Daily Current Affairs: 1 January 2026

Sadanand Vasant Date took charge as Director General of Police, Maharashtra

[Maharashtra]

Key Updates:

• Sadanand Vasant Date succeeded Rashmi Shukla, the first woman DGP of Maharashtra.
• Date, a 1990-batch IPS officer, will occupy the post for two years in line with Supreme Court guidelines.
• He has earlier served as chief of the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad and as the first commissioner of the Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar police Commissionerate.

Rani Velu Nachiyar Honored as First Queen of Sivaganga

Key Updates:

• Rani Velu Nachiyar of Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu, was honored on her birth anniversary as the first Indian queen to wage war against British colonial rule.
• Born on January 3, 1730, she was the daughter of Raja Chellamuthu Vijayaragunatha Sethupathy and Rani Sakandhimuthal of the Ramnad kingdom.
• She earned the title 'Veeramangai' (Brave Woman) for leading an organized armed struggle against the East India Company (EIC).
• She formed a strategic military alliance with Hyder Ali, the King of Mysore, to reclaim her kingdom and establish independent rule.
• She was trained in traditional martial arts including Silambam and Valari, and was proficient in multiple languages including Tamil, English, French, and Urdu.

Savitribai Phule Pioneered Women’s Education and Social Reform

Key Updates:

• Savitribai Phule was born on January 3, 1831, in Naigaon village of Satara district in Maharashtra.
• She is considered the pioneer of women’s education in modern India and opened the first school exclusively for women in Pune in 1848.
• She was the wife of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and earned the title ‘krantijyoti’ or torchbearer of revolution for her role in his mission.
• She opened a total of 18 schools for girls in a short span of four years, including the first school at Bhide Wada.
• She established a home for the prevention of infanticide and offered shelter to widows and commercial sex workers during the drought of 1876-77.
• She presided over the Satyashodhak Parishad held in Saswad near Pune in 1893.
• She authored several books including her first book of poems ‘Kavyafule’ in 1854, as well as ‘Savitribaichi Gani’, ‘Subodh Ratnakar’, and ‘Bawankashi’.
• She led the funeral procession and performed the last rites of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule after his death on November 28, 1890.
• She passed away on March 10, 1897, after contracting the plague while providing relief and medical assistance to patients in Pune.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) records gross NPAs at 10-year low of 2.1%

[Reserve Bank of India (RBI)]

Key Updates:

• Gross non-performing assets (GNPAs) have fallen to a decadal low of 2.1%.
• The ratio of special mention accounts overdue by 61-90 days (SMA-2) declined to 0.8% as of end-September 2025.
• In the MSME sector, the SMA ratio eased to 5.1%.
• Stress in unsecured loans moderated sharply, with the SMA-2 ratio falling to 13% from more than 20% a year earlier.
• Credit costs for the system are expected to be around 0.6% in the December quarter.
• Fresh stress formation among large borrowers improved, with the SMA-2 ratio declining nearly 36% in September 2025.
• 69% of gold loan disbursements were to prime-and-above borrowers.
• Private sector banks disbursed over 70% of consumer loans to prime-and-above borrowers.

Bank of Baroda (BoB) ranks Andhra Pradesh as top investment destination with 25.3% share of proposed capital in FY26.

[Bank of Baroda (BoB), Andhra Pradesh]

Key Updates:

• Andhra Pradesh captured 25.3% of all proposed investments nationwide in the first nine months of FY26.
• Odisha and Maharashtra followed with 13.1% and 12.8% shares respectively.
• The combined share of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Maharashtra reached 51.2% of India’s total proposed capital investment.
• Nationwide investment announcements totaled Rs 26.6 lakh crore, marking an 11.5% year-on-year increase.
• Power sector led with 22.6% of investments, with renewables dominating the segment.
• Metals accounted for 17.3% of proposed investments, supporting capital formation across roads, automobiles, and housing.
• Construction maintained a steady 4% share, covering both housing and commercial complexes.
• Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh attributed the performance to consistent reforms, fast decision-making, and investor-friendly policies.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Increases Foreign Exchange Reserves to $696,610 Million

