its Regulatory Sandbox framework.

Digital India BHASHINI signed an MoU with the Government of Madhya Pradesh at the Regional AI Impact Conference 2026 in Bhopal.

India overtook Japan to become the world's 4th largest economy with GDP at USD 4.18 trillion.

Albinder Singh Dhindsa, CEO of Blinkit, was named CEO and Key Managerial Personnel of Eternal Limited from 1 February 2026.

NITI Aayog launched 'Sampoornata Abhiyan 2.0' running 28 January to 14 April 2026 across Aspirational Blocks and Districts.

Dina Powell McCormick was named President and Vice Chairman of Meta Platforms on 12 January 2026.

Inland Waterways Development Council's 3rd meeting (IWDC 3.0) was held in Kochi on 23 January 2026 under Sarbananda Sonowal.

National Siddha Day is observed on the birth anniversary of Sage Agathiyar; 6 January 2026 marked the 9th observance with theme 'Siddha for Global Health'.

Google pledged Rs 85 crore (~USD 10 million) to Wadhwani AI for integration of AI tools into SWAYAM and POSHAN Tracker.

Afghanistan ranked last in the Henley Passport Index 2026 with access to only 24 countries — a 168-country gap.

Digital India BHASHINI signed an MoU with Survey of India to digitise and standardise place names (toponyms) using AI speech tech.

Slice Small Finance Bank launched a Digital Savings Account linked to 100% of RBI's repo rate — a first in India.

Maharashtra ranked 'Front Runner' in the PESA Ranking 2024-25; MP, HP and Rajasthan were 'Performers'.

Indian mountaineer Aritra Roy summited Mount Aconcagua (6,967.15 m) in Argentina — the 4th of his Seven Summits challenge.

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana completed 9 years on 1 January 2026; PMMVY pays Rs 5,000 for the first child and Rs 6,000 for a second girl child.

GeM signed an MoU with MVIRDC World Trade Centre Mumbai to expand MSME participation in public procurement.

WEF's 21st Global Risks Report 2026 lists geoeconomic confrontation, state-based conflict, extreme weather, social protection gaps and misinformation as top risks.

Air India and Singapore Airlines signed a commercial cooperation framework spanning their 61-destination codeshare network in 20 countries.

IICDEM 2026 closed with the unanimous adoption of the 'Delhi Declaration 2026' on 23 January.

Morgan Stanley projected India's FY26 real GDP growth at 7.6% YoY — 20 bps above NSO.

Singapore topped the RNI 2026 with 0.61945; Switzerland (0.58692) and Denmark (0.58372) followed.

86th All India Presiding Officers' Conference (AIPOC 2026) was held in Lucknow (19–21 January) under the theme 'Strong Legislature-Prosperous Nation'.

ICICI Bank launched the Capital Gains Account Scheme (CGAS) 1988 on 1 January 2026 with Type A savings and Type B fixed-tenure deposit variants.

Zoological Survey of India discovered a rare new caecilian species 'Gegeneophis valmiki' in the northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra.

Indian Army Day (Bhartiya Sena Diwas) on 15 January 2026 marked the 78th IA Day.

Pakistan-born Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja retired from international cricket after the fifth Ashes Test at SCG Sydney — his 88th Test.

Indian Coast Guard's ADG Donny Michael received AVSM; DIG K. S. Sitaram received VSM in the 2026 ICG honours list.

Karnataka launched the 'Gruha Lakshmi Digital Marketing' portal under DWCD at Karmani Utsav-2026 in Bengaluru.

Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) opened 8th Batch enrolment for the Post Graduate Insolvency Programme (PGIP) and signed an MoU with IIIPI–ICAI.

Indian Railways Finance Corporation (IRFC) was awarded the 'Excellent' rating by the Department of Public Enterprises for FY25 — its 5th consecutive year.

India and Pakistan exchanged Nuclear Installations and Facilities lists for the 35th consecutive time on 1 January 2026.

Suryastra hits targets at 150–300 km with CEP <5 m using high-mobility 'shoot-and-scoot' tactics.

Mission Shakti — an integrated umbrella scheme (2021–26) — received Rs 3,150 crore in the Union Budget 2025-26.

