Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that Makar Sankranti is a festival of farmers and they in a way, begin their New Year on this day. Addressing 3rd International Kite Festival- 2026 in New Delhi today, Mr Shah said, Poet Kalidasa used a very beautiful phrase for India, ‘utsav-priya janah,’ meaning that the people of India are fond of festivals. He said, in every season and at all times, people of the country have organised festivals. Mr Shah said, through festivals, the entire society comes together and move forward with a collective vision and Uttarayan is a part of that tradition.

The Home Minister said, the Simon Commission faced widespread opposition across the country and the slogan ‘Simon Go Back’ became a symbol of the independence movement. He said, the strongest form of protest against the Simon Commission came on Uttarayan, when people across India flew kites with ‘Simon Go Back’ written on them, filling the entire sky and demonstrating their strength to the British.

In a landmark move to boost economic independence and digital inclusion for women, the Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Karnataka, has announced the launch of Gruha Lakshmi Digital Marketing, a dedicated online portal designed to showcase the products of women entrepreneurs from across the state to a global audience.

This initiative has been launched under the visionary guidance of Hon'ble Chief Minister Sri Siddaramaiah and Hon'ble Deputy Chief Minister Sri D.K. Shivakumar.

It is spearheaded under the dynamic leadership of Smt. Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Hon'ble Minister of Women and Child Development, Disabled and Senior-Citizens Empowerment, Government of Karnataka, and under the chairmanship of Smt. G. Padmavathi, Chairperson, Karnataka State Women's Development Corporation.

The latest crocodile census has recorded an increase in the crocodile population in Odisha’s Similipal National Park. Official data shows that the number of crocodiles has risen from 81 last year to 84 this year. The census was conducted from 5th to 8th of this month, covering 20 locations across eight major water bodies in Similipal.

The Deo River recorded the highest count with 60 crocodiles. Of the total population, 78 crocodiles were found in the South Simlipal forest division, one in the North Simlipal division, and five at the Ramatirtha Crocodile Breeding Centre. Forest officials said the increase in the population of crocodiles reflects the success of sustained conservation measures, including the regular release of hatchlings from the breeding centre into different water bodies

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Home Affairs for:

1-The Appointment of Shri Praveen Kumar, IPS (WB:1993), presently working as DG, ITBP to the post of Director General, Border Security Force (BSF) in level-16 of the pay matrix from the date of assumption of charge of the post and up to 30.09.2030 i.e. the date of his superannuation or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

He is an IPS officer of 1993-batch of West Bengal cadre.

2- The Appointment of Shri Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor, IPS (HY: 1990), presently working in cadre, to the post of Director General, Inda-Tibetan Border Police in level-17 of the pay matrix from the date of assumption of charge of the post and up to 31.10.2026 i.e. the date of his superannuation or until further orders, whichever is earlier vice Shri Praveen Kumar, IPS(WB:1993).

He is an IPS officer of 1990-batch of Haryana cadre.

Banks and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) should put a fully automated complaints management system with access to the Internal Ombudsman (IO) and Deputy Internal Ombudsman (DIO), and all unresolved grievances should be auto-escalated to the office of the IO for review, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said on Wednesday.

The regulator said the IO should get at least 10 days for review of complaints for which RBI, National Payments Corporation of India, or card network guidelines prescribe a timeline for resolution. For all other cases, a 20-day timeline from the receipt of the complaints has been prescribed.

In the draft guidelines, released on October 7, the timeline to transfer the complaint that has been rejected by regulated entities to the office of the IO is within 20 days and in case of credit information companies, such complaints should be referred to the office of the internal ombudsman within 25 days of receipt.

India’s passport has moved up the global mobility ladder, climbing five places to rank 80th in the latest Henley Passport Index. Indian passport holders can now travel visa-free or obtain a visa on arrival in 55 destinations, reflecting a modest improvement in international access.

The ranking marks a recovery from 2025, when India had slipped to 85th place, even though passport holders then had visa-free or e-visa access to 57 destinations. In 2024, India had also ranked 80th, indicating a return to that position after last year’s decline. This year, India shares the 80th spot with Niger and Algeria.

The Henley Passport Index 2026 reveals that Asia continues to dominate the top of the table. Singapore retains the number one position, with its citizens enjoying visa-free access to 192 of the 227 countries and territories tracked by the index. Japan and South Korea are tied for second place, each offering visa-free travel to 188 destinations.

Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) on Wednesday announced oil discoveries in Abu Dhabi’s Onshore Block 1 through their joint venture Urja Bharat Pte Limited (UBPL), where the two companies hold equal stakes

UBPL, a 50:50 special purpose vehicle of Indian Oil and Bharat PetroResources Limited (BPRL), was awarded the Onshore Block 1 exploration concession in 2019 under Abu Dhabi’s bid round. The concession is operated by UBPL.

Indian Oil said the first oil discovery was made in early 2024 in the unconventional Shilaif play at the XN-76 exploratory well. “After successful hydrofracking operations, the well flowed light crude oil at surface from the Shilaif formation,” the company said, adding that the test results have “established the presence of unconventional oil resources in Onshore Block 1.”

The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) aims to bring a transformational change in the income levels of rural women by promoting diversified and sustainable livelihoods. Promotion of non-farm rural enterprises is a critical pathway to achieve this goal. Over the years, several non-farm livelihood schemes including Star-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme have demonstrated successful enterprise models supported by trained community cadres. These cadres act as grassroots-level catalysts by providing enterprise identification, start-up support, mentoring, and handholding.

The Ministry has committed to enabling at least 3 crore Lakhpati Didis, i.e., SHG women members earning ₹1 lakh or more per annum. The scale required to meet the Lakhpati Didi goals necessitates a massive upscaling of this cadre.

Keeping these priorities in focus a “National Campaign on Entrepreneurship” was launched by the Additional Secretary (RD) on 12th January 2026. Advisor NITI Aayog (RD&PR), Chairman NABARD and representatives of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, IFMR LEAD (KREA University), EDII and IIM Calcutta innovation park and SMDs/CEOs of SRLMs along with their teams participated in the event.

Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Thursday named ambassador of the Bajaj Pune Grand Tour.

India’s first international multi-stage professional road cycling race, scheduled to be held in Pune from January 19 to 23.

The five-day ‘Continental Road Cycling Race for Men’ will wind through a 437-km route across the Deccan Plateau and Sahyadri Range, featuring sharp bends and challenging elevations.

The event has attracted 171 riders from 29 teams across 35 countries.

Dhoni, who has been named the event’s goodwill ambassador, said the race would open new avenues for cycling in the country and wished the Indian team luck.

In a bid to intensify the crackdown on legal immigrants, the US has announced an indefinite suspension of immigrant visa processing in 75 countries, beginning January 21, the State Department announced on Wednesday (US time). However, some countries on the list of 75 nations have surprised people and led to questions regarding the criteria used to devise it.

While the inclusion of nations like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Libya, Iran, Myanmar, Sudan, and others embroiled in conflicts, or known for sending problematic migrants to the US seems logical, what has puzzled many is the presence of relatively prosperous countries such as Kuwait, or those with positive global reputations, like Thailand and Bhutan, along with some Balkan states. Even Brazil came as a surprise entry on the list to many.