Daily News Digest - 13th January 2026

National News

25th All India Major Port Cultural Meet 2025-26 Concludes with Grand Celebration at Paradip Port

• The 25th edition of the All India Major Port Cultural Meet 2025-26 came to a successful conclusion at Paradip Port after four days of intensive cultural competitions, bringing together approximately 200 talented artistes representing nine major ports across India in a vibrant display of artistic excellence and cultural heritage.
• The cultural extravaganza featured comprehensive competitions across multiple artistic disciplines including classical and contemporary music performances, traditional and modern dance forms, and theatrical drama presentations, providing a platform for port employees to showcase their creative talents beyond their professional duties.
• Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Authority (formerly Kolkata Port Trust) emerged as the Overall Champion of the meet, demonstrating exceptional prowess across various cultural categories, while the host Paradip Port’s artistes also brought laurels home by securing several individual and group awards in different competitive segments.
• The event served as more than just a cultural competition, functioning as a crucial platform for fostering inter-port camaraderie, strengthening professional relationships, and promoting cultural exchange among India’s maritime workforce, thereby contributing significantly to national integration and unity within the country’s vital port community.

State News

Andhra Pradesh Cabinet Approves Dagadarthi Greenfield Airport to Transform Nellore’s Economic Landscape

• The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet has granted approval for the development of the Dagadarthi Greenfield Airport in Nellore district, which will become the state’s eighth operational airport and represents a significant milestone in the state’s infrastructure expansion and aviation connectivity enhancement strategy.
• The ambitious airport project has already received crucial clearance from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and will be developed through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, ensuring efficient execution and sustainable operations while attracting private sector expertise and investment into the state’s aviation infrastructure.
• Phase-1 of the airport development is designed with an initial capacity to handle 1.4 million passengers annually, with built-in scalability provisions that will enable expansion to accommodate up to 15 million passengers per year as demand grows, ensuring long-term viability and relevance of the infrastructure investment.
• The strategic location of the airport in proximity to major seaports, national and state highways, and established industrial clusters is expected to significantly reduce logistics costs for businesses, attract substantial domestic and international investment, create thousands of direct and indirect employment opportunities, and serve as a catalyst for Andhra Pradesh’s aviation-led economic growth and regional development.

State News

Chhattisgarh Emerges as National Leader in APAAR ID Implementation for Students

• Chhattisgarh has achieved a remarkable distinction by emerging as the leading large state in the implementation of the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) ID system, successfully generating APAAR IDs for nearly 89% of its student population by early January 2026 through exceptional administrative coordination and systematic execution.
• This outstanding achievement was made possible through strong inter-departmental coordination between the state education department, school administrations, and digital infrastructure teams, demonstrating the state government’s commitment to embracing educational technology reforms and ensuring no student is left behind in the digital transformation of education.
• The APAAR ID initiative provides each student with a permanent, unique digital academic identity that enables secure storage of academic records throughout their educational journey, facilitates seamless academic mobility across institutions and states, improves educational governance through better data management, and creates a comprehensive digital academic ecosystem.
• Chhattisgarh’s successful implementation serves as a model for other states and reflects the effectiveness of the state’s approach to India’s broader digital education reforms, positioning it well ahead of the national implementation deadline and demonstrating how determined administrative will and systematic planning can achieve transformative results in educational technology adoption.

International News

India and Germany Elevate Strategic Partnership Through Comprehensive Joint Statement in January 2026

• India and Germany significantly strengthened their strategic bilateral relationship in January 2026 through a comprehensive joint statement that outlined expanded cooperation across defence, with specific focus on conducting joint military exercises, pursuing defence industrial collaboration projects, and enhancing interoperability between the armed forces of both nations.
• Bilateral trade between the two countries has crossed the significant milestone of USD 50 billion, reflecting the deepening economic ties, with both governments committing to further encourage mutual investment flows, reduce trade barriers, and create favourable conditions for businesses from both countries to expand their presence in each other’s markets.
• Climate action emerged as a priority area with renewed momentum under the Green and Sustainable Development Partnership (GSDP), particularly focusing on green hydrogen development, renewable energy technologies, sustainable urban development, and collaborative research on climate mitigation technologies, with both nations recognising their shared responsibility in addressing global environmental challenges.
• The partnership extended into cutting-edge technology domains including artificial intelligence, semiconductor manufacturing, digital infrastructure, and advanced research collaborations, while both countries reaffirmed their commitment to a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, expressed mutual support for United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reforms with India’s permanent membership bid, and announced initiatives to strengthen people-to-people connections through visa-free transit arrangements, enhanced educational exchange programs, and skills development partnerships.

