Current Affairs of January 2026

Updated 31 January 2026

The two sites which have been included as wetlands of international importance in Ramsar sites list, under the global Ramsar conventionPatna Bird Sanctuary (Etah district of Uttar Pradesh) and Chhari-Dhand (Kutch district of Gujarat)
The Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra who passed away in an air crash on his flight aboard Learjet 45 aircraft of M/s VSR Ventures Pvt. Ltd from Mumbai to BaramatiShri Ajit Pawar
The Indian Air Force pilot and the first Indian to visit International Space Station who has been conferred the Ashoka ChakraGroup Captain Subhanshu Shukla
The Indian State which has become the first in the country to declare a microbe Bacillus subtilis as its State MicrobeKerala
The Mozambican rights activist and humanitarian who has been selected for the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2025 by the Indira Gandhi Memorial TrustMs. Graca Machel
The former BBC journalist, knighted in 2002 and Padma Bhushan recipient who passed away on 25 January 2026 Sir William Mark Tully
The Olympic medallist Indian badminton player who has announced retirement from the sportMs. Saina Nehwal
The 17th edition of trilateral coast guard exercise conducted at Male, Maldives from 17 to 19 January 2026 was namedExercise DOSTI
The team which has won the 2025-26 edition of Vijay Hazare Trophy defeating Saurashtra by 38 runs in the finalsVidarbha
The stations between which India's first Vande Bharat sleeper train flagged off recently has been proposed to be runHowrah and Guwahati
The chess player from Delhi who has become the 92nd person from India to be conferred the Grandmaster norm by FIDEAaryan Varshney
The rank of India in the Henley Passport Index 2026, the list being topped by Singapore (1), Japan and South Korea (2)80
The mascot launched by UIDAI, a new resident-facing communication companion to simplify public understanding of Aadhaar services, is namedUDAI
The renowned ecologist and founder of the Centre of Ecological Sciences, recipiet of Volvo Environment Prize and Padma Shri, who passed away on 07 January 2026Shri Madhav Gadgil
The year 2026 has been declared by the United Nations Organisation as the International Year forRangelands and Pastoralists
The former member of Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and sports administrator who passed away on 06 January 2026Shri Suresh Kalmadi
The year 2026 has been declared by the Indian Army as the year ofNetworking and Data Centricity
The operation under which the United States of America launched military strikes on 03 January 2026 against Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro was codenamedOperation Absolute Resolve
The European nation which has adopted Euro as its currency and has become the 21st member of the EurozoneBulgaria

Republic Day 2026 - Highlights

Chief Guest for Republic Day Parade: President of the European Council Mr Antonio Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen

Theme of the parade: 150 years of Vande Mataram

A series of paintings created by Shri Tejendra Kumar Mitra in 1923, illustrating the verses of ‘Vande Mataram’ and published in the ‘Bande Mataram Album’ (1923), displayed as view-cutters along Kartavya Path during RDP 2026.

Total 18 Marching Contingents and 13 bands took part in the RDC-2026. The flypast showcased Rafale, Su-30, P8i, C-295, Mig-29, Apache, LCH, ALH, Mi-17 in different formations.


Republic Day Awards 2026

Best Marching Contingent among 3 Services - Indian Navy

Best Marching Contingent among CAPFs/other auxiliary forces - Delhi Police Marching Contingent

Top three tableaux (States/UTs)

  • 1st - Maharashtra (Ganeshotsav: A Symbol of Aatmanirbharta)
  • 2nd - Jammu & Kashmir (Handicrafts and Folk Dances of Jammu and Kashmir)
  • 3rd - Kerala (Water Metro and 100% Digital Literacy: Aatmanirbar Kerala for Aatmanirbhar Bharat)

Best Tableau from Central Ministries/Departments: Ministry of Culture (Vande Mataram - The Soul Cry of a Nation)

Special Prize:

  • Central Public Works Department (Vande Mataram - Commemoration of 150 Years)
  • Vande Mataram: The Eternal Resonance of India Dance Group

Popular Choice Awards based on online poll

Best Marching Contingent among Services - Assam Regiment

Best Marching Contingent among CAPFs/other auxiliary Forces - CRPF Marching Contingent

Top three tableau (States/UTs)

  • 1st - Gujarat (Mantra of Swadeshi - Self-Reliance - Freedom: Vande Mataram)
  • 2nd – Uttar Pradesh (Culture of Bundelkhand)
  • 3rd - Rajasthan (Golden Touch of the Desert: Bikaner Gold Art (Usta Art))

Best tableau from Central Ministries/Departments - Dept. of School Education and Literacy (National Education Policy 2020: Rocketing Indian School Education on the Path to Viksit Bharat)


Recent GI Tags

Podnuru Khadi - Andhra Pradesh

Woraiyur Cotton Sari - Tamil Nadu

Kavindapadi Nattu Sakkarai (Jaggery powder) - Tamil Nadu

Namakkal Makkal Pathirangal (soapstone cookware) - Tamil Nadu

Thooyamalli Rice variety - Tamil Nadu

Ambasamudram Wooden toys - Tamil Nadu




Important Days of January

World Braille Day: 04 January 2026

Designated by: United Nations General Assembly

First Observed in: 2019

International Day of Education: 24 January 2026

Designated by : United Nations General Assembly

First Observed in: 2019

International Day of Clean Energy: 26 January 2026

Designated by : United Nations General Assembly

First Observed in: 2024

International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust: 27 January 2026

Designated by : United Nations General Assembly

First Observed in: 2006

World Leprosy Day: 25 January 2026 (Last Sunday of January)

Designated by : World Health Organisation

Theme: Beat Leprosy, End Stigma, and Advocate for Mental Well-Being

Note: India, it is observed on 30 January coinciding with the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.


83nd Golden Globe Awards

Awarded by: Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA).

Ceremony held on: January 11, 2026

Best Motion Picture (Drama): Hamnet directed by Chloe Zhao

Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy): One Battle After Another directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Best Actor (Drama): Wagner Moura for The Secret Agent

Best Actress (Drama): Jessie Buckley for Hamnet

Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another

Multiple Wins: One Battle After Another 4 awards

Most nominations were received for: One Batte After Another (9 nominations)


Padma Awards 2026

Padma Vibhushan

Art: Shri Dharmendra Singh Deol (Posthumous)

Art: Ms. N Rajam

Literature and Education: Shri P Narayanan

Public Affairs: Shri K T Thomas

Public Affairs: Shri V S Achuthanandhan (Posthumous)

Padma Bhushan

Art: Ms. Alka Yagnik

Art: Shri Mammootty

Art: Shri Piyush Pandey (Posthumous)

Art: Shri Shatavadhani R Ganesh

Medicine: Shri Kallipatti Ramasamy Palaniswamy

Medicine: Dr. Nori Dattatreyudu

Public Affairs: Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari

Public Affairs: Shri Shibu Soren (Posthumous)

Public Affairs: Shri V K Malhotra (Posthumous)

Public Affairs: Shri Vellappally Natesan

Social Work: Shri S K M Maeilanandhan

Sports: Shri Vijay Amritraj

Trade and Industry: Shri Uday Kotak

Padma Shri