Daily Current Affairs: 26 January 2026

Late T T Jagannathan awarded Padma Shri posthumously in trade and industry category.

Key Updates:

• Late T T Jagannathan, chairman emeritus of TTK Prestige Group, received the Padma Shri posthumously for his contributions to trade and industry.
• He invented the GRS safety mechanism for pressure cookers and transformed TTK Prestige into a globally exported cookware brand.
• Jagannathan served on the TTK Prestige board for 50 years and led the group to become debt-free.
• He was a gold medallist from IIT Madras and held a PhD in operations from Cornell University, USA.
• He authored the book 'Disrupt And Conquer - How TTK Prestige Became A Billion Dollar Company'.
• Jagannathan passed away in October 2025 at the age of 77.

Inderjit Singh Bindra, former BCCI president, passed away.

[BCCI]

Key Updates:

• Inderjit Singh Bindra died at the age of 84.
• He served as president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from 1993 to 1996.
• Bindra was president of the Punjab Cricket Association from 1978 to 2014.
• The PCA stadium was renamed IS Bindra Stadium in 2015 to honour his administrative work.
• He played a key role in organising the 1987 Reliance Cup, the first World Cup held outside England.
• In 1994 he approached the Supreme Court of India to break Doordarshan’s monopoly on cricket broadcasting.

Sudhir Kumar and 11 Jharkhand Police Personnel Awarded President's Medals

[Jharkhand]

Key Updates:

• The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service (PSM) and the Medal for Meritorious Service (MSM) on the eve of Republic Day 2026.
• Sudhir Kumar, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) from Jharkhand Jaguar (JJ), was awarded the PSM in recognition of his outstanding 25-year career in police service.
• Eleven personnel from Jharkhand were honoured with the MSM, an award designated for completing 18 years of outstanding service.
• The MSM recipients include Inspector General (IG) Anup Birtharay (JJ), IG Patel Mayur Kanhaiyyalal (Provisions), and DSP Sanjay Kumar of Jharkhand Armed Police (JAP)-1.
• Havildars Krishna Kumar Khetri (JAP-I), Marcus Sunwar (JAP-I), and Arun Kumar Ojha (JJ) were also named as recipients of the MSM.
• The list of MSM awardees includes Constable Jaidev Pradhan (JAP-I), Women Constables Janet Margret Lakra and Kumudini Kujur (JAP-10), and Constables Sufal Odeya and G Wasim Akhtar (JJ).

K Vijay Kumar Conferred Padma Shri Award

Key Updates:

• Former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer K Vijay Kumar was conferred with the Padma Shri award in January 2026.
• K Vijay Kumar is best known for leading Operation Cocoon in 2004, which resulted in the death of forest brigand Veerappan in Papparapatti, Dharmapuri district.
• He served as the Director-General (DG) of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) for two years starting from 2010.
• The Tamil Nadu-cadre officer has served as an advisor to the Union Home Ministry on countering Left-wing extremism and as an advisor to the Jammu and Kashmir Governor.
• Violinist N Rajam was among the five individuals conferred with the Padma Vibhushan award in 2026.
• Other Padma Shri recipients from Tamil Nadu include Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-Madras) Director V Kamakoti, tennis player Vijay Amritraj, writer Sivasankari, and singers Gayatri and Ranjani Balasubramanian.
• Padma Shri awardees from Karnataka include Anke Gowda, S G Susheelamma, and Dr Suresh Hanagavadi.

President Droupadi Murmu announced gallantry medals for 70 Armed Forces and security personnel.

Key Updates:

• President Droupadi Murmu announced 70 gallantry medals on the eve of the 77th Republic Day 2026.
• The awards include one Ashok Chakra, three Kirti Chakras, 13 Shaurya Chakras, one Bar to Sena Medal (Gallantry), 44 Sena Medals (Gallantry), six Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry) and two Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry).
• Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (Air Force) received the Ashok Chakra.
• Major Arshdeep Singh (Army), Naib Subedar Doleshwar Subba (Army) and Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair (Air Force) were awarded the Kirti Chakra.
• Six of the 70 gallantry awards were given posthumously.

India’s Anna Chakra selected as finalist for 2026 Franz Edelman Award.

Key Updates:

• Anna Chakra is an operations research–based decision support system developed by the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD), United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) India, and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi to optimise foodgrain logistics under India’s Public Distribution System (PDS).
• The initiative has delivered estimated annual savings of ₹250 crore in logistics costs and a 35% reduction in carbon emissions while benefiting over 81 crore PDS beneficiaries.
• Anna Chakra was earlier awarded the CDSA–ORSI Excellence in Management Science and Analytics Practice Award 2026 at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad.
• The 2026 Franz Edelman Award winner will be announced at the INFORMS Analytics+ Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, USA, from 12–14 April 2026.

