Daily Current Affairs and GK | 4 and 5 January 2026

Topic: National Appointments

1. The appointment of Justice Mahesh Sharadchandra Sonak as Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court approved.

• The appointment of Justice Mahesh Sharadchandra Sonak as the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court has been approved by the Centre.
• The approval was accorded by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, as notified by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice.
• Justice Sonak, who is presently serving as a judge of the Bombay High Court, will assume office after the retirement of the incumbent Chief Justice.
• The assumption of charge is scheduled to take place on the 8th of this month following the incumbent’s retirement.
• The appointment has been made on the basis of the recommendation of the Supreme Court Collegium.
• Along with this, the Centre has also approved appointments to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
• Judges Ramesh Chander Dimri and Neerja Kulwant Kalson have been cleared for appointment as Additional Judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
• Their appointments have been made for a fixed tenure of two years.

Topic: Sports

2. In Tennis, the American player Venus Williams will become the oldest woman to compete in the Australian Open main draw at the age of 45.

• She is a seven-time Grand Slam champion. She has been granted a wildcard entry for the women’s singles tournament.
• The tournament is scheduled to begin on 18 January.
• With this, Venus Williams will break the previous age record of Kimiko Date of Japan.
• Kimiko Date was 44 years old when she competed at the Australian Open in 2015.
• Venus Williams has not played a tournament outside the United States since 2023.
• Australian Open is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events every year.
• It is held before the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

Topic: Indian Economy

3. India’s foreign exchange reserves increased by about $3.3 billion the week ended December 26.

• They reached nearly $696.6 billion as of December 26. This increase continued with the positive trend seen in recent weeks.
• In the previous week, India's forex reserves had increased by more than $4.3 billion.
• Foreign currency assets form the largest part of the reserves.
• These assets rose slightly by around $184 million to reach roughly $559.6 billion during the week ended December 26.
• Gold reserves increased by close to $3 billion and reached about $113.3 billion.
• The rise was mainly due to higher international gold prices.
• Special Drawing Rights increased to approximately $18.8 billion.
• India’s reserve position with the IMF rose to nearly $4.9 billion.
• Foreign exchange reserves indicate a country’s financial strength and help in managing exchange rate stability.
• Reserves were supported by a $5 billion USD/INR swap operation, conducted by the RBI in mid-December.
• It was conducted to inject liquidity into the banking system.
• Banks sold dollars to the RBI in exchange for rupees. They agreed to repurchase the dollars later.
• The transaction was settled on December 18. This settlement added to the overall reserve position.

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

4. India has achieved its first mountain tunnel breakthrough for the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project.

• The milestone marks significant progress in the bullet train corridor construction.
• Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the development.
• The breakthrough was achieved in Mountain Tunnel–5 located in Palghar district of Maharashtra.
• The tunnel is located between the Virar and Boisar bullet train stations.
• Its total length is nearly 1.5 kilometres. It is one of the longest mountain tunnels in the district.
• The tunnel was excavated from both sides. It was completed within 18 months using the drill-and-blast method.
• The first underground tunnel of the project was completed in September 2025.
• The first underground tunnel stretches about five kilometres between Thane and Bandra Kurla Complex.
• The full corridor will extend over 508 kilometres.
• It includes a total tunnel length of 27.4 kilometres. Total tunnel length comprises 21 kilometres of underground tunnels and 6.4 kilometres of surface tunnels.
• The project includes eight mountain tunnels in total.
• Seven mountain tunnels are located in Maharashtra and one mountain tunnel is located in Gujarat.
• Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor covers 352 kilometres across Gujarat and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and 156 kilometres in Maharashtra.
• It will connect key cities, including Sabarmati, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Vapi, Boisar, Virar, Thane and Mumbai.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

5. The winners of Badalta Bharat Mera Anubhav creative challenges have been announced by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

• The winners of four creative challenges as part of the Badalta Bharat Mera Anubhav campaign have been announced by the I&B Ministry.
• The four creative challenges under the Badalta Bharat Mera Anubhav campaign were organised in collaboration with the MyGov platform.
• Under the challenges, citizens across the country were invited to share their personal experiences and creative expressions showing India’s transformation during the last 11 years.
• The campaign saw participation from citizens belonging to diverse age groups and backgrounds.
• The impact of transformative governance and rapid development across sectors was highlighted by participants.
• Indrajeet Subodh Mashankar won first prize under Badalta Bharat Mera Anubhav - Instagram Reel Contest category.
• Manthan Rohit is the winner of first prize in Badalta Bharat Mera Anubhav - YouTube Shorts Challenge category.
• Sushovan Manna won first prize in Short AV Challenge - Story of New India category.
• Krishna Gupta achieved 1st prize in the category of Badalta Bharat Mera Anubhav - Blog Writing Contest.

