Asia Current Affairs One-liners — Last 12 months

Fri, 23 Jan 2026

• The third meeting of the Inland Waterways Development Council, chaired by Sarbananda Sonowal in Kochi on 23 January 2026, identified projects worth over ₹1,500 crore.
• President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated Granth Kutir at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 23 January 2026, a collection of about 2,300 books and around 50 manuscripts in India's 11 classical languages.
• Union Minister Nitin Gadkari told the MoRTH Consultative Committee on 23 January 2026 that DoT has allocated 30 GHz radio frequency for developing vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems.

Thu, 22 Jan 2026

• Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan released the Military Quantum Mission Policy Framework on 22 January 2026, a roadmap for bringing quantum technologies into the armed forces.
• ICMR handed over two Mobile Stroke Units to the Government of Assam, after a North-East model cut stroke treatment time from about 24 hours to 2 hours.
• The government notified Greenhouse Gas Emission Intensity targets for 208 more obligated entities in petroleum refining, petrochemicals, textiles and secondary aluminium under the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme.
• A joint operation by the CRPF and Jharkhand Police in West Singhbhum killed Naxal Central Committee member 'Anal alias Patiram Manjhi', carrying a ₹1 crore reward, and 15 other Naxalites on 22 January 2026.
• India's transmission network (220 kV and above) crossed 5 lakh circuit km on 14 January 2026 with the commissioning of the 765 kV Bhadla II–Sikar II line in Rajasthan, the Power Ministry said on 22 January.
• Ten Army soldiers were killed and 11 injured on 22 January 2026 when their vehicle plunged into a gorge at Khanni Top on the Bhaderwah–Chamba road in Doda district.
• The Centre sanctioned more than 10,000 km of road projects under PMGSY-IV for Jammu & Kashmir, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim, connecting about 3,270 isolated habitations.
• The Election Commission launched ECINET, a one-stop digital platform for all election information and services, at IICDEM 2026 in New Delhi on 22 January 2026.
• The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship signed an MoU with the World Economic Forum to launch a Skills Accelerator in India and strengthen its TVET ecosystem.
• Indian Railways' Trucks-on-Trains service on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor carries loaded trucks between New Rewari and New Palanpur, cutting transit from about 30 hours by road to about 12.
• The CAQM's GRAP sub-committee revoked all Stage III restrictions across Delhi-NCR on 22 January 2026 after Delhi's average AQI improved to 322.

Wed, 21 Jan 2026

• The Ministry of Power released the Draft National Electricity Policy 2026 on 21 January 2026; once final, it will replace the policy notified in 2005.
• The Union Cabinet on 21 January 2026 approved equity support of ₹5,000 crore to the Small Industries Development Bank of India, to be infused in three tranches up to FY 2027-28.
• The Union Cabinet on 21 January 2026 approved continuing the Atal Pension Yojana up to FY 2030-31, with funding support for promotion, development and gap funding.
• India and Myanmar held the ninth meeting of their Joint Trade Committee in Nay Pyi Taw on 21 January 2026 and aim to raise bilateral trade from USD 2.15 billion to USD 5 billion by 2030.
• With the new 700 TPD Shivari Solid Waste Management Plant, Lucknow became the first city in Uttar Pradesh to scientifically process 100% of its municipal solid waste under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban.
• NITI Aayog on 21 January 2026 released three reports on green transition roadmaps for the cement, aluminium and MSME sectors, consistent with Viksit Bharat 2047 and net zero by 2070.
• The Election Commission of India's three-day International Conference on Democracy and Election Management (IICDEM) 2026 began at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on 21 January 2026.
• The Directorate General of Civil Aviation launched Electronic Personnel Licence (EPL) services for the Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) on 21 January 2026.
• Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on 21 January 2026 directed CSIR labs to upscale Kaladi, the GI-tagged traditional dairy product of Udhampur district in Jammu & Kashmir, for wider food uses.
• At the 65th Central Geological Programming Board meeting on 21 January 2026, the Geological Survey of India presented a 1,068-project annual programme for Field Season 2026-27, including 236 critical-mineral projects.
• Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura celebrated their Statehood Day on 21 January 2026, with greetings from the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister.
• The Centre released ₹512.27 crore of Fifteenth Finance Commission grants for rural local bodies in Gujarat for FY 2025-26, announced on 21 January 2026.

Tue, 20 Jan 2026

• The combined Index of Eight Core Industries rose 3.7% (provisional) in December 2025 over December 2024, data released on 20 January 2026 show.
• The CAQM sub-committee on GRAP revoked all Stage IV curbs across Delhi-NCR on 20 January 2026, three days after invoking them; Stages I–III stayed in force.
• The Indian Navy's sail training ship INS Sudarshini was flagged off from Kochi on 20 January 2026 for Lokayan 26, a ten-month transoceanic expedition covering about 22,000 nautical miles.
• The Centre notified the Central Motor Vehicles (Second Amendment) Rules, 2026, linking unpaid National Highway user fees to vehicle transfers, fitness certificates and National Permits, the Road Transport Ministry said on 20 January 2026.