Super-100 of Veer Gatha 5.0 felicitated by Raksha Rajya Mantri and Minister of State for Education.

Key Updates:

• Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Sanjay Seth and Minister of State for Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (I/C) Shri Jayant Chaudhary felicitated the Super-100 winners of Veer Gatha 5.0 in New Delhi on 24 January 2026.
• Veer Gatha 5.0 recorded over 1.92 crore student participants from more than two lakh schools, including 28,005 international students from CBSE schools abroad.
• Among the 100 national winners, 64 are girls.
• Each Super-100 awardee received ₹10,000 cash, a medal and a certificate, and will attend the Republic Day Parade 2026 at Kartavya Path on 26 January 2026.
• Senior attendees included Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, Secretary Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) Shri Sanjay Kumar, Secretary (Ex-Servicemen Welfare) Ms Sukirti Lekhi, and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Chairman Dr Samir V Kamat.

Santosh Kumar Singh and Other Madhya Pradesh Police Officers Receive President’s Medal for Distinguished Service

[Madhya Pradesh]

Key Updates:

• The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced gallantry and service medals for 982 personnel from police, fire, home guard, civil defence, and correctional services across India for Republic Day 2026.
• Madhya Pradesh Police secured 21 national honours, comprising four President’s Medal for Distinguished Service (PSM) and 17 Medal for Meritorious Service (MSM).
• The President’s Medal for Distinguished Service (PSM) was awarded to Santosh Kumar Singh (Commissioner of Police), Mithelesh Kumar Shukla (Inspector General), Awadhesh Kumar Goswami (Deputy Inspector General), and Shiv Kumar Patel (Inspector).
• The Medal for Meritorious Service (MSM) was conferred upon Krishnaveni Desavatu (Inspector General), Manoj Kumar Rai (Superintendent of Police), Gitesh Kumar Garg (Superintendent of Police), Durgesh Kumar Rathore (Superintendent of Police), and Praveen Singh (Inspector ARMR).
• Other MSM recipients include Rajendra Prasad Gupta (Inspector ARMR), Nidhi Shrivastava (Inspector ARMR), Sanjay Singh Thakur (Deputy Superintendent of Police), Shaffali Takalkar (Inspector ARMR), and Shriram Mishra (Head Constable).
• The list of MSM awardees also features Shushil Kumar Choubey (Constable), Prem Kishore Vyas (Sub-Inspector), Umrao Prasad Jatav (Sub-Inspector), Mahendra Singh Negi (Assistant Sub-Inspector), Santosh Mehra (Assistant Sub-Inspector), Ravindra Mishra (Constable), and Raju Gurane (Inspector ARMR).

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla received Ashoka Chakra; Lieutenant Commander Dilna K and Lieutenant Commander Roopa A received Shaurya Chakra.

Key Updates:

• President Droupadi Murmu approved Gallantry awards for 70 Armed Forces personnel on the eve of Republic Day 2026.
• Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 mission in June last year.
• Lieutenant Commander Dilna K sailed over 25,600 nautical miles through the Indian, Pacific, Atlantic and Southern Oceans during Navika Sagar Parikrama II aboard INSV Tarini between October 2, 2024 and May 29, 2025.
• The gallantry decorations include three Kirti Chakras, 13 Shaurya Chakras (one posthumous), one Bar to Sena Medal (Gallantry), 44 Sena Medals (Gallantry) (five posthumous), six Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry), and two Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry).

Padma Awards 2026 announced with 131 recipients across Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri categories.

Key Updates:

• The Government of India announced 131 Padma Awards for 2026, including 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri.
• Veteran actor Dharmendra Singh Deol and former Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandhan were awarded the Padma Vibhushan posthumously.
• Cricketer Rohit Sharma, actor R Madhavan, and Malayalam cinema icon Mammootty featured among prominent awardees across Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan categories.
• Maharashtra topped the list with 15 awardees, followed by Tamil Nadu (13), Uttar Pradesh (11), West Bengal (11) and Kerala (8).
• Adman Piyush Pandey received the Padma Bhushan posthumously for contributions to the Indian advertising industry.
• Techi Gubin, President of Arunachal Vikas Parishad, was named for the Padma Shri in social service.
• 45 awardees were recognised as ‘unsung heroes’ under the Padma Shri category, including former bus conductor Anke Gowda and paediatrician Armida Fernandez.
• The Padma Awards are conferred by the President of India and will be presented by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan, usually around March–April.

Abhijit Majumdar dies at 54

Key Updates:

• Abhijit Majumdar, Odia composer-singer, died at the age of 54 while undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
• He was admitted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar on September 4 last year with hypertension, hypothyroidism and chronic liver disease.
• He suffered a cardiac arrest at 7.43 am and was declared dead at 9.02 am.
• His mortal remains will be taken to his home in Cuttack for last rites.

