Daily GK Update- 7th Jan, 2026

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. New Reed Snake Species Calamaria Mizoramensis Discovered in Mizoram: Researchers have discovered a new species of reed snake in Mizoram, underscoring the state’s rich but still underexplored biodiversity. The non-venomous species has been named “Calamaria mizoramensis”, after the state where it was found. The discovery adds to India’s growing list of endemic reptiles and highlights the ecological significance of forested hill regions in the Northeast. The discovery was led by Prof. H. T. Lalremsanga of Mizoram University, along with researcher Malsawmdawngliana Fanai and collaborators from Russia, Germany, and Vietnam. The findings were formally published on January 5, 2026, in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa. The team confirmed that the species belongs to the genus “Calamaria”, which currently comprises 69 recognised species worldwide.

 

2. India’s First Hydrogen Train to Begin Trials on Jind–Sonipat Route: India is set to enter a new phase of green mobility with the launch of its first hydrogen-powered train, scheduled to begin trial operations on the Jind–Sonipat route in Haryana from January 26, 2026. The landmark initiative aligns with Indian Railways’ broader strategy to reduce dependence on diesel traction and cut carbon emissions from rail transport. The inaugural trial run is expected to be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 90-kilometre Jind–Sonipat section has been selected as the pilot corridor for this eco-friendly technology. Officials say the hydrogen train will initially operate at speeds ranging from 110 to 140 kmph, completing the journey in nearly one hour, compared to the two hours taken by existing diesel services.

 

3. Explained: The AI-171 Crash, ICAO Rules, and Why Transparency Has Become the Central Question: Nearly two decades ago, in March 2006, the Chairman of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Assad Kotoite, delivered a warning that now reads like prophecy.

Aviation safety, he said, could survive only on one unbroken thread — transparency. Weakness in one state, he cautioned, inevitably becomes weakness for all.That warning has returned to haunt India after the crash of Air India flight 171 at Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025 — an accident that killed 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 more on the ground, within seconds of take-off. More than the tragedy itself, it is the handling of the investigation that is raising questions about India’s commitment to global aviation safety norms.

 

4. India in 2026: Why Criticism Must Be Anchored in Evidence, Not Despair: As India steps into 2026, public debate needs a dose of New Year discipline. Scrutiny is essential in a democracy; sharp criticism is healthy. But argument without responsibility corrodes trust. A republic of over 1.4 billion people cannot be reformed by cynicism alone. Jobs, productivity, exports and inclusion are difficult objectives even in stable economies. In a diverse, federal democracy, progress comes through the unglamorous grind of design, implementation, correction and scale.A New Year is also a moment to separate scepticism from pessimism — to ask not whether policies are perfect, but whether they are moving outcomes in the right direction.Public policy, like philosophy, requires a temperament that engages with reality rather than standing aloof from it. In “Beyond Good and Evil”, Friedrich Nietzsche argued that the philosopher must create values rather than merely criticise from the sidelines. Governing a complex democracy demands the same ethic. Critique is welcome — indeed necessary — but it must be tethered to evidence and an understanding of constraints.

 

5. Have India’s Paris Climate Promises Been Delivered? A Decade After the Pledge: More than a decade after India stood at the Paris climate summit and outlined a carefully calibrated set of climate commitments, the question today is not whether targets were announced, but whether they have meaningfully reshaped India’s environmental trajectory. From the recent Supreme Court judgment on the Aravallis to the country’s expanding renewable energy footprint, India’s climate record reveals a mix of headline achievements and structural contradictions. At the 2015 Paris summit under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, India anchored its climate stance in the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities”, arguing that its development needs could not be judged by the same yardstick as historically high emitters like the United States.

 

6. Prime Minister Narendra Modi articulated four quantified commitments: reducing emissions intensity of GDP by 33–35% from 2005 levels by 2030; raising non-fossil power capacity to 40%; achieving 175 GW of renewable energy; and creating an additional forest carbon sink of 2.5–3 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. These promises sought to balance climate action with economic growth.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Andre De Grasse Named International Event Ambassador for Tata Mumbai Marathon 2026: Olympic sprint champion Andre De Grasse has been named International Event Ambassador for the 21st Tata Mumbai Marathon, scheduled on January 18, 2026, in Mumbai.The Tata Mumbai Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label Race, is recognised as Asia’s largest mass participation sporting event and one of the world’s premier road races.As ambassador, De Grasse will promote the marathon globally, engage with runners and stakeholders, and support outreach initiatives to enhance the event’s international visibility and inclusivity.

 

2. Why India’s Growth Has Held Firm Despite Trump’s Tariff Shock: When US President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariff hikes on imports from even close partners during his so-called “Liberation Day” in April, the global consensus was grim. Retaliation was expected, markets tumbled, and economists warned of a synchronised slowdown marked by inflation in the US and collapsing trade elsewhere. Nine months later, the outcomes look far more complex. The US posted headline growth of 4.3%, and India clocked a robust 8.2% growth in the second quarter of the current financial year. The resilience of India’s economy, in particular, offers lessons on how large, diversified economies absorb global trade shocks. The initial escalation was dramatic. Washington imposed tariffs of up to 150% on Chinese imports. Beijing responded in kind and went further by banning exports of several medium and heavy rare-earth elements — including dysprosium, neodymium and terbium — critical for high-temperature magnets used in drones, electric vehicles, missiles and advanced manufacturing.Although countries such as China, Vietnam, Brazil, Russia and India hold large rare-earth reserves, China controls nearly 90% of global refining capacity. These elements are typically mined elsewhere but shipped to China for separation and processing, giving Beijing disproportionate leverage. The restriction quickly exposed vulnerabilities in advanced manufacturing supply chains across the US and its allies.

