Current Affairs 17, 18 & 19 January 2026

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

MoF Launches ‘Paripoorna Mediclaim Ayush Bima’ for CGHS BeneficiariesIn January 2026, the Department of Financial Services (DFS) under the Ministry of Finance (MoF) launched the ‘Paripoorna Mediclaim Ayush Bima’, an optional health insurance scheme for beneficiaries of the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS).

About Paripoorna Mediclaim Ayush Bima:
Overview: It is available as a retail product for all CGHS, with no Goods and Services Tax (GST) charged on the premium to ensure maximum affordability for subscribers.
Purpose: This complements the existing CGHS facilities, the policy offers cashless treatment, coverage for modern procedures and access to a wide hospital network across India.
Coverage: The policy covers a maximum of six members per policy.

• It provides indemnity-based inpatient hospitalisation coverage across India.

Sum-Insured: The policy provides a sum insurance of Rs 10 lakhs or Rs
20 lakhs.
Co-payment: The product will have a co-payment component allowing beneficiaries to choose between 70:30 or 50:50 between the insurance company and the subscribers.

• The policy will be available at a discount of 28% under the 70:30  and 42% under the 50:50 split, when compared to a regular policy.

Insurance Purchase: The policy will be available for purchase through the New India Assurance Company Limited(NIACL’s) offices and online platform.
Key Features: Room rent is capped at 1% of the sum insured for normal rooms and 2% for ICU (Intensive Care Unit) stays per day.

• The policy includes 30 days of pre-hospitalisation and 60 days of post-hospitalisation cover.

Coverage: AYUSH(Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy) treatments are fully covered up to 100% of the sum insured for in-patient care.

• Modern medical procedures are covered up to 25% of the sum insured, with an optional rider available to enhance coverage up to 100%.

Bonus Offered: The policy also offers a cumulative bonus of 10% for each claim-free year, subject to a maximum of 100% of the sum insured.
About Ministry of Finance (MoF):
Union Minister – Nirmala Sitharaman (Rajya Sabha – Karnataka)
Minister of State – Pankaj Chaudhary (Constituency – Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh, UP)

AP CM N. Chandrababu Naidu Lays Foundation for World’s Largest Green Hydrogen & Ammonia Project at KakinadaOn January 17 2026, Andhra Pradesh(AP) Chief Minister(CM). N. Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy CM Konidala Pawan Kalyan laid the foundation stone for the world’s largest green hydrogen and green ammonia plants at Kakinada, AP.

About World’s Largest Green Hydrogen & Ammonia Project:
Project Area: The green ammonia plant will be developed over 495 acres, reinforcing AP’s clean energy and green industrial growth initiatives.
Developer: The mega project, being developed by AM Green, a company of the Greenko Group, will transform an existing ammonia–urea complex into an integrated green hydrogen and green ammonia.
Investment: The project, with an estimated investment of USD 10 billion (Rs.84,000-Crore).
Capacity: The project has a total planned capacity of 1.5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of green ammonia.

• The commissioning will take place in stages, beginning with 0.5 MTPA by 2027, scaling to 1.0 MTPA in 2028, and reaching full capacity of 1.5 MTPA by 2030.

Integrated energy Infrastructure: The project features an integrated system comprising 7.5 Gigawatt (GW) of solar and wind capacity, 1,950 Megawatt (MW) of electrolyser capacity, and 2 GW of round-the-clock renewable power, supported by pumped hydro storage, including the Pinnapuram pumped storage project in Andhra Pradesh.
Policy Alignment: The project aligns with AP’s Integrated Clean Energy Policy, 2024, under which the state is seeking to attract investments in green hydrogen and green ammonia.
Employment opportunity: The project will generate up to 8,000 jobs during the construction phase, generate high-skill employment during operations and across allied industries.
Applications : The green ammonia from the facility will serve as shipping fuel, power generation input, and a feedstock for green hydrogen, contributing to international decarbonisation initiatives.
Export energy: The project would enable India’s first exports of green ammonia, with initially planned for markets such as Germany, Japan and Singapore.
About Andhra Pradesh(AP): 
Chief Minister(CM)– N. Chandrababu Naidu
Governor– Sayed Abdul Nazeer
Capital – Amaravati
Ramsar Site – Kolleru Lake

GeM Marks Seven Years of ‘Womaniya Initiative’ to Strengthen Women-Led MSE Participation in Public ProcurementOn January 14, 2026, the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I), marked seven years of the ‘Womaniya Initiative’, a flagship programme aimed at strengthening participation of women‑led Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) in public procurement.

