Daily Current Affairs and GK | 29 January 2026

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

1. Gujarat government will provide financial support of Rs 1,250 crore in the 2025-26 academic year under the Namo Laxmi Scheme.

• Over 12 lakh girls studying in secondary and higher secondary education will get this support.
• Namo Laxmi Scheme aims to ensure that lack of finances do not prevent girls from continuing and completing their education after primary schooling.
• The scheme was introduced under the guidance of CM Bhupendra Patel.
• Its implementation is being overseen by Education Minister Dr Praduman Vaja and State Education Minister Rivaba Jadeja.
• The scheme provides benefit to students enrolled in schools recognised by the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) or the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
• The scheme is also open to girls who are already beneficiaries of other government scholarships.
• As part of the scheme, students in Classes 9 to 12 will receive total financial support of Rs 50,000 over four years.
• For Classes 9 and 10, the total support is Rs 20,000.
• The scheme is also intended to enhance adolescent nutrition and health.
• Eligibility requires completion of Classes 1 to 8 in government or aided schools.
• Students covered under the RTE are also eligible. Those who completed Class 8 in private schools are also included.
• Family income must not exceed Rs six lakh per year. Eligible students can apply when enrolling in Class 9.

Topic: Personality in News

2. Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash at Baramati, Maharashtra.

• According to Civil Aviation Ministry, the aircraft involved was a Learjet 45 (VT-SSK). The plane was operated by VSR.
• The crash occurred while the aircraft was landing at Baramati airport.
• There were five people on board the flight. Ajit Pawar was one of the passengers. None of the five people survived the crash.
• Ajit Pawar was popularly known as ‘Dada’ across Maharashtra.
• He was a dominant and influential leader in state politics. He represented the Baramati Assembly constituency many times.
• He was elected from Baramati seven times beginning in 1991.
• His political career spanned more than three decades and he held several important ministerial positions.
• He led a major split in the Nationalist Congress Party and then joined the Eknath Shinde-led government.
• Since then, he had been serving as Deputy Chief Minister.
• The Maharashtra government declared a holiday across the state and announced three days of official state mourning.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

3. Indian Doctor awarded the Wiley Research Heroes Prize 2025 for Global Policy Impact.

• The Wiley Research Heroes Prize 2025 was awarded to Dr. Chandrakant Lahariya, a former World Health Organisation staff member.
• He became the first and only Indian so far to receive this international recognition.
• The award was conferred after an evaluation of more than 2,000 nominations from across the world.
• Dr. Lahariya was selected in the category of “Impact Beyond Academia” for the year 2025.
• The prize recognises individuals whose research is inclusive, innovative, and creates real-world impact.
• He was recognised among five global researchers for outstanding research contributions and policy influence.
• His work as a health policy researcher, academician, and medical practitioner was highlighted.
• Primary research conducted by him has focused on vaccination and public health delivery systems.
• He has also contributed research on conditional cash transfers for maternal and child health services.
• His work in strengthening primary healthcare systems has been acknowledged at the global level.

Topic: Indian Polity

4. Uniform Consent Guidelines amended by the Centre to streamline environmental approvals.

• The Uniform Consent Guidelines under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 were amended by the Central Government to improve regulatory efficiency.
• These amendments were introduced with the objective of streamlining environmental approvals, reducing procedural delays, and strengthening compliance mechanisms across industries.
• These guidelines, first issued in 2025, provide a uniform national framework for granting, refusing or cancelling consent to establish (CTE) and consent to operate (CTO).
• Greater consistency, transparency, and accountability in consent management by State Pollution Control Boards and Pollution Control Committees were sought through these changes.
• A key reform was the introduction of Consolidated Consent and Authorisation, allowing industries to apply through a single-window system for multiple environmental approvals.
• The validity of the Consent to Operate was extended to continue until cancellation, thereby removing the requirement for periodic renewals while retaining inspection-based oversight.
• For Red Category industries, the processing timeline was reduced from 120 days to 90 days to expedite decision-making.
• Registered Environmental Auditors were permitted to conduct site visits and verify compliance alongside pollution control authorities to strengthen enforcement capacity.
• Micro and Small Enterprises located in notified industrial estates were provided deemed Consent to Establish based on self-certified applications.
• The revised framework was stated to balance ease of doing business with environmental protection through continuous monitoring, trust-based governance, and a uniform national mechanism.

Topic: Personality in News

5. Lala Lajpat Rai’s birth anniversary celebrated on 28 January across the nation.

• PM Narendra Modi paid tribute to legendary freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai on his birth anniversary, remembering him as an “immortal son of the motherland” whose life of sacrifice continues to inspire generations of Indians.
• This year, the nation celebrated his 161st birth anniversary.
• He is remembered for his contribution to the freedom struggle of India.
• He was popularly known as "Punjab Kesari," which generally translates as "Punjab Da Sher" (the Lion of Punjab).
• He was an extremist from political lineage and was part of the famous trinity of "Lal, Bal and Pal" along with Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal.
• He also served as the President of the Indian National Congress from the year 1920.
• Lala Lajpat Rai:

• He was born on 28 January 1865 in Punjab.
• In 1928, Lala ji died in Lahore due to severe head injury due to police beating.
• He founded the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic School in Lahore.
• He also founded the ‘Servants of the People Society’ at Lahore in 1921.
• He had founded Punjab National Bank and Laxmi Insurance Company.

Topic: National News

6. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the annual National Cadet Corps (NCC) PM Rally.

