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Daily Current Affairs: 15 January 2026

Current affairs of 15 January 2026: INSV Kaundinya Sails Porbandar to Muscat on Ancient Trade Route; ILO Employment and Social Trends 2026: Jobs Report Notes; Kuki-Zo Council Seeks Separate Union Territory in Manipur, and 12 more topics. Key facts for every exam, with a quiz.

Take the quiz (15 questions)January 2026

In this issue: 15 topics

National Affairs

Kuki-Zo Council Seeks Separate Union Territory in Manipur
Jharkhand Megaliths: UNESCO World Heritage Tag Bid
Kashi-Tamil Sangamam: Cultural Link Highlighted at Pongal

Banking & Finance

RBI Internal Ombudsman Norms for Banks and NBFCs
SMBC Gets RBI Nod for Wholly Owned Subsidiary in India
New Fund Offer (NFO): Meaning, Features and Types
RBI Draft FX Risk Norms: Single Net Open Position for Banks

International Affairs

IRENA 16th Assembly in Abu Dhabi: Key Facts
BRICS India 2026: Logo and Website Launched
Shaksgam Valley: China Defends Work After India’s Protest

Defence & Security

INSV Kaundinya Sails Porbandar to Muscat on Ancient Trade Route
Army Day 2026: 78th Parade Held in Jaipur on 15 January
Bhairav Battalions Make Debut at Army Day Parade in Jaipur

Reports & Indexes

ILO Employment and Social Trends 2026: Jobs Report Notes
Responsible Nations Index: A Values-Based Country Ranking

National Affairs

Polity & Governance

1. Kuki-Zo Council Seeks Separate Union Territory in Manipur

Kuki-Zo Council again sought a separate Union Territory for Kuki-Zo tribes in Manipur.
Reasons: insecurity and distrust of State authorities after the May 2023 violence.
Memorandum to Amit Shah followed a Churachandpur rally.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

2. Jharkhand Megaliths: UNESCO World Heritage Tag Bid

Jharkhand began efforts to get a UNESCO World Heritage tag for its megalithic landscapes, flagged by the Chief Minister at Davos and in the UK.
Megaliths are large stone structures built for burial, ritual, boundary marking and astronomical observation.
Jharkhand has a living megalithic tradition, with new stones still being erected.
Local terms: Sasandiri for dolmens and Birdiri for menhirs.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Government Schemes

3. Kashi-Tamil Sangamam: Cultural Link Highlighted at Pongal

The Prime Minister cited Kashi-Tamil Sangamam as a symbol of cultural unity and the Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat spirit.
The first edition took place in 2022; the 2025 edition closed in Rameswaram.
Tholkappiyam, an ancient Tamil text, was translated into 4 Indian and 6 foreign languages.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Banking & Finance

Banking & Finance

4. RBI Internal Ombudsman Norms for Banks and NBFCs

RBI issued separate directions in January 2026 on Internal Ombudsmen for banks and NBFCs.
The IO must be independent, have a fixed tenure, and review complaints rejected fully or partly.
The entity cannot override the IO's decision.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Banking & Finance

5. SMBC Gets RBI Nod for Wholly Owned Subsidiary in India

RBI granted Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) in-principle approval for a wholly owned subsidiary in India.
The subsidiary will be incorporated under Indian law and replace the branch model.
SMBC now has branches in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru plus one at GIFT City IFSC, Gujarat.
These branches will be converted into the subsidiary once final approvals come.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Banking & Finance

6. New Fund Offer (NFO): Meaning, Features and Types

Sebi stepped up checks on New Fund Offers for portfolio overlap with existing schemes; its draft proposals are not yet notified.
An NFO is a mutual fund scheme's first launch by an AMC, at a fixed price, usually ₹10 per unit.
NFOs can be open-ended or close-ended; close-ended units are listed on exchanges.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

7. RBI Draft FX Risk Norms: Single Net Open Position for Banks

RBI proposed new rules on how banks compute net FX exposure and hold capital for FX risk.
One consolidated net open position would replace separate onshore and offshore calculations.
Norms may take effect from 1 April 2027.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

International Affairs

Environment & Ecology

8. IRENA 16th Assembly in Abu Dhabi: Key Facts

The IRENA 16th Assembly closed in Abu Dhabi, urging faster global adoption of renewable energy.
IRENA is the only intergovernmental organisation focused only on renewables; India is a founding member.
HQ is Masdar City, Abu Dhabi; set up on 26 January 2009; statute effective 8 July 2010.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

International Relations

9. BRICS India 2026: Logo and Website Launched

India launched the BRICS India 2026 logo and website ahead of chairing BRICS in 2026.
India's BRICS chairship runs for calendar year 2026, which marks the group's 20th anniversary (2006-2026).
The logo is inspired by the lotus, with five petals for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

International Relations

10. Shaksgam Valley: China Defends Work After India’s Protest

Shaksgam Valley (Trans-Karakoram Tract) is claimed by India but administered by China.
It lies north of Siachen Glacier, between Karakoram and Kunlun ranges.
In 1963 China received 5,180 sq km from Pakistan; India called the pact illegal.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Defence & Security

Defence & Security

11. INSV Kaundinya Sails Porbandar to Muscat on Ancient Trade Route

INSV Kaundinya, a hand-stitched wooden ship, sailed from Porbandar to Muscat in January 2026.
It was built at Divar Island, Goa by Hodi Innovations and is about 20 metres long.
Commander Vikas Sheoran of the Indian Navy was its skipper; it arrived at Port Sultan Qaboos.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Defence & Security

12. Army Day 2026: 78th Parade Held in Jaipur on 15 January

The 78th Army Day was observed on 15 January 2026, with the parade held in Jaipur.
The parade moved to Jaipur's main roads and was opened to the general public.
Army Day marks Lt Gen K.M. Cariappa becoming the first Indian Commander-in-Chief on 15 January 1949.
Cariappa took over from General Francis Roy Bucher, the last British Commander-in-Chief.
Captain Tania Shergill became the first woman to command an Army Day parade in 2020.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Defence & Security

13. Bhairav Battalions Make Debut at Army Day Parade in Jaipur

Bhairav Battalions made their debut at the Army Day Parade in Jaipur on 15 January 2026.
They are high-speed offensive units meant to fill the gap between Para Special Forces and regular infantry.
Each battalion has roughly 200-250 personnel drawn from infantry, artillery, air defence and signals.
Fifteen battalions exist now, and the Army plans to expand to 23-25.
The Army is building a pool of over one lakh drone operators.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Reports & Indexes

International Relations

14. ILO Employment and Social Trends 2026: Jobs Report Notes

ILO sees global unemployment at 4.9% in 2026, about 186 million people.
Around 284 million workers earn under $3 a day; over 2 billion are informal.
Extreme working poverty fell only 3.1 points in 2015-2025, to 7.9%; informality rose 0.3 points.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

International Relations

15. Responsible Nations Index: A Values-Based Country Ranking

WIF will launch the Responsible Nations Index with JNU, IIM Mumbai and Dr Ambedkar International Centre.
RNI covers 154 countries and rates responsibility, not GDP or military power.
Its three dimensions are Internal, Environmental and External Responsibility.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Test yourself

15 questions from the news of 15 January 2026, with answers and explanations.