Current Affairs

On 6 January 2026, Financial Software and Systems (FSS), a payment solutions and transaction processing firm, received ISO/IEC 42001 certification for responsible AI use, becoming the first payments company across India, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and South Africa to do so. ISO/IEC 42001, developed by ISO and IEC, sets AI Management Systems governance for ethical, transparent, accountable and explainable AI, addressing bias, harmful outcomes and compliance failures in fraud detection, transaction monitoring, risk assessment and customer authentication.

In 2024–25, Gujarat is India’s top okra (bhindi/lady’s finger; Abelmoschus esculentus, Malvaceae; annual from Ethiopia) producer by area and output; Saurashtra–Kutch has ~15% area and ~13% output. Crop needs warm, humid 20–35°C, frost-free, well-drained loams; harvest 60–70 days. Major threat: YVMV spread by whiteflies. India produces ~70% globally. Gujarat horticulture: 7.66% of India’s vegetables; ~20% farmland; Saurashtra–Kutch 47.91 lakh tonnes; supported by state incentives, MIDH and NHM.

Jharkhand Cabinet approved and notified PESA Rules, operationalising the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 in the state’s Fifth Schedule areas and widening Gram Sabha decision-making. PESA, based on the Bhuria Committee (1995), extends 73rd Amendment panchayat provisions to scheduled areas in 10 states, empowering Gram Sabhas to protect culture/resources, approve plans/beneficiaries, certify funds, and regulate MFP, intoxicants, markets, land alienation, minor water bodies, mining recommendations, and land acquisition/rehabilitation consultations. Government initiatives include 2024–25 training (1 lakh+), PESA-GPDP portal, tribal-language manuals, Centres of Excellence (e.g., IGNTU Amarkantak), and PESA Day on 24 December 2024 (MoPR).

China conducted “Justice Mission 2025”, a large-scale inter-service joint military drill around Taiwan, deploying army, navy, air force, artillery and missile units. Activities included sea-air combat readiness patrols, joint seizure of superiority, blockade of key ports/areas and all-dimensional deterrence beyond the island chain. It tested joint combat capability, warned against “Taiwan independence” and external interference, and asserted sovereignty; triggered by US arms sales to Taiwan exceeding USD 10 billion.

Tiger cub PKT7CP1, rescued three years ago, has been sent for rewilding to Dnyanganga Wildlife Sanctuary in Maharashtra’s Buldhana district, near the Dnyanganga River. The ~205 sq km sanctuary, part of Melghat Tiger Reserve, has two lakes, undulating hillock terrain, extreme summers-winters, southern tropical dry deciduous forests (teak, anjan), leopards, sloth bears, deer, nilgai, hyenas, small carnivores, occasional tigers, and 150+ bird species; bordered by Western Ghats (UNESCO).

OPEC+ agreed in principle to maintain steady oil output amid political tensions among key members and wider geopolitical uncertainty. OPEC+ is a 2016 extension of OPEC, comprising 22 oil-exporting countries; it holds regular meetings to decide crude oil sales on the world market. It includes 12 OPEC members plus Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Russia, Mexico, Malaysia, South Sudan, Sudan and Oman. OPEC, founded in 1960 by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, is headquartered in Vienna; it has 12 members, with a membership change effective 1 January 2024.

Government relaxed recognition norms for deep-tech startups under DSIR’s Industrial Research and Development Promotion Program. DSIR (established 1985) under Ministry of Science and Technology promotes indigenous technology development, utilisation and transfer, enabling collaboration with industry, academia, research bodies and government. The programme covers engineering, environment, natural/applied, agricultural, medical and social sciences. Earlier eligibility: Companies Act 1956/2013 registration, 3 financial years, income in last 2 years, in-house R&D for manufacture/production, and non-residential R&D location.

