NATIONAL NEWS

Cabinet Approves 3rd Launchpad for ISRO’s New Generation Rockets

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the construction of the third launch pad of the Indian Space Research organisation (ISRO) which will be equipped to launch the future human space flight of ISRO and its next generation rockets.

The approval was given by the Union Cabinet in a meeting held in New Delhi and chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The launch pad will be constructed at the existing Space port of India-Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota,Andhra Pradesh.

The Satish Dhawan Space center already has two functional launch pads from where rockets are launched in space.

The government of India has approved a budget of Rs 3984.86 crore. The project is expected to be completed within 48 months or 4 years.

The Government of India has set an ambitious target for the Indian Space programme during the Amrit Kaal.

It includes establishing an operational Bharatiya Antriksh Station by 2035 and a manned mission to Moon by 2040.

Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 2nd Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on 17 January 2025.

The first Bharat Mobility Global Expo was held in February 2024 in New Delhi.

The Bharat Mobility Global Expo is a global mobility Expo that brings together the entire value chain of the mobility sector under one roof.

The mobility sector refers not only to the automobile sector but also to all the other industries that provide the vehicles and infrastructure for transportation.

It also includes the new emerging digital technologies sector, electric vehicles, and its associated infrastructure.

The Bharat Mobility Global Expo celebrates India’s growing role as a global hub for mobility and showcases the success of the country across the automotive and mobility value chain, featuring cutting-edge technologies and innovations.

The theme of the 2nd Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 is “Beyond Boundaries: Co-creating Future Automotive Value Chain”.

The theme emphasizes the need for close collaboration and innovation across the automotive and mobility sectors, emphasizing sustainable and cutting-edge technological advancements.

The Coordinating agency of the Bharat Mobility Global Expo is the Engineering Export Promotion Council of India (EEPC) and supported by the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industries.

Piyush Goyal Inaugurates National Turmeric Board for 'Golden Spices'

In an effort to boost the development and production of turmeric and turmeric products in India the government of India has established the National Turmeric Board.

India is the largest producer and exporter of turmeric in the world which is also known as Indian Saffron or Golden Spice.

The National Turmeric Board was inaugurated by the Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal through video conferencing in New Delhi.

The headquarters of the National Turmeric Board is in Nizamabad, Telangana.

Around 30 % of the turmeric exports from India are contributed by Telangana.

The National Turmeric Board is under the Department of Commerce, Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

PM Modi Launches Mission Mausam

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Mission Mausam in New Delhi on the occasion of the 150th foundation day of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on 14 January 2025.

The Mission aims to strengthen India’s research and development capability in weather and climate-related science and make the country a weather-ready and climate-smart nation.

The IMD was set up by the British India government on 15 January 1875.

During the function the Prime Minister also released a Rs 150 Commemorative coin issued by the Union Ministry of Finance to mark the 150th year of the IMD.

He also released the 20247 Vision document of the IMD which outlines a roadmap for weather resilience and climate change adaptation for the country by 2047. The Modi government has set a target to make India a developed country by 2047.

Madhya Pradesh CM Launches Swami Vivekananda Yuva Shakti Mission

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav launched the Swami Vivekanand Yuva Shakti Mission on the occasion of the National Youth Yadav on 12 January 2025 in Bhopal.

Every year 12 January is observed as National Youth Day since 1985 to mark the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav also inaugurated the world’s largest 3-D rangoli, depicting Swami Vivekananda at the Shaurya Smarak in Bhopal.

The Swami Vivekananda Yuva Shakti Mission has been launched by the state government keeping in mind Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guiding principle of GYAN (Focusing on the Poor, Youth, Farmers, and Women) and inspired by the principles of Swami Vivekanand.

The Chief Minister also launched the Swami Vivekananda Yuva Shakti Mission Portal and theme song.

The Portal will give information related to the mission to the general public.

The state government will try to provide employment to more than 70% of the youth by 2028.

All youth of the state are to complete education up to class 12th by 2030.

As part of employment generation efforts, vacant job positions of the past three years will be filled in a single year through the Public Service Commission.

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India and Spain sign Two Mous During Dr. Jaishankar's Visit To Spain

India and Spain have signed two memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen and deepen the bilateral relations between the two countries.

The agreement was signed during External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishanakar's visit to Spain. Dr Jaishankar was on a two-day official visit to Spain on 13 and 14 January 2025 where he met senior leaders of the Spanish government.

The ties between India and Spain have gained strength in recent times with the successful visit of the President of the Government of Spain (Prime Minister) Pedro Sanchez to India in October 2024.

During the visit of Pedro Sanchez, both countries decided to celebrate 2026 as the “Year of Culture, Tourism, and Artificial Intelligence (AI)”.