UIDAI unveiled the Aadhaar mascot 'Udai' on 8 January 2026 in Thiruvananthapuram, designed by Arun Gokul from Thrissur.

Kaamya Karthikeyan (18) of Mumbai became the youngest Indian and second-youngest woman globally to ski to the South Pole on 27 December 2025.

MP CM Mohan Yadav launched 'Swachh Jal Abhiyan' — Phase I 10 Jan–28 Feb 2026; Phase II 1 March–31 May 2026.

MIB set up a Live Events Development Cell (LEDC) to push India as a global concert and live-entertainment destination by 2030.

Rajiv Ranjan Singh inaugurated India's first commercial-scale tropical trout farm and an SGA Research Institute with a RAS facility in Ranga Reddy, Telangana.

Indian Navy initiated establishment of a new naval base at Haldia, West Bengal to support FICs and NWJFACs in the Bay of Bengal.

MP Governor Mangubhai Patel declared 2026 as the state's 'Year of Agriculture' under the theme 'Prosperous Farmers, Prosperous State' on 77th Republic Day.

USA's WHO withdrawal completed the one-year notification process initiated by Executive Order 14155 signed on 20 January 2025.

Ministry of Agriculture set up a high-level committee to review Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) in Tamil Nadu.

Dharmendra Pradhan released 55 scholarly literary works in classical Indian languages including Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Odia and Tamil on 6 January 2026.

Karnataka Bank enabled e-Receipts on its net banking via the Karnataka government's Khajane-2 system.

Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) was conferred the Asia Best Employer Brand Award 2026 at Hong Kong Leadership Awards & CMO Asia Awards.

Uttarakhand Police topped the Inter-Operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) 2.0 rankings 2026 with a score of 93.46; Haryana Police was 2nd at 93.41.

NSO's 9th PLFS Monthly Bulletin (December 2025) showed Unemployment Rate at 4.8% — stable from 4.7% in November 2025.

NSO's First Advance Estimates pegged India's FY26 Real GDP growth at 7.4% — up from 6.5% in FY25.

The DFS launched a 'Composite Salary Account Package for Central Government Employees' across all PSBs covering Groups A, B and C.

Q4FY26 rates: PPF 7.1%, SSY 8.2%, SCSS 8.2%, NSC 7.7%, KVP 7.5% (115-month maturity).

UN-DESA's WESP 2026 projected India's CY26 GDP growth at 6.6%; India remains the fastest-growing major economy.

MSDE signed an MoU with the WEF to establish a Skills Accelerator in India.

Reliance Industries and ONGC signed a resource-sharing agreement at India Energy Week 2026 in Goa covering KG Basin and Andaman offshore blocks.

Indian Olympic Association launched the National Olympic Education and Development Programme (NOEDP) and reactivated the National Olympic Academy on 12 January 2026.

India retained the 6th rank among 11 Asian countries in the Asia Manufacturing Index 2026 by Dezan Shira & Associates.

Manohar Lal inaugurated a Centre of Excellence for Regulatory Affairs in the Power Sector at IIT Delhi on 20 January 2026.

Four new lighthouses were announced along National Waterway-2 (Brahmaputra) at Bogibeel, Silghat, Pandu and Biswanathghat.

Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference 2026 in Rajkot saw 5,492 MoUs worth Rs 5.78 lakh crore (~USD 70 billion) signed.

Indian Army launched 'Depot Integration Management Edition (DIME)' digital logistics platform on 8 January 2026, reducing 70% of manual paperwork.

Indian Army conducted India's first Military–Civil Fusion exercise 'Sanjha Shakti' at Diggi Range, Khadki, Pune on 8–9 January 2026.

Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad's Telugu book 'Agni Sarassulo Vikasinchina Kamalam Droupadi Murmu' on the President's life was released at Andhra University.

ONGC and Mitsui OSK Lines formed two JVs — Bharat Ethane One and Bharat Ethane Two — registered in GIFT City, Gujarat, for ethane shipping.

India's target under PNG Drive 2.0 is to lift natural gas to 15% of the primary energy basket by 2030.

