IMPORTANT DAYS
World Hindi Day 2025 observed on January 10.
• World Hindi Day is observed annually on January 10.
• The day commemorates the first World Hindi Conference held in Nagpur on January 10, 1975.
• The conference was organized by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
• It saw participation from 122 representatives across 30 countries.
• The first World Hindi Day was celebrated in 2006 under the leadership of Dr. Manmohan Singh.
• The primary goal of the day is to promote the Hindi language globally.
• Hindi ranks as the third most spoken language in the world.
• In India, Hindi Diwas is celebrated on September 14 each year.
• The celebration highlights Hindi’s cultural and linguistic significance worldwide.
RANKING AND INDEX
India’s Ranking in the Henley Passport Index 2025
• India dropped to 85th rank in the Henley Passport Index 2025, down from 80th last year.
• Singapore holds the top position as the world’s most powerful passport.
• The United States passport fell from 7th to 9th place in 2025.
• Afghanistan continues to hold the position for the world’s weakest passport.
• The Henley Passport Index is compiled by the UK-based firm Henley and Partners.
• It is based on data provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
• Passport rankings are determined by the number of countries offering visa-free access to its holders.
• A passport is ranked strongest if its citizens can travel to the most countries without a visa.
• Countries with the fewest visa-free travel options are ranked at the bottom.
• The index includes passports from 199 countries and 227 travel destinations, with monthly updates.
APPOINTMENTS
Judicial officer Ashish Naithani has been appointed as a judge of the Uttarakhand High Court
• Shri Ashish Naithani has been appointed as a permanent judge of the Uttarakhand High Court.
• His appointment fills one of the five vacancies in the court, which has a sanctioned strength of 11 judges.
• The President of India approved his appointment on January 6, 2025.
• The Uttarakhand High Court was functioning with only six judges before this appointment.
• The decision was made by the collegium, led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, on December 22.
• The appointment was formalized through a notification issued by the Law Ministry.
• The President’s approval came under the powers granted by Article 224(1) of the Indian Constitution.
• Justice Ashish Naithani will assume office as a permanent judge once he takes charge.
Tuhin Kanta Pandey has been appointed as revenue secretary.
• Tuhin Kanta Pandey has been appointed as the new revenue secretary.
• He replaces Arunish Chawla, who has moved to a new role.
• Arunish Chawla is now the secretary of the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM).
• The seniormost secretary in the Ministry of Finance is typically appointed as finance secretary.
• Tuhin Kanta Pandey has been with the finance ministry since August 28, 2016.
• Arunish Chawla is a 1992-batch IAS officer from the Bihar cadre.
• Tuhin Kanta Pandey brings extensive experience to his new role as revenue secretary.
• The leadership changes reflect strategic shifts within India’s finance and public asset management sectors.
NATIONAL NEWS
Prabowo Subianto to Be Republic Day Chief Guest in 2025
• Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will be the chief guest at India's 2025 Republic Day parade.
• His visit underscores the growing India-Indonesia ties and the significance of India’s Act East Policy.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term will see enhanced strategic cooperation between the two nations.
• The visit is expected to strengthen defense relations and boost economic collaboration.
• Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno, was India’s inaugural Republic Day guest in 1950.
• India and Indonesia share over 2,000 years of cultural and commercial history.
• The relationship is deeply rooted in Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic cultural exchanges.
• Indonesian folk art and traditions are heavily influenced by the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
• The visit reflects the ongoing deepening of bilateral ties between India and Indonesia.
India’s National Highways recorded 60% growth in the last 10 years.
• India’s National Highways have grown by 60% in the past decade.
• The highway network expanded from 91,287 km in 2014 to 146,195 km in 2024.
• India now boasts the second-largest road network globally.
• National High-Speed Corridors grew from 93 km in 2014 to 2,474 km in 2024.
• 2,540 km of highways were added through Externally Aided Projects (EAP) with support from the World Bank, JICA, and ADB.
• The Bharatmala Pariyojana aims to create 35 Multimodal Logistics Parks (MMLPs) with Rs 46,000 crore investment.