Highlight of theEvent:
Key People: The commemorative event, held at Jeevan Bharti Building in New Delhi, Delhi was attended by Mercy Epao, Joint Secretary ( Small and Medium-sized Enterprise, SME), Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises(MoMSME ); Smt. Radhika Kaul Batra, Chief of Staff, United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator’s Office; and Smt. Suhela Khan, Country Programme Manager, UN Women India.
MoU Signed: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)was signed between GeM and the Women’s Collective Forum (WCF) to strengthen institutional support.

• The MoU was signed by Ajit B. Chavan, Additional Chief Executive Officer(CEO), GeM, and Richa Sharma, Chief Community Officer, WCF.
• The partnership aims to support onboarding, compliance, product listing and training for women entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneur Insights: Featured testimonials, interactive sessions, and discussions on enterprise growth and local impact.
About Womaniya Initiative:
Objective: The Womaniya initiative was launched on 14 January 2019 to enable women entrepreneurs and Woman Self Help Groups (SHG) to sell the products manufactured by women to various ministries, government departments and institutions.
Milestone: As of 14 January 2026, more than two lakh women-led MSEs are registered on the GeM portal and have secured public procurement orders exceeding Rs 80,000 crore (Cr).

• This accounts for 4.7% of GeM’s total order value, significantly surpassing the mandated 3% procurement target for women-owned and women-led enterprises.

Aligned with priorities: The initiative is aligned with national priorities such as Aatmanirbhar Bharat, Make in India and Vocal for Local.
About Government e Marketplace (GeM)
GeM, launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I), is an online platform that central and state government Ministries, departments and Public Sector Units (PSUs) to procure goods and services.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Mihir Kumar
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi
Established – August 9, 2016

NITI Aayog Releases report on ‘Achieving Efficiencies in MSME Sector through Convergence of Schemes’In January 2026, the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog released a comprehensive report titled, “Achieving Efficiencies in Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSME) Sector through Convergence of Schemes ”, a detailed framework to strengthen the effectiveness of government interventions in the sector.

• The report was launched in New Delhi, Delhi by Dr. Arvind Virmani, Member of NITI Aayog, and B. V. R. Subrahmanyam, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog.

Highlights of the Report:
Objectives: The report aims to achieve the following objectives:

• To evaluate the various Government of India (GoI) schemes and programmes of the MSME sector.
• To examine the present level of convergence of MSME programmes.

Need for Convergence: The Ministry of MSME(MoMSME) currently oversees 18 schemes with overlapping objectives and fragmented implementation across ministries often lead to duplication, inefficiencies, and limited outreach.

• The report underscores that effective convergence and rationalisation of schemes can simplify access for beneficiaries, reduce duplication and better conversion of resources into outcomes.

Framework for Convergence: The report recommends a dual approach to convergence.

• Information convergence focuses on integrating government-generated data at the central and state levels to improve coordination, enable informed decision-making, and strengthen governance outcomes.
• Process convergence aims at merging similar schemes, combining common components, and fostering collaboration across ministries.

About National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog:
Chairman – Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi
Establishment – 2015
>>Read Full News

IICA Launches 8th Batch of PGIP and Signs MoU with IIIPI-ICAI
In January 2026, the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA), under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), opened registrations for the 8th Batch of the Post Graduate Insolvency Programme (PGIP).

• IICA also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Insolvency Professionals of ICAI (IIIPI–ICAI) to strengthen collaboration in insolvency and bankruptcy education, research, and training.

Key Details:
PGIP: It is a flagship national initiative aimed at developing highly skilled insolvency professionals in line with the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) framework of India.
Aim: The partnership aims to produce a skilled cadre of Insolvency Professionals (IPs) to handle stressed assets under the IBC, 2016.
Collaboration: The MoU focuses on capacity building, research, and academic exchange to strengthen India’s insolvency and bankruptcy framework.
Examination Partner: The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) has been designated as the official examination partner for the PGIP entrance.