Archaeologists found rare Kushana-era coins and decorative stones (including lapis lazuli) at a UNESCO-listed site near Takshashila, Pakistan, highlighting Kushana material culture. The Kushana period spans 1st century BCE–3rd century CE; the dynasty originated from the Central Asian Yueh-chi. It ruled Gandhara, Kashmir, Mathura and influenced the Ganga–Yamuna Doab up to parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar via satrapies. Kanishka I promoted Buddhism, convened the 4th Buddhist Council and strengthened Silk Route trade; extensive gold coinage reflects a monetised economy and long-distance commerce.

The RBI Governor chaired the first meeting of the Payments Regulatory Board (PRB), set up by the Reserve Bank of India in 2025 under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007. The PRB regulates and supervises all payment systems, electronic and non-electronic, including domestic and cross-border systems. It replaces the BPSS and comprises the RBI Governor, two RBI representatives, and three Central Government nominees.

India has introduced an e-Production Investment Business Visa regime, the e-B-4 Visa, for Chinese businessmen. The visa is processed in about 45–50 days and permits stay in India for up to six months. Permitted activities include installation and commissioning of equipment, quality checks and essential maintenance, and supply chain development for empanelling vendors.

The first supermoon of 2026, the Wolf Moon supermoon, will be visible in India on 3 January 2026 shortly after sunset. 

“Wolf Moon” is the traditional January full moon, rooted in seasonal folklore used to track seasons/agricultural cycles (e.g., Hunter’s, Harvest, Flower Moon) and also called “Moon after Yule.” 

A supermoon occurs when full moon coincides with perigee (~220,000 miles; apogee ~250,000), appearing ~14% larger and ~30% brighter; may show orange-yellow near horizon; distance ~362,641 km. Typically 3-4 occur annually.

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation released “Know Your Survey: A User Guide to the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE)”, published by the National Statistics Office. First-of-its-kind, it explains ASUSE in non-technical language for data users (policymakers, researchers, public), aligned with global best practices and standards. It enables verification of enumerators (name, designation, survey type, official ID), preventing impersonation, fraud and misuse, and addresses respondent queries to build confidence and transparency.

PM marked 1000 years since Somnath’s first attack (1026 CE). The Somnath Jyotirlinga shrine at Prabhas Patan near Veraval, Gujarat, was raided by Mahmud of Ghazni (1025–26); ~70,000 defenders died; it was looted and demolished. Further destructions occurred in 1297, 1394 and 1706. The present temple was reconstructed in Chaulukya (Solanki) style, completed May 1951; sanctum houses a black Shiva lingam.

Indian Army signed a ₹293 crore contract with private defence manufacturer NIBE Limited, in collaboration with Israel, to supply the Suryastra long-range precision strike rocket launcher system. Claimed as India’s first Made-in-India universal multi-calibre rocket launcher, it enables surface-to-surface strikes up to 300 km, can engage multiple targets simultaneously at varying ranges, integrates multiple rocket types, offers <5 m accuracy, and supports loitering munitions up to 100 km.

Prime Minister inaugurated the Grand International Exposition “The Light & the Lotus: Relics of the Awakened One”, marking reunification of Piprahwa gem relics of Lord Buddha, repatriated after 127 years. Discovered in 1898 by British civil engineer William Claxton Peppé at a Buddhist stupa in Piprahwa, Uttar Pradesh, the site provides evidence linking it with ancient Kapilavastu; relics are believed associated with Gautama Buddha’s mortal remains.

India recorded 150 MT rice production in 2024–25, surpassing China; Union Agriculture Minister released 184 high-yielding seed varieties for 25 crops. India exported 20.1 MMT rice to Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Benin and UAE. State shares: Uttar Pradesh 13.8%, Telangana 11.6%, West Bengal 10.6%, Punjab 9.5%, Chhattisgarh 7%. Rice (tropical/sub-tropical staple) grows 8°N–30°N, sea level–2,500 m; tolerates silts/loams/gravels, acidic/alkaline soils; needs 100–150 cm rainfall, humidity, 30°C day/20°C night, 10–15 cm standing water, impermeable subsoil (pH 5.5–6.5). 

