Two Guinness World Records:

• Longest Distance: Record of laying 28.95 lane kilometers of bituminous concrete road continuously within 24 hours.
• Highest Quantity: Record of using 10,675 metric tons of bituminous concrete consecutively within 24 hours.
• Location: This work was conducted at Vanvolu-Vankarkunta stretch located in Puttaparthi Mandal of Sri Sathya Sai district of Andhra Pradesh.
• Construction Agency: This record was established by M/s Rajpath Infracon (M/s Rajpath Infracon), the concessionaire (concessionaire) of NHAI.
• Significance: This 343-km-long corridor will strengthen connectivity between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and significantly reduce travel time.

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) :

• Establishment : Under the NHAI Act, 1988
• Started operational: February 1995
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Ministry: Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH)
• Current President: Santosh Kumar Yadav
• The government has set a target of construction of around 10,000 km of national highways for FY 2025-26

• Total investment: Projects with an estimated cost of over Rs 17 lakh crore for the next three years (FY26 to FY28) have been identified under this pipeline
• Number of projects: This pipeline includes a total of 852 infrastructure projects.

Division:

• Union government: 232 projects costing around Rs 13.15 lakh crore.
• States and Union Territories: 620 projects costing about Rs 3.84 lakh crore.

Key areas:

• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is leading with 108 projects (costing ₹8.77 lakh crore).
• This is followed by the Ministry of Energy (46 projects) and the Department of Water Resources.
• Among the states, Andhra Pradesh leads with 270 PPP projects (costing ₹1.16 lakh crore) proposed.
• Note :- Public Private Partnership (PPP) or Public-Private Partnership, is a long-term contract between the government and the private sector aimed at developing public infrastructure and services.

• Theme: The main theme of this conference is "India's Textiles: Weaving Growth, Heritage & Innovation".
• Inauguration: The conference will be inaugurated on January 8, 2026 by Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh, Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himant Biswa Sarma and Union Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita will be present.
• Main Objectives

Main objectives:

• Formulate a coordinated national strategy to establish India as a Global Textile Hub by the year 2030.
• Achieving a target of $350 billion market and $100 billion exports in the textile sector by 2030

• State of electrification (January 2026): More than 99 percent of the country’s rail network has been electrified
• Between 2004 and 2014, approximately 1.5 km of railway line was electrified daily which has increased to more than 15 km per day in the last 6 years
• Railways are now using more renewable energy
• In November last year, the solar power capacity of the railways reached almost 900 MW which was less than 4 MW in 2014

• Keynote Address: Air Marshal Sanjeev Ghuratia (AOM) inaugurated and addressed the event

Key Ideas:

• Lifeline: Air Marshal Ghuratia said that 'Power and Energy Systems' are the lifeline of the country's aerospace capability.
• Force Multiplier: He emphasized that defense and aerospace systems are no longer mere auxiliaries, but they act as a ‘force multiplier’ that determines operational momentum.
• Self-sufficiency: Indigenous capacity in developmental and energetic materials was described as imperative for operational reliability in times of crisis.
• Future technologies: Aerospace research is now moving towards integrated energy structures, with the possibilities of hydrogen-based systems being explored.
• Nature of the event: This is an important seminar and exhibition based on the defense and aerospace sector, with an emphasis on the integration of government, industry and academia.

Note : This program is in line with the vision of the Indian Army to declare the year 2026 as 'Year of Networking & Data Centricity', with the goal of creating a future-ready technology-driven force.

• Traditional welcome: On reaching the main entrance of the temple, Andhra Pradesh Endowment Minister Anam Ramnarayan Reddy, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) President B.R. Naidu and Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal gave him a traditional welcome.
• Darshan and Archana: The President visited the main deity in the sanctum sanctorum and paid his respects after staying for about ten minutes.
• Honour: After darshan, TTD officials honored him by presenting him with silk clothes, offerings and a portrait of Lord Venkateshwara at Ranganayakula Mandapam.
• Visit to other temples: Before coming to Tirumala, on January 6, 2026, he had also performed puja at Sri Padmavathi Ammavari Temple and Srikalahasthi Temple in Tiruchanur.