[Reserve Bank of India (RBI)]

Key Updates:

• India's Foreign Exchange Reserves increased to $696,610 Million for the week ending December 26 from $693,320 Million in the previous week.
• The reserves reached an all-time high of $704,890.00 Million in September 2024 and a record low of $29,048.00 Million in September 1998.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Interest Rate was recorded at 5.25% in December 2025, down from 5.50% in the previous period.
• The Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) stood at 3.00% in November 2025, compared to 3.25% in the preceding month.
• The Reverse Repo Rate was maintained at 3.35% as of November 2025.
• Bank Loan Growth YoY increased to 12.00% in December 2025 from 11.50% in the previous period.
• The RBI Central Bank Balance Sheet was valued at 40,873.89 INR Billion in November 2025.
• Foreign Exchange Reserves in India are projected to reach $710,000.00 Million by the end of the current quarter and trend around the same level in 2027.
• India's Foreign Exchange Reserves averaged $311,804.00 Million from 1998 until 2025.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data shows industrial credit demand accelerates

[Reserve Bank of India (RBI)]

Key Updates:

• Industrial credit grew 9.6 per cent year-on-year till November compared to 8.3 per cent a year ago.
• Credit to ‘Micro and Small’ and ‘Medium’ industries continued to exhibit double-digit expansion.
• Outstanding credit to ‘infrastructure’, ‘all engineering’, ‘textiles’ and ‘petroleum, coal products and nuclear fuels’ registered buoyant growth.
• Retail loans segment recorded 12.8 per cent growth, down from 13.4 per cent a year ago.
• Credit card outstanding growth slowed to 2.4 per cent year-on-year in November 2025 from 18.1 per cent a year ago.
• Housing credit growth moderated to 9.9 per cent from 12.2 per cent in the year-ago period.
• Vehicle loan growth rose to 12.4 per cent year-on-year in November from 10.3 per cent last year.
• Loan against gold jewellery surged 125.3 per cent year-on-year, up from 77.3 per cent in November 2024.
• Credit growth to the services sector was 11.7 per cent against 12.8 per cent a year ago.
• Loan growth to non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) improved to 9.5 per cent year-on-year in November from 7.5 per cent last year.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Projects 1.9% GNPA Ratio by March 2027

[Reserve Bank of India (RBI)]

Key Updates:

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recorded the gross non-performing asset (GNPA) ratio of scheduled commercial banks at multi-year lows of 2.3% in March 2025 and 2.2% in September 2025.
• The net non-performing asset (NNPA) ratio for scheduled commercial banks remained at approximately 0.5% since the March 2025 quarter.
• The RBI projects the bad loans ratio for Indian banks to fall to 1.9% by March 2027 under the baseline scenario.
• System-wide capital-to-risk weighted assets ratios and Common equity Tier-1 ratios remained comfortably above Basel III norms and regulatory thresholds.
• Macro stress tests indicate that banks would maintain capital levels above regulatory minimums even under severe macroeconomic scenarios.
• The RBI released its Financial Stability report in December, noting that the banking sector closed 2025 with its cleanest balance sheets in over a decade.
• The RBI attributed the improvement in asset quality to legacy bad-loan resolution, tighter underwriting standards, and steady economic growth.

Gujarat Slum-Free City Initiative: Surat to become India's first slum-free city with over 70 lakh population

[Gujarat]

Key Updates:

• The Gujarat state government announced that Surat is poised to become India's first slum-free city with a population of over 70 lakh.
• In the past two decades, the population living in Surat's slum areas has decreased from 38% to 5%.
• Chief Minister (CM) Bhupendra Patel directed senior officials, including the Chief Secretary (CS), to take effective measures to make Surat the state's first slum-free city.
• Surat's population is approximately 70-80 lakh, making this achievement more significant in scale than Chandigarh, which has a population of around 10 lakh.
• The Chief Minister (CM) also directed officials to start taking measures to make other cities in Gujarat slum-free in phases.