Bombay Natural History Society and NMCG jointly launched a project to safeguard breeding habitats of the Endangered Indian Skimmer in the Ganga Basin.

IMD celebrated its 151st Foundation Day on 15 January 2026 at Mausam Bhawan, New Delhi.

S. Jaishankar launched the 'IITM Global Research Foundation' at IIT-Madras, marking the institute's bid to be the world's first multinational university.

PM Modi visited Gujarat 10–12 January 2026 — participated in Somnath Swabhiman Parv, opened Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference, and inaugurated IKF 2026.

ISRO successfully conducted a static ground test of the enhanced 3rd stage (SS3) of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) at SDSC Sriharikota on 30 December 2025.

Jayant Chaudhary announced India's first AI-enabled state university pilot at Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, UP.

Indian Army granted a supply order to Tata Advanced Systems for overhaul-cum-upgradation of Pinaka MLRS and Battery Command Posts.

Vidarbha won its maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy (2025-26) title by defeating Saurashtra by 38 runs in the final at the BCCI CoE, Bengaluru.

SBI Life launched 'Smart Platina Advantage', a non-linked guaranteed savings life insurance plan.

28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) was held in New Delhi (14–16 January 2026); chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

COAS General Upendra Dwivedi launched 'Red Lines Redrawn: Operation Sindoor and India's New Normal' at India International Centre on 22 January 2026.

RBI granted in-principle PA-CB approval to Payoneer India Private Limited, a subsidiary of USA-based Payoneer Global.

DARPG released the 32nd NeSDA Way Forward Monthly Report; 24,090 e-services are now provided across States and UTs.

Visakh Refinery capacity expanded from 8.33 MMTPA to 15 MMTPA under the Rs 31,407 crore VRMP.

A new reed snake species 'Calamaria mizoramensis' was discovered in Mizoram by scientists from Mizoram University with collaborators in Russia, Germany and Vietnam.

DGFT launched two interventions worth Rs 7,295 crore under the Export Promotion Mission's Niryat Protsahan sub-scheme to boost MSME exports.

India and Israel signed a Joint Ministerial Declaration of Intent in fisheries and aquaculture; Rajiv Ranjan Singh attended Sea the Future 2026 in Eilat.

National Road Safety Week was observed from 11–17 January 2026 — the 37th edition.

TN's iTNT signed a Letter of Intent with Germany's XeedQ GmbH to launch India's first state-backed quantum computing programme.

Pixxel-led Allied Orbits consortium signed an agreement with IN-SPACe to design and operate India's first private national Earth Observation satellite constellation.

Magnus Carlsen won the 2025 FIDE World Rapid Championship (Open) — his 6th title; Aleksandra Goryachkina won the Women's Rapid maiden title.

International Customs Day on 26 January 2026 marked 73 years since the first CCC (WCO) meeting in 1953; theme — 'Customs protecting society through vigilance and commitment'.

81-year-old incumbent Yoweri Museveni won Uganda's presidential election with 71.65% of the vote, securing a seventh term (2026–2031).

Among smaller states in EPI 2024 — Uttarakhand (52.07) topped, J&K (51.08) was 2nd and Nagaland (46.42) was 3rd.

Akasa Air became the 5th Indian member of IATA, after Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo and SpiceJet.

Former East Bengal football defender Ilyas Pasha passed away aged 61 in Bengaluru on 22 January 2026.

Major Arshdeep Singh (1 Assam Rifles), Naib Subedar Doleshwar Subba (2 Para SF) and Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair received the Kirti Chakra.

RBI cleared Punjab & Sind Bank to open a branch at IFSC GIFT City in Gandhinagar, Gujarat on 29 January 2026.

ECI hosted the inaugural India International Conference on Democracy and Election Management (IICDEM 2026) at Bharat Mandapam (21–23 January 2026).

Shaea Muhssin Mohammed Al-Zindani was appointed the new Prime Minister of Yemen on 15 January 2026; he succeeded Salem bin Braik.

PayG received RBI approval to operate as both PA-Physical and PA-Cross Border, completing its full PA licence suite.

PM Modi flagged off India's first Vande Bharat Sleeper Train between Howrah and Guwahati (Kamakhya) from Malda Town station on 17 January 2026.