Mark Tully, veteran journalist and former BBC New Delhi bureau chief, dies at 90.

[British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), United Kingdom]

Key Updates:

• Mark Tully passed away at Max Hospital Saket in Delhi on 25 January 2026 at the age of 90.
• He was born in Calcutta (now Kolkata) on 24 October 1935 to British parents.
• Tully served as the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) New Delhi bureau chief for 22 years.
• He was knighted in 2002 and received the Padma Bhushan from the Government of India in 2005.
• His notable books on India include No Full Stops in India, India in Slow Motion and The Heart of India.

Tashi Namgyal Receives Ladakh State Award Posthumously

[Ladakh]

Key Updates:

• Tashi Namgyal was a Kargil War hero from Ladakh.
• He was conferred the State Award posthumously by the Ladakh administration.
• His vigilance marked the opening chapter of Operation Vijay.

Anke Gowda received Padma Shri 2026 in Unsung Heroes category.

Key Updates:

• Anke Gowda, 75, was awarded Padma Shri 2026 for lifelong service to librarianship.
• He runs Pustaka Mane in Haralahalli village, Pandavapura taluk, Mandya district, housing over 20 lakh books.
• His collection includes 5,000 dictionaries, five lakh rare foreign books, 35,000 international magazines, 2,500 Kannada magazines, 2,500 titles on Mahatma Gandhi, 2,500 books on the Bhagavad Gita, and over 100 religious texts.
• He received Limca Book of Records in 2016, Rajyotsava Award in 2014, Alva’s Nudi-Siri Award in 2011, and G.P. Rajaratnam Sahitya Paricharika Award in 2009.

Simran Bala becomes first woman from Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri to join Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and will lead all-male contingent on Republic Day.

[Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Jammu and Kashmir]

Key Updates:

• Simran Bala, 26-year-old Assistant Commandant in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), hails from Nowshera sector of Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir.
• She will lead an all-male CRPF contingent of over 140 personnel during the Republic Day parade on Kartavya Path in New Delhi on 26 January 2026.
• Bala is the first woman from Rajouri district to join CRPF as an officer.
• Her family stated that she represents the third generation in their family to serve the nation in uniform.

United States threatens 100 per cent tariffs on Canada over China trade ties

[United States, Canada, China]

Key Updates:

• U.S. President Donald Trump warned Canada of sweeping 100 per cent tariffs if Ottawa facilitates Chinese access to U.S. markets.
• Trump posted on Truth Social that any Canada-China agreement making Canada a 'drop off port' for Chinese exports to the U.S. would trigger the tariff.
• Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney recently negotiated a 'strategic partnership' with China during a Beijing trip aimed at expanding bilateral trade and investment.
• Federal Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc stated Canada is not pursuing a free trade deal with China and that talks resolved specific tariff issues.
• China has begun importing Canadian canola oil and beef products under the new arrangement confirmed by Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald.
• Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew responded on X that Canada will never be taken over by China or Trump.

Gandak river becomes India’s second-largest gharial habitat after Chambal

Key Updates:

• Gandak river along the India-Nepal border in West Champaran, Bihar now hosts over 1,000 gharials, making it the second-largest habitat after Chambal river.
• Adult gharials in Gandak rose from 54 in 2015 to more than 400 in 2025, recording an overall 588% increase.
• Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and Bihar’s forest and environment climate department jointly released 944 gharials along a 326-km stretch from Valmikinagar to Sonepur between 2015 and 2025, including 212 in 2025 alone.
• Chambal river currently shelters over 2,400 gharials.
• Gandak flows through Valmiki Tiger Reserve and supports an annual gharial population growth rate of 20-22%.
• In 1975, eggs collected from Gandak initiated India’s first captive breeding and release programme at Tikarpada, Odisha.
• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recognises Gandak as one of the six major global gharial habitats.
• Global gharial numbers declined by nearly 98%, with adult population falling 58% between 1997 and 2006, leading to a 2007 IUCN listing as critically endangered.
• IUCN’s 2019 assessment estimated about 650 breeding adult gharials worldwide.
• Nest protection involves community-based monitoring, relocation of erosion-prone nests, and 60-70 day incubation before hatchlings are released near the mother.

Endangered Asiatic Wild Dog sighted for first time in Madhya Pradesh's Ratapani Tiger Reserve

[Madhya Pradesh, Ratapani Tiger Reserve]

Key Updates:

• The Asiatic Wild Dog (Dhole), listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has been camera-trapped for the first time in Ratapani Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh.
• PCCF (Wildlife) Shubharanjan Sen stated this is the sixth rare wildlife species recorded on camera in the reserve during 2026.
• Wildlife expert Amey Vikram Singh noted that Dholes were previously believed restricted to Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Pench protected areas.

