Jan 23, 2026 Current Affairs

Atal Pension Yojana (APY)

♦ The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the continuation of Atal Pension Yojana (APY) up to FY 2030-31 along with extension of funding support for promotional and developmental activities and gap funding. The purpose of the scheme is to ensure old-age income security for millions of low-income and unorganized-sector workers, enhance financial inclusion, and support India’s transition to a pensioned society. ♦ APY was launched on 9th May, 2015 with the objective of providing old-age income security to workers in the unorganised sector. ♦ APY offers a guaranteed minimum pension of Rs.1,000 to Rs.5,000 per month starting at age 60, based on contributions. ♦ As of 19th January, 2026, over 8.66 crore subscribers have been enrolled, making APY a cornerstone of India’s inclusive social security framework.

Jan 23, 2026 Current Affairs

Chalice of Ambrosia: Ram Janmabhoomi – Challenge and Response

♦ Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan released the book “Chalice of Ambrosia: Ram Janmabhoomi – Challenge and Response” in New Delhi on 20 January 2026. This was authored by former Secretary to the Government of India Surendra Kumar Pachauri. ♦ The Vice President noted that the book captures the centuries-old struggle to reclaim the birthplace of Lord Shri Ram and presents the historical narrative with balance, empathy and scholarly restraint.

Jan 23, 2026 Current Affairs

Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary

♦ The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has issued a notification declaring Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, located in the Aravalli mountain range, as an Eco-Sensitive Zone. The ministry said that the declaration of the Zone will not only help conserve the area’s flora and fauna but will also support indigenous communities living in and around the sanctuary. ♦ It noted that an area ranging from zero to one kilometre around Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary is home to a wide range of wildlife, including leopard, striped hyena, jungle cat, Indian pangolin, blue bull and chinkara, along with several bird species such as the painted francolin.

Jan 23, 2026 Current Affairs

India will host the AI Impact Summit

♦ India will host the AI Impact Summit from 16th to 20th February 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The summit will be the first global AI summit to be hosted in the Global South. It will bring together global leaders, policymakers, technology companies, innovators, and experts to showcase and deliberate on the transformative potential of AI across governance, innovation, and sustainable development. ♦ Artificial Intelligence is a key enabler of India’s development journey, strengthening governance and improving public service delivery. The India AI Impact Expo is expected to feature over 400 exhibitors across more than seven thematic pavilions, with participation of over 1.5 lakh visitors.

Jan 23, 2026 Current Affairs

IT Services 25 (2025)

♦ Brand Finance released its annual 'IT Services 25 (2025)' rankings recently. Accenture continued to maintain its position as the world’s most valuable IT services brand for the eighth consecutive year, with a 2 percent increase in brand value to $42.3 billion in 2026. India’s Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Infosys retained their position as the second and third most valued IT services brand. ♦ Eight Indian IT services providers now account for 36 percent, or $60.4 billion, in total brand value. With a brand value of $21.2 billion, TCS is the world’s second most valuable IT services brand for the fifth year in a row. Compared to 2025, TCS’ valuation has come down marginally from $21.3 billion. ♦ Infosys, with a brand value of $16.4 billion, is once again the world’s third most valuable IT services brand. The report said Infosys leads the industry with the fastest-growing compound annual growth rate in brand value of 15 percent over six years. With a brand strength index score of 86.8 out of 100, Infosys is also the world’s third-strongest IT services brand. ♦ HCLTech (brand value up 1 percent to $9 billion) and Wipro (brand value up 4 percent to $6.3 billion) maintained their positions from 2025, ranked eighth and ninth among the sector’s 25 brands.

