National Affairs

EU Leadership Pays Official Visit to India for 77th Republic Day

President of the European Union (EU) Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President of the EU Council António Luís Santos da Costa concluded a high-level official visit to India from January 25 to January 27, 2026. The leaders attended as Chief Guests for India’s 77th Republic Day celebrations at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The delegation also included Kaja Kallas, Vice-President of the EU Commission, marking her first official visit to the country.

• 16th India-EU Summit: Co-chaired by PM Modi, President Costa, and President von der Leyen in New Delhi, this event marked the first in-person India-EU summit since July 2020.
• 2030 Joint Strategic Agenda: Both sides formally endorsed the “2030 Joint India-EU Comprehensive Strategic Agenda”. This blueprint will guide bilateral cooperation over the next five years across four core pillars: prosperity and sustainability, technology and innovation, security and defense, and connectivity.
• Conclusion of FTA Negotiations: A historic milestone was achieved with the formal conclusion of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations—critically hailed as the 'Mother of All Deals'. With this framework, the EU officially becomes India’s 22nd FTA partner.

PFRDA Introduces Health-Linked ‘NPS Swasthya Pension Scheme’

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has launched a health-linked pension offering called the ‘NPS Swasthya Pension Scheme’. Issued under the provisions of the PFRDA Act, 2013, the scheme is being rolled out as a Proof of Concept (PoC) under the regulator's Sandbox framework to seamlessly integrate medical benefits with retirement savings.

• Operational Framework: The initiative will function as a specific sector scheme under the Multiple Scheme Framework (MSF). Pension Funds (PFs) will run the pilot project for a limited timeframe with strict administrative backing from Central Recordkeeping Agencies (CRAs), fintech entities, and Health Benefit Administrators (HBAs).
• Partial Medical Withdrawals: Subscribers who possess or open a Common Scheme Account (CSA) can make unrestricted partial withdrawals for medical expenses up to 25% of their personal contributions, provided a minimum corpus of ₹50,000 has accumulated.
• Premature Emergency Exit: In cases of critical inpatient care where hospital bills exceed 70% of the available funds, subscribers are permitted a premature exit with a 100% lump-sum withdrawal to settle medical costs.

NITI Aayog Launches Sampoornata Abhiyan 2.0 for Aspirational Areas

NITI Aayog CEO B.V.R. Subrahmanyam launched ‘Sampoornata Abhiyan 2.0’, a targeted 3-month pan-India campaign running from January 28 to April 14, 2026.

• Objective: The campaign aims to fast-track regional development and achieve 100% saturation of core development metrics in the country's most remote regions.
• Scale and Reach: The program scales up the foundation laid by the 2024 iteration, extending across 112 Aspirational Districts and 513 Aspirational Blocks under the Aspirational Districts and Blocks Programme (AD&BP).
• Joint Implementation: NITI Aayog will collaborate directly with Central Ministries, State Governments, and UT administrations to monitor and drive development parameters effectively.

Agriculture Ministry Forms High-Level Committee to Empower Tamil Nadu FPOs

The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) has constituted a specialized high-level committee to review, assess, and strengthen the operational architecture of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) across Tamil Nadu.

• Composition: The panel brings together experts from NABARD, NAFED, Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC-TN), FPOs, NGOs, and the ICAR–National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB).
• Core Mandate: Over a two-month timeline, the committee will evaluate FPO governance, business sustainability, financial access, and market linkages before submitting a strategic roadmap to the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DoA&FW).
• Secretariat Support: ICAR-NRCB in Tiruchirappalli, alongside Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) managed by ICAR-ATARI Hyderabad, will act as the host institutions providing logistical support.

FPO Milestone Fact: India successfully achieved its goal of setting up 10,000 integrated FPOs under its dedicated central promotion scheme, celebrating the inauguration of the landmark 10,000th FPO in Khagaria, Bihar.

AIIA and AYUSHEXCIL Ink Digital Health and E-Commerce MoUs

The All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), the apex body operating under the Ministry of AYUSH, signed a foundational Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre for Ayurveda Education, Innovation & Technology (CAYEIT). The partnership focuses on cutting-edge clinical research, technology transfers, and leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to analyze ancient Ayurvedic datasets.

