📊 Index & Rankings
NITI Aayog released the 4th edition of Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2024.
| Rank | Large State |
|---|---|
| 1 | Maharashtra |
| 2 | Tamil Nadu |
| 3 | Gujarat |
| 4 | Uttar Pradesh (Top Landlocked) |
Among small states, Uttarakhand ranked first, followed by J&K and Nagaland.
The index is structured around four pillars:
- Export Infrastructure
- Business Ecosystem
- Policy & Governance
- Export Performance
The index covers 13 sub-pillars and 70 indicators. India’s FY 2023-24 exports hit a record ₹65 lakh crore.
The World Bank released the Global Economic Prospects 2026 report.
Key findings:
- The 2020s remain on track to be the weakest decade for global growth since the 1960s
- Global economic growth is projected to ease to 2.6% in 2026 from 2.7% in 2025
The report highlights persistent challenges in the global economy with subdued growth expectations.
The Henley Passport Index 2026 was released, ranking passports by visa-free access.
| Rank | Country | Destinations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore | 192 |
| 2 | Japan & South Korea (tied) | – |
| 82 | India | 55 |
| 101 | Afghanistan (Last) | 24 |
The index relies on IATA data to measure passport strength globally.
The Berkeley Earth Annual Temperature Report 2025 reports that 2025 became the warmest La Niña year on record.
Key findings:
- Global annual average temperature anomaly reached +1.44°C
- 2025 ranked as the 3rd warmest year globally
- About 9.1% of Earth’s surface recorded its highest annual average temperature
- 770 million people (8.5% of global population) experienced record warm temperatures
- The last 11 years include all 11 warmest years in the instrumental record
La Niña is the cool phase of ENSO, marked by cooler-than-normal Pacific sea temperatures.
The ILO released ‘World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2026’.
Key projections for 2026:
- Global unemployment projected at 4.9%, affecting about 186 million people
- Jobs gap projected at 408 million, showing hidden labour underutilisation
- Around 284 million workers still live in extreme poverty (below $3/day)
- Informal employment projected at 2.1 billion workers
- Youth unemployment rose to 12.4% in 2025
Women are 24.2 percentage points less likely than men to be in the labour force.
The UNDRR released ‘The Invisible Costs of Wildfire Disasters in 2025’.
Global findings:
- Global wildfire damages exceed $250 billion, while insurance coverage is only $40 billion
- Wildfires consumed about 390 million hectares globally in 2025
- Wildfires caused 75% of forest loss in UNESCO World Heritage sites
- Global wildfire events released over 8 billion tonnes of CO₂ in 2024-25
Annual economic cost of forest fires in India: $21 billion. India ranks first globally for infrastructure exposed to wildfires ($44 billion at risk). 15 million Indians were affected during the 2024-25 fire season.
🇮🇳 National News
The Finance Ministry launched Paripoorna Mediclaim Ayush Bima in January 2026.
Key features:
- Designed for CGHS (Central Government Health Scheme) beneficiaries
- Offers hospitalisation coverage ranging from ₹10 lakh to ₹20 lakh
- Policy is optional and retail-based with flexible co-payment options
- Premiums are significantly discounted for government employees
- New India Assurance provides the insurance coverage
- Includes defined room rent limits and claim-free bonuses
The initiative aims to strengthen healthcare security for government employees.
India attracted $51 billion in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in six months, reflecting strong global investor confidence in the Indian economy.
Startups and manufacturing sectors are the key drivers of this investment.
Upcoming initiatives:
- National Startup Day will be celebrated on 16 January
- 75 Grand Challenges will be launched along with 20 startup awards
Manufacturing is increasingly becoming innovation-led with close corporate-startup collaboration. Digital India continues to support youth-driven economic growth.
The Kerala Legislative Assembly passed the Malayalam Language Bill, 2025.
