January 2024
National News (India):
- Ram Temple Inauguration: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024.
- Indian Army Day 2024: Celebrated on January 15, 2024, marking the 76th anniversary, with the theme “In Service of the Nation.”
- Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL): India’s longest sea bridge, connecting Sewri and Chirle, was inaugurated in January 2024.
- DRDO ‘Ugram’ Assault Rifle: DRDO launched ‘Ugram’, an indigenous assault rifle for the armed forces.
- ‘MILAN 2024’ Naval Exercise: The multilateral naval exercise ‘MILAN 2024’ was scheduled to commence in Visakhapatnam.
- Swachh Survekshan 2023: Indore and Surat jointly emerged as the cleanest cities in India.
- GI Tag for Kachchhi Kharek: An indigenous variety of dates from Kutch, Gujarat, received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
- 75th Creative Arts Emmy Awards: Indian-American comedian Hasan Minhaj was among the winners.
- Arjuna Award 2023: Mohammed Shami was among the recipients of the prestigious Arjuna Award.
- Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award: Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy received this award.
- Dronacharya Award 2023: Presented by President Droupadi Murmu to various coaches.
- DRDO AKASH missile flight-test: DRDO conducted a successful flight-test of a New Generation AKASH missile.
- Indian Army’s ‘Year of Technology Absorption’: The Indian Army declared 2024 as the ‘Year of Technology Absorption’.
- India’s First All-Girls Sainik School: Inaugurated in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh.
- Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba Committee: High-level committee formed to safeguard Scheduled Castes interests.
- India elected Vice Chair of FAO COFI: India was elected as the first Vice Chair of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) Sub-Committee on Fisheries Management.
- PM Modi inaugurated Supreme Court’s diamond jubilee celebrations: Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked the Supreme Court’s diamond jubilee on January 28, 2024.
- Padma Awards 2024: The Union government announced 132 Padma Awards, including 5 Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan, and 110 Padma Shri.
- Maratha Military Landscape of India: Nominated for recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage List for 2024-25.
- Zomato Payment Private Limited RBI approval: Zomato received in-principle approval from RBI to act as an online payment aggregator.
- Union Minister Parshottam Rupala chaired Seaweed Cultivation Conference: The first National Conference on Promotion of Seaweed Cultivation was held in Kutch, Gujarat.
- LIC Jeevan Dhara-II policy: LIC launched a new non-linked, non-participating, individual savings deferred annuity plan.
- Wings India 2024: Asia’s largest aviation expo was organized in Hyderabad.
- National Voters’ Day 2024: Celebrated on January 25 with the theme ‘Nothing like voting, I vote for sure’.
- President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated ‘Kaushal Bhawan’: The new building of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
International News:
- Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik: Became the new King of Denmark after Queen Margrethe II’s abdication.
- Gabriel Attal: Became France’s youngest Prime Minister.
- Sheikh Hasina: Won her 5th term as Bangladesh Prime Minister.
- Indra Mani Pandey: Assumed the role of BIMSTEC Secretary General.
- Maldives requested India’s troop withdrawal: The Maldives requested India to withdraw its troops by March 15.
- Himalayan Wolf IUCN Red List: The Himalayan Wolf was classified as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List.
- Global Risks Report 2024: Released by the World Economic Forum, highlighting major global challenges.
- Henley Passport Index 2024: India ranked 80th in the Henley Passport Index.
- North Korea tested ‘Haeil-5-23’: North Korea tested an underwater nuclear weapon system in response to joint military drills.
- World Braille Day: Observed annually on January 4 to raise the importance of Braille.
- South Korea launched digital nomad visa: Allowing foreigners to live and work remotely for up to two years.
- International Cricket Council (ICC): Appointed Sue Redfern as the first impartial female umpire for bilateral series.
- Harbin 9th Asian Winter Games: Harbin unveiled the official mascots and emblem for the 9th Asian Winter Games.
- Germany clinched United Cup title: Germany won the United Cup after Alexander Zverev’s comeback.
- British Sikh ‘Polar Preet’ record: Preet Chandi claimed the fastest solo ski across Antarctica.
- Cabo Verde certified malaria-free: Became the third country in the WHO African region to be certified malaria-free.
- World Hindi Day: Observed annually on January 10.
- Franz Beckenbauer passed away: The legendary German footballer passed away.
- IIT Madras campus in Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka will host the opening of IIT Madras’ new campus.
- UAE President attended Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit: Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was the chief guest at the summit.
- Nadia Calviño became EIB President: Nadia Calviño took over as the President of the European Investment Bank (EIB).
- Tshisekedi re-elected Congo president: Félix Tshisekedi was re-elected as the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Dong Jun named China’s new Defense Minister: Dong Jun was appointed as China’s new Defense Minister.
- UN report on food insecurity: A UN report stated that 295 million people face acute food insecurity in 2024 across 53 countries.
Argentina’s Perito Moreno Glacier: A huge ice chunk from Argentina’s Perito Moreno Glacier lost, raising stability concerns.