DAILY GK 28-29 JAN 2026
1.
MOSPI OPERATIONALISES PAIMANA
PORTAL
·
The Ministry of Statistics &
Programme Implementation (MoSPI) operationalised PAIMANA (Project Assessment,
Infrastructure Monitoring & Analytics for Nation-building), a web-based portal for
monitoring Central Sector Infrastructure Projects worth Rs 150 crore and above, replacing the earlier Online
Computerised Monitoring System (OCMS-2006).
·
PAIMANA has been operationalised in
consultation with over 20 Central Ministries and Departments, including
Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), under Ministry of Finance (MoF)
and DPIIT, under Ministry of
Commerce and Industry (MoC&I), covering project mapping, data migration,
analytics, and validation.
2.
56TH ANNUAL
MEETING OF WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
·
The 56th annual
meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) was held in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.
·
The 2026
annual meeting was held under the theme titled
“A Spirit of Dialogue”.
·
WEF released a
report titled “WEF Chief Economists’
Outlook – January 2026”.
·
As per the
report, 53% of the Chief Economists
expect global economic conditions to
weaken in 2026, an improvement against the 72% in September 2025.
·
WEF launched a
report titled “Proof Over Promise: Insights on Real-World AI adoption from 2025 MINDS
Organization”, produced in collaboration with Accenture.
·
Tech Mahindra
Limited has been included in the
WEF’s list of organizations recognized for making AI work in the real world as part of the WEF’s MINDS programme.
·
According to a WEF white paper, India ranked 8th out of 11 countries in
AI investments as a share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (2010–2024), with
investments estimated at 1.2%–1.8% of its 2024 GDP.
·
The USA topped the list, followed by Singapore, South Korea
and China.
·
During the
meeting, the WEF decided to establish five new centres for the
Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR).
·
Donal J Trump, President of the USA,
signed the founding charter of the Board
of Peace initiative, along with representatives of around 19 countries.
·
Indian
Delegation: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw,
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Ministry of
Railways (MoR), led the Indian delegation.
·
The Ministry
of Skill Development &
Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India (GoI), signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with the WEF, with an aim to establish a Skills
Accelerator in India.
·
Government
of Maharashtra signed 19 MoUs worth approximately Rs.14.50 lakh
crores (approximately USD 175 billion).
·
Maharashtra
CM Devendra Fadnavis announced the
establishment of India’s first Innovation City near the upcoming Navi Mumbai
International Airport in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, with an investment
of Rs. 91,000 crores (USD 11 billion) by Tata Sons.
·
Government
of Uttar Pradesh (UP) signed MoUs
worth Rs. 9,750 crores, focusing on areas such as clean energy and RE projects, AI and
digital infrastructure, and defence manufacturing and technology partnerships.
·
The
Government of Assam secured investment commitments worth Rs.1 lakh
crores across sectors such as green energy, semiconductors, electronics, and
hydrocarbons.
·
Assam
participated for the first time in the WEF Annual meeting.
3.
USA OFFICIALLY
WITHDRAWS FROM WHO
·
The United
States of America (USA) formally withdrew from the World Health Organization (WHO), ending
its 78-year membership amid criticism of
the WHO’s COVID-19 response, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and perceived
failures affecting Americans.
·
The withdrawal
completed a one-year notification
process initiated by President Donald J. Trump through Executive Order 14155, signed on January 20, 2025.
·
All USA
funding and staffing for the WHO ended
on January 22, 2026, including annual dues of USD 111 million and average voluntary contributions of USD 570
million.
·
The USA accounts for about 18% of the WHO’s
total funding, with the WHO’s 2024–2025 budget estimated at USD 6.8
billion.
4.
WILEY RESEARCH
HEROES AWARD
·
Dr Chandrakant
Lahariya, former staff member of the World Health Organisation (WHO),
was awarded the Wiley Research Heroes Prize 2025 in the category “Impact Beyond Academia.”
·
He is the
first and only Indian to receive this prestigious Wiley Research Heroes
Prize, chosen as one of five global
winners from over 2,000 nominations worldwide.
·
The other four winners of the Wiley
Research Heroes Prize 2025 include Dr.
Katie Brooker from Australia, Professor
Trevor Charles from Canada, Professor
Deborah Esan from Nigeria, and Dr.
Maria Elena Indelicato from Portugal.
·
Wiley
honouring researchers whose work is
inclusive, innovative, and creates real-world impact beyond traditional
academic outputs.
5.
PRESIDENT’S
POLICE COLOUR AWARD 2026
·
The Ministry
of Home Affairs (MHA) announced that the Sikkim Police has been
conferred the President’s Police Colour Award (Nishaan), one of India’s highest police honours, for
outstanding service, professionalism, and dedication, making Sikkim the 15th state and 3rd in the North East (NE) to receive the award.