Delhi Public Works Department (PWD) Mandates QR Codes on Road Signage for Enhanced Accountability and Maintenance

Key Updates:

• The Public Works Department (PWD) of Delhi has issued guidelines making the incorporation of QR codes mandatory on all future road signages to provide details on manufacturers and materials.
• The QR codes will be printed on the bottom right corner of the signage and will contain information such as the manufacturer’s name, manufacturing date, reflective sheeting code, and warranty details.
• The policy aims to establish standardised guidelines to ensure uniformity and improved visibility of road signage across Delhi, following a 2024 audit by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
• The PWD is integrating these QR codes with the ‘PWD Sewa’ mobile application, enabling citizens to scan them to lodge complaints regarding road repairs, potholes, streetlights, or signages.
• A mandatory warranty period of 10 years from the date of installation has been fixed for retro-reflective sheeting, ensuring free replacement for any defects during this period.

National Sports Governance Act: Establishment of National Sports Board and Tribunal

[National Sports Board]

Key Updates:

• The Sports Ministry (SM) announced that the "Central Government has appointed 1st January, 2026 as the date on which the provisions" of the National Sports Governance Act shall partially come into force.
• The Act paves the way for the "institution of an all-powerful National Sports Board (NSB) and a Tribunal to handle sporting disputes."
• Under the new framework, National Sports Federations (NSFs) "will be required to have Executive Committees of no more than 15 members with at least two Sportspersons of Merit in them."
• The NSB is proposed to be a "three-member body" with the power to "grant affiliation to the National Sports Federations (NSFs)," monitor financial operations, and penalize wrongdoing.
• The "age cap for all members of the NSB has been fixed at 65," while members of the National Sports Tribunal (NST) will "hold office for four years with an age cap of 67 years."
• It is mandatory for NSFs "to take NSB affiliation to be eligible for government funding."

France Social Media Ban for Under-15s to Protect Children

[France]

Key Updates:

• France will ban social media use for children under 15 starting September 2026.
• The ban also prohibits mobile phones in high schools for students aged 15 to 18.
• The draft bill has been completed and will be submitted to France’s Conseil d’État for legal review.

European Union leaders Von der Leyen and António Costa to be chief guests at India Republic Day 2026

[European Union]

Key Updates:

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa will be the chief guests at India’s Republic Day celebrations on January 26.
• Their visit will coincide with the India–EU Summit, where discussions are expected to centre on the proposed Free Trade Agreement.
• India and the European Union resumed negotiations for a comprehensive FTA in June 2022 after a gap of over eight years.

India Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurates security infrastructure projects in Andaman and Nicobar Islands on 03 Jan 2026

[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]

Key Updates:

• Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated an Integrated Command & Control Centre to enhance security infrastructure in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
• The Home Minister chaired the Parliamentary Consultative Committee meeting of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), focusing on the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) and National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU).
• The visit included the inauguration of nine major projects and laying the foundation for two more, totaling Rs 373 crore.
• An exhibition on the Naveen Nyaya Sanhita was inaugurated as part of the developmental initiatives on the islands.

United States launches military strikes on Caracas and captures Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro

[United States, Venezuela]

Key Updates:

• United States launched large-scale military strikes on Caracas early Saturday and claimed to have captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
• US President Donald Trump announced the operation on Truth Social, describing it as aimed at ending a 'narco-terrorist regime'.
• US Special Forces seized Maduro and Flores, transported them via helicopter to a US Navy ship offshore, and then flew them to the United States.
• Maduro is currently being held at a federal detention facility in New York and is expected to appear in court on charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy.
• Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez appeared on state television to condemn the attack, while a Venezuelan court named her interim president.
• Russia, China, Iran, and Cuba strongly condemned the US move as a violation of sovereignty.
• UN Secretary-General called the action a 'dangerous precedent' and an emergency Security Council meeting was scheduled.

