Daily Current Affairs – 22-01-2026
National News
Eternal Founder Deepinder Goyal Steps Down as Group CEO
Deepinder Goyal, founder of Eternal Ltd. (formerly Zomato Ltd.), has resigned as Director, Managing Director and Group CEO, subject to shareholders’ approval, as part of a major board-level restructuring announced in Mumbai. He has been appointed as Vice-Chairman of Eternal Ltd., with the role of exploring high-risk ideas outside the core business domain of Eternal. The Board has approved the appointment of Albinder Singh Dhindsa, currently CEO of Blinkit, as the Group CEO and Key Managerial Personnel of Eternal Ltd., with effect from February 1. This leadership transition is intended to enable Eternal Ltd. to remain focused on its existing business while allowing the founder to pursue ventures beyond the company’s risk profile.
Union Cabinet Approves ₹5,000 Crore Equity Infusion into SIDBI
The Union Cabinet has approved an equity infusion of ₹5,000 crore into the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to expand the availability of credit to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The infusion will be made by the Department of Financial Services (DFS) in three tranches, with ₹3,000 crore in FY 2025–26 at a book value of ₹568.65 as on March 31, 2025, followed by ₹1,000 crore each in FY 2026–27 and FY 2027–28 at the prevailing book value of the respective previous financial year. After the infusion, the number of MSMEs receiving financial assistance is expected to increase from 76.26 lakh at the end of FY 2025 to 102 lakh by the end of FY 2027–28, adding approximately 25.74 lakh new MSME beneficiaries. As per official data, 6.9 crore MSMEs registered with the government employed 30.16 crore people as of September 30, 2025, averaging 4.37 persons per enterprise, and based on this average, the addition of new beneficiaries is estimated to generate about 1.12 crore jobs by FY 2027–28. The additional capital infusion will help SIDBI maintain a healthy Capital to Risk-Weighted Assets Ratio (CRAR) amid increased MSME lending, enabling resource mobilisation at fair interest rates and improving the flow of credit to MSMEs at competitive costs.
Simran Bala to Lead All-Male CRPF Contingent at Republic Day Parade
Simran Bala, a CRPF Assistant Commandant from Rajouri district, Jammu and Kashmir, will become the first woman paramilitary officer to command an all-male CRPF contingent at the Republic Day parade on January 26 at Kartavya Path, New Delhi. The contingent will comprise over 140 male personnel, marking a historic first for the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Simran Bala (26) cleared the UPSC Central Armed Police Forces Examination in 2023 with an All India Rank of 82 in her first attempt, and was the only woman candidate from the J&K Union Territory to qualify that year; she is also the first woman from Rajouri district to join the CRPF as an officer. She was commissioned in April 2025 and her first posting was with the ‘Bastariya’ battalion in Chhattisgarh, where she served in anti-Naxal operations.
Three Amrit Bharat Weekly Express Trains from Tamil Nadu to West Bengal
Following approval from the Railway Board, Southern Railway announced the launch of three Amrit Bharat Weekly Express trains connecting Tamil Nadu with West Bengal. The services will operate on the Tambaram–Santragachi, Tiruchy–New Jalpaiguri, and Nagercoil–New Jalpaiguri routes. The Tambaram–Santragachi service will commence from January 23, running on Fridays, departing Tambaram at 3.30 pm and reaching Santragachi at 8.15 pm the next day, with the return service departing Santragachi at 11.55 pm on Saturdays and arriving Tambaram at 9.15 am on the third day. The Tiruchy–New Jalpaiguri service will begin from January 28, operating on Wednesdays, departing Tiruchy at 5.45 am and reaching New Jalpaiguri at 5.00 am on the third day, with the return departing New Jalpaiguri at 4.45 pm on Fridays and arriving Tiruchy at 4.15 pm on the third day. The Nagercoil–New Jalpaiguri service will start from January 25, running on Sundays, departing Nagercoil at 11.00 pm and reaching New Jalpaiguri at 5.00 am on the fourth day, with the return departing New Jalpaiguri at 4.45 pm on Wednesdays and arriving Nagercoil at 11.00 pm on the third day. Advance reservations for all three trains are open online.
Atal Pension Yojana Extended till 2030–31; SIDBI Equity Support Approved
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Narendra Modi, has approved the extension of the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) till the financial year 2030–31, as announced in New Delhi on January 21. The scheme, launched on May 9, 2015, aims to provide an assured monthly pension of ₹1,000 to ₹5,000 after the age of 60 to Indian citizens aged 18–40, including unorganised sector workers, with bank account holders eligible to enrol; benefits continue to the spouse and thereafter to the nominee. As of January 19, 2026, the scheme has 8.66 crore subscribers. In the same meeting, the Cabinet approved ₹5,000 crore equity capital support to the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to enhance MSME lending, with the Department of Financial Services (DFS) providing the support in three tranches; MSME credit coverage through SIDBI is projected to increase from 76.26 lakh in FY 2025 to 1.02 crore by FY 2028, adding 25.74 lakh beneficiaries, and is expected to generate 1.12 crore new jobs.