In tandem, the Ayush Export Promotion Council (AYUSHEXCIL) executed an MoU with quick-commerce firm Zepto Limited in New Delhi. This partnership establishes a nationwide digital supply pipeline, allowing consumers to access genuine Ayush medicines and wellness products via instant online delivery.

Uttar Pradesh to Host India's First AI-Enabled State University Pilot

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Jayant Chaudhary, announced that India’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled state university pilot will be established at Chaudhary Charan Singh University (CCSU) in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.

• Living Laboratory: Developed in technical collaboration with Google Cloud, the pilot transforms the campus into a tech-forward ecosystem featuring personalized AI tutors, real-time administrative automation, and AI-driven skill-gap analyses for student employability.
• Google Tech Grant: Complementing this education push, Google committed a major grant worth ₹85 crore ($10 million USD) to Wadhwani AI to accelerate the integration of production-ready AI tools into India's flagship national platforms, including SWAYAM and the POSHAN Tracker.

MoEFCC Notifies Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has officially notified the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2026, under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Superseding the older 2016 regulations, this revised environmental framework will enter full enforcement on April 1, 2026.

• 4-Stream Source Segregation: Citizens and entities must mandatory segregate waste at the source into four distinct streams: wet, dry, sanitary, and special care waste.
• Extended Generator Responsibility: Bulk Waste Generators (BWGs) must process wet organic waste utilizing on-site composting or bio-methanation systems. If unfeasible, they are legally required to obtain an Extended Bulk Waste Generator Responsibility (EBWGR) certificate.
• Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) Mandates: Industrial cement and waste-to-energy plants must systematically scale up their mandatory usage of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) from 5% to 15% over a six-year implementation window.
• Polluter Pays Enforcement: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will lay down rigid penalties, empowering State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) to levy strict Environmental Compensation for fraudulent reporting or illegal dumping.

MeitY Launches Next-Gen Mobile Identity App on UIDAI Day

Marking the annual unique identification foundation day, Union MoS for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada officially launched a next-generation mobile application developed by the UIDAI. The new app provides identity holders with a highly secure, privacy-first ecosystem to store, verify, and present their digital identity credentials.

• Everyday Utility: The app supports offline verification via Quick Response (QR) code scanning for hassle-free hotel check-ins, rapid hospital admissions, age verification at cinemas, and quick credential onboarding for gig economy workers and service partners.
• Advanced Biometric Security: The platform features an advanced face verification mechanism to establish remote proof-of-presence, an instant one-click biometric lock/unlock system, and historical authentication logs.
• One Family One App: Users can securely manage up to five individual identity profiles on a single mobile device, facilitating straightforward address and mobile number updates within the application.

BISAG-N Partners with QNu Labs for Quantum-Resilient Security

The Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-Informatics (BISAG-N), operating under MeitY, has entered into an MoU with QNu Labs Private Limited to design, build, and deploy robust quantum-resilient cybersecurity networks.

• The Mission: The joint venture addresses impending cryptographic vulnerabilities by creating India-centric, hardware-backed defenses capable of neutralizing decryption attempts from future quantum computers.
• Vedic Kavach Upgrades: BISAG-N’s indigenous cryptographic software suite, 'Vedic Kavach', will be directly integrated with QNu Labs' production-grade quantum hardware and Quantum Random Number Generation (QRNG) platforms. The upgraded defense architecture is slated for deployment across sensitive government web servers, browsers, and critical defense infrastructure.

International Affairs

Highlights from the 56th WEF Annual Meeting in Davos

The 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) concluded in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, under the central theme “A Spirit of Dialogue.” The summit generated pivotal global investment pledges and MoUs, featuring an expansive showing from Indian state delegations:

• Nuclear Milestone for Gujarat: The Government of Gujarat showcased a landmark legislative blueprint to become the first Indian state to generate localized, commercial nuclear power via small modular nuclear reactors under the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill.
• Global Logistics Integration: Madhya Pradesh signed a pact with UAE-based DP World to build advanced inland logistics hubs, integrating the state's manufacturing output directly with global maritime supply chains.
• Skills Accelerator: The Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) signed an official framework with the WEF to establish a dedicated, institutional Skills Accelerator in India.

