Daily Current Affairs

NITI Aayog released a report on achieving efficiencies in the MSME sector through scheme convergence. The report was prepared by Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI).

It analyses 18 centrally administered MSME schemes.

The Karnataka Cabinet approved the statewide rollout of the ‘Akka Pade’ scheme.

Key features:

• The programme will now cover all 31 districts and five police commissionerates
• It is a women- and community-oriented safety programme
• Aims to prevent violence, harassment, exploitation, and child marriage
• Initially launched as a pilot project in select districts

Law Minister HK Patil announced the expansion following successful outcomes. The initiative operates in collaboration with the Home Department.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) signed an MoU with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).

Focus areas:

• Multidisciplinary research, innovation, and capacity building in the dairy sector
• Combines ICAR’s scientific expertise with NDDB’s field-level experience
• Climate resilience, productivity enhancement, and value chain development
• Knowledge sharing, technology validation, and training programmes

The 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) commenced in New Delhi.

Key details:

• Over 60 Commonwealth countries and semi-autonomous Parliaments are participating
• Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is serving as the Conference Chairperson
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the event at Samvidhan Sadan
• Sessions will cover AI in Parliament, social media impact, and MPs’ well-being

Union Minister Chirag Paswan inaugurated the 9th edition of Indusfood 2026 at India Expo Centre and Mart, Greater Noida.

Key facts:

• Organised by the Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) under Ministry of Commerce and Industry
• Indusfood is Asia’s premier global food and beverage sourcing trade show
• Promotes Indian agri-exports, entrepreneurship, and international trade partnerships

Startup India completed 10 years since its launch in 2016. National Startup Day was celebrated on 16 January 2026.

Key milestones:

• Over two lakh startups have been recognised under the initiative
• Nearly half are from Tier II and III cities
• Women-led startups have shown strong growth over the decade

India Post delivered its first ONDC order on 15 January 2026.

Key details:

• The booking was made on 13 January and delivered within two days
• The Department acted as a logistics service provider on the network
• UdyamWell placed the inaugural order
• The Click and Book model was utilised for the transaction

Bharat Electricity Summit 2026 was announced for March 2026 at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi.

Key aspects:

• The summit will focus on the power sector and clean energy
• Global stakeholders are expected to participate
• Sessions will cover sustainability, buyer-seller meets, and investment opportunities

Female labour force participation rate (LFPR) reached the highest level of the year in December 2025.

Rural areas led the employment gains. Urban female unemployment declined, reflecting gradual labour market improvement.

Government e-Marketplace (GeM) completed seven years of its Womaniya Initiative.

Key achievements:

• The programme supports women-led MSEs in public procurement
• Over two lakh enterprises are now registered
• Orders worth more than ₹80,000 crore have been secured
• The initiative exceeded procurement targets

Kerala led personal EV adoption in India during 2025.

Key highlights:

• The state recorded the highest four-wheeler EV share
• Middle-class households installed personal charging infrastructure
• Kerala’s EV policy was launched in 2019
• Overall EV adoption matched Karnataka
• EV penetration ranked second after Delhi
• Two-wheelers boosted EV acceptance across the state

Andhra Pradesh will host the world’s largest green ammonia project at Kakinada.

Project details:

• AM Green will invest $10 billion in the project
• The project targets 1.5 MTPA capacity by 2030
• It will utilise large-scale renewable energy
• India’s first green ammonia exports are planned from this facility

Madhya Pradesh signed an MoU with the Digital India BHASHINI Division.

Key aspects:

• The agreement integrates multilingual AI tools into state platforms
• Signed at the AI Impact Conference 2026 in Bhopal
• The partnership supports voice-first governance
• Indian languages will power digital services and last-mile delivery

Germany has permitted visa-free transit for Indian passport holders.

Indians can now pass through German airports without a transit visa under specified conditions.

Yemen’s Prime Minister Salem bin Breik resigned in January 2026.

Key developments:

• The Presidential Leadership Council accepted his resignation
• Foreign Minister Shaya Mohsen Zindani was appointed as the new PM
• The change comes amid tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE
• UAE-backed separatists had advanced in southern Yemen

The US froze immigrant visa processing for 75 countries.

Key details:

• The policy takes effect from 21 January 2026
• Permanent visas are suspended; tourist visas are excluded
• Welfare concerns were cited as the reason
• No end date was announced for the suspension

Justice Revati Mohite Dere was sworn in as the first woman Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court.