International News
Spain Joins Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative
Spain formally joined the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) in New Delhi, marking a key development in India–Spain relations. The IPOI, launched by India in 2019, aims to promote cooperation for a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific and to strengthen maritime security, stability and development. The Declaration of Accession was handed over by José Manuel Albares, Foreign Minister of Spain, to S. Jaishankar, India’s External Affairs Minister, during the event. Along with joining the IPOI, Spain announced the upgradation of its bilateral ties with India to a “Strategic Association”, the highest level of bilateral partnership.
Tamil Nadu News
Tamil Nadu to Conduct First-Ever Statewide Raptor Assessment
The Tamil Nadu Forest Department will conduct the state’s first-ever raptor assessment across Tamil Nadu on January 31 and February 1, to map the distribution and relative abundance of birds of prey across diverse habitats. The two-day survey is being carried out in collaboration with the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC) through the Tamil Nadu Raptor Research Foundation, which was established in July 2025. The exercise aims to build a scientific baseline for raptor conservation, identify raptor hotspots, and support long-term monitoring. The Chief Wildlife Warden of Tamil Nadu, Rakesh Kumar Dogra, stated that the assessment would strengthen conservation planning. For the survey, the entire state has been divided into grid blocks of about 32 sq km, with 4,068 blocks forming the sampling frame, of which 411 blocks will be assessed. Tamil Nadu hosts more than 65 raptor species, and the survey will include diurnal and nocturnal raptors, using binoculars, data sheets, mobile mapping tools and tracking applications.
Personalities, Awards and Events
Sunita Williams Retires from NASA
Sunita Williams, an Indian-American astronaut, has officially retired from NASA at the age of 60, as announced on January 21 in New Delhi/Washington, with her retirement taking effect from December 27, 2024. During her 27-year career at NASA, she spent a total of 608 days in space. She was selected as an astronaut in 1998 and undertook her first space mission on December 9, 2006, aboard Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-116), carrying out research at the International Space Station (ISS), and returned to Earth on June 22, 2007, via Space Shuttle Atlantis. Her second space mission began on July 14, 2012, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, during which she stayed in space for 127 days. In June 2024, she travelled again to the ISS along with Butch Wilmore in Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, and due to a technical malfunction, their planned 8-day mission extended to 286 days, with their return scheduled in March 2025. Across her three space missions, Sunita Williams performed 62 hours and 6 minutes of spacewalks, the highest spacewalk duration by a woman astronaut to date.
Indira Gandhi Prize Awarded to Graça Machel (2025)
The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development – 2025 will be awarded to Graça Machel, a social activist from Mozambique, as announced by the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust in New Delhi on January 21, 2025.
Graça Machel was born on October 17, 1945, in Mozambique, pursued higher education in Germany, and joined the Mozambique Liberation Front in 1973.
After Mozambique attained independence in 1975, she became the country’s first Minister for Education and Culture.
During the 1990s, she served on a United Nations panel studying the impact of armed conflict on children, for which she received a UN award in 1997.
She founded the Graça Machel Trust in 2010.
The selection committee for the award was chaired by Shivshankar Menon, former National Security Advisor of India, and the prize carries a cash award of ₹1 crore.
Here are the previous winners of the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development from 2021 to 2024
2021 – Pratham (an Indian non-profit organisation focused on improving quality of education)
2022 – Indian Medical Association and The Trained Nurses Association of India (joint awardees for service during the COVID-19 pandemic)
2023 – Ali Abu Awwad (peace activist) and Daniel Barenboim (classical pianist) (joint awardees)
2024 – Michelle Bachelet (former President of Chile and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights):
Sports News
ICC ODI Rankings: Daryl Mitchell Rises to No. 1
The International Cricket Council (ICC) released the ICC ODI rankings in Dubai on January 21, in which Daryl Mitchell of New Zealand overtook Virat Kohli to claim the No. 1 position among ODI batsmen. In the recently concluded ODI series, New Zealand defeated India 2–1 and won an ODI series on Indian soil after 37 years. In this series, Daryl Mitchell scored 352 runs, including two centuries, and topped the rankings with 845 points, while Virat Kohli stood second with 795 points. Mitchell has reached the No. 1 ODI batsman ranking for the second time, having previously held it for three days in November. Rashid Khan of Afghanistan ranked third with 764 points in the batting rankings. In the ODI bowling rankings, Michael Bracewell moved up six places to 33rd, while Rashid Khan and Jofra Archer occupied the top two positions. Among Indian bowlers, Harshit Rana rose to 50th place and Arshdeep Singh to 54th, while in T20 bowling rankings, Rashid Khan moved up to the second position.