NATIONAL NEWS

8th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas Convention 2025

Bhubaneshwar the capital city of Odisha will host the 18th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas Convention from 8-10 January 2025. It is the first time that Bhubaneswar is hosting the biannual Pravasi Bhartiya Divas Convention.

As part of the Bharatiya Divas Convention, the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be held in Bhubaneshwar on 8 January 2025.

In India, the 9th of January is observed as the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas since 2003 to mark the contribution of the Pravasi Bhartiya (Overseas Indian) community to the development of India.

The Union Ministry of External Affairs is organising the 18th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas Convention in association with the Odisha state government.

The Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be organised by the Ministry of External Affairs in partnership with the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Odisha government.

President Murmu will also confer the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award to 27 individuals.

The theme of the 18th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas Convention is "Diaspora’s Contribution to a Viksit Bharat”.

 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

CSIR Develops Paracetamol Drugs Indigenously

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh announced that the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has developed the technology to produce Paracetamol indigenously.

This was announced by Dr Jitendra Singh at the 40th Foundation Day of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) in New Delhi on 5 January 2025.

The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research is a part of the Union Ministry of Science and Technology.

At present, India imports key ingredients of the drug from many parts of the world.

The technology has been transferred to the Karnataka-based Satya Deeptha Pharmaceuticals Ltd to manufacture the affordable paracetamol domestically.

He also mentioned the development and launch of the first indigenously developed antibiotic "Nafithromycin" to treat drug-resistant bacterial infections.

 The antibiotic has been developed with the support of "Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council" (BIRAC), under the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology.

Assam Launches Northeast's Largest Eri Silk Spinning Mill in Baksa District

The largest Eri silk spinning mill in the Northeast is located in Baksa district, Assam.

The mill was set up by the North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation (NEHHDC).

Built at a cost of Rs 14.92 crore, the mill spans 12,916 square feet at the Integrated Textile Park in Kharuajan, Mushalpur.

The mill was inaugurated by Pramod Boro, Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC).

The project is expected to provide direct employment to 375 individuals.

It is estimated to offer indirect livelihood support to approximately 50,000 households.

22 people are currently employed at the mill, with 54% of them belonging to the Boro community.

The mill is expected to strengthen the rural economy by providing sustainable livelihoods, especially for women involved in Eri silk cultivation.

It will help reduce migration of youth in search of employment opportunities by fostering industrial growth.

 

BANKING

RBI Approves Merger of National and Cosmos Co-operative Banks

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the merger of National Co-operative Bank (Bangalore) with Cosmos Co-operative Bank (Maharashtra), effective January 6, 2025.

The RBI sanctioned the merger under Sub-Section (4) of Section 44A and Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

Post-merger, the branches of National Co-operative Bank (Bangalore) will operate as branches of Cosmos Co-operative Bank.

National Co-operative Bank has 13 branches that will be absorbed by Cosmos Co-operative Bank.

In FY24, Maratha Sahakari Bank and Sahebrao Deshmukh Sahakari Bank also merged with Cosmos Co-operative Bank.

In July 2023, the RBI imposed withdrawal restrictions on National Co-operative Bank due to weak financial performance, limiting deposit withdrawals to ₹50,000 per account.

These restrictions were extended until January 24, 2025.

The merger aligns with RBI's regulatory powers to ensure the stability and health of the banking sector, especially in co-operative banking.

 

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

India Has 3rd Largest Metro Network In The World

India has the third largest operational metro rail network in the world after China and the United States of America.

In 2022, India had surpassed Japan to have the third-largest operational metro network in the world. What is noteworthy is that India has crossed the milestone of having over 1000 km of operational metro rail network.

India achieved this milestone when Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 2.8 km stretch between Janakpuri and Krishna Park of Delhi Metro Phase-IV on 5 January 2024.

The Prime Minister also inaugurated the 13 km stretch of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Namo Bharat corridor between Sahibabad and New Ashok Nagar.

The first modern metro system was inaugurated in Delhi in 2002 and it is being operated by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). The initial metro network in Delhi was built with the assistance of Japan.

Now DMRC operates India’s largest metro network with an operational network of 395 km.

India’s first underwater metro became operational in Kolkata in March 2024 which runs under the Hooghly river.

 

DEFENCE

15th Aero India 2025

The latest edition of Asia’s biggest biennial air show and aviation exhibition - Aero India 2025 will be held at the Air Force Station, Yelahanka in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

The 15th edition of the Aero India show will be held from 10-14 February 2025.

Aero India will showcase India’s growth in aerospace and defence capabilities.

 On the 13th and 14th of February, there will be both air displays and exhibitions of a large number of military aircraft from the aerospace sector.

The Aero India show is organised by the Defence Exhibition Organisation, the Department of Defence Production, and Union Ministry of Defence.

The theme of the 15th Aero India is ‘The Runway to a Billion Opportunities’.

The event comprises a curtain raiser event, an inaugural event, a Defence Ministers’ Conclave, CEOs’ Round Table, a Manthan start-up event, air shows, an exhibition, and a trade fair of aerospace companies.

Aero shows are organised around the world to provide a platform for the civilian and military aviation sectors to display their products and forge new partnerships.

The Indian Aero show aims to put India on the map of the aviation market as a major buyer and an important collaborator.

It will provide a platform where Indian companies will forge partnerships with foreign companies so that Indian companies become part of the global value chain in the aviation sector.

 

AWARDS & PRIZES

US Presidential Medal of Freedom

Captain of Argentina men’s football team Lionel Messi was among the 19 people to be honored with the United States of America’s highest civilian award ‘The Presidential Medal of Freedom’ in a ceremony at the White House on 5 January 2025.

Messi became the first men’s football player and the second from the sport after female football player Megan Rapinoe, who won it in 2022.

Presently Messi is playing for the Inter Miami football club in the Major League of the United States of America.

The award was conferred to the 19 distinguished persons by the American President Joe Biden whose term as the 46th President of the United States ends on 19 January 2025.

The US Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States of America. It is similar to the Bharat Ratna in India.

 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Governor of Odisha and Manipur

Hari Babu Kambhampati was sworn in as the 27th Governor of Odisha at a ceremony held at the Raj Bhavan.

Orissa High Court Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh administered the oath of office.

Kambhampati succeeded Raghubar Das, who resigned from the position.

Kambhampati, a former Governor of Mizoram, was appointed as the Governor of Odisha by President Droupadi Murmu on December 24, 2024.

Ajay Kumar Bhalla, former Union Home Secretary, was sworn in as the 19th Governor of Manipur during a function at the Raj Bhavan in Imphal.

Bhalla was administered the oath by Manipur High Court Chief Justice D Krishnakumar.

Bhalla has the distinction of being the longest-serving Union Home Secretary, completing his five-year tenure in August 2024.

Bhalla succeeded Lakshman Prasad Acharya as Governor of Manipur.

 

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Day of War Orphans

World Day of War Orphans 2025 is observed on the 6th January 2025.

Children who lose their parents in sudden, violent events like war are forced to live with a surviving relative or into the foster care system, where they must deal with horrible living conditions including starvation and disease.

It's impossible to fathom the emotional and mental strain they experience.

About half of the casualties in wars over the past few centuries were civilians, a percentage that gradually rose until 2001.

According to UNICEF, there were "almost 140 million orphans worldwide" as of 2015.

Of those, 61 million lived in Asia, 52 million in Africa, 10 million in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 7.3 million in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

SOS Enfants en Detresse, a French charity that aims to restore a sense of normalcy to the lives of children indirectly impacted by war and conflict, established World Day for War Orphans.