NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Bajaj Finserv Acquires Allianz’s Stake, Gains Complete
Control of Insurance Businesses: Bajaj Finserv,
along with Bajaj Holdings & Investment and Jamnalal Sons, acquired Allianz SE’s 23% stake in Bajaj
General Insurance and Bajaj Life Insurance for Rs 12,190 crore and Rs 9,200
crore, marking the largest transaction in the Indian insurance
sector.The acquisition raises the Bajaj Group’s ownership in both insurance
companies from 74% to 97%, giving Bajaj Finserv complete control over the
businesses.The remaining 3% stake of Allianz SE is expected to be bought back
over the next few months, which will adjust Bajaj Finserv’s holding to
approximately 77.3%, Bajaj Holdings & Investment to 18.1%, and the balance
with Jamnalal Sons.
2. Retail Inflation Hits 3-Month High at 1.33% in
December: Retail
inflation rose to a three-month
high of 1.33% in December 2025, but remained well below the RBI’s lower
comfort limit of 2%, reflecting overall price stability.Broad-based price
decline kept inflation low, with food and beverages prices contracting by 1.85%
in December, mainly due to a high base effect from 7.7% inflation in December
2024.Inflation stayed unchanged at 2.96% for pan, tobacco and intoxicants,
eased in clothing & footwear (1.44%), housing (2.86%), and fuel & light
(1.97%), while prices of meat, oils and fruits remained above 5%.Core inflation
jumped to a 28-month high of 4.8%, driven largely by precious metals; however,
core CPI excluding gold and silver stayed stable at 2.4%, indicating limited
underlying inflation pressure.
3. 12 January – National Youth Day: National Youth Day is
observed on 12 January every year to
commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.Theme 2026 – Ignite the Self, Impact the WorldThe
day celebrates the ideas, ideals, and teachings of Swami Vivekananda, which
continue to inspire India’s youth.It aims to motivate young people towards
nation-building, character development, and social responsibility.
4. Why Defining the Aravalli Hills Has Become
India’s Latest Ecological Flashpoint: Stretching nearly 680 km across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi, and older than the Himalayas by geological time, the Aravalli
ranges are among India’s most critical — and most contested — ecological
systems. What should have been a technical exercise to define these ancient
hills has instead triggered protests, legal reversals and fears of large-scale
ecological loss, exposing a deeper policy contradiction between conservation,
mining and climate resilience. The Aravalli ranges
act as a natural barrier against the eastward spread of the Thar desert and
play a key role in deflecting westerly winds, bringing winter rainfall to Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and
western Uttar Pradesh. Their forests function as vital carbon sinks,
moderating winter air pollution in Delhi-NCR, while their fractured geology
supports groundwater recharge and biodiversity across semi-arid north-west
India.Ecologically, these hills are far more than “elevated landforms”. They
are integrated systems of ridges, slopes, scrub forests, valleys and aquifers —
many of which lie well below dramatic hilltops.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. NHAI Sets Four Guinness World Records During
Construction of Bengaluru–Kadapa–Vijayawada Corridor : NHAI created four Guinness World Records during construction of the Bengaluru–Kadapa–Vijayawada Economic Corridor (NH-544G),
showcasing unprecedented speed and scale in highway paving works.On January 6,
two global records were set near Puttaparthi, including the longest continuous
laying of bituminous concrete (28.89 lane km) and the highest quantity laid in
24 hours (10,655 metric tons).Two more records were achieved on January 11,
with continuous paving of 156 lane km and laying of 57,500 metric tons of
bituminous concrete, surpassing the previous world record.The 343 km,
access-controlled six-lane corridor will significantly cut travel time by
nearly four hours, boost regional connectivity in Andhra Pradesh, and support
economic growth once completed.
2. India Registers High-Yielding Synthetic
Cattle Breeds: India has
expanded its livestock genetic base with the registration of two high-yielding
synthetic cattle breeds capable of producing over 3,000 kg of milk in a
10-month lactation period. With this addition, the country’s total number of
registered livestock and poultry breeds has reached 246, reinforcing India’s
dual strategy of productivity enhancement and indigenous breed conservation.
Agriculture Minister “Shivraj Singh Chouhan” presented registration
certificates for 16 newly recognised livestock and poultry breeds at an event
organised by “Indian Council of Agricultural Research”–National Bureau of
Animal Genetic Resources. The registration provides legal recognition and
supports region-specific breeding and development programmes under government
schemes. Emphasising sustainability, ICAR Director General “M L Jat” underlined
the need to conserve indigenous genetic resources in the face of climate
change. Of the 16 newly registered breeds, 14 are indigenous, including Medini
and Rohikhandi cattle, Melghati buffalo, Palamu and Udaipuri goats, and Nagami
Mithun. Several poultry and waterfowl breeds from eastern and southern India
were also included, highlighting regional biodiversity.