National Health Authority (NHA) Organises Federated Intelligence Hackathon at IIT Kanpur

[National Health Authority (NHA), IIT Kanpur]

Key Updates:

• The National Health Authority (NHA), in collaboration with the ICMR–National Institute for Research in Digital Health and Data Science (ICMR-NIRDHDS) and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, organised the Federated Intelligence Hackathon for Healthcare.
• The national-level initiative was held at the IIT Kanpur campus to advance secure and scalable Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions for India's healthcare ecosystem.
• The event featured a Hackathon Week from 19 to 23 January 2026, followed by a two-day on-site programme beginning on 23 January 2026.
• The hackathon received a total of 191 registrations, comprising 76 individual participants and 115 teams from health-tech start-ups, clinicians, and researchers.
• The competition carries a total prize pool of ₹12 lakh, with winners announced during the valedictory sessions on 24 January 2026.
• The programme integrated NHA’s digital health governance through the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) with the clinical research expertise of ICMR-NIRDHDS.
• Technical sessions covered Health Technology Assessment (HTA), traditional machine learning, and AI use cases in ophthalmology, bone age detection, and computational pathology.
• Participating organisations and experts included representatives from NITI Aayog, Samsung India, Google Health AI, CoRover.ai, ArtPark@IISc, and the Wadhwani Foundation.

67,800-year-old hand stencil in Indonesian cave becomes oldest known rock art

[Indonesia]

Key Updates:

• A red hand stencil in Liang Metanduno cave on Muna Island, Sulawesi, Indonesia, is dated to at least 67,800 years ago, making it the oldest rock art discovered.
• Indonesian and Australian archaeologists used uranium-thorium laser analysis of cave popcorn calcite to determine the minimum age.
• The stencil is over 1,000 years older than Neanderthal-attributed hand stencils in a Spanish cave and more than 15,000 years older than previous Sulawesi art found by the same team.
• The cave shows repeated use for rock art, with some works painted over up to 35,000 years later.
• The discovery supports the northern migration route for Homo sapiens from Asia through Sulawesi to Papua New Guinea and into the ancient supercontinent Sahul that included Australia.

Amit Shah to inaugurate Assam’s largest multidisciplinary sports stadium in Dibrugarh

[Assam, Dibrugarh]

Key Updates:

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the first phase of Assam’s biggest multidisciplinary sports stadium in Dibrugarh on 30 January 2026.
• The mega sports complex has been constructed at a cost of ₹233 crore across 104 bighas in Khanikar, Dibrugarh.
• The facility features a seating capacity of 35,000 and is designed to provide world-class amenities for athletes across multiple disciplines.
• The Union Home Minister is also scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the second complex of the Assam Legislative Assembly during the visit.
• The inauguration details were announced by Rituparna Baruah, the Chairman of the Assam Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (ATDCL).

Abhishek Sharma slams second-fastest T20I half-century against New Zealand

[New Zealand]

Key Updates:

• Abhishek Sharma recorded the second-fastest half-century by an Indian in Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) in 14 balls.
• The record was achieved during the third T20I against New Zealand at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.
• Abhishek Sharma hit five fours and four sixes to surpass Hardik Pandya’s previous second-fastest record of 16 balls.
• Yuvraj Singh holds the record for the fastest T20I half-century by an Indian, achieved in 12 balls against England in 2007.
• India successfully chased a target of 154 runs in 10 overs, posting 94/2 during the PowerPlay overs.
• The fastest T20I half-centuries by Indians include Yuvraj Singh (12 balls vs England, 2007), Abhishek Sharma (14 balls vs New Zealand, 2026), Hardik Pandya (16 balls vs South Africa, 2025), Abhishek Sharma (17 balls vs England, 2025), KL Rahul (18 balls vs Scotland, 2021), and Suryakumar Yadav (18 balls vs South Africa, 2022).

Wings India 2026 held in Hyderabad from 28-31 January 2026

[Hyderabad]

Key Updates:

• Wings India 2026 is organised by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and held at Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad from 28-31 January 2026.
• The event is formally launched by Union Minister of Civil Aviation Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu.
• The theme is 'Indian Aviation: Paving the Future - From Design to Deployment, Manufacturing to Maintenance, Inclusivity to Innovation and Safety to Sustainability'.
• The event features 13 thematic sessions, over 150 exhibitors, 7,500 business visitors, one lakh general visitors, more than 200 foreign delegates, over 500 B2B and B2G meetings, and aircraft displays exceeding 31 aircraft.
• Confirmed participants include Airbus, Boeing, Embraer, HAL, Dassault, Bell Textron, ATR, Pilatus, De Havilland, RTX, Rolls-Royce, United Aircraft Corporation, CSIR-NAL, GMR, Adani, Noida International Airport, Etihad Airways, Thai Airways, Air India, IndiGo and Akasa Air.
• Air shows include performances by the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team of the Indian Air Force and the Mark Jefferies Aerobatic Team.