Weekly Current Affairs Test : 22nd to 31st January 2026

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the Udupi District Collector (DC) and Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSDB) Chairman to submit an action plan to stop wastewater flow into the Souparnika River. The Souparnika, also called Sowparnika, is a west-flowing river in Karnataka. It flows through dense forests of the Western Ghats. The river originates from the Kodachadri Hills in the Western Ghats.

India ranked sixth among 11 Asian countries in the Asia Manufacturing Index (AMI) 2026, showing the need to strengthen manufacturing competitiveness. The Asia Manufacturing Index (AMI) measures competitiveness across eight key pillars and 43 sub-parameters. The index is in its third year and is released by Dezan Shira and Associates. Malaysia rose to second place in 2026, replacing Vietnam. Vietnam slipped to third position. These changes indicate intensifying competition within Asia’s manufacturing sector.

Abu Dhabi ranked the world’s safest city for the tenth consecutive year since 2017. The ranking was released by Numbeo, a global cost of living and quality of life database. The achievement highlights Abu Dhabi’s strong security, stability, and high quality of life. It strengthens the emirate’s image as a top destination for living, working, and investment.

Authorities launched a major search after a helicopter went missing near the highly active Mount Aso volcano in Japan. Mount Aso is located in Kumamoto Prefecture (Ken), Kyushu, Japan. It rises to an elevation of about 1,592 metres. It is the largest active volcano in Japan. Mount Aso has the world’s largest active caldera, about 114 kilometres in circumference.

Researchers found the world’s oldest known rock art, a painted human hand outline, inside a cave on Muna Island, Indonesia, dated to at least 67,800 years ago. Muna Island is located in Southeast Sulawesi province of Indonesia and covers about 1,704 square kilometres. The island has a hilly landscape rising up to about 445 metres, with teak forests in the north and northeast. Muna Island is known for rich culture, natural beauty, forests, and clean beaches

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY) was launched on 22 January 2015 under the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign of the Government of India. It is a small savings scheme where deposits earn government-notified interest, currently at 8.2 percent per annum. The scheme is low-risk, with the Government guaranteeing both principal and interest. SSY aims to support education and marriage expenses of the girl child. Since inception, over 4.53 crore accounts have been opened with deposits exceeding ₹3.33 lakh crore as of December 2025. The scheme promotes financial security, women empowerment, and social transformation.

The Supreme Court is re-examining the long-standing dispute over Scheduled Tribe (ST) status of the Lambada community in Telangana. Lambadas are also known as Sugalis or Banjaras and are recognised as a Scheduled Tribe. They are mainly spread across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The community is believed to have originated from the Marwar region of Rajasthan. Traditionally, they were semi-nomadic traders transporting goods, but this declined during British rule. They speak “Gor Boli”, also called Lambadi language.

Mozambican humanitarian and rights activist Graça Machel has been selected for the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2025. The award decision was made by an international jury chaired by former National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon. She was chosen for path-breaking work in education, health, nutrition, economic empowerment, and humanitarian action. The award carries a cash prize of ₹1 crore, a citation, and a trophy. She led a landmark United Nations (UN) study in the 1990s on the impact of armed conflict on children.

The Engineering Export Promotion Council of India (EEPC India) demanded lower income tax for non-corporate manufacturing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and faster Goods and Services Tax (GST) refunds in the Union Budget. EEPC India is the premier trade and investment promotion body for India’s engineering sector. It is sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and advises the Government of India. It acts as an interface between the engineering industry and the government.

An exhibition showcasing over 40 rare pre-Partition textiles highlights how phulkari was deeply woven into women’s daily lives and social traditions. Phulkari, meaning “flower work,” is a traditional embroidery of undivided Punjab, covering present-day Punjab, Haryana, and Pakistan. The term appeared in 18th-century Punjabi literature and is linked to the Iranian art of gulkari.