RBI recognised the Foreign Exchange Dealers' Association of India (FEDAI) as a Self-Regulatory Organisation for Authorised Dealers.

Federal Bank unveiled 'The Fortuna Wave', a refreshed brand identity with three wave elements — authenticity, togetherness and prosperity.

Jyotiraditya Scindia announced two new India Post products — Speed Post 24 (24-hour) and Speed Post 48 (48-hour) — at Pichor in Shivpuri, MP.

Ministry of Textiles extended the PLI Scheme application deadline to 31 March 2026; the scheme has a Rs 10,683 crore outlay (FY22–FY26).

RBI gave in-principle approval to Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) to set up a wholly owned subsidiary in India.

Arijit Basu was appointed Additional Director and Part-time Chairman of IndusInd Bank from 31 January 2026; he succeeded Sunil Mehta.

Karthikeyan Manickam, former Executive Director of Bank of India, was appointed Chairman of ESAF Small Finance Bank from 2 January 2026.

Vijender Singh won India's first Olympic boxing medal — bronze — at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Bhupender Yadav launched the second nationwide range-wide riverine and estuarine dolphin estimation under Project Dolphin, flagged off from Bijnor, UP.

Amit Shah inaugurated the NIDMS (National IED Data Management System) of NSG at Manesar, Gurugram, Haryana.

Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta was appointed Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court; he succeeded Justice G. Narendra after 9 January 2026.

MoD signed a Rs 1,896 crore contract with Italy's WASS Submarine Systems for 48 Heavy Weight Torpedoes for Kalvari-class submarines under P-75.

GoI established National Shipbuilding & Heavy Industries Park (NSHIP) — a 50:50 SPV between V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority and SIPCOT — to develop a mega cluster at Thoothukudi.

The 17th edition of the trilateral Coast Guard exercise 'DOSTI 17' began in Male, Maldives, with India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives (17–19 January 2026).

Bharat Forge signed an MoU with Germany's Agile Robots S.E. in Pune to collaborate on AI-driven industrial automation and 'dark' factories.

DFS launched 'Paripoorna Mediclaim Ayush Bima' for CGHS beneficiaries with sum-insured options of Rs 10 lakh or Rs 20 lakh.

Two new slender-armed frog species — Leptobrachium somani and L. mechuka — were discovered in Arunachal Pradesh by University of Delhi scientists.

India-Pakistan Taimoor Air-Launched Cruise Missile, deployed from a Mirage IIIE, has a range of about 600 km.

Numbeo Safety Index 2026 named Mangaluru (Karnataka) India's safest city, ranked 46th globally with a score of 74.4.

UNEP's 'State of Finances for Nature 2025' notes USD 30 is spent on nature-harming activities for every USD 1 invested in nature protection.

SEBI mandated NISM Series-III-C certification for AIF compliance officers effective 1 January 2027.

DRDO successfully conducted a salvo launch of two Pralay missiles at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, Odisha.

IndiaAI Mission signed an MoU with UPDESCO to set up 65 Data and AI Labs across Uttar Pradesh.

GoI selected 5 companies including Kirloskar Pneumatic, Indo Asia Copper and Godrej & Boyce in the 4th round of the PLI scheme for white goods with Rs 863 crore investment.

Bharat Forge's aerospace division secured Rs 300 crore EP-VI contracts for indigenous unmanned systems for the Indian Army and Navy.

IREDA secured an 'Excellent' rating with a score of 96.42 out of 100 in its FY25 MoU performance with MNRE.

Golden Globes 2026 introduced a new 'Best Podcast' category for the first time.

RBI's Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (RB-IOS) 2026 supersedes the 2021 framework and comes into effect from 1 July 2026.

S. Jaishankar unveiled the logo, theme and website of India's BRICS Chairship 2026; theme — 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability'.

Asian Games gold medallist runner Jinson Johnson retired from competitive middle-distance running on 7 January 2026.

Spain and India unveiled the logo for the India-Spain Dual Year of Culture, Tourism and AI commemorating 70 years of diplomatic ties.