DFS Launches ‘Composite Salary Account Package’ for Central Government Employees in association with PSBs 
In January 2026, the Department of Financial Services (DFS), under the Ministry of Finance(MoF) , officially launched the ‘Composite Salary Account Package for Central Government Employees’, in coordination with all Public Sector Banks (PSBs).

• It standardizes benefits for employees across Group A, B, and C cadres and excludes Group D.

About Composite Salary Account Package:
Banking Facilities: It provides Zero-Balance salary accounts with no annual charges along with free RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement), NEFT (National Electronic Fund Transfer) and UPI (Unified Payments Interface) facilities.
Credit Benefits: Concessional interest rates on Housing, Education, and Vehicle loans, along with processing fee waivers along with waivers on bank locker rentals and exclusive family banking privileges.
Enhanced Insurance Coverage: The package offers comprehensive insurance cover, including personal and disability protection up to Rs.1.5 crore, air accident cover up to Rs.2 crore, term life insurance up to Rs.20 lakh, and health insurance for employees and their families with add-on options.
Digital & Card Features: Availability of Premium card variants with enhanced cash back and reward programs and Airport Lounge Access which vary based on the Cadre.
Alignment : The initiative aligns with the Government’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision and the national goal of achieving Insurance for All by 2047.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

6th ASEAN–India Digital Ministers’ Meeting Virtually Hosted by Vietnam
The 6th ASEAN(Association of Southeast Asian Nations) –India Digital Ministers’ Meeting (ADGMIN) was hosted virtually by Vietnam under the theme “Adaptive ASEAN: From Connectivity to Connected Intelligence.”

• The meeting was co-chaired by Amit Agrawal, Secretary, Department of Telecommunications(DoT) under the Ministry of Communications, and Nguyen Manh Hung, Minister of Science and Technology of Vietnam.

About 6th ASEAN–India Digital Ministers’ Meeting (ADGMIN) :
ADGMIN: It is an annual platform that brings together telecom and digital ministers from the 11 ASEAN Member States, along with ASEAN’s Dialogue Partners to deliberate on regional and global digital cooperation.
2026 Digital Work Plan: The meeting approved a comprehensive plan centered on ICT (Information and Communication Technology) training and capacity building programs; the India-ASEAN Regulators’ Conference; and deployment of telecom ICT solutions.
ASEAN-India Fund: The meeting marked the official operationalization of this fund, which will finance digital transformation and innovation projects in ASEAN member states.
Declaration: The meeting adopted the Hanoi Declaration, stressing cooperation on Artificial intelligence (AI), broadband, resilient infrastructure, and digital inclusion, and reaffirmed commitment to the ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2026–2030.

India and Israel Sign Strategic Pact for Fisheries and Aquaculture Cooperation
In January 2026, India and Israel signed a Joint Ministerial Declaration of Intent to deepen bilateral cooperation in fisheries and aquaculture.

• The declaration was signed during a high-level Indian visit to Israel, led by Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (MoFAH&D), who visited Eilat, Israel from January 13–15, 2026 to attend the Second Global Summit on “Blue Food Security: Sea the Future 2026.”

Core Collaborative Initiatives:
CoE: A key element of the cooperation involves exploring the establishment of new Indo–Israel Centres of Excellence(CoE) for Fisheries and Aquaculture.
Technologies: Under the agreement, both countries will undertake joint research and development in advanced aquaculture technologies, including Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS), biofloc, cage culture, aquaponics, and aquarium systems such as oceanariums.
Development: The cooperation will cover high-yield species breeding, pathogen-free seed and broodstock development, genetic improvement programmes, mariculture and seaweed cultivation, and efficient water management using Israeli water-saving technologies.
Capacity Building: The declaration highlights sustainable fishing practices, technology-driven monitoring, capacity building, start-up exchanges, and fisher training.