International News

India and Germany Launch Enhanced Postal and Logistics Cooperation to Boost Cross-Border Commerce

• India and Germany have solidified their cooperation in the postal and logistics sector through the signing of two strategic agreements that aim to revolutionise cross-border service delivery, with particular emphasis on facilitating the rapidly growing e-commerce sector and establishing time-definite international delivery systems that meet the demands of modern digital commerce.
• The partnership involves direct collaboration between India Post and Deutsche Post-DHL Group, one of the world’s leading logistics companies, to jointly launch premium express delivery services that will offer Indian businesses and consumers access to world-class international shipping solutions with guaranteed delivery timelines and comprehensive tracking capabilities.
• The initiative is specifically designed to support Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and exporters by significantly improving transit times for international shipments, enhancing reliability and predictability of deliveries, providing advanced shipment tracking and monitoring systems, and reducing overall logistics costs, thereby making Indian products more competitive in global markets.
• Beyond operational improvements, the collaboration promotes digitalisation of postal services, adoption of green and sustainable logistics practices including electric vehicles and carbon-neutral delivery options, and reflects the shared commitment of both nations to facilitating trade growth, enhancing India’s integration into global logistics networks, and strengthening the country’s export competitiveness in an increasingly interconnected world economy.

International News

India Officially Launches Logo and Website for BRICS Presidency 2026, Signaling Inclusive Leadership Approach

• India has formally commenced preparations for assuming the BRICS Presidency in 2026 by unveiling the official logo and launching a dedicated comprehensive website, marking the beginning of its year-long leadership role in the influential grouping of major emerging economies that now represents a significant portion of global population and economic output.
• The theme chosen for India’s presidency—“Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”—reflects the country’s strategic priorities and vision for strengthening multilateral cooperation among emerging economies, with specific focus on addressing contemporary global challenges including economic recovery, climate change, technological transformation, and equitable development.
• The presidency assumes special significance as BRICS completes 20 years since its inception, providing India with a platform to shape the grouping’s future direction, promote shared development priorities among member nations, enhance South-South cooperation, and amplify the collective voice of emerging economies in global governance structures and international decision-making forums.
• India’s approach emphasizes a people-centric and inclusive methodology that seeks to expand BRICS engagement beyond government-to-government interactions to include businesses, civil society organizations, academic institutions, and cultural bodies, thereby deepening the foundation of cooperation and ensuring that the benefits of BRICS partnerships reach the broader populations of member countries.

Banking and Finance News

RBI Issues Foreign Exchange Management (Guarantees) Regulations 2026 to Strengthen Cross-Border Transaction Oversight

• The Reserve Bank of India has officially notified the Foreign Exchange Management (Guarantees) Regulations, 2026, establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework specifically designed to govern all forms of guarantees involving non-resident entities, thereby bringing greater clarity, standardization, and regulatory certainty to cross-border guarantee transactions.
• The new regulations mandate detailed and timely reporting requirements for all authorised dealer banks involved in guarantee transactions with non-residents, ensuring that the central bank maintains complete visibility over such commitments and can effectively monitor potential risks to India’s external financial stability and foreign exchange reserves.
• As part of the regulatory consolidation, the RBI has withdrawn several earlier circulars and notifications that governed guarantee transactions under the previous framework, discontinued the requirement for quarterly trade credit reporting which was deemed redundant, and amended multiple Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) master directions to ensure consistency and harmonization across the regulatory architecture.
• These regulations represent a significant step forward in modernising India’s foreign exchange regulatory framework by enhancing transparency in cross-border financial commitments, simplifying compliance procedures for banks and corporations engaged in international business, strengthening the central bank’s oversight capabilities over external sector transactions, and aligning India’s regulatory standards with evolving international best practices in foreign exchange management.

