National News

PM Modi dedicates frontline naval combatants INS Surat, INS Nilgiri & INS Vaghsheer to the nation

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation three frontline naval combatants – INS Surat, INS Nilgiri and INS Vaghsheer – on their commissioning at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, Maharashtra on the occasion of Indian Army Day.
• The Prime Minister also launched of new platforms, including the INS Nilgiri, dedicated to the maritime prowess of the Chola dynasty, and the Surat warship.
• INS Surat, the fourth and final ship of the P15B Guided Missile Destroyer Project, ranks among the largest and most sophisticated destroyers in the world. It has an indigenous content of 75% and is equipped with state-of-the-art weapon-sensor packages and advanced network-centric capabilities.
• INS Nilgiri, the first ship of the P17A Stealth Frigate Project, has been designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and incorporates advanced features for enhanced survivability, seakeeping, and stealth, reflecting the next generation of indigenous frigates.
• INS Vaghsheer, the sixth and final submarine of the P75 Scorpene Project.

Gaan Ngai festival commemorates end of harvest season in Manipur

• The Gaan Ngai festival commemorating the end of the harvest season by the Kabui/Rongmei Naga community is being celebrated in Manipur.
• Gaan-ngai is the festival of lights and victory, victory over evil; (Gaan means light and Ngai, festival).
• Another version of Gaan-ngai is the festival of winter season. Chakaan means season, Gaan also means winter and Ngai, festival. This festival is also described as a New Year festival as it marks the end of the year and beginning of the New Year.

About Manipur

• Capital – Imphal
• Chief Minister – Biren Singh
• Governor – Ajay Bhalla

Centre reconstitutes Atomic Energy Commission

• The government has re-constituted the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) to include T V Somanathan and Manoj Govil, who took over as the Cabinet Secretary and Expenditure Secretary respectively.
• The AEC also includes Pankaj Kumar Mishra who took over as Member (Finance) last year, according to a notification issued on October 21 last year and published in the Gazette on January 9.
• The reconstituted AEC has Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy, as its chairman.
• The AEC is tasked with formulating policies for the Department of Atomic Energy.

About The Atomic Energy Commission

• The Atomic Energy Commission was established in August 1948 as part of the Department of Scientific Research.
• The Department of Atomic Energy was formed later, on August 3, 1954, under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister.
• The AEC was officially constituted in March 1958, following a Government Resolution. This historical framework has set the foundation for India’s nuclear policy development.
• The AEC is responsible for formulating policies related to atomic energy and ensuring their implementation through the DAE.

PM Modi Launches ‘Mission Mausam’ on IMD’s 150th Foundation Day

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched “Mission Mausam”, which aims to make the country a “weather-ready” and “climate-smart” nation, in New Delhi as part of the events marking the 150th foundation day of the India Meteorological Department.
• The “Mission Mausam” aims to achieve its target by developing cutting-edge weather surveillance technologies and systems, implementing high-resolution atmospheric observations, next-generation radars and satellites, and high-performance computers.
• It will also focus on improving the understanding of weather and climate processes, provide air quality data that will help strategize weather management and intervention in the long run.
• The IMD was founded in 15January 1875 and is one of the oldest meteorological organizations in the world.

Odisha announces monthly pension of Rs 20,000 for people imprisoned during Emergency

• The Odisha government has announced a monthly pension of Rs 20,000 and other benefits for people jailed during Emergency.
• Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi declared the provision of monthly pension for those arrested and imprisoned during the Emergency under Maintenance of Internal Security Act, Defence of India Rule or Defence and Internal Security of India Rules.
• Along with pension, the state government will bear the medical expenses of all the people jailed during the Emergency. Pension and medical facilities will be available to all people still alive as of January 1, 2025.
• Hundreds were imprisoned in various jails across the country for opposing the Emergency between June 25, 1975 and March 21, 1977.

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

Banking and Financial

Suryoday SFB partners with Tata Digital to Launch FD Offerings on Tata Neu Platform

• Suryoday Small Finance Bank (SSFB), a prominent digital-first small finance bank, has partnered with Tata Digital to extend its fixed deposit (FD) offerings via the Tata Neu platform.
• This collaboration will enable SSFB to leverage Tata Neu’s reach, providing retail customers with access to the deposit scheme.
• SSFB’s FD offering will be available on the Tata Neu platform, where customers can invest in fixed deposits at interest rates of up to 9.1% without the need for a savings account. Customers can start investing with as little as Rs. 1,000 and the onboarding process can be completed in a few minutes.

