Current Affairs – 31 January 2026

🔹 National Affairs (India)

The Union Government approved a ₹18,500 crore National Logistics Efficiency Enhancement Programmeaimed at reducing India’s logistics cost from 13–14% of GDP to below 9% by 2030, aligning with global benchmarks.
The Ministry of Education launched “AI Skilling for Bharat”, targeting training of 1 crore students in artificial intelligence and data analytics over the next five years through government universities and ITIs.
India’s first Green Hydrogen Mobility Corridor was inaugurated between Delhi–Jaipur, covering 270 km, enabling hydrogen-powered buses and trucks.
The Government notified 8 new Ramsar Wetlands, increasing India’s total Ramsar sites to 85, the highest in Asia.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs approved ₹7,200 crore for Phase-II of AMRUT Mission, covering 500 additional cities.
The Reserve Bank of India completed its Retail Central Bank Digital Currency (e₹-R) pilot across 15 major cities, recording over 1.3 crore users and 45 lakh daily transactions.
The National Medical Commission approved 12 new government medical colleges, adding 1,800 MBBS seatsfrom the academic year 2026–27.

World Economic Forum released the Global Risks Report 2026, ranking climate-related disasters, AI misuse, and geopolitical fragmentation as top three global risks.
International Monetary Fund projected India’s GDP growth at 6.9% for FY 2026, the highest among major economies.
United Nations adopted a resolution declaring 2026 as the International Year of Digital Inclusion.
France formally handed over the Olympic legacy infrastructure after Paris Games, with €1.2 billion allocated for urban renewal.
Japan launched the world’s fastest quantum-enabled supercomputer, achieving 2.1 exaflops computing capacity.

India’s Gross GST collection for January 2026 crossed ₹1.78 lakh crore, showing 12.4% year-on-year growth.
The RBI retained the repo rate at 6.50%, maintaining a neutral stance to balance inflation and growth.
India’s foreign exchange reserves stood at USD 648.3 billion, sufficient to cover 11.5 months of imports.
Public Sector Banks recorded a combined net profit of ₹1.85 lakh crore in FY 2025, the highest ever.
India’s current account deficit narrowed to 1.1% of GDP due to strong service exports and remittance inflows.

The Indian Navy inducted INS Anveshak-II, an advanced hydrographic survey vessel equipped with AI-based seabed mapping systems.
India successfully test-fired the Agni-Prime Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile with a strike range of 1,000–2,000 km.
Defence exports crossed ₹24,000 crore in FY 2025, marking a 32% growth over the previous year.

Indian Space Research Organisation launched XPoSat-2, India’s second X-ray polarimetry mission, to study black holes and neutron stars.
India commissioned its first Quantum Communication Satellite Network connecting Delhi–Mumbai–Bengaluru.
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research developed an indigenous Lithium-Sulfur battery with 3× energy density compared to lithium-ion batteries.

Arvind Kumar Jain appointed as Chairman of State Bank of India, succeeding Dinesh Khara, with a tenure till August 2028.
Dr. Meera Kapur assumed charge as Director-General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
Rajeev Malhotra appointed India’s Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization.

Padma Awards 2026:
- Padma Vibhushan: Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar (Science & Technology)
- Padma Bhushan: Sunil Chhetri (Sports – Football)
- Padma Shri: Tulsi Gowda (Environment)
Indira Gandhi Peace Prize 2025 awarded to Doctors Without Borders for humanitarian service in conflict zones.

Australia won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, defeating India by 18 runs in the final at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Neeraj Chopra won Gold at the World Athletics Indoor Meet (Berlin) with a throw of 88.92 meters.
PV Sindhu clinched the Malaysia Open Super 750 title, defeating Akane Yamaguchi in straight games.
India finished 4th in the Asian Winter Games 2026 medal tally with 7 medals (2 Gold, 3 Silver, 2 Bronze).

30 January observed as Martyrs’ Day, marking the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi (1948).
National Road Safety Week 2026 concluded with a 15% reduction in fatal accidents in pilot states.

Renowned economist Dr. Vijay Kelkar passed away at the age of 83, known for leading India’s 13th Finance Commission.