January-2026 1st week Important Current affairs Practice

India surpassed Japan to become the world’s 4th-largest economy with a GDP of USD 4.18 trillion in early 2026. India is now ranked behind only the USA, China, and Germany.

This milestone reflects India’s strong economic growth trajectory, with projections from World Bank (6.5%), IMF (6.2%), and Moody’s (6.4%) for 2026. India is expected to surpass Germany to become the 3rd largest economy before 2030.

Bulgaria officially adopted the Euro as its national currency in January 2026, becoming the 21st member of the Eurozone.

Bulgaria is located in Southeast Europe on the Balkan Peninsula, with Sofia as its capital. It shares its northern border with Romania.

Bulgaria is a member of the European Union, and this move marks deeper economic integration with the EU’s monetary framework.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved Rakesh Agarwal (IPS) as the Interim Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The NIA is India’s premier counter-terrorism investigation agency established in 2008 under the National Investigation Agency Act. It investigates offences related to terrorism, insurgency, bomb blasts, and other national security matters.

An Army Hospital in New Delhi achieved a major milestone in eye care by successfully combining 3D Flex Aqueous Angiography with iStent implantation for glaucoma treatment.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is observed on January 9 every year. It commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India on January 9, 1915, after over two decades of civil rights struggle.

The day recognises the contributions of the overseas Indian diaspora (estimated at over 35 million people across 200+ countries) to India’s development.

• The event was established in 2003 by PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the flagship event of the Ministry of External Affairs. Since 2015, the main convention is held biennially.
• The highest honour conferred is the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award.

The Government of India launched the Interest Subvention Scheme and Collateral Support Scheme under the Niryat Protsahan sub-scheme of the Export Promotion Mission (EPM) in January 2026. The scheme offers a 2.75% interest subsidy on rupee export credit and is jointly implemented by DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

According to the RBI’s ‘Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India 2024-25’ released under Section 36(2) of the Banking Regulation Act 1949, India’s commercial banking system at end of FY25 consisted of: 12 Public Sector Banks (PSBs), 21 Private Sector Banks (PVBs), 44 Foreign Banks, 11 Small Finance Banks, 6 Payments Banks, 43 Regional Rural Banks, and 2 Local Area Banks.

Sage Agathiyar is a legendary Vedic rishi considered the foremost among the 18 Siddhars who founded the Siddha medical system. He is called the Father of Tamil Grammar and is credited with authoring ‘Agattiyam’, the earliest known work on Tamil grammar. He presided over the First Tamil Sangam in Madurai. He is one of the seven Saptarishis; he and his wife Lopamudra composed hymns in the first Mandala of the Rigveda.

International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (2026): The UN officially declared 2026 as the International Year for Rangelands and Pastoralists, focusing global attention on the role of grasslands as critical carbon sinks and their exclusion from many countries’ NDCs.

Exercise Dosti is a trilateral coast guard exercise conducted between India, Maldives, and Sri Lanka.

SIMBEX is a bilateral naval exercise between India and Singapore.

SLINEX is a bilateral naval exercise between India and Sri Lanka.

Exercise Malabar is  multilateral naval exercise involving: India, United States, Japan and Australia