·
The
announcement was made by Director General of Police (DGP) Akshay Sachdeva
and Chief Minister (CM) of Sikkim Prem Singh Tamang.
·
The award
includes a ceremonially decorated flag
measuring 3 feet 9 inches × 3 feet with a 2-inch golden fringe and a
special insignia worn on the left sleeve by all personnel.
·
Only the
President of India, the Prime Minister (PM), or the Union Minister of MHA can
confer the award.
·
Some of the
Previous Recipients are Madhya Pradesh (MP) (1950), Gujarat
(2019), Himachal Pradesh (HP) (2019), and Haryana (2022).
6.
PADMA AWARDS
2026
·
The Ministry
of Home Affairs (MHA) announced the Padma Awards for 2026, a day before
the 77th Republic Day of India.
·
This year’s
list comprises 5 Padma Vibhushan;
13 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri awardees.
·
The President
of India has approved the conferment of 131 Padma Awards, including 2
duo case cases (in a duo case, the
award is counted as one) for year 2026.
·
Among these
Padma awardees, there are 19 women and the list also
comprises 06 persons from the
category of foreigners or Non-Resident Indians (NRI) or Person of Indian Origin (PIO) or Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI), along with 16 Posthumous
awardees.
·
Maharashtra received the
highest number of Padma awards (15),
followed by Tamil Nadu (TN) (13); Uttar Pradesh(UP) and West
Bengal(WB)(11 each) and Kerala (8).
·
5 Padma Vibhushan awardees, actor Dharmendra
Singh Deol (Arts, Maharashtra) posthumously, former Chief Minister (CM) of Kerala V.S.
Achuthanandan (Public Affairs,
Kerala) posthumously, former Judge of Supreme Court (SC) K.T. Thomas
(Kerala); educationist P. Narayanan
(Literature and Education, Kerala); and violinist N. Rajam (Art).
·
Padma Bhushan 2026 Winners
|
Name |
Field |
State /
Country |
|
Ms. Alka Yagnik |
Art |
Maharashtra |
|
Shri Bhagat Singh
Koshyari |
Public Affairs |
Uttarakhand |
|
Shri Kallipatti
Ramasamy Palaniswamy |
Medicine |
Tamil Nadu |
|
Shri Mammootty |
Art |
Kerala |
|
Dr. Nori Dattatreyudu |
Medicine |
USA |
|
Shri Piyush Pandey
(Posthumous) |
Art |
Maharashtra |
|
Shri S K M Maeilanandhan |
Social Work |
Tamil Nadu |
|
Shri Shatavadhani R
Ganesh |
Art |
Karnataka |
|
Shri Shibu Soren
(Posthumous) |
Public Affairs |
Jharkhand |
|
Shri Uday Kotak |
Trade and Industry |
Maharashtra |
|
Shri V K Malhotra
(Posthumous) |
Public Affairs |
Delhi |
|
Shri Vellappally
Natesan |
Public Affairs |
Kerala |
|
Shri Vijay Amritraj |
Sports |
USA |
7.
PADMA SHRI - TOTAL 113
·
Rohit Sharma - Sports.
·
R. Madhavan - Art.
·
Shri Baldev Singh
Sports,Punjab
·
Ms. Harmanpreet Kaur Bhullar
Sports, Punjab
·
Shri Prateek Sharma Medicine, USA
·
Ms. Liudmila Khokhlova Art, Russia
·
Shri Prem Lal Gautam Science and Engineering,
Himachal Pradesh
·
Shri Inderjit Singh Sidhu
Social Work,Chandigarh
·
Sant Niranjan Dass Spiritualism,Punjab
·
Shri Khem Raj Sundriyal Art
,Haryana
·
Ms. Savita Punia Sports,Haryana
·
Shri Vladimer Mestvirishvili Sports
,Georgia (Posthumous)
·
Prof. (Dr.) Lars-Christian Koch Art,Germany
8.
JEEVAN RAKSHA PADAK AWARDS-2025
·
President of
India Droupadi Murmu approved the conferment of the Jeevan Raksha Padak Series
of Awards-2025 on 30 individuals for their courage
and selfless life-saving acts across
three categories Sarvottam Jeevan
Raksha Padak(6), Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak(6), and Jeevan Raksha Padak(18), with 6
of them awarded posthumously.
·
Jeevan Raksha Padak Series
Established in 1961 to honour life-saving acts of
courage.
·
Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak: Exceptional
courage under very great danger to the rescuer.
·
Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak: Courage
in situations of great danger.
·
Jeevan Raksha Padak: Courage
in circumstances of grave bodily injury.
·
The Jeevan
Raksha Padak is presented as a medallion and a certificate signed by the Union
Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA).
