1 Ladakh becomes the first administrative unit to achieve full functional literacy: Education Ministry
The Department of School Education and Literacy has recently released the Year-End Review 2024 , which states that Ladakh has become the first fully literate administrative unit under the New India Literacy Program ‘ Ullas ‘ . More than 4.8 crore people participated in the National Literacy Week in the country. The Cabinet approved the opening of 85 new Kendriya Vidyalayas and 28 Navodaya Vidyalayas . More than 23 lakh students participated in the PARAKH National Survey 2024. 104 primers in Indian languages were developed and released. Braille versions and audio versions of the National Mentoring Mission – Bluebook were released. According to the Ministry of Education, 58.5% of government schools in the country have ramps and handrails, 31.1% of schools have CWSN friendly toilets. Apart from this, more than 7 crore APAAR IDs were generated and validated, so that the progress of the students can be tracked. At the same time, summer camps were organized in schools across the country in accordance with the 7 main themes of Mission Life. ULLAAS Mobile App was launched on 29.7.2023 during the All India Education Conclave held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Till date, more than 2 crore learners and 39 lakh volunteer teachers have been registered under ULLAAS.
2 PM Modi dedicated three new frontline warships of the Navy to the nation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched two warships and a submarine at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai . This is the first time that a destroyer, a frigate and a submarine are being commissioned simultaneously. PM Modi dedicated INS Surat , INS Nilgiri and INS Vagsheer to the nation in the same order. It is noteworthy that these ships have been built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders as a tribute to self-reliant India. INS Surat, the fourth and final ship of the P15B Guided Missile Destroyer Project, is one of the largest and most sophisticated destroyers in the world. INS Nilgiri, the first ship of the P17A Stealth Frigate Project, is designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and includes advanced features for enhanced survivability, seaworthiness and stealth, signifying the next generation of indigenous frigates. INS Vagsheer, the sixth and final submarine of the P75 Scorpene Project , represents India’s growing expertise in submarine construction and has been built in collaboration with Naval Group of France. INS Vagsheer is a Scorpene-class submarine, known for its stealth and versatility in missions including anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, equipped with advanced sonar and missile systems.
3 Israel and Hamas agree on ceasefire after 15 months of war
A ceasefire has been agreed after a 15-month-long war between Israel and Hamas . Thousands of Palestinians lost their lives in this war and the entire Middle East was affected by it. However, a formal announcement of the ceasefire is yet to be made. It includes a six-week initial phase. During this time, the Israeli army will gradually withdraw from Gaza and the people held hostage by Hamas will be released. In return, Israel will release Palestinian prisoners. This agreement has been reached by mediators from Egypt and Qatar with the support of the US . This decision has been taken before the swearing-in of newly-elected US President Donald Trump on January 20. Hamas has given verbal consent to this agreement and the return of the hostages and is expected to give written approval soon. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has returned to Israel from Europe to discuss this agreement. This agreement is an important step after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 in which 1,200 Israelis were killed and more than 250 people were taken hostage.
4 Government approves creation of two new reserve battalions of CISF
The government has approved the creation of two new reserve battalions of the Central Industrial Security Force-CISF. This will increase the total number of battalions from 13 to 15. The Home Ministry has said that the new battalions will comprise about one thousand twenty five security personnel of various ranks and will be headed by a senior commandant level officer. The new battalions will be crucial to meet the urgent recruitment requirements related to internal security. The CISF provides anti-terror security to 68 civil airports in the country, several facilities in the nuclear and aerospace sector besides historical monuments like the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.
5 America lifted the ban imposed on three Indian establishments including Bhabha Atomic Research Center
The US has lifted the ban imposed on three Indian establishments including the Bhabha Atomic Research Center . The other two companies are Indian Rare Earths and Indira Gandhi Atomic Research Center . The US Bureau of Industry and Security said that this ban imposed during the Cold War era has been lifted in line with US foreign policy goals. This decision will increase cooperation in shared energy security needs and promote joint efforts in science and technology. The US Bureau said that in recent years India and the US have increased cooperation in peaceful nuclear cooperation and related research activities. This has also benefited partner countries at the global level.
6 Sonia Gandhi inaugurated the new Congress headquarters ‘Indira Bhawan’
Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi inaugurated the party’s new headquarters ‘ Indira Bhavan ‘ on Wednesday. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge, MP Rahul Gandhi and other prominent party leaders were present during this. The new address of the new Congress headquarters will be ‘ Indira Gandhi Bhavan’ 9A, Kotla Road . It is about 500 meters away from the BJP headquarters in Delhi. The construction of this building started during Sonia Gandhi’s tenure as party president.
