Daily GK and current Affairs for exam preparations 20/01/2026
Here is the comprehensive Current Affairs and GK brief for January 20, 2026, specifically prepared for UPSC, SSC, Banking, and Railway exam preparation.
National & Polity
Cooperative Sector Expansion: The Ministry of Cooperation reported that Maharashtra leads the country with over 2.21 lakh cooperative societies and 5.8 crore members. The National Cooperative Database (NCD) is now fully operational as a single digital repository for society data.
Student Suicide Safeguards: The Supreme Court issued interim directions to address student suicides, mandating that all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) report incidents centrally. It also ordered the filling of vacant faculty and leadership posts within four months.
Vadhavan Port Protest: Thousands of people in Palghar, Maharashtra, held a massive march protesting the Vadhavan Port project. Concerns focus on the ecological impact on the Dahanu Eco-Sensitive Zone and the loss of livelihood for local fisherfolk.
Kerala Assembly Row: Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar skipped certain paragraphs of the policy address, which were later "corrected" and read back into the record by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan after the Governor’s departure.
GRAP 4 Curbs Revoked: The CAQM revoked Stage 4 curbs of the Graded Response Action Plan in Delhi-NCR as air quality improved to the "Very Poor" category from "Severe."
Economy & Banking
IMF GDP Projection: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) revised India's 2025 growth forecast upward to 7.3% but projected a moderation to 6.4% for FY27, citing a normalization of domestic demand.
IREDA's First International Loan: IREDA Global Green Energy Finance (IFSC) sanctioned its first overseas green loan of $22.5 million to Swarna Solar Limited for a 100 MW solar project in Zambia.
Maruti Suzuki Mega Plant: The company announced an investment of ₹35,000 crore to set up its second plant in Gujarat (Khoraj), with a massive annual capacity of 10 lakh vehicles.
Rupee Record Low: The Indian Rupee hit a new record low, settling at 90.97 against the U.S. Dollar due to global geopolitical tensions and oil price volatility.
International & Defence
India-UAE Strategic Partnership: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan concluded his visit to India. Key outcomes include:
Strategic Defence Partnership: A Letter of Intent was signed for joint defence manufacturing.
LNG Deal: HPCL signed a 10-year agreement with ADNOC Gas for 0.5 MMTPA of LNG.
Trade Target: Both nations agreed to double bilateral trade to $200 billion by 2032.
"Global Water Bankruptcy": A landmark UN report formally declared that the world has entered an era of "Global Water Bankruptcy," with billions facing chronic insecurity as renewable water inflows fail to meet safe depletion limits.
Medium Calibre Ammunition Facility: The Defence Minister inaugurated India’s first fully automated private sector facility for medium calibre ammunition at Solar Defence & Aerospace in Nagpur.
US-Greenland Tariff Threat: US President Donald Trump signaled a "100%" move toward tariffs on EU countries that oppose his bid to gain control of Greenland.
Science, Environment & Sports
Open-Sea Marine Fish Farming: India’s first open-sea mariculture project was launched in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands by the Ministry of Earth Sciences and NIOT to promote the Blue Economy.
Mission Mausam Phase II: The government announced the deployment of 200 Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) across Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Pune to provide high-resolution urban weather forecasting.
Novak Djokovic Milestone: The tennis star achieved his 100th win at the Australian Open, becoming the first man to reach this century mark at the tournament.
WPL 2026: Jemimah Rodrigues' unbeaten 51 guided Delhi Capitals (DC) to a crucial victory over Mumbai Indians (MI).
Important Days (January 20)
| Day | Context / Significance |
| Penguin Awareness Day | A day to raise awareness about the conservation of penguin species and their habitats. |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Observed in the US (third Monday of Jan) to honor the civil rights leader’s legacy. |
Static GK & Exam Snippets
IREDA: Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency; it is a Mini Ratna (Category I) government enterprise.
CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency): The RBI has proposed linking BRICS digital currencies to ease cross-border trade.
Part IXB of Constitution: Relates to the "Co-operative Societies," inserted by the 97th Amendment Act, 2011.
Dosti-17: A trilateral Coast Guard exercise between India, Maldives, and Sri Lanka; currently in its sea phase.
No comments:
Post a Comment