India's non-fossil-fuel electricity capacity reached 266.78 GW in 2025 — a 22.6% jump over 2024.

Karnataka cabinet under CM Siddaramaiah approved the 'Akka Pade' (Elder Sister Force) scheme to protect women, minor girls and children.

Real GVA was estimated at Rs 184.50 lakh crore in FY26, vs Rs 171.87 lakh crore in FY25 — a 7.3% growth.

Deepinder Goyal resigned as Director, MD and CEO of Eternal Limited (parent of Zomato and Blinkit) with effect from 1 February 2026.

MoD signed a Rs 2,770 crore contract with Bharat Forge and Adani-IWI JV PLR Systems for over 4.25 lakh battle carbines.

RBI's new FEMA Export–Import Regulations, 2026 take effect from 1 October 2026, superseding the 2015 regulations.

Rabindra Kumar Agarwal was appointed Chairman and Managing Director of Food Corporation of India.

Aaryan Varshney (21) from Delhi became India's 92nd Chess Grandmaster after winning the 16th Andranik Margaryan Memorial in Armenia.

Andhra Pradesh Cabinet approved a greenfield airport at Dagadarthi in Nellore — set to be the state's 8th airport.

Western Railways commissioned the indigenous Kavach 4.0 on a 96-km Bajwa–Ahmedabad section covering 17 stations.

Veteran Congress leader and former Union MoS Suresh Kalmadi passed away aged 81 in Pune on 6 January 2026.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla handed over chairmanship of the next CSPOC to Sir Lindsay Hoyle of the UK House of Commons.

Union Cabinet on 21 January 2026 approved a Rs 5,000 crore equity infusion into SIDBI to widen MSME credit, to be released across FY26–FY28.

Tamil Nadu CM M. K. Stalin signed an MoU with UN Women to strengthen gender-responsive governance and SDG 5 alignment.

RBI Ombudsmen/Deputy Ombudsmen are appointed for a period of three years at a time under RB-IOS 2026.

GAIL and PNGRB joined the '#NonStopZindagi' campaign under National PNG Drive 2.0 running 1 January–31 March 2026.

Hardeep Singh Ahluwalia took charge as interim MD & CEO of Canara Bank from 1 January 2026, succeeding K. Satyanarayana Raju.

CJI Surya Kant virtually inaugurated India's first fully paperless district court in Kalpetta, Wayanad, Kerala on 6 January 2026.

Bombay Natural History Society signed a 5-year MoU with Jharkhand's Chief Wildlife Warden to conserve critically endangered vultures.

BSNL and USA's Viasat tied up to support Indian Navy's SatCom upgrade via Viasat Ka-band and BSNL L-band integration.

India is projected to surpass Germany and become the world's third-largest economy within 2.5–3 years, with GDP near USD 7.3 trillion by 2030.

The Good Samaritan Scheme 'Rah-Veer' pays Rs 25,000 per Golden Hour rescue (up to 5 times a year) with a Certificate of Appreciation.

Assam launched the 'Mukhya Mantrir Eti Koli Duti Paat Scheme' giving Rs 5,000 one-time payment to over 6 lakh tea garden workers, marking 200 years of Assam's tea industry.

World Bank's Global Economic Prospects (January 2026) raised India's FY26 forecast to 7.2% from 6.3% (June 2025).

Henley Passport Index 2026 ranked India 80th globally (up from 85), with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 55 destinations.

Brand Finance Global 500 2026: Infosys was the world's 3rd most valuable IT Services brand at USD 16.4 billion with a BSI score of 86.8.

Infosys posted a 15% Compound Annual Growth Rate in brand value over the past six years.

National Tourism Day is observed on 25 January each year in India.

Arjun Erigaisi (India) and Fabiano Caruana (USA) shared bronze at the 2025 FIDE World Blitz Open section.

Indian scientists from JNCASR, Bengaluru developed the first-ever supercomputer-powered simulation to model the Mpemba effect.

Kota Ravi was appointed CMD of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited on 29 January 2026; he succeeds D. K. Sunil.

Microsoft introduced its second-generation in-house AI processor 'Maia 200' along with new AI-focused software tools.

