1 Donald Trump takes office as the 47th President of the United States
Donald Trump has taken charge as the 47th President of the United States . He took the oath of office and secrecy for the second term . US Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath of office and secrecy to him at the Capitol Rotunda in Washington DC . On this occasion, he was given a gun salute. During this, Justice Brett Kavanaugh administered the oath to JD Vance for the post of Vice President . 40-year-old Vance is the 50th Vice President of the United States and the third youngest Vice President in the country’s history. External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar represented India at Donald Trump’s swearing-in ceremony. Many foreign politicians including Argentine President Javier Mili, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, Ecuador President Daniel Noboa, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele and former Brazilian President Jose Bolsonaro and former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiski participated in this program. 78-year-old Trump is the oldest person to become the President of the United States. In this matter, he has left behind Joe Biden, who was only five months younger than him at the time of his swearing-in.
2 Lok Sabha Speaker inaugurates 85th All India Presiding Officers Conference
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla inaugurated the 85th All India Presiding Officers Conference (AIPOC) in Patna , Bihar on January 20. The two-day conference will unite the presiding officers of 56 legislatures of India . Presiding officers and deputy speakers of various states and union territories will also attend the event. The theme of this conference is- ’75th anniversary of the Constitution: Contribution of Parliament and state assemblies in strengthening constitutional values.’ At the same time, Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will address the closing session of the conference on January 21, 2025. On this occasion, Birla will also release the 8th edition of ‘Practice and Procedure of Parliament’, an important book on parliamentary procedure.
3 3rd National Mines Ministers Conference begins at Konark, Odisha
The two-day 3rd National Mine Ministers Conference began at Konark in Odisha . Organised jointly by the Union Ministry of Mines and the Odisha government, the conference was inaugurated by Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi . Chaired by Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy, the conference is in line with the vision of ‘Developed India 2047’ and was attended by senior officials of the Central and Odisha governments as well as mining ministers from over 11 states.
4 Gyanendra Pratap Singh became the Director General of CRPF
Assam Director General of Police (DGP) Gyanendra Pratap Singh has been appointed as the Director General (DG) of Central Reserve Police Force i.e. CRPF. Gyanendra’s tenure will be till November 30, 2027 or till further orders. He is a 1991 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Assam – Meghalaya cadre . Senior IPS officer Vitul Kumar was holding the acting charge of CRPF since the retirement of Anish Dayal Singh on December 31, 2024.
5 Rahul Gandhi’s White T-Shirt Movement started
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has launched the ‘ White T-Shirt Movement ‘ campaign for the poor and working class on January 19. According to the website of the ‘White T-Shirt Movement’, the ‘White T-Shirt’ symbolizes the five core principles of the Congress Party : compassion, unity, non-violence, equality and progress for all . These values resonate the spirit of India’s 8000-year-old civilization, which is based on harmony and diversity. Rahul Gandhi’s T-shirt came into the discussion in the Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra in September 2022. He wore a white T-shirt of Burberry company.
6 Uttarakhand cabinet approves Uniform Civil Code rules
The cabinet in Uttarakhand has approved the Uniform Civil Code – UCC Rules, paving the way for its implementation in the state. Talking to the media after the cabinet meeting in Dehradun , Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the implementation of UCC in Uttarakhand will be a source of inspiration for the rest of the states of the country. The Uniform Civil Code seeks to ensure that the same law applies to all citizens in matters of personal relations. This will promote equality and justice. Let us tell you that with the implementation of UCC, equal law will be applicable for the citizens in Uttarakhand. The UCC law ensures equal rights for people of all religions, castes and classes . It is worth noting that on February 6 last year, the UCC Bill was introduced for the first time in a special assembly session in Uttarakhand. At the same time, on February 7, it was passed in the assembly with an overwhelming majority. After this, on March 13, President Draupadi Murmu signed this bill and gave it the status of law.
7 UP: CM Yogi inaugurated the Elephant Rescue Center in Shaheed Ashfaqullah Khan Zoological Park, Gorakhpur
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday inaugurated the elephant rescue center at Shaheed Ashfaqullah Khan Zoological Park in Gorakhpur . He also inaugurated the butterfly garden and released a coffee table book.
8 India is now the seventh largest coffee producer globally
India is now the seventh largest coffee producer globally , with exports reaching USD 129 million in the last fiscal. This is almost double the exports of USD 71.9 million in 2020-21, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a release. In the first half, India exported over 93 thousand tonnes of coffee, with Italy, Belgium and Russia being the top buyers. India mainly exports unroasted coffee beans. Demand for value-added products such as roasted and instant coffee is rising, leading to a surge in exports. Meanwhile, Karnataka leads in coffee production, contributing 2 lakh 48 thousand metric tonnes in 2022-23, followed by Kerala and Tamil Nadu .
9 Oxfam’s report claims about India, 10 percent of people in Britain looted wealth worth $33.8 trillion from India
Britain extracted $64.82 trillion from India during colonialism between 1765 and 1900 , of which $33.8 trillion went to the richest 10 per cent – a sum so large in today’s money that it could cover the entire surface of London four times with £50 notes. The report is part of rights group Oxfam International’s latest major Global Inequality Report, released each year on the first day of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting. According to the report, a large number of the richest people in Britain today owe their family wealth to slavery and colonialism, particularly the large income they derived from compensation paid to their masters when slavery ended. “The modern multinational corporation is a product of colonialism, pioneered by companies such as the East India Company, which became law itself and was responsible for many colonial crimes,” the Oxfam report said.
10 Rishabh Pant becomes the new captain of Lucknow Super Giants
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) has appointed Rishabh Pant as its new captain for IPL 2025. Team owner Sanjiv Goenka announced this. It is worth noting that Pant became the most expensive player in the IPL mega auction held in Jeddah last year. He was bought by the Lucknow franchise for Rs 27 crore. Pant will be the fourth player to captain Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL. Earlier, KL Rahul, Nicholas Pooran and Krunal Pandya have led the team.
11 20th edition of Tata Mumbai Marathon held
The 20th edition of the Tata Mumbai Marathon , held on January 20 , saw participation of over 65,000 runners from across the world. Radhakrishnan also flagged off the ‘Champions with Disabilities ‘ race for the differently-abled and the senior citizens’ race. Berhane Tesfay of Eritrea won the men’s race and Joyce Chepkemoi Tele of Kenya was the winner of the women’s elite race. Anish Thapa finished first for India, while Nirmaben Thakor was the winner of the women’s race. The 20th edition of the Mumbai Marathon was a qualifier for the World Athletics Championships to be held in September.