BANKING & FINANCE

Piramal Finance Secures USD 350 Million from IFC and ADBIn January 2026, Piramal Finance Limited, a diversified Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC), secured USD 350 million in multilateral funding from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), marking its first borrowing from Development Finance Institutions (DFIs).

Multilateral Funding Overview:
Funding: The total funding amounts to USD 350 million, comprising USD 200 million from IFC and USD 150 million from ADB under the Sustainable Finance Framework (SFF).
Tenor: The facilities have a five-year maturity and will be drawn in tranches between January 2026 and March 2026.
Pipeline: PFL is in advanced discussions to raise USD 150 million from DFIs, targeting USD 500 million in total multilateral funding by Financial Year 2025-26 (FY26), underscoring strong confidence in its governance, risk management, and technology-led platform.
Deployment: The capital will be used to expand affordable housing finance, scale Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) credit, and increase lending to women borrowers and women-led enterprises across Tier 2, Tier 3, semi-urban, and rural markets.
Diversification: The borrowing strengthens PFL’s long-term funding profile by reducing reliance on domestic markets.
About Piramal Finance Limited (PFL):
PFL is a Reserve Bank of India (RBI)-regulated Non-Banking Financial Company – Investment and Credit Company (NBFC–ICC) and wholly owned subsidiary of Piramal Enterprises, formed after Piramal Capital & Housing Finance Limited acquired Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited (DHFL) in September 2021, originally founded on 11 April 1984.
Managing Director( MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Jairam Sridharan Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra

RBI Issues ‘Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (RB-IOS), 2026’ to Simplify Complaint ResolutionIn January 2026, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued the Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (RB-IOS) 2026 , a revised grievance‑redress framework designed to simplifying complaint resolution for customers against banks and other finance institutions.

• The RB‑IOS 2026 supersedes the earlier Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021 (RB‑IOS 2021) and will come into effect from July 1, 2026.

About Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (RB-IOS) 2026:
Framework: A single integrated scheme replacing multiple legacy schemes, embodying a “One Nation, One Ombudsman” approach.
No dispute cap: There is no limit on the amount in a dispute that can be brought before the RBI Ombudsman for which the RBI Ombudsman/ RBI Deputy Ombudsman can facilitate a settlement or pass an Award.
Compensation Increased: For any consequential loss suffered by the Complainant, the RBI Ombudsman shall have the power to provide a compensation up to Rs 30 lakh (previously Rs 20 lakh).

• In addition, the RBI Ombudsman shall also have the power to provide a compensation up to Rs 3 lakh (previously Rs 1 lakh) for the loss of the Complainant’s time, expenses incurred, harassment/mental anguish suffered, etc.

CRPC: The RBI will establish the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre (CRPC) at one or more places, to receive the complaints filed under the scheme and process them.
Appointment: The RBI can appoint one or more of its officers as RBI Ombudsman and Deputy Ombudsman, to carry out the functions entrusted to them under the Scheme.

• The appointment of RBI Ombudsman or Deputy Ombudsman, as the case may be, will be made generally for a period of three years at a time.

>>Read Full News

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Wikipedia Partners with Microsoft, Meta, Amazon to monetize AI training
In January 2026, the Wikimedia Foundation, parent company of Wikipedia  signed strategic partnerships with Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Mistral AI, and Perplexity to provide structured, paid access to Wikipedia content for Artificial Intelligence(AI) training.

• Marking Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary, these companies will access high-speed data through Wikimedia Enterprise to support the development of Large Language Models (LLMs) and chatbots.

Key Details of Partnership:
Content: Wikipedia’s content, over 65 million articles across 300+ languages, is extensively used as training data for AI systems, including chatbots, search engines, and virtual assistants.
Programme: These agreements fall under the Wikimedia Enterprise programme, which offers high-volume, structured Application Programming Interface (API) access specifically designed to meet the requirements of commercial AI developers and technology platforms.
Licensed Access: The move signifies a transition from unauthorised free scraping of Wikipedia data by AI firms to formal licensing arrangements, aimed at ensuring sustainable revenue for the non-profit’s operations.
Expansion of Licensing Partnerships: The new agreements build on earlier deals, including the 2022 partnership with Google, bringing most major technology companies under the Wikimedia Enterprise licensing framework.

