18-19 January Current Affairs

Energy, Climate & Infrastructure

• World’s Largest Green Ammonia Project (Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh)

  • USD 10 billion investment by AM Green

  • Strategic for green hydrogen value chain , energy transition, and export-oriented clean fuels

  • Strengthens India’s leadership in green industrial infrastructure

• Bharat Electricity Summit 2026 (New Delhi)

  • Platform for power sector reforms, renewable integration, grid modernisation

  • Relevant for energy governance & power sector policy

Digital Public Infrastructure & Governance

• India Post on ONDC (Logistics Service Provider)

  • First-ever online order delivered via ONDC

  • Expands DPI + logistics convergence , boosts rural & MSME e-commerce reach

• GeM – Womaniya Initiative (7 Years)

  • Enhances participation of women-led MSEs in public procurement

  • Key example of gender-responsive procurement policy

• Madhya Pradesh–BHASHINI MoU

  • Integration of AI-driven multilingual platforms

  • Strengthens inclusive digital governance & linguistic accessibility

Labour Market & Social Indicators

• PLFS Monthly Bulletin (Dec 2025)

  • Female LFPR & WPR at highest levels of the year

  • Unemployment rate stable at 4.8%

  • Indicates labour market resilience + women workforce inclusion

• National Startup Day (16 Jan 2026)

  • Marks 10 years of Startup India (2016–2026)

  • Focus on innovation, job creation, and entrepreneurship ecosystem

Banking, Monetary Policy & Regulation

• RBI recognises FEDAI as SRO

  • Strengthens self-regulation in forex markets

  • Improves compliance, transparency, and market discipline

• SMBC (Japan) gets WOS approval in India

  • Reflects confidence in India’s banking sector

  • Boosts foreign bank localisation & financial stability

• Automated Complaint Management System (CMS)

  • Mandatory for banks & eligible NBFCs

  • Enhances consumer protection & internal ombudsman independence

• WPI Inflation (Dec 2025): 0.83%

  • First positive YoY after deflation

  • Signals cost-side pressure recovery , important for monetary stance

• SBI ATM Charges Hike

  • Due to higher interchange fees

  • Relevant for banking cost structures & customer impact

Payments & FinTech

• Canara Bank + NPCI BHIM Services

  • Integration of UPI plug-ins on Canara ai1Pe app

  • Shows continued expansion of UPI-centric digital banking

Global Economy & International Taxation

• OECD Global Minimum Corporate Tax Agreement

  • Participation of USA + 100+ countries

  • Landmark reform for global tax fairness & profit shifting control

• WEF Global Risks Report 2026

  • World entering an “Age of Competition”

  • Heightened geopolitical, economic, and technological rivalries

  • Important for IR + global governance questions

Defence, Maritime & Strategic Heritage

• INSV Kaundinya Overseas Voyage

  • 1,400 km voyage from Porbandar to Muscat

  • Highlights India’s ancient maritime traditions & soft power

• Adani–Embraer Partnership

  • India’s first commercial aircraft Final Assembly Line (FAL)

  • Boosts Make in India, aerospace manufacturing, and defence-civil aviation synergy

Science, Environment & Climate Preservation

• World’s First Global Ice Vault (Antarctica)

  • Preserves endangered mountain ice core samples

  • Crucial for climate change research & glaciology

• DST–NIDHI Centre of Excellence (IIM Ahmedabad)

  • Focus on deep-tech entrepreneurship & technology translation