21st January 2026

1. India–UAE deepen partnership with $200 billion trade target by 2032
2. Fifth edition of INS Sagardhwani flagged off under the Sagar Maitri V (SM-5) initiative
3. Canara Bank partners with NBSL to integrate UPI services into its Canara aiPe payment application
4. IMF revises India’s economic growth projection upward to 7.3% for FY26
5. Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan releases the Hindi edition of the autobiography “Palanivelu GUTS”
6. Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary notified as an eco-sensitive zone
7. Government appoints new ambassadors to New Zealand and Georgia
8. Tripura, Manipur, and Meghalaya celebrate their foundation day, marking years of statehood
9. National Disaster Response Force marks its Raising Day, highlighting its disaster response role
10. Vidarbha create history by winning their maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy title

National News

1. India–UAE deepen partnership with $200 billion trade target by 2032

• What:
  • India and the United Arab Emirates agreed to target $200 billion bilateral trade by 2032, covering energy security, defence, space, food exports, investment, advanced computing, and strategic cooperation.
• Tell me more:
  • Key outcomes include a 10-year liquefied natural gas supply agreement from 2028, defence and space cooperation letters, supercomputing collaboration, Dholera investment plans, GIFT City expansion, agri-export facilitation, and digital initiatives.
  • A Sales and Purchase Agreement was signed between Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and ADNOC Gas for liquefied natural gas supplies for 10 years starting in 2028.
  • A Letter of Intent was signed for developing the Dholera Special Investment Region in Gujarat as an industrial and infrastructure hub.
  • First Abu Dhabi Bank and DP World will set up offices and operations in GIFT City, Gujarat, to strengthen financial and trade services.
  • An MoU on food safety was signed to ease Indian agricultural and processed food exports to the Gulf region.

Source: ET

State News

1. Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary in Rajasthan Declared Eco-Sensitive Zone

• What:
  • The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change declared the zero to one kilometre area around Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary as an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ).
• Why:
  • It was declared as an Eco-Sensitive Zone to conserve the rich flora and fauna around Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary and to support indigenous communities through eco-friendly and community-focused initiatives.
• Tell me more:
  • The sanctuary hosts leopard, striped hyena, jungle cat, Indian pangolin, blue bull, wild boar, chinkara, and painted francolin.
  • The Eco-Sensitive Zone covers 243 sq km in the Aravalli range of Rajasthan, includes ninety-four villages, and surrounds Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary spread across Rajsamand, Pali, and Udaipur districts.

Source: NOA TOI

2. Statehood Day of Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura on January 21

• Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura were granted statehood on January 21, 1972.
• Statehood was granted under the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971.
• Meghalaya was carved out of Assam due to distinct geographical and cultural identity.

Source: DD N18

Banking and Economy

1. Canara Bank adopts NPCI BHIM Services plugins for UPI integration

• What:
  • Canara Bank partnered with NPCI BHIM Services Limited to use bank plugins for offering Unified Payments Interface services on Canara ai1Pe, enabling faster feature adoption, improved security, scalability, and lower operational costs.
• Tell me more:
  • The integration allows Canara Bank to host latest UPI features used by Bharat Interface for Money and use white-labelled technology, making it the first bank to adopt this NPCI BHIM Services model.

Source: BS

GDP Forecasts

1. IMF Raises India’s FY26 Growth Outlook

• What:
  • The International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised India’s FY26 growth estimate to 7.3% from 6.6% due to better-than-expected third-quarter performance and strong fourth-quarter momentum, with IMF projecting India as the fastest-growing major economy.
• Tell me more:
  • IMF revised India’s FY27 growth forecast upward by 0.2 percentage points to 6.4% and kept the FY28 projection unchanged at 6.4%.
  • On a calendar year basis, IMF projected India’s growth at 6.3% in 2026 and 6.5% in 2027.
  • Global growth is projected at 3.3% in 2026 and 3.2% in 2027, with global inflation easing to 3.8% in 2026 and 3.4% in 2027.
  • World trade volume growth is projected at 2.6% in 2026 and 3.1% in 2027.

Source: TOI ET

Defence News

1. INS Sagardhwani flagged off for fifth Sagar Maitri mission

• What:
  • INS Sagardhwani was flagged off from Southern Naval Command, Kochi for the fifth Sagar Maitri mission to strengthen ocean research cooperation, scientific exchange, and capacity building among Indian Ocean Rim countries.
• Tell me more:
  • Sagar Maitri is a collaborative programme of the Indian Navy and Defence Research and Development Organisation under which INS Sagardhwani conducts oceanographic missions, retraces INS Kistna routes, and begins joint studies with Maldives.

Source: PIB

Important Days

1. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Raising Day – January 19

• The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was raised on 19 January 2006 under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and has expanded from an initial 8 battalions to 16 battalions.

Source: NDRF

Sports

1. Vidarbha Wins Maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy Title

• What:
  • Vidarbha won the Vijay Hazare Trophy for the first time by defeating Saurashtra by 38 runs in Bengaluru, strengthening its position as a strong domestic team.
• Tell me more:
  • Vidarbha scored 317 runs and bowled out Saurashtra during the chase.
  • Vidarbha represents eight districts and has developed players under coach Usman Gani.
  • The captain of Vidarbha during the final was Harsh Dubey.

Source: IE

Appointments

1. Shri Amit Kumar Mishra Appointed as the Next Ambassador of India to Georgia

Source: MEA

2. Ms. Muanpuii Saiawi Appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to New Zealand

Source: MEA

Miscellaneous

1. Vice-President Releases Hindi Edition of ‘Palanivelu GUTS’

• What:
  • The Vice-President of India released the Hindi edition of ‘Palanivelu GUTS’, the autobiography of Dr. C. Palanivelu, highlighting his contributions to laparoscopic and robotic surgery that transformed surgical practices in India and gained global recognition.
• Tell me more:
  • Dr. C. Palanivelu introduced laparoscopic surgery at Coimbatore in 1991, establishing the first laparoscopic surgery centre in South India.
  • Laparoscopy is a surgical method in which doctors operate using small cuts and a thin camera to see inside the body, instead of making large openings in the abdomen.

Source: PIB

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