Recent MoUs Signed in Banking Sector

• PhonePe partners with ICICI Lombard to offer Maha Kumbh Mela insurance
• Tata Power, Canara Bank partner to offer loans for rooftop solar systems
• M2P Fintech Collaborates with SBI to Revolutionise Prepaid Payment Solutions
• Magma HDI General Insurance Partners with IndoStar Capital Finance to Expand Insurance Accessibility
• Universal Sompo GI Collaborates with CRY to Empower Education for Marginalized Communities in Andhra Pradesh
• ICICI Bank signed an MoU with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) to enhance support for customers engaged in the Australia-India business corridor

Equitas SFB revises SB deposit rates, introduces new slabs

• Equitas Small Finance Bank has introduced two new slabs for savings bank (SB) deposit holders.
• Balances above ? 10 lakhs and up to ?25 lakhs and from ?25 lakhs to ?1 crore earn interest of 7 per cent and 7.25 per cent, respectively.
• Balances up to ?1 lakh will continue to earn an interest rate of 3.00%, while the extended slab for balances between ?1 lakh and ?10 lakhs will provide an interest rate of 5.00 per cent.
• And balances from ?1 crore to ?25 crores will earn 7.50 per cent. For balances above ?25 crore, the existing rate of 7.80 per cent remains unchanged.

About Equitas Small Finance Bank

• Headquarters- Chennai
• MD & CEO – P.N. Vasudevan
• Tagline – It’s fun banking

Appointment

Angel One Names Ambarish Kenghe as Group CEO

• Angel One has appointed Ambarish Kenghe as its group chief executive officer. Kenghe will assume the role in March 2025.
• Kenghe has previously served as vice president and general manager, Google Pay APAC, where he was involved in expanding the platform’s reach and supporting the UPI ecosystem in India.
• His earlier roles include chief product officer, Myntra, a consultant at Bain & Company, and an engineer at Cisco Systems.
• Chairman and Managing Director of Angel One – Dinesh Thakkar.

Recent Appointment in Banking & Insurance Sector

• MD and Group Chief Risk Officer – Baldev Prakash
• CEO of ITI Asset Management (ITI AML) – Jatinder Pal Singh (replace Hitesh Thakkar)
• Non-executive Chairman of Bandhan Bank – Anup Kumar Sinha (reappointment)
• CEO of DBS Bank India – Rajat Verma (replace Surojit Shome)
• MD & CEO of J&K Bank – Amitava Chatterjee (replace Baldev Prakash)

Puma ropes in PV Sindhu as a brand ambassador

• PV Sindhu, two-time Olympic medallist and one of India’s greatest sporting trailblazers, has joined forces with sports brand PUMA India in a multi-year partnership as brand ambassador.
• Sindhu’s achievements have played a crucial role in popularising badminton as a competitive sport in India. She is the first Indian to win five badminton world championship medals and has triumphed across the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and beyond.
• She has been honoured with the prestigious Khel Ratna award, Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Arjuna Award.

Recent Brand Ambassador

• Tata Mumbai Marathon – Mo Farah
• MS Dhoni – Eurogrip Tyres
• Rashmika Mandanna – Chennai-based real estate developer, DRA
• Sonu Sood – Brand Ambassador and Honourary Tourism Advisor for Thailand
• Harbhajan Singh & Sania Mirza – Dubai Sports Council brand ambassador
• Shreyanka Patil – BOBCARD Limited
• Rashmika Mandanna – National Ambassador for Promoting Cyber Safety

Centre clears appointment of Justice K Vinod Chandran as Supreme Court judge

• Patna High Court Chief Justice K Vinod Chandran was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court.
• The Supreme Court Collegium recommended Justice Chandran’s name.
• Justice Chandran was appointed as a judge of the Kerala High Court on November 8, 2011. He was elevated as the chief justice Patna High Court on March 29, 2023.
• Once he takes oath as a judge of the top court, the working strength of the Supreme Court would rise to 33. Its sanctioned strength is 34, including the chief justice of India.
• The President in exercise of powers under Article 124(2) of the Constitution, made the appointment.