Seasons: Aman (Jun–Jul sow; Nov–Dec harvest), Aus (May–Jun; Sep–Oct), Boro (Nov–May).

The Centre sanctioned 24 chip design projects under the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme, launched in 2021 by MeitY under the Semicon India Programme and implemented by C-DAC. It catalyses a self-reliant chip design ecosystem via Product Design Linked Incentive and Deployment Linked Incentive, plus ChipIN Centre design support (EDA tool grid, IP cores, MPW prototyping, post-silicon validation). Outputs: 16 tape-outs, 6 ASIC chips, 10 patents, >3x private investment.

Odisha government is drafting an action plan to protect Chilika Lake biodiversity. Chilika, a brackish, shallow estuarine lagoon across Puri, Khurda and Ganjam, is Asia’s largest brackish water lake. At the Daya river mouth it connects to Bay of Bengal via a 32-km channel. Ramsar site since 1981 (India’s first); Nalabana Island Bird Sanctuary (1987). Major wintering ground for migratory birds; supports flamingos and Irrawaddy dolphins.

Indian Army declared 2026 as the “Year of Networking & Data Centricity” (announced January 2026 under COAS Gen Upendra Dwivedi) to treat data as a critical operational asset. It stresses advanced networks for seamless, secure real-time data flow across soldiers, command centres, sensors, weapon platforms, and intelligence/logistics, enabling faster decisions and combat effectiveness, promoting tri-service jointness, indigenisation (communications, BMS, defence networks), and legacy-modern integration; 2024–25 was “Year of Technology Absorption”.

India and Bangladesh have initiated talks to renew the India–Bangladesh Ganga Water Sharing Treaty ahead of its December 2026 expiry. Signed in 1996 for 30 years, the treaty regulates dry-season sharing of Ganges waters at the Farakka Barrage through a fixed flow-based formula, joint monitoring mechanisms, periodic reviews, and emergency consultation provisions.

A study from Kerala’s Western Ghats flagged photo tourism as a threat to the galaxy frog (Melanobatrachus indicus), after seven individuals vanished following repeated disturbance by photographers. The species is a small, endemic amphibian of moist evergreen forests, highly sensitive to microclimatic changes. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and classified as an EDGE species.

The Prime Minister paid tribute to Rani Velu Nachiyar on her birth anniversary on January 3. Born in 1730, she is recognised as the first queen to fight British colonial power in India. Ruler of Sivaganga, she reclaimed her kingdom in 1780 with allied support, organised resistance forces including an all-women unit, and is remembered as Veeramangai for her role in early anti-colonial resistance.

The government notified Niryat Protsahan Pilot Schemes under the NIRYAT PROTSAHAN component of the Export Promotion Mission. The schemes provide interest subvention on export credit and additional incentives for emerging markets, with an annual cap of ₹50 lakh for FY 2025–26. Eligibility is restricted to a notified HS six-digit positive list, alongside collateral support through CGTMSE guarantees to facilitate MSME exports.

India and Pakistan exchanged lists of nuclear installations under the Agreement on Prohibition of Attacks against Nuclear Installations and Facilities. Signed on December 31, 1988, and in force since January 27, 1991, the pact mandates annual exchange of location information on January 1 and commits both sides to refrain from attacks on each other’s nuclear facilities, serving as a nuclear risk-reduction measure.

India rose to 8th position in 2025 from 123rd in 2014 in contributions to WHO’s VigiBase under the WHO Programme for International Drug Monitoring. The improvement is attributed to the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India, launched in 2010, which analyses drug-related adverse events and forwards regulatory recommendations to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, strengthening global medicine and vaccine safety surveillance.

The Chief of Defence Staff inaugurated a runway upgrade at the Indian Air Force’s Car Nicobar air base, highlighting the strategic importance of Car Nicobar Island in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Car Nicobar, the northernmost island of the Nicobar group, lies near the Ten Degree Channel, serves as the Nicobar district headquarters, and is primarily inhabited by the Nicobarese tribe.