Sri Venkateshwara Swamy Temple:

• It is also known as Tirupati Balaji Temple
• Location: This temple is located on the seven hills (Saptagiri) of Tirumala in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh. It is built on the seventh hill 'Venkatadri'.
• Major Deities: The temple is dedicated to Lord Venkateswara (also known as Balaji and Govinda), an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
• Administration: The temple is managed by Tirupati Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD). Currently (January 2026) B.R. Naidu is the chairman of TTD.
• Architecture: This temple is the excellent example of Dravidian architecture. Its main sanctuary is called 'Anand Nilayam', whose dome is covered with gold.
• Laddu Prasadam: The ‘Tirupati Laddu’ here is very famous, which has got the Geographical Indication (GI Tag)
• Hair donation: Devotees offer their hair as a form of devotion on the fulfillment of their vows

• First case (Mastung): Pank reported on 5 January 2026 that Pakistani security forces allegedly attacked a villager’s house in Mastung district of Balochistan. During this action, a woman and a girl were "forced disappearance" (enforced disappearance), while the men of the house were beaten. The incident has been internationally condemned.
• Second Case (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Border): In another incident, security forces carried out an operation near the border of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Here, too, there were reports of violations of citizens’ rights and alleged mistreatment of innocent people.

• The decision was approved at a meeting of the Government Procurement Advisory Committee chaired by Bangladesh Finance Advisor Salehuddin Ahmed
• NRL’s refinery is located in Assam.
• The diesel is transported to Siliguri before being supplied to Bangladesh through the Bangladesh-India Maitri pipeline.
• This pipeline started in December 2022.

• Continent: South America
• Capital: Caracas
• Currency: Bolivar Soberano
• Geographical location: Located in the Caribbean Sea to the north, Guyana to the east, Brazil to the south and Colombia to the west
• National Day: July 5 (Independence Day, from Spain in 1811)

• Simón Bolivar is considered the country's national hero
• Angel Falls: The highest waterfall in the world, (elevation: 979 m). It is located in ‘Kanaima National Park’.
• Orinoco River: Major River
• Catalambo Lightning: World's Most Lightning Occurring Over Lake Maracaibo
• National Dance: Zorpo

• Total Sales: Total retail sales of all categories of vehicles in the year 2025 increased by 7.71% to 2,81,61,228 (2.81 crore) units. In 2024, the figure was 2,61,45,445 units
• December 2025 Performance: The last month of the year (December) saw a whopping 14.63% growth in sales to 20.29 lakh units.
• Growth by category (year 2025):
• Passenger Vehicle (PV): 44,75,309 units with a growth of 9.7%.
• Two-wheeler (2W): 2,02,95,650 unit with a growth of 7.24%.
• Three-wheeler (3W): ​​13,09,953 units with a growth of 7.21%.
• Commercial Vehicles (CV): 10,09,654 units with a growth of 6.71%.
• Tractors: 7.63 lakh units with a growth of 11.52%.
• Key Factors: The cut in GST 2.0 rates, festive season demand, and better recovery in rural markets are believed to be the main reasons for this surge in sales.
• Market Share: Rural demand (12.31% growth) in the passenger vehicle segment grew more rapidly than urban demand (8.08% growth).