·
The award is
typically conferred by the state/Union Territories(UTs) government or the
respective ministry/department of the awardee.
·
Includes a
medal, certificate, and one-time monetary allowance: Rs.2 lakh for Sarvottam, Rs.1.5 lakh for Uttam, Rs.1 lakh for
Jeevan Raksha.
9.
GALLANTRY
AWARDS 2026
·
The
President of India Droupadi Murmu approved ‘Gallantry
awards 2026’ for 70 Armed Forces and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), including 06 posthumous honours, in recognition
of their exceptional courage and sacrifice on the eve of the 77th Republic Day.
·
The awards
include 17 peacetime gallantry decorations: one
Ashoka Chakra, three Kirti Chakras,
and 13 Shaurya Chakras (including
one posthumous).
·
Additionally,
honours comprise 1 Bar to Sena Medal
(Gallantry), 44 Sena
Medals (Gallantry) (including five posthumous), 6 Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry), and 2 Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry).
·
Group
Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (from Indian
Air Force, IAF), who scripted history by becoming
the 1st Indian to set foot on the International Space Station (ISS), honoured
with the Ashoka Chakra, India’s highest peacetime gallantry award.
·
Shukla
became the only 2nd Indian (after Rakesh
Sharma who flew aboard a Russian Soyuz in 1984) and the 1st to visit ISS as
part of the Axiom-4 Mission.
·
Kirti Chakra: Three Kirti
Chakra (India’s 2nd highest-peacetime gallantry award) awardees are: Major Arshdeep Singh from 1 Assam
Rifles; Naib Subedar Doleshwar Subba
from 2 Para (Special Forces) and Group
Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, one of the 4 astronauts who underwent training for
India’s 1st human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan.
·
Shaurya Chakra: This year, two women officers of the Indian Navy (IN):
Lieutenant Commander Dilna K. and
Lieutenant Commander Roopa A were
conferred with the Shaurya Chakra,
India’s 3rd highest peace-time gallantry
award.
·
Apart from
the e gallantry awards, the President of India also approved 301
military decorations to Armed Forces and other personnel.
·
These
include 30 Param Vishit Seva
Medals (PVSMs); 04 Uttam Yudh Seva Medals (UYSMs); 56
Ati Vishisht Seva Medals (AVSMs).
10. 2026
GALLANTRY AND DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS
·
The
President of India Droupadi Murmu, approved 2026
Gallantry and Distinguished Service awards for personnel of the Indian
Coast Guard (ICG) on the eve of the 77th Republic Day.
·
The awards honour ICG personnel for courage,
professionalism, and dedication in safeguarding maritime borders,
responding to sea emergencies, and strengthening maritime security.
·
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal
(AVSM):
It has been awarded to Additional Director General (ADG) Donny Michael.
·
Vishisht Seva Medal
(VSM):
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) K. S. Sitaram.
·
PTM
(Distinguished Service): Inspector General (IG) Iqbal Singh
Chauhan, TM and IG Datwinder Singh Saini, TM.
·
Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak: Pradhan
Navik (Mechanical Engineering – ME) Saumyaranjan Behera.
·
Tatrakshak Medal
(Gallantry)-Posthumous: It was awarded posthumously to Late Commandant
Rakesh Kumar Rana, Late Commandant (Junior Grade – JG) Vipin Babu, and
Late Pradhan Navik (Rashtra Prashikshit, RP) Karan Singh.
·
Tatrakshak Medal
(Gallantry): Awarded to Commandant (Junior Grade – JG)
Shailendra Singh Bisht, Pradhan Navik (RP) Gautam Yadav, and Pradhan Navik (RP)
Banti Kumar.
·
Tatrakshak Medal
(Meritorious Service): Awarded to Deputy Inspector General (DIG)
Vinod Kumar Parmar, DIG Arun Kumar Bhardwaj, DIG Sudhakar Patil,
Commandant Indu P, and Pradhan Adhikari (Radio Operator – P/Adh RO) Tapas Kumar
Banerjee.
11. 77TH REPUBLIC
DAY PARADE AWRDS
·
Ministry of
Defence (MoD) announced the winners of the Best Marching
Contingents and Best Tableaux of the 77th Republic
Day Parade 2026, held at Kartavya Path, New Delhi.
·
The Indian
Navy(IN) was adjudged the Best
Marching Contingent, while Maharashtra secured the top
spot in the state/Union Territories(UTs)
tableaux category for its tableau
“Ganeshotsav: A Symbol of Aatmanirbharta.”
·
The Ministry
of Culture won the Best Tableau
Award in the Central Ministries/Departments category for its impactful
tableau “Vande Mataram – The Soul Cry of
a Nation”.
·
The Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL), Ministry
of Education (MoE), received the People’s
Choice Award for Best Tableau among Central Ministries/Departments for its
theme on National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