Jan 23, 2026 Current Affairs

Vajja Srinivasa Rao

♦ Vajja Srinivasa Rao was sworn in as the Chief Information Commissioner of the Andhra Pradesh State Information Commission on 20 January 2026. Paravada Simhachalam Naidu, Vanteru Ravi Babu, Adenna Gajula and Sarath Chandra Kalyan Chakravarthy Vattikuti took oath as Information Commissioners. Chief Secretary K Vijayanand administered the oath of office. The oath-taking ceremony was held at the AP Secretariat. ♦ All the new commissioners would hold office for a term of three years or until they attain the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. ♦ The chief commissioner holds the rank of a high court judge, commissioners are of principal secretary rank in the state govt.

Jan 23, 2026 Current Affairs

Responsible Nations' Index (RNI)

♦ Singapore ranked first and India 16th in the Responsible Nations' Index (RNI) launched by former president Ram Nath Kovind in New Delhi on 19 January 2026. Switzerland was second, Denmark third and the Central African Republic stood last on the 154-nation index. ♦ India's neighbour Pakistan was in the 90th place. China was ranked 68th and the US 66th, according to the RNI. ♦ Kovind launched the RNI, a first-of-its-kind global index that evaluates countries based on how responsibly they exercise power towards their citizens, global community and the planet. ♦ The RNI is a global evaluative framework developed by the think tank World Intellectual Foundation (WIF) in academic collaboration with Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and methodological validation by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Mumbai. ♦ The index is anchored in three core dimensions - internal responsibility, environmental responsibility and external responsibility. ♦ The RNI has been operationalised through seven dimensions, 15 aspects and 58 indicators.

Jan 23, 2026 Current Affairs

The International Monetary Fund (IMF)

♦ The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has upgraded its forecast for India’s real gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the current fiscal year 2025–26 (FY26) to 7.3 percent. This represents a significant upward revision of 0.7 percentage point compared with the IMF’s previous estimates from late 2025. The revision was published in the IMF’s World Economic Outlook Update released in January 2026. ♦ IMF’s latest projections have no real surprises as far as growth for the global economies and other major economies is concerned as well. Global GDP growth is expected at 3.3% in 2025, same as 2024 and also in 2026.

Jan 23, 2026 Current Affairs

The United Arab Emirates and India

♦ The United Arab Emirates and India signed a ‘Letter of Intent for a bilateral Strategic Defence Partnership’ on 19 January 2026. The agreement was signed during the two-hour visit to India by UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two sides set a goal of doubling bilateral trade to $200 billion by 2032. ♦ Under the defence partnership, India and the UAE are eyeing defence industrial collaboration and cooperation in advanced technologies, cyberspace training, special operations, interoperability of their militaries and counter terrorism. ♦ Another pact was inked to provide for the purchase of 0.5 million metric tonnes of LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) from Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Gas over a period of 10 years starting 2028. The UAE is India's second-largest supplier of LNG to India after Qatar.

Jan 23, 2026 Current Affairs

Saina Nehwal

♦ Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal has confirmed her retirement from competitive sport after being out of action for nearly two years due to a chronic knee condition. She is one of the greatest Indian badminton players to ever grace the court. ♦ The London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist last played a competitive badminton match at the Singapore Open in 2023. ♦ The Hisar-born shuttler rose to prominence internationally in 2008 after becoming the junior world champion and became the first Indian woman to make the quarter-finals in singles badminton at the Olympics (Beijing 2008). ♦ In 2009, she became the first Indian to win a BWF Super Series title by clinching the Indonesia Open and a year later, she became a Commonwealth Games champion. ♦ At London 2012, Saina became India’s first Olympic medallist in badminton, winning bronze in women’s singles after reaching the semi-finals. ♦ In 2015, she created more history by becoming the world No. 1 in singles badminton rankings, establishing herself as the first Indian woman to achieve the feat and only the second shuttler from the country after Prakash Padukone to reach the peak. ♦ She also became the first shuttler from the country to reach the final of the BWF World Championships the same year but settled for a silver after losing to Carolina Marin. ♦ Saina has also won every major national award possible, including the Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Khel Ratna and the Arjuna Award.

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