3. US Suspends Immigrant Visas for 75
Countries: The United States has announced an indefinite
suspension of immigrant visa processing for citizens of 75 countries, starting
January 21, as part of a renewed immigration crackdown under President Donald
Trump’s administration. The decision, confirmed by the US State Department, has
triggered widespread debate due to the unexpected inclusion of several
economically stable and friendly nations. The suspension applies only to
immigrant visas, including family-based and employment-based permanent
residency pathways. Non-immigrant visas such as tourist, student, and business
visas remain unaffected. According to officials, the pause will continue until
a comprehensive reassessment of screening and eligibility standards is
completed. The move follows earlier directives asking US diplomats to
prioritise financial self-sufficiency among visa applicants.
4. Iran’s Unrest Beyond the Headlines: Economic Anger, Regime Tactics, and What It Means for
India: The latest wave of civic unrest in Iran has unfolded amid heavy
information fog and sharply polarised narratives. Yet reducing it to binaries —
regime versus people, foreign hand versus domestic anger — misses the deeper
structural story. What began as an economic protest over currency collapse has
exposed the limits of Iran’s governance model, even as the state
appears to have weathered the immediate storm. For India, located in Iran’s
extended geopolitical neighbourhood, the implications are far from remote. The immediate trigger for the crisis was
economic despair. On December 28, 2025, merchants in Tehran’s historic bazaars
— the influential “Bazaari” class — shut down shops to protest the relentless
devaluation of the rial. While the official exchange rate remained pegged at
42,000 rials to a dollar, the market rate had collapsed to around 1.45 million,
reflecting decades of erosion since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
In
2025 alone, the rial lost nearly 45% of its value, making it impossible for
traders to import essentials such as rice, sugar and edible oil at market
prices and sell them domestically at government-controlled rates. As losses
mounted, the agitation spilled beyond merchants. Unemployed youth, low-paid
workers and urban poor joined in, transforming a sectoral protest into a
country-wide anti-government movement marked by arson, vandalism and violent
clashes.
By
January 13, Iranian authorities claimed over 2,000 deaths, attributing the
violence to unnamed “terrorists” — a familiar framing in moments of crisis.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. Army Day Highlights India’s Missile
Strength: India observes Army Day
every year on January 15 to commemorate the appointment of Field Marshal K.M.
Cariappa as the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army in 1949. On
the eve of the occasion, attention has turned to the missile systems that form
the backbone of India’s military deterrence, reflecting decades of indigenous
development and strategic planning. Army Day honours the professionalism,
discipline, and sacrifices of the Indian Army under the leadership of pioneers
such as K. M. Cariappa. In the contemporary security environment, missile
capabilities are central to safeguarding national sovereignty, enabling
credible deterrence across land, sea, and air domains. India’s strategic
deterrence is anchored by the Agni-5 intercontinental
ballistic missile, with a range exceeding
5,000 km and multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle capability.
Complementing it is Agni-Prime, a new-generation medium-range ballistic missile
with a 1,000–2,000 km reach, designed for rapid deployment and enhanced
survivability through canisterisation.
SPORTS
1. MS Dhoni Named Goodwill Ambassador for
Pune Grand Tour 2026: Former
India captain MS Dhoni has been appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the Pune
Grand Tour 2026, marking a significant step in India’s entry into the global
professional cycling circuit. The five-day international road cycling race will
be held in Pune from January 19 to 23, positioning the city and the country
prominently on the world cycling map. The Pune Grand Tour 2026 will be India’s
first-ever Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) 2.2 category Continental Road
Cycling Race for men. Spanning five stages, the event will cover a demanding
437-km route across the Deccan Plateau and the Sahyadri Range. The course
features sharp bends, varied terrain, and significant elevation changes,
designed to test endurance and tactical skills.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. India’s Renewable Energy Push Is Running
Into a Grid Wall: India’s green
energy transition is often projected as a success story of scale and
speed. Renewable
energy capacity has surged
from about 75 GW in 2015 to nearly 250 GW in 2025. Yet, beneath this headline
growth lies a serious structural problem: electricity grids and transmission
networks are failing to keep pace with renewable generation. The result is
rising curtailment, stranded capacity, financial stress for developers, and a
slowing momentum in what is meant to be a cornerstone of India’s climate
strategy. India today has one of the world’s largest
transmission networks. However, renewable energy capacity
has expanded far faster than the grid’s ability to evacuate power. Solar and
wind projects can be commissioned within a year, while transmission lines
typically take at least two years, often more, because of land, forest and
regulatory hurdles.Between 2019 and 2025, India’s solar capacity alone tripled
from around 35 GW to over 100 GW, growing at nearly 24% annually. Over the same
period, transmission capacity grew at barely 6.5%. This mismatch has created a
generation overshoot, where power is available but cannot be transported to
demand centres.
