NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Karnataka Cabinet Approves Statewide Rollout of ‘Akka
Pade’ Scheme to Prevent Atrocities Against Women and Minors: The Karnataka Cabinet has
approved the statewide rollout of
the ‘Akka Pade’ scheme across all 31 districts and five police
commissionerates in collaboration with the Home Department.Akka Pade is a
women- and community-oriented safety programme aimed at preventing violence,
harassment, exploitation, and social evils such as child marriage.Initially
implemented on a pilot basis in select districts, the scheme is being expanded
statewide after successful outcomes, as announced by Law and Parliamentary
Affairs Minister HK Patil.
2. ICAR and NDDB Sign MoU to Strengthen Research,
Innovation, and Capacity Building in India’s Dairy Sector: The Indian Council of
Agricultural Research (ICAR) signed an MoU with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to strengthen
collaboration in multidisciplinary research, innovation, and capacity building
across the dairy sector.The MoU aims to combine ICAR’s scientific expertise
with NDDB’s field-level experience to address emerging grassroots challenges in
dairy development.The partnership will focus on climate resilience, productivity
enhancement, value chain development, knowledge sharing, technology validation,
and joint training programmes for researchers, professionals, and farmers.
3. 28th CSPOC Conference Begins in New Delhi: The 28th Conference of
Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) has
commenced in New Delhi,
with participation from over 60 Commonwealth countries and semi-autonomous
Parliaments in a three-day event.The Conference aims to promote parliamentary
democracy, strengthen legislative institutions, and encourage knowledge-sharing
among different democratic systems, with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla serving as
the Chairperson.Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Conference at
Samvidhan Sadan, which will feature sessions on AI in Parliament, social media
impact, best practices, public engagement, security, and MPs’ well-being,
before the CSPOC Chair is handed over to UK House of Commons Speaker Lindsay
Hoyle.
4. Union Minister Chirag Paswan Inaugurates Indusfood
2026 in Greater Noida: Union Minister
Chirag Paswan of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries inaugurated the 9th edition of Indusfood 2026
at the India Expo Centre and Mart, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.The
event was organised by the Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) under the
Ministry of Commerce and Industry.Indusfood 2026 is Asia’s premier global food
and beverage sourcing trade show, aimed at promoting Indian agri-exports,
entrepreneurship, and international trade partnerships.
5. Justice Revati Mohite Dere Sworn In as First Woman
Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court: Justice Revati Mohite Dere was
sworn in as the first woman Chief
Justice of the Meghalaya High Court, marking a landmark moment for
the matrilineal northeastern state.The oath was administered by Meghalaya
Governor Chandrashekhar H Vijayashankar at the Durbar Hall, Lok Bhavan,
Shillong; she succeeds Justice Soumen Sen.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Germany Allows Visa-Free Transit for Indian Passport
Holders: Germany has permitted visa-free
transit for Indian passport holders, allowing them to pass through
German airports without a transit visa under specified conditions.The move aims
to facilitate smoother international travel for Indian travellers, especially
those transiting to third countries.This decision is expected to strengthen
people-to-people ties and enhance travel convenience between India and Germany.
2. Meta Appoints Dina Powell McCormick as President and
Vice Chairman: Meta, the
parent company of Facebook, has appointed
Dina Powell McCormick as its President and Vice Chairman, strengthening
its top leadership.A former adviser in the Trump administration and a seasoned
finance executive, she had earlier served on Meta’s Board of Directors.
3. Bombay Stock Exchange Wins Asia Best Employer Brand
Award 2026: The
Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has been conferred the Asia Best Employer Brand Award 2026 at
the Hong Kong Leadership Awards & CMO Asia Awards.The award recognises
BSE’s strong people-first approach, focus on employee empowerment, professional
development, and building an inclusive, high-performance work culture.
