National News

Piyush Goyal launches National Turmeric Board to Support Farmers

• Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal has inaugurated the National Turmeric Board at Vanijya Bhawan in New Delhi for the welfare of cultivators across 20 states.
• The government has appointed Palle Ganga Reddy as its first chairperson. The headquarters of the Board has been set up in
• Representatives from various ministries will be part of the National Turmeric Board in the coming days. Representatives from exporters and producers’ bodies will also be included on the Board.
• The Board will ensure quality and safety standards of turmeric production and exports. Last year, 2023-24, an area of 3.05 lakh hectare was under turmeric cultivation in India with a production of 10.74 lakh tonnes.
• India is the largest producer, consumer and exporter of turmeric in the world. India contributes to over 70 percent of global turmeric production, and 30 varieties of turmeric are produced in the country.
• During 2023-24, 1.62 lakh tonnes of turmeric and turmeric products valued at 226.5 million USD was exported.

SECL Launches Post-Retirement Benefit (PRB) Cell

• South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), a subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL) based in Chhattisgarh, has launched a dedicated Post-Retirement Benefit (PRB) Cell to enhance the welfare and convenience of its retired employees.
• The PRB Cell will serve as a single-window system, consolidating various post-retirement services that multiple departments, including Personnel, Finance, and Medical previously managed.
• This centralization aims to eliminate delays and miscommunication, providing retirees with streamlined access to pensions, provident funds, medical facilities, and other benefits.
• The initiative also complements ‘Mission Sambandh,’ an SECL program aimed at enhancing communication and coordination with stakeholders.

Odisha becomes the 34th state to implement AB PM-JAY

• Odisha became the 34th state to join the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) scheme, seven months after the BJP came to power in the state.
• The Ayushman Bharat scheme will be implemented in convergence with the existing Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana (GJAY) in Odisha.
• The convergence scheme, for which one bilingual health card will be issued to the beneficiary, will provide cover of ?5 lakh per family per annum with an additional ?5 lakh for women members.
• A total of approximately 1.03 crore families will come under the converged scheme with 67.8 lakh families supported by the Union Government.

About Odisha

• Capital – Bhubaneswar
• Chief Minister – Mohan Charan Majhi (replace Naveen Patnaik)
• Deputy CM – KV Singhdeo and Pravati Parida
• Governor – Hari Babu Kambhampati
• Legislative Assembly Seat – 147

Gautam Adani announces ?65,000 crore investment in energy, cement projects in Chhattisgarh

• The Adani Group will invest Rs 65,000 crore in energy and cement projects in Chhattisgarh.
• Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani met Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and announced an investment of Rs 60,000 crore to expand the group’s power plants in Raipur, Korba and Raigarh in the state. The expansion will enhance Chhattisgarh’s power generation capacity by 6,120 MW.
• Adani Power is India’s top private thermal power producer. It is targeting to double its thermal power capacity to 30.67 GW by 2029-30 from 15 GW currently.
• The firm said last month it was exploring options of investing Rs 20,000 crore to set up a coal-fired ultra-supercritical thermal power plant in Bihar.
• In Chhattisgarh, the Adani Group also committed Rs 5,000 crore for the development and expansion of its cement plants, as per the statement. Adani Cement has two integrated units in the state-at Bhatapara and Jamul-and has already announced expansion at the Bhatapara unit.
• To support initiatives in the education, healthcare, skill development and tourism sectors under CSR, Adani assured a Rs 10,000 crore investment in the state over the next four years.

PM Modi inaugurates Z-Morh tunnel in Kashmir

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 6.5 km Z-Morh tunnel in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.
• The 6.5 km long two-lane tunnel connecting Gagangir and Sonamarg in Ganderbal district was constructed at an expenditure exceeding ?2,700 crore. The tunnel also features a 7.5-metre-wide emergency escape passage.
• Located at an altitude of more than 8,650 feet above sea level, the Z-Morh tunnel will significantly improve year-round connectivity between Srinagar and Sonamarg, facilitating the route to Leh while bypassing the landslide-prone and avalanche-affected areas.
• The Z-Morh tunnel, which began construction in May 2015 and was completed in 2024, is now fully operational after its soft opening in February 2024.
• The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), which oversees the project, has termed it a transformative development for the region.