INS Sagardhwani was flagged off from Southern Naval Command, Kochi for the fifth Sagar Maitri (SM-5) initiative under DRDO's NPOL.

Former BCCI President Inderjit Singh Bindra passed away aged 84 in New Delhi; he led the Punjab Cricket Association from 1978 to 2014.

The USA withdrew from 66 international bodies on 7 January 2026 including the India-led International Solar Alliance, IRENA, IPCC and IUCN.

Sikkim Police was conferred the President's Police Colour (Nishaan) — Sikkim became the 15th state and 3rd in the North East to receive it.

Simplilearn partnered the IndiaAI Mission to host 'YUVA AI for ALL' aimed at AI literacy for 10 million citizens.

Telecommunication Engineering Centre signed an MoU with IIT Kanpur on 6G, AI/ML in telecom and Non-Terrestrial Networks.

IDFC FIRST Bank launched the 'Zero-Forex Diamond Reserve Credit Card' with travel insurance up to Rs 1 crore air-accident cover.

Bulgaria adopted the Euro as its official currency from 1 January 2026 at an irrevocable rate of 1 EUR = 1.95583 BGN.

Indian Railways will implement '52 weeks, 52 reforms' across customer service, maintenance and quality management in 2026.

Ashika Group received SEBI in-principle approval on 31 December 2025 to sponsor Ashika Mutual Fund.

Department of Posts signed MoUs with MoRD's DAY-NRLM and MoAFW on 7 January 2026 to set up a national logistics mechanism for rural citizens.

Abhishek Dev's tenure as Chairman of APEDA was extended by a year by ACC, effective from 8 February 2026.

Rajnath Singh inaugurated a Medium Calibre 30 mm Ammunition Manufacturing Facility at Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited (SDAL) in Nagpur.

MoD signed Rs 4,666 crore worth of defence procurement contracts for CQB Carbines (Army) and Heavy Weight Torpedoes (Navy).

The USA formally withdrew from the World Health Organization on 22 January 2026, ending a 78-year membership.

Air India and airBaltic signed a unilateral codeshare deal to strengthen connectivity between India and the Baltic region via European hubs.

MAS Scheme mandates a minimum of 35% MSME participation, with trade delegations sized at 50 or more.

Qingdao (China) topped Numbeo Safety Index 2026 globally with 89.2; Abu Dhabi was 2nd at 88.9 and Doha 3rd at 84.5.

Andre De Grasse (Canada) was named International Event Ambassador for the 21st Tata Mumbai Marathon scheduled for 18 January 2026.

RBI issued operational guidelines for interest subvention on pre/post-shipment export credit under EPM-Niryat Protsahan.

World Bank also approved a USD 815 million package for Bhutan's 1,125 MW Dorjilung Hydropower Project.

TN's Sovereign AI Park will get an initial investment of Rs 10,000 crore and generate over 1,000 deep-tech jobs.

ULPIN — also known as 'Bhu-Aadhaar' — assigns each land parcel a 14-digit alphanumeric code based on its geographic coordinates.

Of India's electrified broad-gauge route, 46,900 RKMs were electrified between 2014 and 2025.

Government of Tamil Nadu signed an MoU with Sarvam AI on 13 January 2026 to establish India's first full-stack Sovereign AI Park in Chennai.

DSIR removed the 3-year existence condition for deep-tech startups seeking Rs 1 crore IRDPP support, announced on its 42nd Foundation Day.

ADB granted in-principle approval for a Rs 4,100 crore (USD 500 million) loan to Telangana for Phase-I of the Musi Riverfront Development Project.

AYUSH was formally recognised in the India-Oman CEPA and the India-New Zealand FTA.

The '#SkillTheNation Challenge' is a nationwide AI skilling programme under SOAR, run by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

FDI inflows into India jumped 73% to USD 47 billion in 2025, per UNCTAD's Global Investment Trends Monitor.

Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque took oath as the 24th Chief Justice of Sikkim HC; he succeeded Justice Biswanath Somadder.

International Day of Clean Energy on 26 January 2026 carried the theme 'Clean Energy for People and Planet'.

MoEFCC notified the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 on 28 January 2026, effective from 1 April 2026, superseding SWM Rules, 2016.