4. Toby
Kiers Wins Tyler Prize for Mycorrhizal Research: Beneath forests,
grasslands and farmlands lies a vast underground fungal system that quietly
regulates Earth’s climate. These mycorrhizal networks form nutrient-trading
partnerships with plant roots and draw down over 13 billion tonnes of carbon
dioxide annually. Long overlooked as secondary plant helpers, they are now
recognised as one of the planet’s most critical life-support systems. American
evolutionary biologist “Toby Kiers” has been awarded the Tyler Prize for
Environmental Achievement, often referred to as the Nobel for the environment.
The award recognises her pioneering work in revealing the ecological and
climatic importance of mycorrhizal fungi. Currently a University Research Chair
at “Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam”, her research has transformed scientific
understanding of soil ecosystems. Plants channel surplus carbon below ground,
where mycorrhizal fungi store an estimated 13.12 billion tonnes of carbon
dioxide annually, roughly one-third of fossil fuel emissions. By co-developing a
global Underground Atlas, Kiers and her colleagues mapped the worldwide
distribution of these fungi, highlighting vast reservoirs of below-ground
biodiversity. The findings provide critical data for conservation planning,
especially as many fungal hotspots lie outside protected areas.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. Indian Army Officer Major Swathi Shantha Kumar Wins UN
Secretary-General’s Award 2025: Major Swathi Shantha Kumar of
the Indian Army won the UN
Secretary-General’s Award 2025 for her initiative “Equal Partners, Lasting
Peace.”Serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS),
she made significant contributions toward strengthening gender parity and
community-level engagement.The prestigious award was announced and conferred by
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
2. Saab
Showcases RBS-15 Missile Against Advanced Air Defences : Swedish aerospace and defence major
“Saab” has showcased the advanced strike capabilities of its RBS-15 missile
system, demonstrating its potential to neutralise key components of
sophisticated air defence networks, including elements resembling the Russian
S-400 system. The display comes through a promotional video highlighting the
missile’s role in modern, multi-domain conflict scenarios. RBS-15 is a highly
optimised long-range anti-ship missile with a proven land-attack capability.
The latest iteration, RBS-15 Mk4 Gungnir, represents the next generation of the
missile family. According to Saab, Gungnir is designed as a complete system
solution, capable of integration across air, sea, and land platforms, enhancing
operational flexibility in contested environments.
SPORTS
1. Aaryan
Varshney Becomes India’s 92nd Chess Grandmaster: India added another name to its growing
chess legacy as 21-year-old Aaryan Varshney secured the Grandmaster title,
becoming the country’s 92nd GM. The achievement came after he clinched his
final GM norm at the Andranik Margaryan Memorial Tournament in Armenia, sealing the title with a round to
spare. His journey stands out for its simplicity, discipline, and an
extraordinary father-son partnershipAaryan’s
chess education was unlike the conventional path followed by most elite
players. Trained entirely at home by his father, Gaurav Varshney, a physics
teacher in Delhi, Aaryan never worked with a professional coach. His mother
left the family when he was five, leaving his father to raise him
single-handedly while supporting aged parents.Chess training began seriously
when Aaryan was seven. For nearly two years, his father acted as coach,
analyst, and motivator, relying largely on game analysis and practical play
rather than formal theory.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. India’s
Startup Decade: How Startup India Rewired Entrepreneurship—and What Lies Ahead: India’s National Startup Day on January 16, 2026 marks ten
years of the Startup India Initiative a policy experiment that has since
reshaped the country’s economic and innovation landscape. What began in 2016 as
a government-led push to energise entrepreneurship has matured into one of the
world’s largest startup ecosystems, deeply intertwined with India’s
developmental ambitions, including the long-term vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
A decade on, startups are no longer peripheral disruptors; they have become a
central pillar of growth, jobs, and inclusion. When Startup India was launched in 2016, India had a modest startup base
and limited access to domestic risk capital. Ten years later, the numbers tell
a different story. As of December 2025, India has over 2 lakh recognised
startups, making it one of the largest startup ecosystems globally. The journey
has been marked by a shift from isolated entrepreneurial success stories to a
structured, policy-supported ecosystem spanning funding, mentorship, market
access, and regulatory facilitation.At the centre of this effort is the Startup India Initiative, led by the
Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade under the Ministry of
Commerce and Industry. Over time, the initiative has evolved from a
facilitative policy framework into a full-spectrum platform that supports
startups from ideation to scaling, including through funding instruments,
digital portals, and competitive federalism among states.