Two MoUs were signed between the two countrie: MoU on cooperation in sports and Cooperation on sustainable urban development.

 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Pixxel Launches India's 1st Private Satellite Constellation With Spacex

Google-backed Indian space start-up company Pixxel has become the first Indian private company to launch its commercial satellite constellation named Firefly on board a Space X rocket on 14 January 2025.

The SpaceX rocket also carried the world’s first commercial satellite for surveillance of space objects orbiting the earth, made by an Indian space company, Digantara.

Both the Pixxel and Digantara satellites were launched by Elon Musk's company SpaceX.

sBengaluru-based space startup company Digantara launched the world’s first commercial satellite for surveillance of space objects orbiting the Earth.

The satellite named Space Camera for Object Tracking (SCOT) aims to enhance space safety and optimize space traffic management.

SCOT satellite will be placed in the sun-synchronous orbit which will track objects in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

The floating debris in space like man-made objects not in use (used satellites, rocket parts, etc) poses a significant challenge to safe space navigation.

The SCOT satellite will continuously monitor objects in the LEO orbit and issue alerts so that space navigation becomes safe.

The SCOT satellites are the world’s first commercial Space Situational Awareness satellite.

 

BANKING

PNB Metlife Teams Up With Saraswat Co-Operative Bank

PNB MetLife has entered into a bancassurance partnership with Saraswat Co-operative Bank, one of India's largest urban co-operative banks.

The partnership aims to provide a range of life insurance solutions, including savings, protection, retirement, and group plans.

The collaboration will offer insurance products to Saraswat Bank’s large customer base, consisting of approximately 30 lakh individuals, across 302 branches nationwide.

Bancassurance is a model where banks partner with insurance companies to sell insurance products.

The bank earns a commission from the insurance company, while the insurer benefits from the banks vast distribution network.

The partnership aims to enhance financial inclusion by addressing the protection gap and increasing insurance penetration in underserved and uninsured segments of the population.

Mobikwik Teams Up With Piramal Capital and Housing Finance

MobiKwik Systems has entered into a strategic partnership with Piramal Capital and Housing Finance to provide personal loans to MobiKwik customers.

The partnership aims to enhance access to affordable credit solutions, enabling MobiKwik users to apply for and receive personal loans seamlessly through the MobiKwik platform.

The personal loan offering is designed to cater to various financial needs of individuals, such as education, medical expenses, travel, and other consumption purposes.

The loan amount for ZIP EMI ranges from INR 50,000 to INR 2,00,000.

 

DEFENCE

PM Modi Commissions Satpura, Nilgiri and Vagsheer of the Indian Navy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned three frontline naval warships and submarines - INS Surat,INS Nilgiri and INS Vagsheer at the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai, Maharashtra on 15 January 2025.

INS Nilgiri is a stealth frigate and is the lead ship of the Indian Navy’s Project 17A, to develop stealth frigates.

INS Surat is the last of the four guided missile destroyer class ships to be constructed under Project 15B and INS Vaghsheer is the the sixth and final submarine of the Kalvari class built under Project 75 of the Indian Navy.

The commissioning of these frontline warships is expected to boost the defence capabilities of the Indian Navy and strengthen India maritime security.

INS Surat, INS Nilgiri has been indigenously designed and constructed by the defence shipyards -Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai.

The INS Vagsheer submarine is an Indo-French collaboration which has been constructed by MDL with technology transfer from French Naval Group.

 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Chairperson of PM Museum and Library Society

The Government of India has reconstituted the Executive Council of the Prime Ministers Museum and Library Society and reappointed Nripendra Mishra as the Chairperson of the Executive Council of the Society.

The Executive Council is the highest decision-making body of the Prime Ministers Museum and Library Society.

The Prime Minister is the ex-officio President of the Prime Ministers Museum and Library Society and the Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is currently the Vice-Chairman.

The Prime Minister Museum and Library Society was set up by the government of India on 1st April 1966 to manage the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library which is now known as the Prime Minister Museum and Library.

 

MISCELLANEOUS

Indonesia Prez Subianto to be Chief Guest at Republic Day 2025 Event

Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto will be the chief guest at the 76th Republic Day celebration to be held on 26th January 2025 at the Kartavya Path in New Delhi.

Incidentally, the first President of Indonesia Sukarno was the chief guest at the first Republic Day celebration held in New Delhi on 26 January 1950.

President Prabowo Subianto will be on an official visit to India on 25 and 26 January 2026.

This is the first official visit of President Prabowo Subianto to India since he was sworn in as the 8th President of Indonesia in October 2024.

During his visit to India, he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top Indian leadership and will discuss bilateral, regional, and international issues.

India and Indonesia share close ties and were the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in 1961.