Key provisions:
- Seeks to replace Kerala’s English-Malayalam bilingual system with Malayalam as the sole official language
- Malayalam mandated as compulsory first language in government and aided schools up to Class X
- All State Bills and Ordinances must be drafted in Malayalam
- Products manufactured or sold in Kerala must carry labels in Malayalam
Karnataka opposed the Bill, arguing it violates Articles 29 and 30 protecting linguistic minorities.
The Bill allows Tamil, Kannada, Tulu, and Konkani speakers to communicate with government in their mother tongues in designated areas.
The Supreme Court issued directions to ensure effective implementation of Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE Act, 2009.
The section mandates 25% free admission in private unaided schools for EWS (Economically Weaker Sections).
Key directives:
- States/UTs to frame subordinate legislation under Section 38 for neighbourhood schools
- Rules to be prepared in consultation with NCPCR, State Commissions for Child Rights, and Advisory Councils
- Court suggested dedicated online portals and three-language information for better implementation
The RTE Act has been effectively implemented only in 16 States/UTs. Delhi had 3,506 vacant EWS seats out of 33,212 in 2025-26.
The Ministry of Rural Development launched the National Campaign on Entrepreneurship under DAY-NRLM.
DAY-NRLM (Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission) was launched in 2011.
Campaign targets:
- Training 50,000 Community Resource Persons (CRPs) as enterprise promoters
- Providing EDP training to 50 lakh women SHG members nationwide
- Supporting the target to create 3 crore ‘Lakhpati Didis’ (women earning ₹1 lakh+ annually)
The campaign builds on the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) to accelerate inclusive non-farm rural enterprise development.
💼 Business & Economy
The Reserve Bank of India has proposed changes to rules governing banks’ foreign exchange positions.
Key aspects:
- The proposal aims to better manage currency-related risks
- It follows a comprehensive review of existing norms
- The changes seek to align India’s banking regulations with global standards
These changes are important for financial stability amid volatile global currency movements.
Karnataka Bank won the IBA Banking Technology Award 2026.
Achievements:
- Topped the Best Fintech and DPI Adoption category
- Secured runner-up position for tech talent
- Received special mentions in digital banking
The recognition reflects strong fintech integration and customer-centric digital solutions. DPI (Digital Public Infrastructure) adoption strengthened efficiency and inclusion.
The RBI has recognised FEDAI as a Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO) for the foreign exchange market.
FEDAI (Foreign Exchange Dealers’ Association of India) has long been guiding authorized dealers.
The decision formalizes FEDAI’s role and aims to bring greater uniformity, discipline, and transparency in forex operations. This strengthens oversight in the foreign exchange market across the banking system.
RBI issued new grievance redressal norms in January 2026.
Key requirements:
- Banks must automate complaint systems for seamless grievance handling
- Unresolved complaints must be automatically transferred to Internal Ombudsman (IO)
- IO reviews partially resolved or rejected cases
- Final decision must reach customers within 30 days
- Board-level oversight is strengthened and management overruling is restricted
Eligible NBFCs are also covered under the new norms.
India’s exports to China rose to $19.75 billion in 2025, with export growth of $5.5 billion recorded during the year.
However, Chinese exports to India increased faster.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Trade Deficit | $116.12 billion (Record) |
| Bilateral Trade | $155.62 billion |
Marine products and spices gained ground in Indian exports.
Import dependence on China remains high, creating economic imbalance.
The World Bank raised India’s GDP growth forecast to 7.2% for FY 2025-26.
Key factors:
- Strong domestic demand
- Tax reforms improved household incomes
- Rural consumption remained resilient
- The services sector stayed robust
Growth may slow to 6.5% in FY27. US tariffs remain a risk but exports are expected to stay resilient.
India remains the fastest-growing major economy.
India’s retail inflation fell to a 12-year low of 2.2% in 2025.
Food prices entered deflation (-0.2%) for the first time since 2014.