2. India’s
First Green Ammonia Project Begins in Andhra Pradesh: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu
Naidu on Saturday laid the foundation stone for large-scale green hydrogen and green ammonia plants at
Kakinada, reinforcing the State’s ambition to emerge as a national green energy
hub. The project marks a significant step in India’s clean energy transition
and positions Kakinada as a future ‘Green Hydrogen Valley’. The Chief Minister said
the AM Green project would commence production of 1.5 million tonnes of green
ammonia annually from June 2027. The output will be primarily exported to
Germany, underlining Andhra Pradesh’s growing role in the global green
energy supply chain. The project is being described as the world’s largest
green ammonia facility currently under development. Deputy Chief Minister Pawan
Kalyan stated that the green hydrogen and green ammonia plants together would
attract an investment of nearly ₹84,000 crore. Naidu highlighted that the State
has accorded top priority to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and
pumped storage projects. He noted that Andhra Pradesh has set a target of
producing 160 GW of green energy, aligning with the Prime Minister’s national
goal of achieving 500 GW of renewable capacity.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. India
Plans Defence FDI Norms Overhaul to Attract Global Manufacturers: India is preparing a
major liberalisation of foreign direct investment (FDI) norms in the defence
sector to draw global manufacturers and boost domestic production, according to
a Reuters report citing government sources. The proposed changes are part of a
broader push to strengthen indigenous defence manufacturing and reduce
dependence on imports. Under the proposed reforms, the FDI cap for defence
companies with existing licences under the automatic route is expected to be
raised to 74 per cent from the current 49 per cent. The automatic route allows
foreign investment without prior government approval. At present, 74 per cent
foreign ownership is permitted automatically only for companies seeking new defence
licences.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Kerala Announces Science Literature Awards 2024 for
Excellence in Malayalam Science Writing: Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and
Environment (KSCSTE) announced the Science Literature Awards 2024, recognising excellence in science
writing in Malayalam across four categories.Each award carries ₹50,000, a
plaque, and a certificate, celebrating contributions in Popular Science,
In-depth Science, Children’s Literature, and Science Journalism.Winners include Biju Dharmapalan (Popular
Science), Gopakumar Cholayil (In-depth Science), and Pradeep Orkkatteri
(Children’s Literature) for their outstanding books published in 2024.The
Science Journalism award was presented to Ashwin S. for his series on artificial
intelligence in Malayala Manorama, highlighting the role of media in
popularising scientific knowledge.
2. Indian-Origin Mathematician Nalini Joshi Named New
South Wales’ Scientist of the Year : Indian-origin mathematician Nalini Joshi has been named New
South Wales’ Scientist of the Year, becoming the first mathematician to
receive the state’s highest science honour, in recognition of her pioneering
contributions to applied mathematics.The award highlights the growing relevance
of mathematical sciences in addressing complex technological and societal
challenges, from climate modelling to secure digital communications.Joshi is a
Professor and Chair of Applied Mathematics at the University of Sydney and was
the institution’s first woman Professor of Mathematics, marking a significant
milestone for gender representation in Australian academia.
3. Italy Conferred Prestigious
‘Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia’ Honour on Goa-Based Industrialist
Shrinivas Dempo: Goa-based
industrialist Shrinivas Dempo has been awarded the Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella
d’Italia, one of Italy’s most respected civilian honours, for his
contributions to Italian citizens and bilateral interests in India.The award
was presented in Goa by Walter Ferrara, Consul General of Italy in Mumbai,
highlighting Dempo’s role in strengthening Indo-Italian people-to-people and
institutional ties. As honorary vice consul of Italy in Goa, Dempo has assisted
Italian nationals and facilitated investments, with the honour recognising his
exceptional service in cultural, economic, and diplomatic spheres.
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