Current Affairs — 08 January 2026
Daily news by your exam, state and topic — each with a short summary, key facts and MCQs.
Thu, 08 Jan 2026
Centre notifies National Sports Board (Search-cum-Selection Committee) Rules, 2026
The Union Government notified the National Sports Board (Search-cum-Selection Committee) Rules, 2026 under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025 on 8 January 2026, setting up a Cabinet Secretary-led committee to recommend the Board's Chairperson and two Members.
Women and Child Development Ministry launches PANKHUDI, a CSR and partnership portal
Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi launched PANKHUDI on 8 January 2026, a single-window digital portal for CSR and voluntary partnerships with individuals, NRIs, NGOs, companies and government agencies working for women and children.
UIDAI launches Aadhaar mascot 'Udai' chosen through MyGov contests
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) launched 'Udai' (उदय), a mascot to simplify communication about Aadhaar services, at a function in Thiruvananthapuram on 8 January 2026; the design and name were chosen from 875 entries in national contests on MyGov.
Veer Gatha 5.0 draws record 1.92 crore students; Super-100 winners to watch Republic Day parade
Project Veer Gatha 5.0, a joint initiative of the Defence and Education ministries for Republic Day, drew a record 1.92 crore students from about 1.90 lakh schools, the Defence Ministry said on 8 January 2026, with 100 national 'Super-100' winners to attend the parade on Kartavya Path as special guests.
National Biodiversity Authority releases ₹68 lakh to Maharashtra BMCs under Access and Benefit Sharing
The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) released ₹68 lakh on 8 January 2026 to Biodiversity Management Committees in Wada tehsil (Palghar) and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation under the Access and Benefit Sharing framework, for commercial use of Bacillus soil bacteria in probiotic products.
Sonowal rolls out ₹235 crore port projects at Chennai Port and Kamarajar Port
Ports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal rolled out port infrastructure and digital projects worth ₹235 crore at Chennai Port Authority and Kamarajar Port Limited in Tamil Nadu on 8 January 2026, including a ₹105 crore rehabilitated Northern Breakwater Head at Kamarajar Port.
PM Modi holds roundtable with 12 Indian AI start-ups ahead of India AI Impact Summit 2026
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a roundtable at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg on 8 January 2026 with 12 Indian AI start-ups that qualified under the Foundation Model Pillar of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, urging that Indian AI models promote local content and regional languages.
Textiles Ministry unveils District-Led Textiles Transformation plan for 100 champion and 100 aspirational districts
The Ministry of Textiles unveiled the District-Led Textiles Transformation (DLTT) initiative at the National Textiles Ministers' Conference in Guwahati on 8 January 2026, aiming to turn 100 high-potential districts into global export champions and lift 100 aspirational districts into self-reliant hubs.
Tourism Ministry: 75 Swadesh Darshan projects completed; 20.57 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2024
The Ministry of Tourism's year-end review on 8 January 2026 said 75 of 76 projects sanctioned under the Swadesh Darshan scheme (launched January 2015) are complete, and reported 20.57 million international tourist arrivals and ₹2,93,033 crore in foreign exchange earnings in 2024.
SWAMIH Fund delivers about 61,000 homes; entire investible corpus committed
The Finance Ministry said on 8 January 2026 that the SWAMIH Investment Fund, launched in November 2019 for last-mile financing of stalled housing projects, had delivered about 61,000 homes across 110 projects and fully committed its corpus before its investment period ended on 5 December 2025.
SECL and Sri Sathya Sai Trust to set up ₹35.04 crore healthcare skill centre in Nava Raipur
South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) signed an MoU with the Sri Sathya Sai Health & Education Trust on 8 January 2026 to set up a ₹35.04 crore Healthcare Skill Development Centre at Nava Raipur, Chhattisgarh, under CSR, offering free job-oriented healthcare training to youth from coal belt areas.