Deflation is a persistent fall in the general price level (negative inflation). Major causes include weak aggregate demand or productivity-led oversupply. Policy measures to address deflation include expansionary monetary and fiscal policies.
🌐 International News
External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar formally launched India’s BRICS 2026 Chairship. The official logo, theme, and website were unveiled.
This is India’s first BRICS leadership in its expanded 10-nation configuration.
18th BRICS Summit Theme: ‘Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability’
BRICS Members:
- Original: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa
- Joined 2024: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE
- Indonesia became the first Southeast Asian country in BRICS in 2025
Expanded BRICS+ accounts for 50% of global population and 40% of global GDP (PPP).
👔 Appointments
TVS Supply Chain Solutions appointed Vikas Chadha as Global CEO.
- Appointment effective from 22 January 2026
- Follows a structured succession plan
- Managing Director Ravi Viswanathan will retire in FY 2026-27
- Chadha brings global leadership experience
Key appointments in border security forces:
| Name | Position | Batch | Tenure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor | DG of ITBP | 1990 IPS | Till Oct 2026 |
| Praveen Kumar | DG of BSF | 1993 IPS | Till Sep 2030 |
Praveen Kumar (incumbent ITBP chief) was named DG of BSF. The appointments strengthen leadership of key border forces.
Rakesh Aggarwal was appointed DG of NIA (National Investigation Agency).
- 1994-batch IPS officer from Himachal Pradesh cadre
- Tenure lasts till August 2028
- Earlier served as Special DG of NIA
🔬 Science & Technology
Karan Fries is a synthetic cow breed developed at NDRI Karnal.
Key features:
- Combines Holstein Friesian and Tharparkar cattle
- Average milk yield is 3,550 kg per lactation
- Productivity is higher than indigenous breeds
- The breed was officially registered by ICAR
- Haryana farmers are adopting it
Climate resilience is a key advantage of this breed, making it suitable for Indian conditions.
Ultracold atoms are enabling the world’s most precise atomic clocks.
Key concepts:
- These are atoms cooled to a few billionths of a degree above absolute zero (-273.15°C)
- At such temperatures, atoms behave like overlapping waves, making quantum effects visible
- Laser cooling is used to slow down atoms
Applications include atomic clocks, GPS timing, internet synchronisation, and gravity sensors.
Cooling and trapping atoms using laser light won the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics.
The Miyawaki method was developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki in the 1970s.
Key features:
- A method for creating dense forests in limited spaces
- Trees are planted close together to accelerate growth
- Competition for sunlight makes trees grow more vertically
- Plants grow 10 times faster with this technique
- Emphasises planting native species only
After 2-3 years, Miyawaki forests become self-sustaining, requiring minimal maintenance.
The 78th Indian Army Day parade was held in Jaipur.
Key highlights:
- This is the first time the main event was held outside a military cantonment
- Traditionally, the parade was at Cariappa Parade Ground in Delhi Cantonment until 2023
- The newly raised Bhairav Battalion made its first public appearance
- Modern weapons and drones were displayed
Theme 2026: ‘Year of Networking and Data Centricity’
Army Day marks when K.M. Cariappa became the first Indian Commander-in-Chief in 1949.
📅 Important Days
Indian Army Day is observed annually on 15 January.
The day marks the appointment of General K.M. Cariappa as the first Indian Army Chief in 1949. He succeeded Sir Francis Roy Bucher, the last British Commander-in-Chief.
The day honours the sacrifice and bravery of soldiers.
‘Year of Networking and Data Centricity’
Thai Pongal 2026 was celebrated on 15 January.
It is the main day of the four-day Pongal festival.
Key aspects:
- The festival thanks the Sun God and marks the harvest season
- The Pongal dish is cooked ceremonially
- Homes are decorated with kolam (rangoli)
- Cattle are honoured on Mattu Pongal
The festival reflects India’s agrarian culture and gratitude towards nature.
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