• Partnership: The agreement is between WaveX (WaveX) and IIT Delhi’s Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT).
• Objective: The main goal of this collaboration is to strengthen innovation (Innovation), incubation and entrepreneurship in media, entertainment, broadcasting and communication technologies.
• Key sectors: This initiative is specifically focused on supporting AVGC-XR (animation, visual effects, gaming, comics and extended reality) and media-tech startups.
• Facilities: Under the agreement, FITT-IIT Delhi will provide academic, research, intellectual property (IP) and technical support to startups, while WaveX will ensure funding, policy support and visibility at the national level.
• Expansion: WaveX plans to set up around 10 incubation centers across India, to provide mentorship and global exposure to startups

• Total sown area: As of January 2, 2026, Rabi crops have been sown in a total of 634.34 lakh hectares of land in the country.
• Wheat (major crop): The area under wheat sowing has increased to more than 321 lakh hectares. This is an increase of about 3 lakh hectares compared to the same period last year.
• Oilseeds: Sowing of oilseed crops, especially mustard and rapeseed, has been completed in about 98.24 lakh hectares.
• Coarse cereals and others: The sowing area of ​​coarse cereals (Shree Anna) is 48.43 lakh hectares, while pulses (pulses) have been sown in about 150.31 lakh hectares.
• Major producing states: Wheat sown area has increased in states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab, while Rajasthan has shown good progress in oilseed area

Rabi crops:

• The main crops in India are those sown in the winter season (October-November) and harvested in the spring season (March-April).
• Sowing time: Between October and December, when the monsoon ends and temperatures begin to drop
• Harvest time: between March and May
• Climatic Requirement: Requires cool climate at sowing time and dry and warm environment at ripening of crops
• Main crops: wheat, barley, oats (grains), chickpeas, peas, lentils (pulses), mustard, linseed (oilseeds), and potatoes

Kharif Crops:

• Sowing time: June to July (on arrival of monsoon).
• Harvest time: September to October.
• Major crops: paddy (rice), maize, sorghum, millet, cotton, soybean, groundnut and tuar (arhar).
• Characteristics: These crops require more water and warmer climate

Zaid Crops:

• These are short-term crops grown in the spare time (summer) between Rabi and Kharif.
• Sowing time: March to April.
• Harvest time: May to June.
• Major crops: watermelon, melon, cucumber, cucumber, groundnut and various types of vegetables and fodder.
• Characteristics: These crops can tolerate high heat and dry winds.

Classification of crops (based on use):

• Food crops: wheat, rice, maize, millet.
• Cash Crops: Cotton, Jute, Sugarcane, Tobacco and Oilseeds (these are grown for sale and profit).
• Beverage Crops: Tea and coffee.
• Horticultural crops: Fruits, flowers and vegetables.

• This report provides a comprehensive and data-driven assessment of India’s business performance for the first quarter of FY 2025-26 (April-June 2025).
• The main focus of this issue is India’s automotive (motor vehicle) exports. The report analyzes the competitiveness of the sector, the nature of global demand and India's participation in global value chains.
• Global trade in goods and services grew 2.5 percent in Q1, according to the report.

• What is the Pemba Effect?: It is a counter-intuitive phenomenon where hot water freezes more quickly than cold water. For centuries, scientists have been trying to fully understand the exact reasons behind it.
• Scientists’ discovery: Scientists at JNCASR showed through advanced simulations that the specific structure of water molecules and the hydrogen bonds between them (Hydrogen Bonds) are excited when heated in such a way that they begin to rapidly turn into ice when the cooling process begins.
• Using supercomputers: To understand this complex process, scientists used high-capacity supercomputing simulations, which made it possible to track the behavior of water at the molecular level.
• Future benefits: This technology is not limited to water. It can be used to control energy storage, cooling systems and the speed of chemical reactions.

• BCB’s reasoning: The Bangladesh Cricket Board had requested the ICC citing security concerns and allegedly unfavorable environment on Indian soil
• ICC decision: The ICC clarified that all member countries must follow the schedule of the tournament, which was already decided.

International Cricket Council (ICC) :

• It is the governing body of cricket at the global level.
• Establishment: Founded in 1909 as the ‘Imperial Cricket Conference’, it was renamed the International Cricket Council in 1989
• Headquarters: Located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• President: Jai Shah