Science

Blue Origin launched its first orbital rocket ‘New Glenn’

• Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s company ‘Blue Origin’ has launched its first orbital rocket ‘New Glenn’ from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.
• New Glenn carry a payload — Blue Ring Pathfinder, which will test key systems for the Defense Innovation Unit’s Orbital Logistics programme.
• New Glenn which is 98 m tall, is the largest and most powerful rocket ever built and launched. It is named after NASA astronaut John Glenn, the first American astronaut to orbit Earth, completing three orbits in 1962.
• In December, Blue Origin announced that New Glenn successfully completed the crucial hot-fire test. It was the first test of the integrated launch vehicle.

Sports

Bumrah and Sutherland named ICC Men’s Player of the month for December 2024

• The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the ICC Men’s and Women’s Players of the Month for December 2024 as India’s Jasprit Bumrah and Australia’s Annabel Sutherland.
• Top-ranked Test bowler Bumrah provided stern resistance to Australia’s resurgence in a compelling Border-Gavaskar Trophy series with destructive bowling spells, while Sutherland was in sparkling form during Australia’s ODI encounters against India and New Zealand, twice winning Player of the Series accolades for her all-round-contributions.
• Both players were crowned following a vote conducted among global fans registered at ICC-cricket.com and a specialist panel comprising ICC Hall of Famers, former international players, and media representatives.

Previous ICC Men’s Player of the Month Awards

• July 2024 – Gus Atkinson (England)
• August 2024 – Dunith Wellalage (Sri Lanka)
• September 2024 – Kamindu Mendis (Sri Lanka)
• October 2024 – Noman Ali (Pakistan)
• November 2024 – Haris Rauf (Pakistan)
• December 2024 – Jasprit Bumrah (India)

Previous ICC Women’s Player of the Month Awards

• July 2024 – Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka)
• August 2024 – Tammy Beaumont (England)
• September 2024 – Harshitha Madavi (Sri Lanka)
• October 2024 – Amelia Kerr (New Zealand)
• November 2024 – Danni Wyatt-Hodge (England)
• December 2024 – Annabel Sutherland (Australia)

Book and Author

Manisha Pande’s book reveals middle class India as a driver of change

• Journalist Manisha Pande’s launched its book Middle Class India: Driving Change in the 21st Century.
• It is divided into three parts.
  • Part I looks at the middle class in pre-Independence India, focusing on the period from 1757 to 1947.
  • Part II concerns itself with the time frame between when India freed itself from the clutches of British colonial rule in 1947 to economic liberalisation in 1991.
  • Part III is about the post-liberalisation scenario, from 1991 until the present day.

Recent Books in News

• Will India Get Rich Before It Turns 100 – Prosenjit Datta
• Indian The Meteroic Rise of Indian in America – Meenakshi Ahamed
• Karma’s Child: The Story of Indian Cinema’s Ultimate Showman – Subhash Ghai & Suveen Sinha
• Jammu Kashmir & Ladakh Through the Ages: A Visual Narrative of Continuities and Linkages – Released by Amit Shah (editor Raghuvendra Tanwar)
• In Pursuit of Democracy – Najma Heptulla

Important day

15 January – Indian Army Day

• Indian Army Day is celebrated annually on 15th January to honor the bravery and sacrifices of Indian Army personnel. This year marks the 77th anniversary of Indian Army Day.
• It marks the day in 1949 when General K.M. Cariappa took over as the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from General Sir Francis Roy Bucher.
• The day is observed with grand parades, military displays, and tributes at the National War Memorial and Amar Jawan Jyoti.
• Theme 2025 – Samarth Bharat, Saksham Sena’ (Capable India, Empowered Army)

16 January – National Startup Day

• National Startup Day is celebrated annually on 16th January to recognize and promote the entrepreneurial spirit in India.
• It was first announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2022 to celebrate the contribution of startups to the Indian economy.
• The day highlights the role of startups in driving innovation, job creation, and economic growth across various sectors.