Under the new rules, NSBs must include at least 4 Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit in the General Body, at least 50% women.

IITM Pune-led scientists developed indigenously manufactured 3D-printed Automatic Weather Stations under Mission Mausam.

World Braille Day is observed on 4 January — January 2026 marked the 8th observance and Louis Braille's 217th birth anniversary.

WaveX (under MIB) signed an MoU with FITT, IIT Delhi to accelerate media technology entrepreneurship.

NITI Aayog released 'Achieving Efficiencies in MSME Sector through Convergence of Schemes' citing 18 overlapping MoMSME schemes.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Antonio Luis Santos da Costa were Chief Guests for India's 77th Republic Day.

Five Indian films — Kantara: Chapter 1, Tanvi The Great, Mahavatar Narsimha, Tourist Family and Sister Midnight — qualified for Best Picture at the 98th Academy Awards.

56th annual WEF meeting was held 19–23 January 2026 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland under the theme 'A Spirit of Dialogue'.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan released 184 new crop varieties across 25 crops in New Delhi on 4 January 2026.

PFRDA's Strategic Asset Allocation and Risk Governance (SAARG) Committee is chaired by Narayan Ramachandran, former CEO of Morgan Stanley India.

Cochin University researchers discovered a new microscopic copepod 'Indiaphonte bijoyi' in the Kavaratti lagoon, Lakshadweep, published in Zootaxa.

World Bank approved USD 286 million for the West Bengal Health System Reform Program (WBHSRP) covering 90 million people.

Uttarakhand signed an MoU with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police to launch 'Swasth Seema Abhiyan' across 108 border villages.

President Murmu approved 2026 Gallantry awards for 70 Armed Forces and CAPF personnel, including 17 peacetime gallantry decorations.

MPATGM is ~1.3 m long, 120 mm in diameter and weighs 14.5 kg; CLU weighs 14.25 kg.

Karnataka topped the 2nd Khelo India Beach Games 2026 at Ghoghla Beach, Diu with 11 medals (3G/2S/6B); TN was 2nd and Manipur 3rd.

Paul Thomas Anderson's 'One Battle After Another' won 4 Golden Globes including Best Picture (Musical or Comedy) and Best Director.

Suresh Kalmadi served as MoS for Railways from 1995 to 1996 and represented Pune in the Lok Sabha multiple times.

Global trade in goods and services grew ~2.5% QoQ in Q1 FY26, driven by developing economies and South-South trade.

India and the EU signed 13 key agreements during the summit, covering trade, security, defence, mobility, clean energy and disaster management.

Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams retired on 27 December 2025 after a 27-year career.

ISRO's PSLV-C62 mission experienced a critical anomaly at the end of its 3rd stage on 12 January 2026 — its second consecutive setback after PSLV-C61.

Indian Army signed an MoU with IISc Bengaluru on 23 January 2026 to jointly develop an indigenous AI defence system.

ONGC signed an MoU with the National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation for Rs 28 crore CSR support to 144 Eklavya Model Residential Schools.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (NRI Day) is observed biennially on 9 January; the 19th convention is scheduled for 2027.

Assam launched the 'Atal Vichal Agragami Assam' scheme — Rs 25,000 per month for research scholars, Rs 40,000 for Divyang scholars.

British-Indian comedian and actress Meera Syal was awarded a Damehood (DBE) in King Charles III's New Year Honours List 2026.

Odisha and Meghalaya signed an MoU on 20 January 2026 to collaborate on Early Childhood Care, Education and Development (ECCED).

Delhi Police was named Best Marching Contingent among CAPFs at the 77th Republic Day Parade.

Financial Software and Systems (FSS) became the first payments company across India, ME, APAC and SA to receive ISO/IEC 42001 AI certification.

President Murmu approved Jeevan Raksha Padak Series Awards-2025 for 30 individuals across three categories — 6 of them posthumous.

Armed Forces Veterans' Day on 14 January 2026 marked the 10th observance honouring Army, Navy and Air Force veterans.

An Indian Sign Language interpretation of the Tirukkural was part of the 55 classical literary releases.