Banking and Finance News

India Concludes CPI 2012 Series as National Statistical Office Prepares to Launch 2024 Base Year

• India has officially concluded the Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation measurement series that used 2012 as the base year, with the National Statistical Office (NSO) releasing the final data for December 2025, marking the end of a 13-year period that witnessed significant economic transformations, policy interventions, and changing consumption patterns across the country.
• The 2012-based series captured dramatic inflation volatility, with retail inflation reaching a peak of 11.16% in 2013 during a period of economic stress and supply constraints, and touching a historical low of just 0.25% in 2025, reflecting the effectiveness of monetary policy interventions, improved supply chain management, and changing price dynamics in the Indian economy.
• Analysis of the concluded series reveals interesting structural shifts in inflation patterns: rural inflation consistently remained higher than urban inflation during the earlier years due to food price pressures and supply bottlenecks, but this trend reversed in 2025 with urban inflation dominating, while food inflation throughout the period exhibited high volatility driven by monsoon variability, supply disruptions, and changing agricultural market dynamics.
• The NSO is scheduled to launch a new CPI series with 2024 as the base year beginning next month, which will incorporate updated consumption baskets reflecting changed spending patterns post-pandemic, revised weights for different commodity groups, inclusion of new goods and services that have become significant in household expenditure, and improved data collection methodologies, ensuring that inflation measurement remains relevant and accurately represents the cost of living experienced by Indian households.

Banking and Finance News

India’s Retail Inflation Rises to Three-Month High in December 2025 Despite Remaining Below RBI Target

• India’s retail inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), climbed to a three-month high of 1.33% in December 2025 according to data released by the National Statistical Office, representing a gradual uptick from previous months but still remaining significantly below the Reserve Bank of India’s medium-term inflation target of 4% with a tolerance band of +/- 2%.
• The increase in headline inflation was primarily driven by the easing of food price deflation that had been contributing to artificially low overall inflation numbers in previous months, combined with firming up of core inflation pressures (excluding food and fuel) which suggest underlying demand conditions are gradually strengthening and price-setting behaviour is normalising across various sectors of the economy.
• Detailed disaggregation of the inflation data reveals that both urban and rural price pressures have been rising, indicating broad-based inflationary momentum rather than sector-specific anomalies, while precious metal prices—particularly gold and silver—have registered significant increases, contributing to higher inflation in the personal care and effects category and reflecting both global price trends and domestic demand patterns.
• While the current inflation rate remains comfortably within the RBI’s target range and well below levels that would typically trigger immediate monetary policy tightening, the gradual normalisation of inflation from unusually low levels, the firming of core inflation, and the broad-based nature of price pressures warrant close monitoring by policymakers to ensure that inflation expectations remain well-anchored and that any acceleration remains within manageable bounds as the economy continues its growth trajectory.

Banking and Finance News

India’s Direct Tax Collections Grow 8.82% Reflecting Economic Resilience and Improved Compliance

• India’s net direct tax collections have registered robust growth of 8.82% to reach ₹18.38 lakh crore in the current financial year, demonstrating the resilience and strength of the Indian economy despite global uncertainties and reflecting the effectiveness of tax administration reforms and compliance improvement measures implemented by the tax authorities.
• The healthy growth in direct tax revenues has been driven by balanced contributions from both corporate tax collections, which reflect stable corporate earnings and business profitability across sectors, and non-corporate tax collections including personal income tax, which indicate rising individual incomes, expanding formal employment, and growing participation in the formal economy.
• A notable feature of the current year’s tax performance has been the lower volume of refunds issued compared to previous periods, which has positively contributed to net collections and reflects improvements in the accuracy of advance tax payments, better reconciliation mechanisms, and more efficient processing of tax returns that reduce unnecessary payment-refund cycles.
• The strong direct tax collection performance highlights several positive structural trends in the Indian economy including improving tax compliance culture supported by digitalisation and data analytics, stable corporate sector performance with businesses maintaining reasonable profitability levels, expanding formal employment and rising wage levels in the economy, and significantly strengthens the government’s fiscal position by providing greater revenue buoyancy to fund development expenditure, social welfare programs, and infrastructure investments without excessive reliance on borrowing.