Economy & Business

Reliance and ONGC Sign Landmark Offshore Resource-Sharing Pact

On the sidelines of India Energy Week (IEW) 2026 in Goa, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) signed a major resource-sharing agreement to maximize operational efficiency in deepwater blocks.

• Geographic Coverage: The operations focus heavily on the oil and gas fields within the Krishna Godavari (KG) Basin and the strategic Andaman offshore blocks.
• Shared Assets: The companies will pool expensive offshore infrastructure, including Offshore Supply Vessels (OSVs), Multipurpose Support Vessels (MSVs), towing tugs, drilling rigs, subsea production equipment, processing facilities, and pipelines.
• Regulatory Compliance: Governed under the newly enacted Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Act, 2025, any shared deployment of foreign-flagged vessels will clear synchronized approvals through the MoD, MHA, and the Director General of Shipping (DGS).
• Economic Impact: The pact lowers Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) and Operating Expenditure (OPEX), prevents asset duplication, and accelerates hydrocarbon project timelines.

Awards & Recognitions

President Approves 2026 Gallantry and Service Awards for Indian Coast Guard

On the eve of the 77th Republic Day, President Droupadi Murmu approved gallantry and distinguished service decorations for Indian Coast Guard (ICG) personnel exhibiting supreme dedication at sea:

• Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM): Awarded to Additional Director General (ADG) Donny Michael.
• Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM): Conferred upon Deputy Inspector General (DIG) K. S. Sitaram.
• President’s Tatrakshak Medal (PTM - Distinguished Service): Awarded to Inspector General (IG) Iqbal Singh Chauhan and IG Datwinder Singh Saini.
• Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak: Conferred upon Pradhan Navik Saumyaranjan Behera for life-saving bravery.
• Tatrakshak Medal (Gallantry - Posthumous): Awarded posthumously to Late Commandant Rakesh Kumar Rana, Late Commandant (Junior Grade) Vipin Babu, and Late Pradhan Navik Karan Singh, who laid down their lives during maritime emergencies.

77th Republic Day Parade Awards Announced by Ministry of Defence

The Ministry of Defence announced the official winners for the finest marching contingents and cultural displays showcased at Kartavya Path during the 2026 Republic Day parade:

• Best Marching Contingent: The Indian Navy (IN) was adjudged top among the Armed Forces panels.
• Best State Tableau: Maharashtra claimed the top spot for its vibrant cultural tableau titled “Ganeshotsav: A Symbol of Aatmanirbharta.”
• Best Ministry Tableau: The Ministry of Culture won first place for its presentation, “Vande Mataram – The Soul Cry of a Nation,” celebrating 150 years of the historic patriotic anthem.
• People's Choice Award: The Department of School Education and Literacy (Ministry of Education) clinched the public vote for its tableau centered around the implementations of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Sports

Haryana Emerges Champion in Ice Sports Phase of Khelo India Winter Games

The 6th edition of the Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) 2026 was officially inaugurated by Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta at the Nawang Dorjan Stobdan (NDS) Stadium in Leh, Ladakh. The first phase, focusing exclusively on competitive ice sports, wrapped up with Haryana topping the regional standings.

• Tournament Logistics: Organized by the Department of Youth Services & Sports (UT Ladakh) under the aegis of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the competition follows a split, two-leg format. Ice Hockey and Ice Skating (with Figure Skating debuting this year) concluded in Leh, while snow sports move to Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir for Phase 2.
• Official Mascot: Sheen-E-She (Shan), the indigenous Himalayan Snow Leopard, serving as a symbol of agility, resilience, and ecosystem conservation.

Important Days

International Holocaust Remembrance Day – January 27

Observed globally on January 27, this international day honors the memory of the six million Jews and millions of other victims systematically murdered during the state-sponsored Nazi genocide between 1933 and 1945.

• 2026 Core Theme: “Holocaust Remembrance for Dignity and Human Rights”
• Historical Significance: January 27 marks the historic 81st anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp by Soviet troops in 1945.
• Global Observances: UN Secretary-General António Guterres led the central memorial assembly at the UN Headquarters in New York, while a parallel diplomatic commemoration took place at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.