C-DOT and IIT Mandi sign agreement for “Developing Semiconductor Chip of Wideband Spectrum Sensor for Dynamic Spectrum Access”

• The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the premier Telecom R&D centre of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), GoI has signed an agreement with the Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (IIT Mandi) in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Jammu (IIT Jammu), for the development of “Wideband Spectrum-Sensor ASIC-Chip, for Enhancing the Spectrum Utilization”.
• The agreement is signed under the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) scheme of the Department of Telecommunications, Government of India.
• This scheme, designed to fund Indian startups, academia, and R&D institutions, is a crucial enabler for designing, developing, and commercializing telecommunication products and solutions.
• The project aims to develop a reliable and implementation-friendly wideband spectrum sensing (WSS) algorithm to improve spectrum efficiency by leveraging spectrum holes to deliver broadband services in rural India.
• Spectrum sensing enables cognitive Radio users to adapt to the environment by detecting spectrum holes without causing interference to the primary network.

India, Saudi Arabia sign Hajj agreement 2025, quota set at 1.75 lakh pilgrims

• India has signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia for Hajj 2025, finalising a quota of 1,75,025 pilgrims.
• Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju signed the deal in Jeddah with Saudi Minister for Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Bin Fawzan Al Rabiah.
• Under the agreement, the 2025 quota will be split between the Hajj Committee of India (HCoI) and private Hajj Group Organisers (HGOs) at a 70:30 ratio. Of the total, HGOs will be allocated 52,507 spots.

Madhya Pradesh CM launches Swami Vivekananda Yuva Shakti Mission

• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has launched the Swami Vivekanand Yuva Shakti Mission on the occasion of the National Youth Yadav in Bhopal.
• Chief Minister Mohan Yadav also inaugurated the world’s largest 3-D rangoli, depicting Swami Vivekananda at the Shaurya Smarak in Bhopal.
• The Swami Vivekananda Yuva Shakti Mission has been launched by the state government keeping in mind Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guiding principle of GYAN (Focusing on the Poor, Youth, Farmers, and Women) and inspired by the principles of Swami Vivekanand.
• The Chief Minister also launched the Swami Vivekananda Yuva Shakti Mission Portal and theme song. The Portal will give information related to the mission to the general public.
• The state government will try to provide employment to more than 70% of the youth by 2028. All youth of the state are to complete education up to class 12th by 2030.

About Madhya Pradesh

• Capital – Bhopal
• Chief Minister – Dr Mohan Yadav (replace Shivraj Singh Chauhan)
• Deputy CM – Jagdish Devda & Rajendra Shukla
• Speaker of Madhya Pradesh Assembly – Narendra Singh Tomar
• Governor – Mangubhai C. Patel

Banking and Financial

Bank of India seeks its first dollar loan of $400 million in over a decade

• Bank of India is marketing its first dollar syndicated loan since 2012 of as much as $400 million. The Indian lender is raising the loan — split into three- and five-year tranches — via its branch located in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, India’s newest financial hub.
• Bank of India joins a slew of other Indian borrowers seeking to raise foreign currency debt this year. Reliance Industries Ltd. is looking to borrow as much as $3 billion, in what could be the largest loan from the country since 2023, while Shriram Finance Ltd. is planning to syndicate part of a $1.28 billion multi-currency social financing, the biggest ever offshore deal, from an Indian shadow lender.
• Meanwhile, State Bank of India is marketing a ¥30 billion ($191 million) syndicated facility and is planning to raise another borrowing of as much as $1.25 billion, in what could be the country’s biggest dollar loan from the banking sector this year. All this adds to the already busy deal pipeline from Asia Pacific, setting the stage for a likely rebound in loan volumes after three years of decline.
• Bank of India last tapped the offshore loan markets in 2012, when it raised a $200 million two-year facility, according to Bloomberg-compiled data.

Bank of Baroda to provide AI-driven support, forex facility, ATMs, and coin vending machines for Maha Kumbh 2025

• Attracting millions of visitors to Prayagraj, the Bank of Baroda (BoB) has unveiled plans to provide advanced banking services. As the convenor of the State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) for Uttar Pradesh, the bank aims to promote digital payments and offer AI-driven customer support for the pilgrims.
• BoB set up two full-fledged branches equipped with forex facilities. Additionally, it deployed onsite and mobile ATMs, along with coin vending machines, to meet the diverse banking needs of the visitors.
• The bank is extensively promoting its newly launched UPI payment PSP app, BoB e-Pay, offering a complete suite of payment features.
• The bank has also provided hundreds of merchant carts through Mela authorities and reflector jackets for volunteers and merchants.