Holematthi Nature Foundation (HNF) records Karnataka's first 'Sandalwood Leopard'

[Karnataka]

Key Updates:

• The Holematthi Nature Foundation (HNF) documented an ultra-rare leopard colour morph in Vijayanagara district, marking the first in the state.
• The big cat, named the 'Sandalwood Leopard,' has a pale reddish-pink coat resembling the colour of sandalwood, marked with light-brown rosettes.
• The leopard (Panthera pardus) has an appearance consistent with naturally occurring genetic traits such as hypomelanism or erythrism.
• This discovery marks only the second such sighting in India, with the only previous Indian record from Rajasthan's Ranakpur region.
• Globally, this colour morph, referred to as 'strawberry leopards,' has been documented only five times, including sightings in South Africa and Tanzania.
• Definitive identification of the underlying genetic mechanism would require molecular analysis using non-invasive DNA samples such as scat or hair.

Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) recommends environmental clearance for Kalai-II hydroelectric project

Key Updates:

• The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) recommended environmental clearance for the 1,200-MW Kalai-II hydroelectric project on the Lohit River in Arunachal Pradesh’s Anjaw.
• The project, to be developed by THDC India Ltd at an estimated cost of Rs 14,176.26 crore, involves the construction of a 128.5-m concrete gravity dam and an underground powerhouse.
• The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report prepared by WAPCOS Ltd failed to mention the white-bellied heron, a Schedule-I species under the Wildlife Protection Act.
• The white-bellied heron is listed as critically endangered on the Red List of the International Union on Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
• The bird’s population in Arunachal Pradesh is found in the Lohit, Anjaw, and Changlang districts, including the Kamlang Tiger Reserve and Namdapha Tiger Reserve.

TakeMe2Space and EON Space Labs ship 14-kg MOI-1 satellite to ISRO’s Sriharikota for PSLV-C62 launch

[ISRO]

Key Updates:

• Two Hyderabad start-ups — TakeMe2Space and EON Space Labs — completed testing and integration of the 14-kilogram Earth observation satellite MOI-1 at Azista BST Aerospace in Ahmedabad.
• MOI-1 will ride as a co-passenger on ISRO’s PSLV-C62 mission slated for early January 2026 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
• The satellite carries MIRA, a miniaturised space telescope and imaging hardware developed by EON Space Labs to NASA-equivalent thermal-vacuum standards.
• Once in 500-km low Earth orbit, MOI-1 will deliver multispectral imagery with 9.2-metre resolution and 18.7-kilometre swath across nine spectral bands for agriculture, urban mapping, ship detection and construction monitoring.
• An on-board Nvidia GPU enables in-orbit AI processing, sending processed actionable data instead of raw images to cut downlink costs and serve commercial and defence users.

PM Modi inaugurates 72nd National Volleyball Championship in Uttar Pradesh

[Uttar Pradesh]

Key Updates:

• PM Modi inaugurated the 72nd National Volleyball Championship in Uttar Pradesh via video conferencing.
• The tournament is being held in Varanasi with 58 teams participating.
• The championship will conclude on January 11.

Sjoerd Marijne returns as India women’s hockey chief coach

Key Updates:

• Sjoerd Marijne has been appointed as the chief coach of the Indian women’s hockey team.
• He guided India to a historic fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics.
• Marijne takes over from Harendra Singh, who resigned in December citing ‘personal reasons’.
• His first assignment will be the World Cup qualifying tournament in Hyderabad from March 8 to 14.

National Bird Day observed on January 5

Key Updates:

• National Bird Day was first established in 2002 by the Avian Welfare Coalition to promote the welfare of birds both in the wild and in captivity.
• National Bird Day is celebrated annually on January 5 to raise awareness about the importance of birds in our ecosystems.
• The day honours the efforts of conservationists and environmental organisations working to safeguard endangered bird species, including the bald eagle and the California condor.