SPORTS

Aaryan Varshney Becomes India’s 92nd Chess Grand MasterIn January 2026, 21-year old Aaryan Varshney from Delhi , became the 92nd Indian to earn Chess Grand Master (GM) title after winning the 16th Andranik Margaryan Memorial title held from January 9 to 16, 2026 in Armenia.

Achievement at Andranik Margaryan Memorial:
Draw in 8th Round: Aaryan drew against FIDE Master (FM) Tyhran Ambartsumian (Armenia) in the 8th round of the tournament to secure his 3rd and the final GM norm with 6.5 points out of 8 points.
Delhi’s 8th Grandmaster: With this, Aaryan became the 8th chess player from Delhi to secure the GM title, after Parimarjan Negi, Abhijeet Gupta, Sriram Jha, Vaibhav Suri, Sahaj Grover, Aryan Chopra, and Prithu Gupta.
About GM Title
Awarded by: The GM title is awarded by Federation Internationale des Eches/International Chess Federation (FIDE).
Key Conditions: GM is the highest and most prestigious title in chess that requires a minimum FIDE rating of 2500 and three GM norms.
About Aaryan Varshney:
Early Career: He started playing chess at the age of 8 with his coach and father, Gaurav Varshney. He played his career’s 1st rated tournament in December 2014, securing an Elo rating of 1261.
National Career: In July 2018, he won the National Under-13 Championship title held in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Key Accomplishments: In 2018 he won the title of FM and later, the International Masters (IM) title in 2024 with a live rating of 2,395.
GM Norms: In August 2025, Varshney secured his maiden GM norm at the 34th Vasilis Theodoridis Open in Kavala, Greece.

• Later in December 2025, he scored 9 out of 9 to win the 3rd Leonine GM title held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, securing the 2nd GM.

About Federation Internationale des Eches/International Chess Federation (FIDE):
President- Arkady Dvorkovich
Headquarters- Lausanne, Switzerland
Established- 1924

IMPORTANT DAYS

National Startup Day 2026 – January 16National Startup Day is observed every year across India on January 16 to celebrate the country’s progress in building a robust, dynamic, and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem.

• National Start-up Day 2026 marks the completion of 10 years of Start-up India.

Background:
Launch: Startup India, a transformative initiative led by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I) was launched in 2016.
Declaration: In 2022, the Government of India (GoI) declared January 16 as National Startup Day to celebrate the nation’s stride in promoting a robust and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem.
2026 Events:
Event: On the occasion of National Startup Day 2026 celebrations, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi addressed the startup founders, innovators, and young entrepreneurs programme held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, Delhi.

• During the event, DPIIT unveiled the results of the 5th edition of the National Startup Awards (NSA 5.0) and SRF 5.0, two flagship initiatives under the Startup India programme.

NSA 5.0: The awards spread across 20 categories recognise startups from Tier-I and Tier-III cities, covering deep-tech innovation and emerging sectors.
SRF 5.0: The current edition has evaluated the performance of 34 States and UTs in enabling startup growth on the ground level, across 6 reform areas and 19 clearly defined action points, covering policy and institutional support, physical and digital infrastructure, access to funding , market access and linkages, capacity building, among others.
>>Read Full News

STATE NEWS

MP Gov Signs MoU with BHASHINI to Strengthen Multilingual Digital Governance
In January 2026, the Digital India BHASHINI( BHASHa INterface for India), Division (DIBD), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Madhya Pradesh(MP), to enhance multilingual digital governance across the state.

• The agreement was formalized during the Regional Artificial intelligence (AI) Impact Conference 2026 held in Bhopal (MP).

Key Highlights of Partnership:
Aim: The collaboration aims to integrate BHASHINI’s AI -powered language tools and translation APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) into the state’s digital platforms to enable multilingual digital governance.
Objective: To ensure public services are accessible in multiple Indian languages, strengthening last-mile service delivery and digital inclusivity.
Technological Integration: The state will deploy voice-first solutions and language technologies developed by BHASHINI to remove linguistic barriers in governance.
Alignment: The initiative is supported by the IndiaAI Mission and the Department of Science and Technology (DST), MP.

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