1 Vice President releases book titled “Sing, Dance and Lead: Leadership Lessons from the Life of Srila Prabhupada”
Vice President Shri C.P. Radhakrishnan released the book ” Sing, Dance and Lead: Leadership Lessons from the Life of Srila Prabhupada ” written by Hindol Sengupta at a function held at the Upa-Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi . Addressing the gathering, the Vice President described India as a civilizational leader whose traditions have consistently emphasized leadership based on values, service, and inner discipline. He said that the life of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada stands firmly in this tradition, exemplifying leadership based on purpose, humility, and moral clarity.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Monday said that the Supreme Court has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the apex court of Bhutan to facilitate the exchange of young legal professionals. Under the agreement, two law clerks from Bhutan will be appointed in the Supreme Court here for a period of three months . They will receive the same honorarium as Indian law clerks and their travel expenses will be borne by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court of India has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with several countries, including Nepal, Bhutan, Singapore, Israel, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Zambia, Morocco and Maldives, for judicial cooperation and exchange of legal professionals.
3. Ministry of Communications signs two MoUs with Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Ministry of Rural Development
The Ministry of Communications signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and the Ministry of Rural Development in New Delhi . These MoUs aim to provide benefits and banking services to rural citizens and farmers by addressing misinformation . Speaking on the occasion, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia stated that the MoU signed between the Department of Posts and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare will address the long-standing issue of counterfeit pesticides. He stated that under this agreement, each pesticide sample will have a QR code. He added that samples will now reach testing laboratories within two to three days, instead of the previous ten to fifteen day process. Regarding the MoU signed with the Ministry of Rural Development, Scindia stated that this agreement focuses on empowering rural people, including the approximately 120 million women associated with self-help groups, through integration with the Bharat Post Payments Bank. He said that under the comprehensive training of this MoU, electronic tablets, cash transfer, point of sale machines and certificates will be provided.
4 Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts to launch ‘Fireflies of Voices’ to document popular voices of India
The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) , an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture , is launching a special initiative to document and preserve selected of India’s most celebrated voices through recorded interviews and original publications. After years of continuous research and efforts to mine audio and video, this initiative will be formally launched on January 8, 2026 , at 4:00 pm, in both book and audio formats, titled ” Awaazon Ke Jugnu .” It seeks to capture the journey of 31 individuals associated with All India Radio, FM channels, the voice-over industry, broadcasting, and the tradition of poetry recitation.
5 Maharashtra: Country’s first passenger submarine tourism project to launch soon on Konkan coast in Sindhudurg district
Maharashtra is set to launch the country’s first passenger submarine tourism project on the Konkan coast in Sindhudurg district. This will significantly boost coastal and marine tourism in the state. This ambitious project involves a 24-seater, battery-operated passenger submarine developed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited . First announced in the 2018-19 state budget, the project gained momentum after the central government approved funds in November 2024 under the “Development of Globally Iconic Tourism Destination” scheme. Officials say the initiative will promote environmentally sensitive tourism, support marine biodiversity, and put Sindhudurg on the global marine tourism map.
US President Donald Trump has announced his withdrawal from dozens of international organizations, including the United Nations population agency . Trump signed an executive order suspending US support to 66 organizations, agencies, and commissions. . This order was issued after a review of US participation and funding. The State Department said that according to the administration, these institutions are mismanaged, unnecessary, wasteful, inconsistent with US priorities, and pose a threat to the country’s sovereignty and prosperity. This decision comes at a time when the Trump administration has taken several foreign policy steps, including the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and the intention to annex Greenland.
7 ISRO to launch PSLV-C62 mission on January 12
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch the PSLV-C62 mission on January 12th . ISRO announced in a social media post that the satellite will be launched at 10:17 am from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh . Eighteen satellites from India and other countries will also be launched. The mission’s primary payload is the Earth observation satellite, EOS-N1 , an imaging satellite developed for strategic purposes by the Defence Research and Development Organisation .