DRDO's scramjet combustor operated for over 12 minutes, validating sustained supersonic combustion for hypersonic flight beyond Mach 5.

DRDO successfully test-fired the Third-Generation Man-Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) at KK Ranges, Ahilya Nagar on 12 January 2026.

BIS signed MoUs with IIIT-Dharwad, IIT Palakkad and NIT Arunachal Pradesh to expand academia partnerships.

India's e-waste is projected to grow from 6.19 MMT to 14 MMT by 2030, per NITI Aayog's circular economy report.

53% of Chief Economists expect global economic conditions to weaken in 2026, per the WEF Chief Economists' Outlook — January 2026.

GoI revoked the Quality Control Order on Flux Cored Solder Wire, removing the mandatory BIS certification requirement.

Indian Army announced the creation of 'Bhairav', a modern warfare force with over 1 lakh drone operatives; ~15 Bhairav battalions are already raised.

AP CM N. Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation for the world's largest green hydrogen and ammonia plant at Kakinada — USD 10 billion (Rs 84,000 crore), capacity 1.5 MTPA.

IREDA's GIFT City subsidiary IGGEFIL sanctioned its inaugural USD 22.5 million international green loan to Swarna Solar for a 100 MW Zambia solar project.

DRDO celebrated its 68th Foundation Day on 1 January 2026; DAC and SPB accorded 22 AoNs worth ~Rs 1.30 lakh crore.

Spain FM Jose Manuel Albares visited India on 21 January 2026 and presented Spain's 'Declaration of Accession' to the IPOI.

Office of CGCA linked its SAMPANN pension system with the UMANG platform for nearly 4 lakh DoT pensioners on 21 January 2026.

A. K. Balasubrahmanian was appointed Chairman of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board for three years, succeeding D. K. Shukla.

Nutrient-Based Subsidy rates for Rabi 2025-26: Rs 43.02/kg N, Rs 47.96/kg P, Rs 2.38/kg K and Rs 2.87/kg S.

India de-licensed the lower 6 GHz band (5925–6425 MHz) for Wi-Fi services from 21 January 2026, enabling Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7.

Union Budget FY26 allocated Rs 2,465 crore to PMMSY, with a record total budgetary support of Rs 2,703.67 crore for fisheries.

DRDO conducted a long-duration ground test of its full-scale, actively cooled scramjet engine on 9 January 2026 at the SCPT facility, Hyderabad.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day was observed on 27 January 2026 under the theme 'Holocaust Remembrance for Dignity and Human Rights'.

Innoviti Technologies received its RBI Certificate of Authorization to operate as a Payment Aggregator on 13 January 2026.

Canara Bank partnered NPCI BHIM Services Limited to integrate UPI into its 'Canara ai1Pe' banking app.

NITI Aayog released decarbonisation roadmaps for cement, aluminium and MSMEs aligned with India's Net Zero by 2070 goal.

Indian Army and HDFC Bank renewed their financial-services MoU for three more years till 2029, including Rs 5 lakh support for army-family child education and girl marriage.

MoSPI operationalised 'PAIMANA' — a web portal for monitoring Central Sector Infrastructure Projects worth Rs 150 crore and above, replacing OCMS-2006.

RBI raised the SPD Standing Liquidity Facility limit from Rs 10,000 crore to Rs 15,000 crore effective 2 April 2025.

Article 326 of the Constitution provides the right to vote in India.

RBI released final guidelines relaxing risk-weight norms for NBFCs in infrastructure financing, applicable from 1 April 2026.

Indian Railways has implemented Kavach on over 2,200 route kilometres so far.

Padma Awards 2026: 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri (total 131) were announced on 25 January 2026.

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (IAF) was awarded the Ashoka Chakra for becoming the first Indian to visit the International Space Station.

MeitY approved 22 additional ECMS proposals worth Rs 41,863 crore in the 3rd tranche on 2 January 2026.

BISAG-N signed an MoU with QNu Labs on 28 January 2026 to develop quantum-resilient cybersecurity, integrating 'Vedic Kavach' with quantum hardware.

IITM Global will be initially set up in the USA, Dubai, Malaysia and Germany under its four-pillar global strategy.