2. AI’s Hidden Carbon Cost: Why the
Environmental Impact of Algorithms Needs Policy Attention: Artificial
Intelligence (AI) is widely
discussed as a transformative tool — from improving health diagnostics to
boosting agricultural
productivity. Far less attention,
however, is paid to the environmental footprint of developing and deploying AI
systems. Recent international reports suggest that behind the promise of
“smart” technologies lies a growing and largely unaccounted ecological cost,
raising questions that are particularly relevant for countries like India that
are rapidly expanding their digital and AI ambitions. A working paper by the OECD on measuring the
environmental impacts of AI compute highlights a fundamental concern: advanced
AI models require enormous computational power, which in turn demands
electricity, water and physical infrastructure. The global information and
communication technology (ICT) sector — including devices such as televisions
and servers — is already estimated to account for roughly 1.8% to 2.8% of
global greenhouse gas emissions, with some studies placing the figure even
higher.Isolating the precise carbon footprint of
AI is difficult because companies rarely disclose detailed energy-use data.
This opacity has led to contested claims. For instance, a 2025 report by Google
suggested that a single text-based AI prompt consumes just 0.24 watt-hours of
electricity. Critics argue that such figures, while technically accurate at the
user level, obscure the cumulative energy costs of training, maintaining and
cooling large-scale AI systems.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. IEPFA Organises Niveshak Shivir in Bengaluru to
Resolve Unclaimed Investment Claims: The Investor Education and Protection Fund
Authority (IEPFA), under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs,
in collaboration with SEBI and
Market Infrastructure Institutions (MIIs), organised a Niveshak
Shivir in Bengaluru to facilitate the resolution of unclaimed dividends,
shares, and pending IEPFA claims.The one-day investor facilitation camp
provided a single-window platform for grievance redressal, claim assistance,
KYC and nomination updates, with active participation from over 900 investors
across Karnataka.The event was attended by senior officials from IEPFA, SEBI,
MIIs, RTAs, BSE and CDSL, including Smt. Anita Shah Akella, CEO, IEPFA,
highlighting strong institutional support for investor services.IEPFA launched
an explainer booklet, “A Complete Guide
to IEPFA Claims and Investor Services”, to enhance investor
awareness and ensure smoother claim resolution.The Bengaluru camp followed
successful editions of Niveshak Shivir held earlier in Pune, Hyderabad, Jaipur
and Amritsar.
2. RBI Revises WMA Limits to Strengthen Cash Management
for States and UTs: The RBI has included the Government of NCT of Delhi (GNCTD) under
its standard cash management framework, fixing a Ways and Means Advances (WMA)
limit of ₹890 crore effective from January 9, 2026.With Delhi’s inclusion, the
aggregate WMA limit for all States
and UTs increased to ₹61,008 crore from ₹60,118 crore, while limits
for other States and UTs remain unchanged.WMAs are short-term liquidity
facilities provided by the RBI to manage temporary cash mismatches and do not
expand borrowing capacity or finance fiscal deficits, ensuring continued fiscal
discipline.Structurally, the move is significant as it aligns Delhi with RBI’s
institutional cash management system, improves liquidity planning, enhances
transparency, and strengthens sub-national fiscal stability without impacting
markets or long-term debt.
3. RBI Proposes Mandatory Cooling-Off Period for
Directors of Co-operative Banks: The RBI has proposed amendments
to its Governance Directions, 2025
for Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs) and Rural Co-operative Banks,
introducing a mandatory three-year cooling-off period for directors completing
the maximum tenure.The move aims to prevent circumvention of tenure limits,
after RBI observed cases where directors resigned briefly and returned through
re-election or co-option, undermining the intent of the Banking Regulation
Act.Under the proposal, directors completing 10 years of continuous tenure will
be eligible for reappointment to the same bank’s board only after three years,
with the cooling-off period counting even if breaks are less than three years.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Karnataka Bank Wins IBA Award for Fintech Adoption: Karnataka Bank has emerged as a key winner at the Indian Banks’ Association Banking Technology Awards, underlining its growing focus on digital transformation and technology-led banking. The bank secured the top honour in the ‘Best Fintech & DPI Adoption’ category, reflecting its progress in leveraging digital public infrastructure and fintech-driven solutions. The ‘Best Fintech & DPI Adoption’ award recognises banks that effectively integrate fintech solutions and India’s digital public infrastructure to enhance service delivery. Karnataka Bank’s initiatives in this area were evaluated for scalability, security, and customer impact. The recognition places the bank among leading adopters of advanced digital frameworks in the Indian banking sector. In addition to the top award, Karnataka Bank was adjudged runner-up in the ‘Best Tech Talent’ category, highlighting its efforts in building and retaining skilled technology professionals. The bank also received Special Mention in three categories: ‘Best Technology Bank’, ‘Best Digital Financial Inclusion’, and ‘Best Digital Sales’. These honours collectively point to a broad-based approach to digital banking rather than isolated technology upgrades.