Justice Sangam Kumar Sahu appointed as the Chief Justice of Patna High Court
Justice Sangam Kumar Sahu was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court on Wednesday . Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan administered the oath of office and secrecy to him at the swearing-in ceremony held at Rajendra Mandap in Lok Bhawan. Justice Sahu has been known as a distinguished lawyer in criminal matters and has made a distinct mark in this field. On July 2, 2014, he was appointed a judge of the Orissa High Court, where he served for many years.
9 Major achievements in public health services: Over 50,000 health institutions NQAS certified
The Government of India has achieved a historic milestone in strengthening the quality of the public health system . By December 31, 2025, 50,373 public health institutions across the country have been certified under the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) . This quality framework, implemented by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, aims to ensure safe, effective, and patient-centered healthcare services. NQAS began in 2015 with only 10 district hospitals. It was then expanded in a phased manner to sub-district hospitals, community health centers, primary health centers, and Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. Currently, the certified institutions include 48,663 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (SHC, PHC, UPHC) and 1,710 secondary health institutions (CHC, SDH, DH), demonstrating that quality has been institutionalized at all levels. This achievement is a significant step towards realizing the goal of universal health coverage under the National Health Policy 2017 . The government has set a target to have at least 50% of public health institutions certified as NQAS by March 2026 , to provide quality healthcare services to the poor, deprived and remote population in the country.
The ” Somnath Swabhiman Parv, ” to be held from January 8th to 10th in Gir Somnath, Gujarat, is poised to be a historic and spiritually significant event. This year’s event is significant because exactly one thousand years ago, Mahmud Ghaznavi attacked the Somnath Temple . On the 1,000th anniversary of this historic event, the city of Somnath is once again connecting the nation and the world with the message of faith, self-respect, and eternal culture. During this three-day festival, “Omkar Nath” will be chanted continuously for 24 hours at the Somnath Temple . Preparations have been made to create a spiritual atmosphere throughout the complex. Boats will be anchored on the temple’s beach, decorated with special lighting, so that devotees can experience a transcendental sight.
11th British Junior Open Squash Championships: India’s Anahat Singh wins silver medal in Under-19 final
India’s Anahat Singh won the silver medal in the women’s under-19 final of the British Junior Open Squash Championships . Top seed Anahat lost to Laurent Baltayan of France in the final at the University of Birmingham in England. Anahat Singh had defeated Malika El Karaxi of Egypt in the semi-finals.
12 T20 World Cup 2026: Vikram Rathour appointed Sri Lanka batting coach
Sri Lanka, co-hosting India’s T20 World Cup 2026 , has made a major change to its coaching team ahead of the tournament . Sri Lanka has appointed former Indian batting coach Vikram Rathour as its batting coach . The Sri Lanka Cricket Board has appointed Rathour as batting coach solely for the 2026 T20 World Cup. Rathour has worked with the Indian team for a long time, including winning the 2024 T20 World Cup under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. Rathour was the Indian team’s batting coach at the time. Rathour is expected to join the Sri Lankan team as early as January 15th. Rathour has worked with the Indian men’s team for five years, leaving the team after the 2024 T20 World Cup. In 2025, Rathour was the batting coach of the Rajasthan Royals and has also been part of the Punjab Kings coaching team.
Asian Games gold medalist and Indian sprinter Jinson Johnson has announced his retirement. The 34-year-old Kerala athlete’s career highlight was winning the 1500m gold medal at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games with a time of 3:44:7:2. He also won a silver medal in the 800m at the same Games . Johnson broke the legendary Sriram Singh’s 42-year-old men’s 800m national record with a time of 1:45:6:5 during the National Inter-State Championships in Guwahati in 2018. At the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, Johnson broke Bahadur Prasad’s 23-year-old 1500m national record with a time of 3:37:8:6. Although he finished fifth in the final, he later improved his own national record twice, with a best of 3:35:2:4 at the 2019 Berlin meet.