Asia Current Affairs One-liners — Last 12 months

Wed, 07 Jan 2026

• The Indian Navy said on 7 January 2026 that its First Training Squadron — INS Tir, Shardul, Sujata and ICGS Sarathi — will make a Long Range Training Deployment to South East Asia for the 110th Integrated Officers' Training Course, with port calls in Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand.
• Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya virtually inaugurated a two-day regional conference in Goa on 7 January 2026, the first of six planned to smooth implementation of the four Labour Codes, in force since 21 November 2025, and to discuss ESIC, EPFO and the PM Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana.
• The Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS), set up in 1902 under what is now the Labour Ministry, celebrated its 125th Foundation Day at its headquarters in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, on 7 January 2026, with MoS Labour Shobha Karandlaje as chief guest.
• Water Resources Secretary V. L. Kantha Rao reviewed the Farakka Barrage Project in West Bengal on 6–7 January 2026, inspecting the main barrage, head regulator, navigational lock, feeder canal, Jangipur Barrage and an eroded embankment on the Ganga's left bank.
• A two-day National Review Meeting of Metropolitan Surveillance Units (MSUs) for 20 cities, themed 'Proactive Surveillance, Protected Cities', was held in Nagpur on 6–7 January 2026 to strengthen urban disease surveillance.
• The Ministry of Rural Development and the Department of Posts signed an MoU on 7 January 2026 to combine the DAY-NRLM network with India Post's 1.5 lakh rural post offices and IPPB to deliver financial, logistics and market services to SHGs, women entrepreneurs and rural enterprises.

Tue, 06 Jan 2026

• The Archaeological Survey of India announced on 6 January 2026 that tickets for over 170 centrally protected monuments and museums can now be booked through the Open Network for Digital Commerce.
• The Rajasthan Regional AI Impact Conference on 6 January 2026, a precursor to the India AI Impact Summit of 15–20 February 2026, launched a programme to train one million young people in AI skills.
• The Department of Economic Affairs announced on 6 January 2026 a three-year Public Private Partnership pipeline of 852 projects with a total cost of over ₹17 lakh crore, fulfilling a Union Budget 2025-26 announcement.
• NITI Aayog Member Arvind Virmani released the fifth edition of Trade Watch Quarterly, covering April–June 2025, in New Delhi on 6 January 2026, with a thematic section on India's automotive exports.
• Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan released 55 literary works in classical Indian languages in New Delhi on 6 January 2026, including a Tirukkural series in Indian Sign Language.
• Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi and Nitin Gadkari rode together in a Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle in New Delhi on 6 January 2026 to promote green hydrogen and clean mobility.
• The Ministry of Coal's two-day Chintan Shivir at Manesar, Gurugram, chaired by Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy, concluded on 6 January 2026 with a review of coal-sector reforms.
• The Department of Science and Technology reported on 6 January 2026 that ARIES and PRL astronomers used the Devasthal Fast Optical Telescope and NASA's TESS to study four W Ursae Majoris-type contact binary stars.
• Indian Railways said on 6 January 2026 that it plans to produce 4,838 LHB general and non-AC coaches in 2025-26 and 4,802 in 2026-27, and that 13 Amrit Bharat trains added in 2025 took the total to 30 services.
• Day 2 of the Human Capital Working Group meeting, organised by MeitY and the IndiaAI Mission with the Government of Assam and IIT Guwahati, concluded on 6 January 2026 with sessions on the National Language Translation Mission and BHASHINI.
• MOIL, under the Ministry of Steel, reported on 6 January 2026 its highest-ever third-quarter manganese ore output of 4.77 lakh tonnes and best-ever nine-month output of 14.21 lakh tonnes for FY 2025-26.
• The Ministry of Tribal Affairs concluded Hackathon 2.0 at NTRI, New Delhi, on 6 January 2026, engaging all five Smart India Hackathon 2025 finalist teams to co-develop a national Forest Rights Act digital platform.

Mon, 05 Jan 2026

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissioned ICGS Samudra Pratap, the first of two pollution control vessels built by Goa Shipyard Limited and the largest ship in the Coast Guard fleet, in Goa on 5 January 2026.
• Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited commissioned a 3.55 MMTPA Residue Upgradation Facility at its Visakh Refinery in Andhra Pradesh on 5 January 2026, featuring India's first resid hydrocracking unit and the world's first LC-Max unit.
• Union Power Minister Manohar Lal inspected the Pakal Dul, Kiru and Kwar hydroelectric projects of Chenab Valley Power Projects Ltd in Kishtwar on 5 January 2026 and set commissioning deadlines of December 2026 and March 2028.
• Union Fisheries Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh inaugurated India's first commercial-scale tropical Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) based rainbow trout farm and research institute in Ranga Reddy district, Telangana, on 5 January 2026.
• Indian Railways said on 5 January 2026 that it had spent ₹2,03,138 crore, or 80.54% of its ₹2,52,200 crore Gross Budgetary Support for 2025-26, by the end of December 2025.
• ONGC signed an MoU with the National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation on 5 January 2026 and sanctioned ₹28 crore of CSR funds for digital learning, girls' hygiene and teacher training in 144 Eklavya Model Residential Schools.
• Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan was chief guest at the inauguration of the NCC Republic Day Camp 2026 at the DGNCC Camp, New Delhi, on 5 January 2026.
• The Commission for Air Quality Management inspected 142 road stretches maintained by the Noida Authority on 5 January 2026 and found only four with high visible dust.
• Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Paatil chaired the 17th meeting of the Empowered Task Force on 5 January 2026, reviewing an aerial drainage-mapping dashboard and AI-enabled CCTV monitoring of sewage treatment plants under Namami Gange.
• Steel Authority of India Limited reported on 5 January 2026 provisional sales of 2.1 million tonnes in December 2025, its best December ever and about 37% higher than December 2024.
• The Department of Telecommunications said on 5 January 2026 that pension documents of its pensioners issued through SAMPANN, such as ePPOs and Form 16, are now available on DigiLocker.
• Union Minister Jitendra Singh inaugurated a National Environmental Standard Laboratory and a National Primary Standard Facility for Solar Cell Calibration at CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi, on its 80th Foundation Day on 5 January 2026.