Science and Technology News

Ola Electric Expands Beyond Vehicles with Launch of ‘Shakti’ Home Energy Storage System

• Ola Electric has made a strategic foray into the residential energy storage market with the launch of ‘Shakti’, a comprehensive home battery energy storage system that marks the company’s expansion beyond its core electric vehicle business and positions it as an integrated clean energy solutions provider in India’s rapidly evolving renewable energy landscape.
• The Shakti battery system is manufactured at Ola Electric’s massive Gigafactory facility in Tamil Nadu, leveraging the company’s established battery production capabilities and economies of scale to offer competitively priced energy storage solutions, while demonstrating the versatility of the manufacturing infrastructure that was originally established for electric vehicle production.
• Shakti is specifically designed to cater to diverse energy storage needs across homes, agricultural farms, and small business establishments, offering multiple configuration options to suit different power requirements and budgets, featuring fast-charging capabilities that minimise downtime, and incorporating durable, weather-resistant battery technology that can withstand India’s varied climatic conditions from extreme heat to monsoon humidity.
• The launch supports India’s ambitious push toward clean, decentralised, and reliable energy solutions by enabling households and small enterprises to store solar power or off-peak electricity for use during high-demand periods or power outages, reducing dependence on diesel generators, lowering electricity costs through time-of-use optimisation, and contributing to grid stability by enabling distributed energy storage that can absorb renewable energy variability and provide backup capacity during peak demand periods.

Appointments and Resignations News

Meta Appoints Former Trump Adviser Dina Powell McCormick as President and Vice Chairman

• Meta Platforms has announced the appointment of Dina Powell McCormick, a prominent former adviser to President Trump and experienced Wall Street executive, to the newly created position of President and Vice Chairman, significantly strengthening the company’s top leadership structure amid an aggressive expansion phase in artificial intelligence development and global infrastructure investments.
• McCormick brings extensive experience in both government relations and corporate leadership, having served in senior roles in the Trump administration including Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategy and as a senior international economic official, combined with her subsequent career at Goldman Sachs where she held senior positions managing global client relationships and providing strategic advice on complex international matters.
• The strategic appointment underscores Meta’s heightened focus on several critical areas including effective execution of its multi-billion-dollar artificial intelligence strategy that encompasses large language models, AI-powered products, and massive data centre infrastructure, sophisticated engagement with policymakers and regulators across multiple jurisdictions where the company faces increasing scrutiny, and strengthening corporate governance practices to navigate the complex intersection of technology, society, and policy.
• The move also reflects the evolving and increasingly nuanced relationship between major technology companies and political leadership in the United States at a time of heightened regulatory attention, ongoing debates about content moderation and platform responsibility, discussions about competition policy and potential antitrust actions, and the critical importance of government relations in shaping the operating environment for global technology platforms.

Appointments and Resignations News

Nissan Strengthens India Operations by Appointing Thierry Sabbagh as President

• Nissan Motor Corporation has appointed Thierry Sabbagh as President for its India operations, significantly expanding his regional responsibilities as part of the company’s broader Re:Nissan transformation plan that aims to revitalise the brand’s global operations and restore profitability after several challenging years marked by declining market share and operational difficulties.
• The leadership appointment highlights India’s increasingly strategic importance within Nissan’s global operations, recognising the country’s position as one of the world’s fastest-growing major automobile markets, its emerging role as a manufacturing hub for both domestic sales and exports, and its potential to contribute significantly to the company’s volume and profitability targets in the coming years.
• Under Sabbagh’s leadership, Nissan India is preparing to launch three new vehicle models in the Indian market over the coming period, representing a significant product offensive designed to refresh the company’s aging lineup, address gaps in crucial market segments particularly in the popular SUV category, and recapture market share that has eroded due to limited product offerings and intense competition from both traditional and new automotive players.
• Sabbagh’s mandate encompasses driving operational efficiency improvements across manufacturing, supply chain, and distribution operations, enhancing customer focus through improved sales and after-sales service experiences, accelerating business growth through aggressive marketing and expanded dealer networks, and ensuring that Nissan India’s operations align closely with the company’s global turnaround strategy that emphasises financial discipline, product excellence, and sustainable profitable growth.