Retail inflation eases to four-month low of 5.22% in December 2024

• The Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based retail inflation cooled slightly to a 4-month low of 5.22 per cent in December, down from 5.48 per cent in November, indicating persistent high price pressures faced by consumers, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
• The data shows higher inflation in rural areas at 5.76 percent compared to 4.58 percent in urban regions.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) aims to keep inflation within a range of 2–6 percent, with a medium-term target of 4 percent.
• Food inflation remained high in December, albeit slowing during the month, with the Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) standing at 8.39 percent, compared to 9.04 per cent in November. This was largely driven by high prices of vegetables, fruits, edible oils, eggs, and cereals.
• Rural areas experienced higher food inflation at 8.65 per cent, while urban regions saw a slightly lower rate of 7.9 per cent during the month.

Previous Months CPI-based Retail inflation

• July 2024 –54%
• August 2024 – 3.65%
• September 2024 –5.49%
• October 2024 –21%
• November 2024 – 48 %
• December 2024 – 22%

IDBI Bank unveils Chiranjeevi Super Senior Citizen FD, offers 8.5% interest

• IDBI Bank has introduced a new specialised fixed deposit scheme, ‘IDBI Chiranjeevi-Super Senior Citizen FD,’ targeting customers aged 80 years and above.
• The premium offering provides enhanced interest rates, with an additional 65 basis points above standard fixed deposit rates and 15 basis points over existing senior citizen rates.
• The 555-day tenure under this scheme offers an interest rate of 8.05 per cent per annum, making it one of the most competitive options in the market for super senior citizens.
• The bank has also introduced appealing rates for other tenure options, including 7.90 per cent per annum for 375 days, 8.00 per cent per annum for 444 days, and 7.85 per cent per annum for 700 days.

Mutual fund investors in India can now name up to 10 nominees

• Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has announced significant changes to the nomination rules for mutual funds and demat accounts aimed at reducing unclaimed assets and ensuring better management of investments, particularly in cases of illness or the death of an investor.
• SEBI has revises mutual fund nomination rules, effective March 1, 2025. An investor can declare up to 10 persons as nominees in the demat account or mutual fund folio. However, the investor will need to declare the nominee. It cannot be done by the Power of Attorney (PoA) holder(s) of the investor.
• The nominees can either continue as joint holders with other nominees or open separate single accounts/folios for their respective portions.
• Under the new guidelines, investors are now required to provide comprehensive information about their nominees. This includes essential identification details, such as the nominee’s Permanent Account Number (PAN), driving license number, or the last four digits of their Aadhaar number. Additionally, investors must specify the nominee’s contact details and their relationship to the investor.
• Sebi has also tasked depositories and the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) with developing a standard operating procedure (SOP) to further support incapacitated investors.

Appointment

Devajit Saikia appointed as BCCI Secretary; Prabhtej Singh Bhatia elected Treasurer

• Former first-class cricketer Devajit Saikia has been appointed as the new secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), replacing Jay Shah, who assumed the role of ICC Chairman last year.
• Prabhtej Singh Bhatia was elected as the Treasurer of the Indian Cricket Board.
• Saikia, who represented Assam in the 1990-91 first-class cricket season, scored 53 runs in four matches. He also has significant experience in cricket administration, having served as the BCCI joint secretary and the secretary of the Assam Cricket Association (ACA).

About Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)

• Founded – December 1928
• Headquarters – Mumbai
• President – Roger Binny
• Secretary – Devajit Saikia
• Treasurer – Prabhtej Singh Bhatia

Sports

First edition of the Kho Kho World Cup starts in New Delhi

• The first edition of the Kho Kho World Cup started at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on 13 January 2025. The World Cup was inaugurated by Sudhanshu Mittal, President of the Kho Kho Federation of India.
• The Kho Kho World Cup has been organised by the Kho Kho Federation of India with support from the Indian Olympic Association in New Delhi from 13-19 January 2025.
• During the World Cup, each team will consist of 12 players, however during a match only 9 players from each team will actually take the field.
• The first edition of the Kho Kho World Cup features 20 countries’ men’s and 19 women’s teams. The men and women kho kho teams have been divided into four groups.
• The 15-member Indian men’s team is led by Pratik Waikar and the women’s team is led by Priyanka Ingle.