• The annual National Cadet Corps PM Rally was addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Cariappa Parade Ground in New Delhi.
• The theme of this year’s rally is Rashtra Pratham – Kartavya Nishth Yuva.
• The rally marked the grand culmination of the month-long NCC Republic Day Camp 2026, which had drawn participation from cadets across the country.
• A total of 2,406 NCC cadets, including 898 girl cadets, were part of the camp, reflecting wide national representation.
• Participation was also recorded from 207 youth and officers belonging to 21 foreign countries, adding an international dimension to the event.
• Mr Modi said that in the last few years, the strength of NCC has increased from 14 lakh to more than 20 lakhs, with increased participation from border and coastal areas.
• During the rally, the importance of placing the nation first and building strong character among youth was emphasised.
• A vibrant cultural programme was presented by NCC cadets, members of Rashtriya Rangshala, and the National Service Scheme, showcasing their contribution to nation-building and social service.
• Earlier, the NCC cadets had been described as the nation’s second line of defence during a visit by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
• The role played by NCC cadets in public awareness and mock drills under Operation Sindoor was recalled as an example of civic responsibility.

Topic: International News

7. India and European Union (EU) launched their first security and defence partnership.

• India and the European Union on 27 January 2026 signed a landmark security and defence partnership.
• The partnership covers maritime security, cybersecurity and counter-terrorism.
• This is like the partnerships the EU has with two other Asian countries. These countries are Japan and South Korea.
• The partnership has come when India making efforts to cut its dependence on Russia for military hardware.
• India is trying to achieve this by diversifying imports and pushing its domestic manufacturing.
• Europe also wants to cut its dependence on the US. It is also trying to deepen its diplomatic and economic ties with other areas.
• Defence minister Rajnath Singh discussed bilateral security and defence issues with European Commission vice-president Kaja Kallas.
• The discussions covered opportunities to integrate supply chains to build trusted defence ecosystems.
• Defence minister Rajnath Singh said India’s defence industry can play a role in the ‘ReArm initiative’ of EU,
• The pact includes an annual security and defence dialogue. It deepens cooperation on maritime security, cyber issues, and counterterrorism.

Topic: New Developments

8. Indian researchers at International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials have developed a new high-voltage supercapacitor. 

• The supercapacitor uses a porous graphene carbon nanocomposite electrode.
• It operates at 3.4 volts, exceeding the typical 2.5–3.0 volt range of commercial supercapacitors.
• The electrode material is designed to repel water and is highly compatible with organic electrolytes.
• This reduces electrolyte degradation at high voltages and the porous structure permits fast electrolyte penetration.
• Energy storage capacity is increased by about 33 percent and the device delivers very high-power output.
• Power density can reach up to 17,000 watts per kilogram.
• The supercapacitor retains about 96 percent performance after 15,000 charge–discharge cycles.
• The material is produced using a hydrothermal carbonization process, which uses 1,2-propanediol as a precursor.
• Production takes about 25 hours at 300 degrees Celsius and the production process is scalable for industrial manufacturing.
• The research has been published in the Chemical Engineering Journal.
• International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials is an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

9. A MoU between Ayush Export Promotion Council (AYUSHEXCIL) and Zepto Limited has been signed by the Ministry of Ayush.

• The MoU aims to facilitate structured online access to Ayush medicines and wellness products.
• The MoU focuses on structured digital discovery of AYUSH products, quality compliance and consumer trust.
• The MoU was signed in the presence of Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, and executed by Anurag Sharma, Chairman, AYUSHEXCIL, and Kaivalya Vohra, Co-Founder and CEO, Zepto.
• As part of the collaboration, Zepto will host a dedicated AYUSH storefront.
• This will be done to help consumers discover verified AYUSH products with greater clarity and confidence.
• As part of the MoU, AYUSHEXCIL will recommend eligible AYUSH manufacturers. Other key features of the MoU are given below.

• Promotion of compliance with the AYUSH Quality Mark
• Joint consumer awareness initiatives to promote authentic information and responsible usage of AYUSH products
• Development and hosting of educational content on AYUSH systems, validated by AYUSHEXCIL and disseminated through Zepto’s platform

• AYUSHEXCIL:

• It is a recently established export promotion council. It was launched in April 2022 at the Global Ayush Investment and Innovation Summit held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• The council oversees exports of AYUSH products. It covers Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, and Unani systems.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

10. India and the European Union have agreed to deepen cooperation in next-generation digital technologies.

• A major focus of the partnership is the development of secure 6G telecommunications.
• Resilient global supply chains are a key objective of collaboration.
• Advanced and emerging technologies are a priority under the India–EU Trade and Technology Council.
• Digital infrastructure development is another major area of collaboration.
• Cooperation between the Bharat 6G Alliance and the EU’s 6G SNS Industry Association was welcomed by both sides.
• The collaboration aims to create secure and trusted 6G networks.
• India and the EU will cooperate in 6G research and development. Both sides want globally compatible 6G standards.
• The partnership aligns with India’s national 6G vision.
• The partnership is linked to the India–EU Strategic Agenda Towards 2030, endorsed at the 16th India–EU Summit.
• The summit was held in New Delhi in January 2026.
• A formal MoU has been signed between Bharat 6G Alliance and the EU’s 6G SNS IA.
• The MoU covers 6G vision and network architecture. Harmonised global standards for Beyond-5G technologies are included.
• Earlier, global technology alliances met at the International Bharat 6G Symposium in 2025.
• They issued the New Delhi Declaration during the event, which called for 6G to be treated as a global public good.