Key details:

• The oath was administered by Meghalaya Governor Chandrashekhar H Vijayashankar
• The ceremony took place at Durbar Hall, Lok Bhavan, Shillong
• She succeeds Justice Soumen Sen

Justice Soumen Sen was sworn in as Chief Justice of Kerala High Court.

• The oath was administered by Governor Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar
• He assumed charge after the superannuation of Justice Nitin Madhukar Jamdar
• Justice Sen was previously the Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court

Meta appointed Dina Powell McCormick as President and Vice Chairman.

• She is a former adviser in the Trump administration
• McCormick is also a seasoned finance executive
• She had earlier served on Meta’s Board of Directors

MS Dhoni was named Goodwill Ambassador for Pune Grand Tour 2026.

Event details:

• The race will be held from 19 to 23 January 2026
• It is India’s first UCI 2.2 cycling event
• The race spans 437 kilometres
• Teams from 35 countries will participate

Google Research unveiled Project Suncatcher.

Key features:

• The project explores AI datacentres in low-Earth orbit (LEO) powered entirely by solar energy
• Aims to cut AI’s energy footprint using uninterrupted solar power
• Satellites fly in sun-synchronous orbits ensuring constant sunlight
• Uses radiation-tolerant TPUs and petabit-scale inter-satellite networking

Maharashtra’s State Election Commission decided to revert to traditional indelible ink.

The decision follows complaints that marker-pen ink could be wiped off.

Key facts about indelible ink:

• India began using indelible ink in 1962 (Third General Election)
• Manufactured exclusively by Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited
• Formula developed by National Physical Laboratory
• The ink is silver nitrate-based and creates a chemical stain lasting 2-4 weeks

Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) announced the Science Literature Awards 2024.

The awards recognise excellence in science writing in Malayalam. Each award carries ₹50,000, a plaque, and a certificate.

Indian-origin mathematician Nalini Joshi was named New South Wales’ Scientist of the Year.

Key facts:

• She is the first mathematician to receive the state’s highest science honour
• Joshi is a Professor and Chair of Applied Mathematics at University of Sydney
• She was the institution’s first woman Professor of Mathematics

Goa-based industrialist Shrinivas Dempo received Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia.

• It is one of Italy’s most respected civilian honours
• The award was presented by Walter Ferrara, Consul General of Italy in Mumbai
• Dempo serves as honorary vice consul of Italy in Goa

Major Swathi Shantha Kumar of the Indian Army won the UN Secretary-General’s Award 2025.

• The award was for her initiative “Equal Partners, Lasting Peace”
• She serves with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS)
• She contributed to strengthening gender parity and community engagement
• The award was conferred by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) received the Asia Best Employer Brand Award 2026.

• The award was presented at the Hong Kong Leadership Awards & CMO Asia Awards
• It recognises BSE’s people-first approach and employee empowerment

Biologist Toby Kiers won the Tyler Prize.

Research focus:

• She studied underground fungi and mycorrhizal networks
• Mycorrhizal networks connect plant roots and store carbon in soils
• Her research supports climate regulation and biodiversity conservation
• She created a global atlas revealing biodiversity gaps

Mitchell Starc won the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for December 2025.

Key achievements:

• He starred in the Ashes series where Australia won 4-1
• Starc took 31 wickets overall in the series
• He delivered a 10-wicket haul at Perth
• He also scored key half-centuries, earning Player of the Series honours

Laura Wolvaardt won the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for December 2025.

• She scored three centuries across T20I and ODI formats
• The matches were against Ireland
• South Africa won the series
• This is her second ICC Player of the Month award
• She beat Shafali Verma and Sune Luus to the honour

National Startup Day is observed on 16 January.

Key facts:

• The day marks 10 years of Startup India in 2026
• India has over two lakh recognised startups
• Nearly half are from Tier II and III cities
• Women-led startups have shown significant growth

CSIR-NIScPR marked its fifth Foundation Day in January 2026.

Key highlights:

• The institute highlighted science communication and policy research
• AI-based regional outreach was emphasised
• TKDL’s global role was showcased
• The SVASTIK portal was launched

Singer and actor Prashant Tamang (43) passed away due to cardiac arrest.

• He was the winner of Indian Idol Season 3
• He recently appeared as Daniel Lecho in Paatal Lok Season 2
• Born on 4 January 1983 in Darjeeling
• He belonged to a Nepali-speaking Gorkha family