• MMLPs will act as key hubs for cargo aggregation and distribution across industrial and agricultural regions.
• The government has launched Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities, operational in 19 states and UTs.
STATE NEWS
21st edition of the Third Eye Asian Film Festival has started in Mumbai.
• The 21st edition of the Third Eye Asian Film Festival has begun in Mumbai.
• Chinese drama The Black Dog is the opening film of the festival.
• A total of 61 films have been selected for screening at the festival.
• The festival will run from January 10-16, with screenings in Andheri, Sion, and Thane.
• Films from countries like China, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Tunisia, and Bhutan will be featured.
• Renowned lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar will receive the Asian Cinema Culture Award.
• Journalist Rafique Baghdadi will be honored with the Satyajit Ray Memorial Award.
• The festival celebrates and showcases diverse Asian cinema and culture.
'Bima Sakhi Yojana' has been launched by the Government of Goa.
• Goa government has launched the 'Bima Sakhi Yojana' to provide insurance coverage.
• Chief Minister Pramod Sawant introduced the scheme to promote financial inclusion.
• Goa is the second state after Haryana to implement this flagship initiative.
• The scheme is a collaboration with the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC).
• It aims to empower women aged 18-70 who have completed at least Class X.
• Women will receive training and a stipend for the first three years under the program.
• The initiative focuses on increasing financial literacy and insurance awareness.
• Trained women can work as LIC agents, with opportunities to become development officers.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Union Minister for Science and Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh, chaired a high-level review of ISRO’s major upcoming space missions for 2025.
• Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister for Science and Technology, reviewed ISRO’s upcoming space missions for 2025.
• The missions include India’s first uncrewed orbital mission under the Gaganyaan program.
• Two GSLV missions and a commercial launch of LVM3 are also part of the plan.
• ISRO will collaborate with NASA on the NISAR Earth observation satellite.
• In January, the GSLV-F15 mission will launch the NVS-02 navigation satellite for the NavIC constellation.
• The GSLV-F16 mission in February will deploy NISAR, co-developed with NASA.
• The commercial LVM3-M5 mission is scheduled for March to deploy BlueBird Block-2 satellites.
• The BlueBird Block-2 satellites are part of a contract with U.S.-based AST SpaceMobile.
BANKING, ECONOMY AND FINANCE
According to the UN, India retained the title of the world's fastest growing large economy, with a growth rate estimated at 6.6%.
• India remains the world’s fastest-growing large economy, with an estimated growth rate of 6.6%.
• The UN’s World Economic Situation and Prospects 2025 (WESP) report, released on January 9, forecasts India's GDP growth at 6.6%.
• The Indian economy is expected to grow even faster next year, at 6.8%.
• Strong export growth in services, pharmaceuticals, and electronics will drive India’s economic expansion.
• Global growth has remained stable at 2.8%, while advanced economies saw a slight decline to 1.6%.
• China's growth forecast has dropped by 0.1% to 4.8% this year and is expected to fall further in 2026.
• The US economy is projected to grow by just 1.9% in 2025, a sharp decline from last year’s 2.8%.
• India’s economic performance stands out in a global environment of slower growth, particularly in major economies.
MISCELLANEOUS
An MoU has been signed between the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad.
• An MoU has been signed between Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad to train animal welfare representatives.
• The MoU aims to train animal welfare representatives for better advocacy and support.
• AWBI will observe Animal Welfare Fortnight from January 14-30, 2025.
• The MoU was signed by Dr. Abhijit Mitra, AWBI Chairman, and Prof. Shrikrishna Deva Rao, NALSAR Vice-Chancellor.
• The partnership focuses on providing legal training to civil society members involved in animal welfare.
• Training will be offered to members of District SPCAs and State Animal Welfare Boards.
• Each training session will accommodate up to 25 participants.
• AWBI is a statutory body under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying.
• The Board was established under Section 4 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960.
• AWBI’s primary mission is to promote animal welfare and protect animals from cruelty.