National News

ICAR and NDDB Form Strategic Partnership to Advance Dairy Research and Farmer Welfare

• The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) signed a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding in January 2026, establishing a strategic alliance designed to integrate cutting-edge agricultural research with practical field implementation to transform India’s dairy sector, which represents a vital component of the agricultural economy and livelihood source for millions of rural families.
• The partnership adopts a farmer-centric approach that places dairy farmers and their economic welfare at the centre of all initiatives, while creating systematic linkages between ICAR’s scientific expertise, research capabilities, and academic resources with NDDB’s extensive field experience, cooperative network reach, and practical understanding of dairy farmer challenges and market dynamics.
• Key focus areas of the collaboration include improving dairy animal productivity through better genetics, nutrition, and health management, promoting sustainability in dairy farming through resource-efficient practices and environmental stewardship, building climate resilience to help dairy farmers adapt to changing weather patterns and environmental stresses, strengthening training and capacity building programs for farmers and extension workers, modernising dairy value chains from production through processing to marketing, and facilitating adoption of modern technologies including precision farming, digital monitoring, and data-driven decision-making tools.
• The initiative will emphasise developing scalable and replicable models that can be adapted across India’s diverse agro-climatic zones and farming systems, conducting applied research that addresses practical challenges faced by dairy farmers in their daily operations, and ensuring that research outcomes are rapidly translated into field-level interventions, thereby contributing directly to the Government of India’s Viksit Bharat (Developed India) vision by strengthening a sector that is critical for rural prosperity, nutritional security, and inclusive economic growth.

Sports News

India Notifies National Sports Governance Rules 2026 to Reform Sports Administration

• The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has officially notified the National Sports Governance Rules, 2026, marking a watershed moment in Indian sports administration by establishing a comprehensive statutory framework designed to bring transparency, accountability, athlete representation, and professional governance standards to national sports federations and organisations across the country.
• The rules mandate meaningful representation of athletes in sports governance bodies by requiring that at least four sportspersons of outstanding merit must be included in the governing councils of national sports federations, with the progressive provision that at least half of these athlete representatives must be women, thereby ensuring that those who have excelled in sports and understand ground realities have a direct voice in shaping policies and decisions that affect the sporting ecosystem.
• Gender inclusivity has been embedded as a fundamental principle throughout the governance framework, with specific requirements that Executive Committees of sports federations must include women members, ensuring that women’s perspectives are represented in decision-making processes, women’s sports receive adequate attention and resources, and the sports administration moves toward gender parity in leadership positions.
• The reforms establish clear criteria for eligibility of office-bearers, transparent election procedures conducted through a national panel to prevent manipulation, specific grounds for disqualification to keep individuals with integrity issues away from sports administration, and robust accountability mechanisms including financial transparency requirements and performance monitoring, representing a comprehensive shift from the earlier loosely-regulated system to a statutory, accountable, transparent, and athlete-centric sports governance model that aligns India’s sports administration with international best practices.

Summit and Conference News

India to Host 28th Commonwealth Conference on Parliamentary Democracy and Modern Governance Challenges

