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Daily Current Affairs: 20 January 2026

Current affairs of 20 January 2026: Pax Silica: US Initiative on Chip, Mineral and AI Supply Chains; India-UAE Target: $200 Billion Trade by 2032; Environment Protection Fund Rules Notified Under Jan Vishwas Act, and 13 more topics. Key facts for every exam, with a quiz.

Take the quiz (15 questions)January 2026

In this issue: 16 topics

National Affairs

Parbati Giri Birth Centenary: Odisha’s Freedom Fighter

Government Schemes

Tamil Nadu Assured Pension Scheme (TAPS): Features

Banking & Finance

PSBs Ask RBI to Add SDLs to OMO Purchase Auctions
SEBI ₹20,000-Crore AUM Test for Significant Indices
EPF Withdrawal Rules Simplified: 5 Categories
SEBI Closing Auction Session to Replace VWAP Close

Economy

IMF Lifts India’s FY26 Growth Forecast to 7.3%

International Affairs

Pax Silica: US Initiative on Chip, Mineral and AI Supply Chains
India-UAE Target: $200 Billion Trade by 2032

Science & Technology

200 New Automatic Weather Stations for Four Cities

Environment & Ecology

Environment Protection Fund Rules Notified Under Jan Vishwas Act
Indian Skimmer Conservation Project: BNHS and NMCG on the Ganga
Hooghly River Pollution Mapping With Drones: SMCG Bengal

Defence & Security

DOSTI-17 Coast Guard Exercise Held in Male

Reports & Indexes

Asia Manufacturing Index 2026: India Ranked 6th of 11

Awards & Persons

Senegal Beat Morocco 1-0 to Win AFCON Final

National Affairs

History, Art & Culture

1. Parbati Giri Birth Centenary: Odisha’s Freedom Fighter

The Prime Minister honoured Parbati Giri on her birth centenary for her role in the freedom struggle and social service.
She was born on 19 January 1926 at Samlaipadar village, Bargarh district, Odisha.
She is known as the Mother Teresa of Western Odisha.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Government Schemes

2. Tamil Nadu Assured Pension Scheme (TAPS): Features

Tamil Nadu introduced TAPS, a hybrid pension model blending OPS, APGPS and UPS features.
TAPS promises 50% of last basic pay as pension; employees contribute 10% of basic pay.
Family pension is 60% of the pension last drawn; DCRG is capped at ₹25 lakh.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Banking & Finance

3. PSBs Ask RBI to Add SDLs to OMO Purchase Auctions

PSBs asked RBI to add SDLs to OMO purchase auctions.
SDL yields moved sharply above central government securities.
SDLs yield more than G-Secs on higher perceived risk and lower liquidity.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

4. SEBI ₹20,000-Crore AUM Test for Significant Indices

SEBI proposed a ₹20,000-crore AUM threshold to identify significant indices.
Such indices would face enhanced oversight under the Index Providers Regulations, 2024.
AUM is the market value of assets managed for investors.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Banking & Finance

5. EPF Withdrawal Rules Simplified: 5 Categories

EPFO cut withdrawal categories from over 12 to 5 and lowered minimum service to 1 year for most cases.
Employee share, employer share and interest are all withdrawable.
Full balance is allowed for medical, education, marriage and housing needs.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

6. SEBI Closing Auction Session to Replace VWAP Close

SEBI directed exchanges and clearing corporations to introduce a Closing Auction Session (CAS) in the equity cash market.
CAS replaces the VWAP-of-last-30-minutes close with a 20-minute auction.
The auction ends at a random time to curb manipulation.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Economy

7. IMF Lifts India’s FY26 Growth Forecast to 7.3%

IMF raised India's FY 2025-26 growth forecast to 7.3% from 6.6%.
Growth to ease to 6.4% in 2026 and 2027; government sees 7.4%.
World growth: 3.3% in 2026, 3.2% in 2027.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

International Affairs

Science & Technology

8. Pax Silica: US Initiative on Chip, Mineral and AI Supply Chains

The US launched Pax Silica in December 2025 for rare earth, chip and AI supply chains.
It aims to reduce coercive dependencies.
India was expected to be invited.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

9. India-UAE Target: $200 Billion Trade by 2032

India and the UAE agreed to double bilateral trade to USD 200 billion by 2032.
A USD 3 billion deal has ADNOC Gas supplying LNG to HPCL for 10 years.
Both countries condemned terrorism in all forms and signed a Letter of Intent on a Strategic Defence Partnership.
A supercomputing cluster will be set up in India, and the UAE will join the Dholera Special Investment Region.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Science & Technology

Science & Technology

10. 200 New Automatic Weather Stations for Four Cities

On 15 January 2026 Dr Jitendra Singh announced 200 Automatic Weather Stations across four cities.
Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Pune get 50 each under Mission Mausam - Phase II.
The announcement came on the 151st Foundation Day of IMD at Mausam Bhawan, New Delhi.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Environment & Ecology

Polity & Governance

11. Environment Protection Fund Rules Notified Under Jan Vishwas Act

Rules for the Environment (Protection) Fund were notified in January 2026.
The Fund reinvests environmental penalties in pollution control and restoration.
MoEFCC administers it; Jan Vishwas Act, 2023 kept financial penalties.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Environment & Ecology

12. Indian Skimmer Conservation Project: BNHS and NMCG on the Ganga

BNHS and NMCG launched a project to protect the endangered Indian Skimmer in the Ganga basin.
About 3,700-4,400 birds exist globally, roughly 90% of them in India.
The species is listed as Endangered by IUCN.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Environment & Ecology

13. Hooghly River Pollution Mapping With Drones: SMCG Bengal

West Bengal's State Mission for Clean Ganga began drone mapping of pollution sources over 120 km of the Hooghly.
The Hooghly forms near Nabadwip from the Bhagirathi and Jalangi.
Tributaries: Ajay, Damodar, Rupnarayan and Haldi.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Defence & Security

International Relations

14. DOSTI-17 Coast Guard Exercise Held in Male

DOSTI-17, the biennial trilateral coast guard exercise, was held on 17-19 January 2026 in Male, Maldives.
Participants were the Indian Coast Guard, Sri Lanka Coast Guard and Maldives National Defence Force Coast Guard.
DOSTI began in 1991 as India-Maldives and became trilateral in 2012.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Reports & Indexes

15. Asia Manufacturing Index 2026: India Ranked 6th of 11

India ranked 6th among 11 Asian countries in the Asia Manufacturing Index (AMI) 2026.
AMI uses eight pillars and 43 sub-parameters, scored out of 100.
India is 1st on workforce but 9th on political risk, trade and tax policy.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Awards & Persons

16. Senegal Beat Morocco 1-0 to Win AFCON Final

Senegal beat host Morocco 1-0 after extra time in the Africa Cup of Nations final in Rabat.
Pape Gueye scored the winning goal.
It was Senegal's second AFCON title in the last three editions.
The match was marred by controversy.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Test yourself

15 questions from the news of 20 January 2026, with answers and explanations.