 

3. Indian Ambassador Explores Odisha’s Ancient Buddhist Heritage: India’s Ambassador to Bhutan undertook a cultural visit to Odisha to explore the state’s rich and ancient Buddhist heritage, highlighting the region’s historical links with the spread of Buddhism in South and Southeast Asia. The visit underlined Odisha’s role as a major centre of Buddhist learning and pilgrimage in ancient India. The ambassador visited prominent Buddhist heritage locations across Odisha, including ancient stupas, monasteries, and excavation sites. These sites reflect the flourishing of Buddhism in the region from the Mauryan period to the post-Gupta era. Archaeological remains indicate Odisha’s importance as a hub for monks, scholars, and travellers. Odisha, historically known as Kalinga, occupies a crucial place in Buddhist history. The aftermath of the Kalinga War is closely associated with the transformation of Emperor Ashoka and the subsequent spread of Buddhism. Sites such as Ratnagiri, Lalitgiri, and Udayagiri are considered among the earliest organised Buddhist complexes in the country.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

DEFENCE

 

1. DRDO Develops Portable Desalination System for Soldiers in Remote Areas: The Defence Research and Development Organisation has developed a portable water desalination device to meet the drinking water needs of soldiers deployed in challenging and water-scarce environments. The system is designed to support small groups operating in remote, coastal, or high-altitude regions where access to potable water is severely limited. The device, named Sea Water Desalination System (SWaDeS), has been developed by the Defence Laboratory, Jodhpur in response to operational requirements projected by the tri-command services. It can be operated either manually or through an engine-driven mode, offering flexibility across different deployment scenarios.

 

SPORTS

 

1. Sjoerd Marijne Reappointed as Chief Coach of Indian Women’s Hockey Team: Dutch coach Sjoerd Marijne has been reappointed as Chief Coach of the Indian women’s hockey team, marking his third stint, after a gap of about 4.5 years.Marijne previously coached the team from 2017 to 2021, guiding India to a historic fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics 2021 and helping the team break into the top-10 world rankings for the first time.His return comes after the resignation of former head coach Harendra Singh in December 2025, amid poor performances, internal issues, and allegations of favouritism, including India finishing last in the FIH Pro League 2024–25.

 

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

 

2. Can China’s Hurricane 3000 Neutralise Drone Swarms Within 3 km?: China has disclosed new details about the Hurricane 3000, a truck-mounted high-power microwave weapon designed to counter the growing threat of drone swarms on modern battlefields. Developed by defence major Norinco, the system is being positioned as a key element of China’s evolving counter-UAV and air-defence architecture, with a claimed effective range exceeding 3 km. The rapid proliferation of low-cost and autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles has altered contemporary warfare, challenging traditional air-defence systems. Swarm attacks, in particular, can overwhelm missile-based or gun-based defences. Against this backdrop, China has focused on directed-energy weapons as a cost-effective and scalable solution, with the Hurricane 3000 emerging as its most prominent high-power microwave platform.

 

3. NASA Peers Inside a White Dwarf System for the First Time: NASA has achieved a quiet but significant breakthrough in space science by observing the internal structure of a white dwarf system in unprecedented detail. Using the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), scientists have, for the first time, moved beyond brightness measurements to study the geometry and physical processes inside such a system. The target was EX Hydrae, a compact stellar remnant locked in a close binary orbit. EX Hydrae lies about 200 light-years away in the constellation Hydra. It is a white dwarf, the dense remnant left behind when a Sun-like star exhausts its nuclear fuel. Roughly Earth-sized but nearly as massive as the Sun, white dwarfs represent one of the final stages of stellar evolution.

 

4. ISRO to Launch PSLV-C62 With EOS-N1 Satellite on January 12: The Indian Space Research Organisation will begin its 2026 launch calendar with the PSLV-C62 mission scheduled for January 12 from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The launch marks the space agency’s first mission of the year and underlines its continued focus on strategic, commercial, and international payload deployment. The primary payload onboard PSLV-C62 is EOS-N1, an advanced Earth observation imaging satellite developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation. Designed for strategic purposes, the satellite is expected to enhance India’s surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. Officials said EOS-N1 will be placed into its intended orbit using the reliable Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.

 

 

 

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. What India’s Household Consumption Survey reveals about changing lives and aspirations: India’s consumption story is often reduced to growth rates and income numbers. But the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) tells a more grounded story — of what Indian households actually spend on, how priorities shift as incomes rise, and what this reveals about economic transition on the ground. The latest HCES rounds for 2022-23 and 2023-24, released by the “Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation”, offer the first comprehensive update to consumption patterns in over a decade, making them critical for poverty estimation, social policy, and understanding India’s expanding middle-income population. The HCES is conducted roughly every five years and captures detailed spending patterns of Indian households across rural and urban areas. Its core metric is Monthly Per Capita Expenditure (MPCE), which reflects average consumption spending per person across a wide basket of goods and services — from food and fuel to housing, health, education and transport.

The 2022-23 and 2023-24 rounds are especially significant because they bridge a long data gap since 2011-12. They provide granular, updated insights into how Indian households allocate every ₹100 of their consumption expenditure, offering a window into changing living standards and aspirations.