• India will serve as the host nation for the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) scheduled to take place in New Delhi on 15-16 January 2026, bringing together parliamentary leaders, speakers, and presiding officers from over 60 Commonwealth member countries representing diverse regions including Asia, Africa, the Pacific, the Caribbean, and Europe.
• The prestigious conference will be chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reflecting the high importance India attaches to parliamentary democracy and multilateral engagement within the Commonwealth framework, with the participation of such senior leadership underscoring India’s commitment to strengthening democratic institutions and sharing its parliamentary experience with the wider Commonwealth family.
• The conference agenda focuses on contemporary challenges facing parliamentary democracy in the digital age, with key discussion sessions dedicated to examining the impact of artificial intelligence on governance and legislation, understanding how social media is transforming political discourse and public engagement with elected representatives, addressing misinformation and its implications for democratic processes, and sharing best legislative practices in areas such as committee functioning, legislative drafting, and parliamentary oversight of executive actions.
• By hosting this significant gathering, India reinforces its position as a leading voice for democratic values in the global arena, demonstrates the strength and maturity of its parliamentary institutions which have successfully functioned for over seven decades, showcases innovative practices adopted by Indian legislatures including digital initiatives and citizen engagement mechanisms, and strengthens its soft power and diplomatic influence within the Commonwealth while contributing to the collective strengthening of democratic governance across member nations that together represent approximately 2.5 billion people.

Science and Technology News

Reliance Jio Announces Launch of People-First AI Platform for Inclusive Digital Transformation

• Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani announced that Jio, the telecommunications and digital services subsidiary, will soon launch an ambitious people-first artificial intelligence platform specifically designed to democratise AI access across India by making advanced artificial intelligence capabilities affordable, accessible, and usable for every Indian citizen regardless of their economic status, geographic location, or technical expertise.
• The AI platform will be distinguished by its strong emphasis on linguistic inclusivity, offering services and interactions in multiple Indian languages rather than being limited to English, thereby breaking down language barriers that have historically prevented hundreds of millions of Indians from fully participating in the digital revolution, and enabling AI benefits to reach non-English speaking populations across urban, semi-urban, and rural areas.
• The initiative is supported by Reliance’s massive investment in building India’s largest AI-ready data centre facility at the company’s integrated complex in Jamnagar, Gujarat, representing a multi-thousand-crore infrastructure investment that will provide the computational power, data storage capacity, and processing capabilities necessary to run large-scale AI models and serve millions of users simultaneously while ensuring data sovereignty and security within Indian borders.
• The platform will be designed to run on personal devices including smartphones, tablets, and computers rather than requiring specialised hardware, making AI tools and applications available to India’s massive mobile user base, positioning Gujarat as an emerging hub for AI-driven economic growth and innovation, and reflecting Reliance’s broader strategic vision of digital inclusion where cutting-edge technology benefits are not limited to the privileged few but are systematically extended to the entire population, thereby contributing to India’s transformation into a global AI powerhouse while ensuring that technological progress translates into tangible improvements in citizens’ daily lives, economic opportunities, and access to services.

Important Days News

Lohri 2026: Celebrating North India’s Traditional Winter Harvest Festival

• Lohri is a significant traditional winter harvest festival celebrated primarily across North India, particularly in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi, marking the culmination of the winter season and symbolically celebrating the gradual lengthening of days as the sun begins its northward journey following the winter solstice, representing hope, renewal, and the promise of warmer, productive days ahead.
• Observed on 13 January 2026, the festival holds deep agricultural significance as it coincides with the harvesting of winter crops, particularly sugarcane and wheat, and serves as an occasion for farming communities to express gratitude to nature for bountiful yields, acknowledge the hard work invested in cultivation, and pray for continued prosperity and successful harvests in future agricultural seasons.
• The festival is characterised by distinctive traditions and rituals including the lighting of large community bonfires around which families and neighbours gather after sunset, the offering of harvest products such as popcorn, peanuts, sesame seeds (til), jaggery (gur), and rewri (sesame seed brittle) into the sacred fire as symbols of abundance, the singing of traditional folk songs and performance of energetic bhangra and giddha dances that create an atmosphere of collective celebration and cultural expression.
• Beyond its agricultural roots, Lohri embodies important social and cultural values including community bonding as neighbours come together in collective celebration transcending individual households, the preservation and transmission of cultural heritage through folk songs, dances, and stories passed down through generations, and the consumption of seasonal foods prepared from fresh harvest produce that connects people to agricultural cycles, while the warmth of the bonfire symbolically represents the dispelling of winter’s cold, the triumph of light over darkness, and the collective spirit of prosperity, happiness, and new beginnings that characterises this beloved North Indian festival.