Topic: Personality in News

6. Birth anniversary of Rani Velu Nachiyar: 3 January

• 3 January is birth anniversary of India’s first female freedom fighter, Rani Velu Nachiyar.
• "Veeramangai" Rani Velu Nachiyar was born on 3 January 1730.
• She was a queen of Sivaganga estate, which was a permanently settled zamindari estate in the Ramnad sub-division of Madura district, Madras Presidency.
• She was the first Indian queen to wage war with the East India Company.
• She is proudly known by Tamils as Veeramangai ("brave woman").

Topic: Agriculture and allied Sector

7. Union Agriculture Minister said that India has become the world's largest rice producer.

• India has become the world’s largest producer of rice, surpassing China in total output.
• On 4 January 2026, this achievement was stated by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in New Delhi.
• India’s rice production has been reported at 150.18 million tonnes, compared to China’s 145.28 million tonnes.
• India’s increased rice output has enabled the country to supply rice to overseas markets.
• A total of 184 improved varieties of 25 field crops were unveiled by the Agriculture Minister in the national capital.
• These varieties were developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
• The 184 varieties released include 122 cereals, 6 pulses, 13 oilseeds, 11 fodder crops, 6 sugarcane varieties, 24 cotton varieties, and one variety each of jute and tobacco.
• The success has been attributed to the development of high-yielding and climate-resilient seeds.
• Officials were directed to ensure rapid distribution of these improved seed varieties to farmers.
• The achievement was described as the result of collective efforts by ICAR projects, agricultural universities and private seed companies.

Topic: National News

8. The fourth establishment anniversary of Ayush Export Promotion Council observed.

• On 4 January, the fourth establishment anniversary of the Ayush Export Promotion Council (AYUSHEXCIL) was observed in New Delhi.
• The event highlighted India’s efforts to promote exports of traditional medicine and wellness products.
• Since its formation, AYUSHEXCIL has been engaged in capacity building and export facilitation initiatives.
• Export procedures, regulatory compliance and international outreach programmes have been strengthened by the Council.
• Exports of AYUSH and herbal products increased by 6.11% between 2023–24 and 2024–25.
• India’s traditional medicine systems under AYUSH have received formal recognition in bilateral trade agreements such as the India–Oman CEPA and the India–New Zealand FTA.
• These agreements include dedicated annexes on health-related services and traditional medicine, strengthening cooperation and market access in this sector.
• AYUSHEXCIL has been entrusted with anchoring the Ayush Quality Mark programme of the Ministry of Ayush.
• The Quality Mark programme was launched during the 2nd WHO Summit on Traditional Medicine in December 2025.
• The Council aims to enhance global acceptance and certification of AYUSH products in its fifth year.
• AYUSHEXCIL functions in consultation with the Ministry of Ayush with support from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Topic: State News/ Andaman and Nicobar

9. The development projects worth ₹373 crore inaugurated in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

• The development projects worth ₹373 crore were inaugurated and foundation stones were laid by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• An exhibition on the three new criminal laws was also inaugurated during the event.
• The historical significance of the islands in India’s freedom struggle was highlighted during the address.
• The transformation of the islands from a financial burden to an economic contributor was emphasised.
• Major projects inaugurated included an Integrated Command and Control Centre and a district hospital.
• The Great Nicobar project was highlighted as a future global cargo and tourism hub.
• Sustainable development initiatives in tourism, fisheries, clean energy and MSMEs were outlined.
• The projects were described as marking a new chapter in the development and strategic importance of the islands.

Topic: Important Days

10. World Braille Day 2026: 04 January

• World Braille Day is celebrated across the globe on January 4 every year.
• This day marks the birthday of Louis Braille, who invented the Braille script and was born in France in 1809.
• The United Nations has designated January 4 every year as World Braille Day. World Braille Day has been celebrated since 2019.
• World Braille Day is celebrated to raise awareness of the importance of Braille as a means of communication for the human rights of blind and partially sighted people.
• Braille is a universal code rather than a language. It is a tool to write and read Sanskrit, Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Spanish, and other languages.
• Braille is a tactile representation of alphabetic and numerical symbols using six dots to represent each letter and number.
• Braille script is the only way through which visually impaired people can live a dignified life.
• A function in New Delhi has been organised by the National Federation of the Blind to commemorate the day.
• A joint Braille campaign named More Braille, More Empowerment has been also launched by the federation to uplift visually impaired people and ensure their right to equality and a life with dignity.