Data under the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Liberalised Remittances Scheme (LRS) shows outward remittances by Indians fell to a two-year low of 1.94 billion US dollars in November 2025 due to reduced spending on foreign studies. Liberalised Remittances Scheme (LRS) operates under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) 1999 to regulate outward remittances. It allows resident individuals, including minors, to remit up to 250,000 US dollars per financial year without prior approval. The scheme was introduced in 2004 and applies only to individuals, not companies or Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs).

A forest fire recently spread inside Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary along the Indo-China border at about 13,000 feet altitude in Sikkim. The sanctuary is located in eastern Sikkim and is connected to the forests of Bhutan and Neora Valley National Park in West Bengal. The Pangolakha Range below the Chola Range forms a natural boundary between Sikkim and Bhutan. It has alpine, temperate, and subtropical vegetation zones.

The release of silt-laden water from Pandoh Dam into the Sutlej River instead of the Beas River has caused objections from the Punjab Government. Pandoh Dam is an embankment and concrete gravity dam built on the Beas River in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, about 10 km from Manali. It was completed in 1977 under the Beas Project mainly for hydroelectric power generation. The dam is about 76 metres high and 492 metres long and follows a run-of-the-river design. Beas River water is diverted through 38 km long canals and tunnels to the Dehar Power House and then released into the Sutlej River.

The central government has announced India’s first tailings policy to guide recovery of critical minerals from both primary sources and secondary sources like mine dumps and tailings. Tailings are leftover materials produced after processing mined ore. They contain finely ground rock, unrecoverable or uneconomic metals, chemicals, organic matter, and liquid waste from extraction processes. Tailings usually exist as a liquid slurry formed during crushing, grinding, and processing of ore.

The Gandak River, flowing along the India–Nepal border through West Champaran in Bihar, has become the second-largest habitat of gharials after the Chambal River. Sustained conservation efforts by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change have driven this recovery. Adult gharial numbers in the Gandak increased from 54 in 2015 to over 400 in 2025, while the total population including juveniles crossed 1,000. The Chambal River remains the largest habitat with over 2,400 gharials.

The Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD) has been named a finalist for the 2026 Franz Edelman Award for its Anna Chakra initiative. Anna Chakra is a supply chain optimisation tool developed under India’s Public Distribution System (PDS). It is an operations research–based decision support system that optimises state-wise food grain logistics. The initiative was created through a Government–United Nations–Academia partnership involving DFPD, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in India, and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. It uses advanced algorithms to identify optimal transport routes and ensure smooth movement of food grains across the supply chain.

The Tripura Forest Minister announced that the state has received over ₹57 crore for the modernisation and further development of Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary. Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Sepahijala district of Tripura. The sanctuary includes important water bodies such as Abasarika Lake and Amrit Sagar Lake. Clouded Leopard National Park is a part of the Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary.

Researchers have discovered a new mushroom species named Hemileccinum indicum in the temperate forests of the Indian Himalayas. The species was found growing under oak (Quercus) trees in Bageshwar district of Uttarakhand. This discovery marks the first-ever record of the genus Hemileccinum in India. The identification was confirmed using multigene molecular phylogenetic analysis, which maps evolutionary relationships through genetic data.

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has constituted the Strategic Asset Allocation and Risk Governance (SAARG) Committee to modernise the investment framework of the National Pension System (NPS). It is a high-level committee of investment experts tasked with reviewing and recommending reforms for both government and non-government NPS sectors. The objective is to strengthen the long-term investment architecture of NPS through better diversification, improved risk management, and expanded investment choices for subscribers.

Kerala has officially declared Bacillus subtilis as its State Microbe, highlighting its scientific and ecological importance. Bacillus subtilis is a beneficial (probiotic) bacterium naturally found in the human gut and in fermented foods. It is a Gram-positive, rod-shaped, motile, spore-forming bacterium and a facultative aerobe. The bacterium is commonly found in soil and vegetation and grows best at 25–35°C.

The Supreme Court refused to hear a petition against ‘VIP darshan’ at Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple, saying courts should not act as gatekeepers for temple entry. Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple is a Hindu temple located on the banks of the Shipra River in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas (sacred Shiva shrines) in India. The temple is mentioned in ancient Hindu scriptures, Puranas, and works of poet Kalidas.

