India Current Affairs One-liners — Last 12 months

Sun, 18 Jan 2026

• The Indian Navy concluded a five-day Joint Services Multi-Speciality Medical Camp across five Lakshadweep islands on 16 January 2026, with 4,719 patients receiving specialist consultations.
• Indian Railways said on 18 January 2026 that track fit for 110 km/h or more has grown from 31,445 km in 2014 to 84,244 km, covering about 80% of the network, and that 6,851 km of track was renewed in 2024-25.

Sat, 17 Jan 2026

• The second range-wide estimation of riverine and estuarine dolphins in India began from Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, under Project Dolphin, the Environment Ministry announced on 17 January 2026.
• The Civil Aviation Ministry said on 17 January 2026 that DGCA imposed penalties totalling ₹22.20 crore on IndiGo and required a ₹50 crore bank guarantee after the airline's 3–5 December 2025 disruptions.
• PM Narendra Modi flagged off India's first Vande Bharat Sleeper train, between Howrah and Guwahati (Kamakhya), at Malda Town station and launched rail and road projects worth ₹3,250 crore in West Bengal on 17 January 2026.
• The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked Stage IV of GRAP across the entire Delhi-NCR on 17 January 2026 after Delhi's AQI rose from 400 at 4 PM to 428 at 8 PM.
• A PIB backgrounder of 17 January 2026 said 30 Amrit Bharat Express trains have run since the service's launch in December 2023, with 9 more services being added, and non-AC sleeper fares of about ₹500 per 1,000 km.
• Indian Coast Guard Ship Sankalp, an Offshore Patrol Vessel on overseas deployment in the Indian Ocean Region, made a port call at Port Louis, Mauritius, on 17 January 2026.
• PM Narendra Modi attended Bagurumba Dwhou, a traditional Bodo cultural programme, at Sarusajai Stadium in Guwahati, Assam, on 17 January 2026.
• The Indian Navy's First Training Squadron (1TS) — INS Tir, INS Shardul, INS Sujata and ICGS Sarathi — arrived at Changi Naval Base, Singapore, on 15 January 2026, the Defence Ministry said on 17 January.
• PM Narendra Modi paid tribute to former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Bharat Ratna Dr M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) on his birth anniversary on 17 January 2026.
• The Defence Ministry announced on 17 January 2026 that Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar would lead a four-member delegation to Kenya for the 3rd India–Kenya Defence Exhibition and Seminar in Nairobi on 19 January.

Fri, 16 Jan 2026

• Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan explained the features of the proposed Seed Act 2026 on 16 January 2026, including nationwide seed traceability and penalties of up to ₹30 lakh for substandard seeds.
• On National Startup Day, 16 January 2026, PM Narendra Modi addressed a programme at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, marking ten years of the Startup India initiative.
• Ponduru Khadi, a hand-woven cotton fabric from Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, has been granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in favour of KVIC, the MSME Ministry said on 16 January 2026.
• The 6th ASEAN–India Digital Ministers' (ADGMIN) Meeting, held virtually on 16 January 2026 with the theme 'Adaptive ASEAN: From Connectivity to Connected Intelligence', approved the ASEAN–India Digital Work Plan 2026.
• The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) extended Duty Drawback, RoDTEP and RoSCTL benefits to exports made through the postal mode in electronic form with effect from 15 January 2026.
• India and Germany signed a Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) on Telecommunications Cooperation during German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's visit to India on 12–13 January 2026, the Communications Ministry said on 16 January.
• Praveen Vashista, a 1991-batch IPS officer of the Bihar cadre, took oath as Vigilance Commissioner in the Central Vigilance Commission on 16 January 2026.
• The Union Government released ₹15.20 crore of Fifteenth Finance Commission untied grants for rural local bodies in Mizoram, benefiting all 808 eligible Village Councils, the Panchayati Raj Ministry said on 16 January 2026.
• CAQM's GRAP sub-committee invoked Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan across the entire NCR on 16 January 2026 after Delhi's AQI rose from 343 to 354.
• The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation invited nominations for the Sukhatme National Award in Statistics 2026 on 16 January 2026; the award will be presented on Statistics Day, 29 June 2026.
• PM Narendra Modi paid homage to the poet-saint Thiruvalluvar on Thiruvalluvar Day, 16 January 2026, and urged everyone to read the Tirukkural.

Thu, 15 Jan 2026

• The Indian Army celebrated its 78th Army Day at Jaipur, Rajasthan, on 15 January 2026, holding the parade on Mahal Road, the first time it was conducted outside an army cantonment.
• PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan, New Delhi, on 15 January 2026.
• The Madhya Pradesh Regional AI Impact Conference 2026 concluded in Bhopal on 15 January 2026 with MoUs with BHASHINI and IndiaAI Mission and the launch of the Madhya Pradesh SpaceTech Policy 2026.
• India and Israel signed a Joint Ministerial Declaration of Intent on fisheries and aquaculture on 14 January 2026 during Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh's visit to Israel, the Fisheries Ministry said on 15 January.
• The PLFS Monthly Bulletin for December 2025, released by MoSPI on 15 January 2026, showed female labour force participation at a yearly high of 35.3% and the overall unemployment rate at 4.8%.
• The Ministry of Coal executed Coal Mine Development and Production Agreements with Damodar Valley Corporation for the Dhulia North, Mandakini B and Pirpainti Barahat blocks on 15 January 2026.
• At the India Meteorological Department's 151st Foundation Day on 15 January 2026, Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced 50 Automatic Weather Stations each for Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Pune in 2026.