1 Space scientist Dr. V Narayanan will be the new chief of ISRO
The central government has appointed Dr. V. Narayanan as the new chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). He will replace Dr. S. Somnath on January 14. Narayanan’s appointment will be for a period of two years from January 14. ISRO’s new chairman Dr. V. Narayanan is currently the director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Center (LPSC) . Narayanan has worked in many important positions in the space organization for almost four decades. Rocket and spacecraft propulsion is his area of expertise. He was also the project director of the C25 cryogenic project of the GSLV MK Il vehicle. Narayanan joined ISRO in 1984 and worked in various positions before becoming the director of the center.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla arrived in London on Tuesday for the meeting of the Standing Committee of the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of Commonwealth Countries (CSPOC) . Speaker Om Birla will attend several important events in London. He will meet the Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle and the Lord Speaker of the House of Lords Lord McFall of Alclith here. Apart from this, he will also interact with the Indian diaspora living in Britain. Birla and his delegation were warmly welcomed by the officials of the Indian Embassy on reaching London.
3 The 8th edition of Indusfood 2025 will start in Greater Noida
The 8th session of Indusfood 2025 will be held in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, adjacent to Delhi , from 8 to 10 January 2025. Union Food Minister Chirag Paswan will inaugurate it. The Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) organizes this exhibition. From 9 to 11 January, TPCI will organize two more events named Indusfood Manufacturing and Indusfood Agritech. 2,300 people from more than 30 countries will participate in the exhibition at Indusfood 2025. More than 7,500 international buyers, 15,000 Indian buyers, presidents of more than 30 international chef organizations and 100 Indian representatives will participate in the event. This event helps Indian food companies to reach their products to foreign markets. Indusfood will also host the ‘Asia President Forum’ for the first time under 2025 in collaboration with the Indian Culinary Association (IFCA).
4 India will host technical seminar of 31 countries
On 20 and 21 January 2025, India will host a technical seminar on social security of informal workers . This seminar will be jointly organized by the Ministry of Labor and Employment and the International Social Security Association . The program will be held at Yashobhoomi International Convention Center in Delhi . In the seminar, 40 experts from 31 countries of Asia and Pacific region will discuss issues related to social security of workers. Organizations like World Bank, International Labor Organization, UN India will give their presentations. The Finance Ministry, Ministry of External Affairs, NITI Aayog, Ministry of Health and many states of the Government of India will participate in it.
Indonesia has become a full member of BRICS, a group of developing countries . Brazil , the chair country of BRICS, announced this on Monday, January 6, 2024. Now BRICS includes 10 countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE and Indonesia . Brazil has taken over the presidency of BRICS on January 1, 2025. It will hold this responsibility till the end of this year. Indonesia’s candidature to become a member of BRICS got the support of BRICS countries in 2023 itself. It decided to join BRICS after the formation of a new government in 2024. The objective of the countries included in BRICS is to promote mutual peace, security, development and cooperation.
6 10th anniversary of Ujala Yojana: More than 36 crore LED bulbs distributed across the country
7 Anita Anand of Indian origin can become the next Prime Minister of Canada
After the resignation of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau , a round of speculation has started regarding his successor. According to reports, Indian-origin leader Anita Anand is a strong contender for the post of PM. Anita Anand has been identified as a scholar, lawyer and researcher. She has been a law professor at the University of Toronto where she held the post of JR Kimber Chair in Investor Protection and Corporate Governance. Currently, she is the Minister of Transport and Internal Trade of Canada . Anita Indira Anand was born in Kentville, Nova Scotia . Her parents (both are now deceased) were Indian physicians. Her father was from Tamil Nadu and her mother was from Punjab . Anita Anand has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Political Studies from Queen’s University, Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Jurisprudence from Oxford University, Bachelor of Law from Dalhousie University and Master of Law from the University of Toronto. Justin Trudeau resigned from the post of leader of the Liberal Party and the post of Prime Minister on January 6. However, he will remain as Prime Minister until a new leader of the Liberal Party is elected.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav on Monday launched the official calendar of the Government of India along with Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan at Rail Bhavan . On this occasion, Minister Vaishnav said that the theme of this year’s calendar is ” Jan Kalyan through Public Participation “. He said, “The calendar shows how we have succeeded in bringing a big change in the lives of the people through the vision and schemes of PM Modi.”
9 AI innovation will gain momentum in India, Microsoft will invest three billion dollars in cloud-AI business
US giant information technology company Microsoft will invest three billion dollars (Rs 25,722 crore) to expand cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in India . Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella announced this on Tuesday. Satya Nadella said that we are thrilled to announce our new investment in AI infrastructure and skills in India to help accelerate the country’s AI transformation. CEO Satya Nadella said from the stage of Microsoft AI Tour in Bengaluru that Microsoft will invest US $ 3 billion for cloud and AI infrastructure in India in the next two years. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella met Prime Minister Narendra Modi a day earlier.
Voting for 10 Delhi Assembly seats will be held on February 5, counting of votes will be done on February 8
The Election Commission has announced the schedule for the Delhi Assembly elections . Voting for the 70-member Delhi Assembly will be held on February 5 and counting of votes will take place on February 8. The notification for the elections will be issued on January 10. The last date for filing nominations is January 17. Nominations can be withdrawn till January 20. The term of the current Delhi Assembly ends on February 23. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party has announced its candidates for all the assembly seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party has announced 29 candidates so far.
The World Telugu Conference is starting at Godavari Global University in Rajamahendravaram , Andhra Pradesh . The two-day conference will be attended by eminent Telugu writers, litterateurs, former Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, former Chief Justice N.V. Ramana , Governors of both the Telugu states, Union and State Ministers, MPs, artists and actors. The World Conference, organised to showcase the Telugu language, literature and cultural heritage, will have poetry sessions, competitions and cultural programmes.
12 Parth Yojana launched in Bhopal
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav will launch the Parth Yojana of the Sports and Youth Welfare Department in Bhopal . State Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Vishwas Sarang said that under the scheme, pre-recruitment training will be provided to the youth of the state to provide employment opportunities in the Indian Army, Police and Paramilitary Forces .
13 Central Government asked States and Union Territories to implement the provisions of Section 479 of the Indian Civil Defence Code, 2023
The central government has asked the states and union territories to implement the provisions of Section 479 of the Indian Civil Security Code, 2023. This section directs to process the applications for release of undertrial prisoners to reduce the problem of overcrowding in jails . The Home Ministry has written a letter to the Chief Secretaries of all states and union territories in this regard. Under the new rules, first-time offenders will be eligible for release after serving one-third of their maximum sentence.
14 Petroleum Ministry review continues
On January 7, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas released a review for the year 2024. It was told that so far 10.33 crore LPG connections have been given under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana . At the same time, the total number of LPG connections in the country is 32.83 crore . In the year 2014, there were a total of 14.52 crore LPG connections in the country. About 13 lakh gas cylinders are refilled daily across the country. The annual consumption of domestic gas in the country is 3.95 kg per person. The operational gas pipelines across the country have become 24,945 kilometers. In 2014, there were 15,340 kilometers of gas pipelines. E20 petrol (20% ethanol blended) is available at 17,400 petrol tanks i.e. retail outlets across the country.
15 Asian Games champion in men’s shot put Bahadur Singh Sagoo elected as the new president of Athletics Federation of India
Asian Games winner in men’s shot put Bahadur Singh Sagoo has been elected as the new president of the Athletics Federation of India. This announcement was made at the federation’s two-day annual general meeting which began in Chandigarh . He will replace outgoing president Adil Sumariwala.