India and the European Union (EU) agreed to strengthen cooperation on peaceful uses of nuclear energy under the India–Euratom agreement. The European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) was established in 1957 under the Treaty of Rome. Its objective is to develop a common market for the peaceful use of atomic energy across Europe. Euratom promotes nuclear energy development at a European level, excluding military nuclear materials.

Researchers discovered a new wildflower species named Lepidagathis konkanensis in the Konkan region of Maharashtra. It was found in Ratnagiri district during a floristic survey of lateritic plateaus, which are iron-rich and harsh habitats. The species is currently known from a very small area of less than 65 square kilometres. The name honours the Konkan region, which is isolated by the Arabian Sea and Sahyadri Mountains. Scientists recommend its status as Data Deficient under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The Doomsday Clock was moved to 85 seconds before midnight, the closest ever to global catastrophe, by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS). The Doomsday Clock is a symbolic clock showing how close humanity is to destruction, with midnight representing doomsday. Its hands move based on threats like nuclear weapons, climate change, and disruptive technologies. The clock was created in 1947 by Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS). Since 1947, it has been reset 27 times. BAS is a nonprofit founded in 1945 by Atomic Scientists of Chicago at the University of Chicago.

Recently, North Korea fired a ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan, raising regional security concerns. The Sea of Japan, also called the East Sea, is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. It lies between Japan and Sakhalin Island on the eastern side and Russia, North Korea, and South Korea on the western side. It connects to the East China Sea through the Tsushima Strait and the Korea Strait. In the north, it links with the Sea of Okhotsk through the La Perouse Strait and the Tatar Strait.

Recently, the Union Minister of Jal Shakti inaugurated 25 JALAJ Livelihood Centres. JALAJ is a joint initiative of the Namami Gange Mission and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). It aims to link Ganga river conservation with sustainable livelihoods in the Ganga river basin. The initiative follows a circular economy model by training local people in eco-friendly livelihood practices. It promotes community ownership of conservation with special focus on women’s participation. JALAJ creates a symbiotic relationship between rivers and local communities.

The Rusty-spotted Cat, one of the rarest and smallest wild cats in the world, was recently spotted in the Shergarh forest of Baran district, Rajasthan. It is the world’s smallest and lightest known cat species. The species is found in dry deciduous and semi-deciduous forests of northern and central India, the Western Ghats, Kachchh, Rajasthan, and peninsular India. It is also distributed in Nepal and Sri Lanka. India supports about 80 percent of the global population of this species. Its conservation status on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List is Near Threatened.

Bengaluru-based Alpha Design Technologies Limited (ADTL) has upgraded the Indian Air Force (IAF) Pechora system, supporting India’s push for indigenous defence modernisation. Pechora, formally called S-125 Neva/Pechora, is a Soviet-origin surface-to-air missile (SAM) system for low- to medium-altitude threats. It has protected Indian airspace since the 1970s as a key air defence asset. The system uses radar-guided launchers with V-600 missiles and a fire control unit. It operates with the 4R90 Yatagan radar having five parabolic antennas for detection and tracking.

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) launched the NPS Swasthya Pension Scheme (NSPS) as a pilot project. It is introduced as a Proof of Concept under the Regulatory Sandbox Framework of PFRDA. The scheme links health-related financial support with the existing National Pension System (NPS). It aims to support out-patient and in-patient medical expenses along with pension savings. It will operate as a sector-specific contributory pension scheme under the Multiple Scheme Framework of NPS. The scheme is voluntary and open to Indian citizens for a limited period.

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur researchers developed a new method to predict solar cycles. A solar cycle is an about 11-year cycle of solar activity controlled by the Sun’s magnetic field. It is measured by the number and intensity of sunspots seen on the Sun’s surface. Around every 11 years, the Sun’s magnetic field flips, swapping north and south poles. Sunspots increase and decrease as magnetic activity changes on the Sun. The cycle starts with solar minimum, when sunspots are very few. Activity rises to solar maximum, when sunspots are highest. After this, activity declines back to solar minimum and a new cycle begins.