7 Bhashini mobile application to overcome language barriers of devotees in Maha Kumbh
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has offered technical support at the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj using the Bhashini mobile application for those visiting the Mahakumbh . Devotees visiting the Mahakumbh can use it from January 13 to February 26. Bhashini aims to further improve the visitor experience at Mahakumbh 2025 with multilingual solutions for queries and navigation. According to the ministry, devotees coming from across the country as well as abroad to attend the Mahakumbh may need assistance to understand the languages spoken in Prayagraj and surrounding areas. The ‘Converge’ feature of the Bhashini mobile application will facilitate seamless communication of devotees with the 112 emergency helpline unit of UP Police at this big event. Let us tell you that PM Modi has already launched the AI-powered, multilingual, voice-enabled chatbot Kumbh Sahayak which is designed to assist millions of visitors during Mahakumbh 2025. Notably, Bhashini’s language translation supports the chatbot in 11 languages , including Hindi, English, and 9 other Indian languages .
8 Republic Day 2025: About 10,000 special guests invited on the path of duty
Preparations are going on at Kartavya Path to make the 76th Republic Day grand and memorable, be it preparing for the parade or preparing the guest list. By the way, this time around 10,000 special guests have been invited to watch the 76th Republic Day Parade on Kartavya Path in New Delhi on 26 January 2025. The golden makers of India from diverse backgrounds who have performed best in their respective fields by making the best use of the government schemes have been invited to witness the Republic Day 2025 parade. Special Guests: This includes people who have made outstanding contributions to various government schemes and initiatives. These include Sarpanchs, Self Help Group (SHG) members, PM-Janman Mission participants, tribal artisans, disaster relief workers, forest and wildlife conservation volunteers, farmers and families contributing to environmental protection, medal winners of Para-Olympics and other sports, patent holders, startup entrepreneurs, and school children (competition winners).
9 India and Sri Lanka signed an MoU for the supply of 80 single cabs to police stations in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka
India and Sri Lanka have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the supply of 80 single cabs to police stations in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka, strengthening mutual development partnership . The MoU with a grant of 30 crore Sri Lankan Rupees from the Government of India was signed by Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha and Sri Lanka’s Public Security Secretary D.W.R.B. Seneviratne. The initiative aims to enhance civil security and improve law enforcement. The project is part of India’s broader people-centric development cooperation efforts in Sri Lanka, covering sectors such as housing, health, education and agriculture. These initiatives reflect India’s commitment to meet local needs and support the priorities of the Sri Lankan Government.
10 India Women score record 435 against Ireland
The Indian women’s cricket team scored its best score of 435 runs for 5 wickets in the third and final ODI match against Ireland on January 15. This is India’s highest score in ODI cricket . The women’s team surpassed the men’s team’s highest score of 418. Also, the Indian women’s team became the third team to score the fourth highest score in an ODI match. New Zealand holds the record for the highest score in women’s cricket. The New Zealand women’s team scored 491 runs against Ireland in 2018. At the same time, captain Smriti Mandhana has become the fastest Indian woman cricketer to score a century in ODIs by scoring a century in 70 balls.
11 77th Army Day
On 15 January 1949, about 2 years after the independence of the country, the command of the Indian Army was handed over to Indian Field Marshal KM Cariappa by the last British Commander in Chief General Francis Butcher . Field Marshal KM Cariappa became the first Indian military commander of independent India . This is one of the most important events in the history of India. Therefore, 15 January is celebrated every year as Indian Army Day. On this day, military parades, military exhibitions and other programs are organized at all army headquarters to remember the indomitable courage, bravery, their valor and martyrdom by the Indian Army. Motto of the Indian Army – “ Service before self ”
The wars fought by the Army in independent India
- kashmir war 1947
- Operation Polo
- Operation Vijay
- indo-china war 1962
- Second war between India and Pakistan 1965
- Third war between India and Pakistan 1971
- Kargil War 1999 between India and Pakistan
12 Civil rights activist Surat Singh Khalsa passes away
On January 15, civil rights activist Surat Singh Khalsa died in San Francisco, USA . Surat Singh Khalsa went on a hunger strike in January 2015 for the release of Sikhs in jail , which lasted for about 8 years. On February 11, 2015, Surat Singh Khalsa wrote an open letter to PM Modi, in which he explained the purpose of his hunger strike. Surat Singh Khalsa was born on March 7, 1933 in Hasanpur village of Ludhiana . He is a civil rights activist known as Bapu Surat Singh Khalsa. He was a government teacher, but left his job in June 1984 in protest against Operation Bluestar .