Daily Current Affairs and GK | 26 and 27 January 2025

Topic: Reports and Indices/Rankings

1. Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Goa are among the top performing states in NITI Aayog's Fiscal Health Index.

• The first Fiscal Health Index (FHI) report, released by NITI Aayog on January 24, 2025, has listed Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Goa, and Jharkhand as top-performing 'achievers' among the States.
• The report titled 'Fiscal Health Index 2025' ranked states for 2022–23.
• It covers 18 major states that drive the Indian economy in terms of their contribution to India's GDP, demographics, total public expenditure, revenue, and overall fiscal sustainability.
• According to the report, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Kerala were the worst performing states in the Fiscal Health Index (FHI).
• The report listed them in the 'aspirational' category.
• The aim of the report is to develop an understanding of the fiscal health of the states in the country and has listed Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka in the 'Front Runners' category.
• Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Haryana were placed in the category of ‘Performers’.
• According to the report released by 16th Finance Commission Chairman Arvind Panagariya, Odisha has excelled in fiscal health with the highest composite index score of 67.8.
• The report provides a comprehensive assessment of the fiscal health of 18 major States, based on five key sub-indices: Quality of Expenditure, Revenue Mobilisation, Fiscal Prudence, Debt Index, and Debt Sustainability, along with insights into state-specific challenges and areas for improvement.

Topic: Sports

2. Jay Shah has been elected as a new member of the Marylebone Cricket Club.

• On 23 January, former BCCI secretary and current ICC chairman Jay Shah has been elected as a board member of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) Advisory Board.
• Shah is one of the 13 founding members of the new World Cricket Connects Advisory Board, which will be chaired by former Sri Lanka captain and MCC president Kumar Sangakkara.
• The new advisory board has replaced the World Cricket Committee, which was formed in 2006.
• In 2024, Jay Shah was absent when MCC inaugurated the World Cricket Connects Forum.
• Other founding members include former India captain Sourav Ganguly, former South Africa opener Graeme Smith, former England director of cricket Andrew Strauss, England women's captain Heather Knight, and Jiostar CEO (Sports) Sanjog Gupta.
• Recently, the MCC announced that the second World Cricket Connects Forum will be held later this year on June 7 and 8 at Lord's, ahead of the World Test Championship (WTC) Final.
• Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC):
  • The MCC serves as the custodian of the Laws of Cricket and promotes the spirit of the game around the world.
  • MCC, founded in 1787, is based at Lord's Cricket Ground, St John's Wood, London.
  • MCC took responsibility for the Laws of Cricket in 1788.
  • Its governance functions were transferred to the ICC and the Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB) in 1993.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

3. Handloom Conclave ‘Manthan’ will be inaugurated by Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh.

• The Handloom Conclave ‘Manthan’ will be inaugurated on 28 January at Dr Ambedkar International Centre Janpath, New Delhi.
• The main aim of the conclave is to bring various stakeholders to one place to share best practices, innovations, and strategies for growth in the handloom sector.
• The conclave will be attended by almost 250 stakeholders comprising 21 panelists, and 120 handloom beneficiaries.
• This event will also act as an interactive workshop for Handloom weavers, manufacturers, retailers, buyers, designers and academicians among others.
• Giriraj Singh will also launch the Handloom Weavers E-Pehchan Portal and Handloom Awards Online module.
• 3 Technical Sessions will be organized during the conclave, which are as follows: Handloom Weavers E-Pehchan Portal
  • Support for the start-up ecosystem in the Handloom Sector.
  • Handloom Marketing Avenues and Strategies.
  • Modelling Handloom Sector for Young Weavers: Approach and Strategy.

Topic: International News

4. India and Indonesia have announced new initiatives to deepen bilateral cooperation.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto discussed many issues to deepen bilateral cooperation.
• Both sides signed many MoUs in the fields of health cooperation, digital infrastructure, and defence collaboration.
• Both countries agreed to cooperate in cutting-edge technologies, including FinTech, Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, and Digital Public Infrastructure.
• The 2025 year will be celebrated as India-ASEAN Year of Tourism.
• Indonesia was the chief guest country on India's first Republic Day.
• Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is the chief guest of this year’s Republic Day celebrations.
• Indonesia is an important partner for India in the ASEAN and Indo-Pacific regions.