• India’s longest 300-meter single lane steel cable suspension bridge was inaugurated by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu. The bridge across the Siang river at Yingkiong in Upper Siang district has been named Byorung Bridge.

• The Environment Ministry launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) aimed at reducing toxic particulate matter in 102 Indian cities by 2024.

• Nicolás Maduro was sworn in for a second term as Venezuela’s President amid the economic and humanitarian crisis faced by the Latin American The US, EU and 13 other countries have stated that they would not recognise Maduro’s Presidency.

• President of the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF), Birendra Prasad Baishya,has been named Chef de Mission for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.  It is for the first time that the Weightlifting has been accorded with the honor of Chef de Mission for the Olympics.

• According to the Henley Passport Index, India ranks 79th, Japan tops list of most powerful passports.

• M C Mary Kom has attained number one position in the International Boxing Association’s (AIBA) latest world rankings.She has become the most successful boxer in world championships’ history.

• ISRO Chairman Dr. K Sivan has announced that the organization is well prepared to meet the targets of launching Gaganyaan manned mission to outer space by December 2021. Under Gaganyaan project, India is planning to send three astronauts to outer space for seven days and bring them back.

• Ashok Chawla resigned as chairman of the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd (NSE).

• Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has appointed Su Tseng-chang as Prime Minister.

• The National Youth Day was celebrated across the country on 12th January. NYD 2019 is the 156th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

• The 32nd Meeting of GST Council was concluded in New Delhi. The Limit of annual turnover for composition scheme increased to 1.5 crore rupees effective from April 1, 2019. The Council has decided to increase the GST registration threshold limit to 40 lakh rupees from 20 lakh. The Taxpayers who are giving Services of up to Rs.50 lacs per annum will be taxed under 6% under Composition Scheme.

• The 11th edition of EIU Democracy Index 2018 was released by the Economist Intelligent Unit. Norway topped and India ranked 41st place on the Economist Intelligence Unit’s annual Global Democracy Index.

• Industrialist and Godrej Group Chairman Adi Godrej was conferred the ICSIs (Institute of Company Secretaries of India) Lifetime Achievement Award for ‘Translating Excellence in Corporate Governance into Reality’.

• Gujarat has become the first state to implement the 10% reservation for economically weaker sections of the general category.

• Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling launched the ‘One Family One Job’ scheme, under which for every family one government job has been allotted, in Gangtok. Thus, Sikkim became the first state in the country to carry out such a programme for the people entitling them to state government employee benefits. Note: CM Chamling is the longest serving CM of Independent India.

• Writer Namita Gokhale has won the Sushila Devi Literature Award for her novel “Things to Leave Behind”.

• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi,received the first-ever Philip Kotler Presidential award, in New Delhi. The Award focuses on the triple-bottom-line of People, Profit, and Planet. Philip Kotler is a world-renowned Professor of Marketing at Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management.

• Maharashtra topped the medal tally with 37 golds at the Khelo India Youth Games in Pune. It had 111 medals in its kitty with 37 gold, 31 silver and 43 bronze. 

• Gurgaon’s 8-year-old Kartik Singh has won the under-8 category at the Kids’ Golf World Championship organized by US kids Golf in Malaysia, which makes him the youngest Indian to win the title.

• Bengaluru Raptors have won their first ever Premier Badminton League, PBL title. They defeated Mumbai Rockets.

• India got its largest startup ecosystem when Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated a 1.8-lakh-square-feet facility housing incubation set-ups across a string of segments in modern technology.

• Government e-Marketplace (GeM)has launched “Womaniya on GeM”, an initiative to enable women entrepreneurs and women self-help groups (WSHGs) to sell handicrafts and handloom, accessories and many other products. Government e-Marketplace is a 100% government owned company set up under the aegis of Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

• The Parliament of Macedonia has passed the resolution to amend the constitution of the country to rename it as the Republic of Northern Macedonia.

• Ananth Narayanan has stepped down as CEO of Myntra and Jabong. Amar Nagaram has been named as Head, Myntra and Jabong, reporting to Kalyan Krishnamurthy, CEO of Flipkart Group.

• Army Day was observed on January 15 in India. On this day in 1949, Field Marshal Kodandera M Cariappa took over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief.

• The government has constituted a seven-member Group of Ministers (GoM) to boost the real estate sector under the GST regime. Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat Nitin Patel is the convener of the GoM.

• The International Cricket Council (ICC)announced that Manu Sawhney has been appointed as the  organization’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He will formally take over the reins from David Richardson in July following the ICC World Cup 2019. Note: Chairperson: Shashank Manohar, Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

• A detained Chinese rights lawyer Yu Wensheng has won a Franco-German human rights award for his ‘exceptional contribution’ to the protection and promotion of human rights.

• D Gukesh from Tamil Nadu became the 2nd youngest Grand Master in the world and the youngest Indian to achieve the feat at 12 years, 7 months and 17 days, erasing the mark set by his state-mate R Praggnanandhaa in June 2018. Ukraine’s Sergey Karjakin remains the youngest-ever GM, having achieved the feat at the age of 12 years and 7 months in 2002.

• MP CM Launches Rs.50,000 Cr. Farm Loan Waiver Scheme  ‘Jai Kisan Rin Mukti Yojana’. Only those farmers who have not registered themselves to pay GST and income tax can avail benefits under this scheme.

• A ministerial panel headed by Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar will examine uniformity of taxation on lottery under GST or other issues arising out of it. Under GST, state-organized lottery falls under the 12% tax slab while state-authorized lottery attracts 28% tax.

• The second edition of the India-Myanmar bilateral army exercise, IMBEX 2018-19,commenced at Chandimandir Military Station,  Chandigarh.

• Mountaineer Satyarup Siddhanta conquered Antartica’s highest point, Mount Sidley. With this feat, he became the first Indian and youngest man to climb the 7 highest peaks and volcanic summits across all continents. He achieved the feat at the age of 35 years and 262 days.

• Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas took the chairmanship of the UN’s Group of 77 from Egypt for 2019. The G77 group was originally founded by 77 members in 1964 but has expanded to 134 mainly developing nations.

• The Gandhi Peace Prize for the years 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 has been conferred on the following:- for 2015: Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari;  for 2016: Jointly to Akshaya Patra Foundation and Sulabh International; for 2017: Ekal Abhiyan Trust: for 2018: Shri Yohei Sasakawa for his contribution in Leprosy Eradication in India and across the world.

• The second World Orange Festival began in Nagpur.

• Ace Indian female wrestler Vinesh Phogat has become the first Indian athlete to receive a nomination in the prestigious Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award.

• India defeated Australia in the third ODI today to clinch the three-match series 2-1. With this, India became the first visiting side to win a bilateral series (two or more matches) in all three formats in Australia.

• Nashik in Maharashtra will be the site of the country’s second defence innovation hub after Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.

• India has signed a long-term contract with Uzbekistan for supply of uranium ore concentrates to widen its source base for the nuclear fuel.

• HDFC Standard Life Insurance has changed its name to HDFC Life Insurance Company Ltd.

• The 15th edition of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas began at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The 3 day event is being organized in Varanasi for the first time. The theme this year is, ‘Role of Indian Diaspora in building New India’.

• The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI)has set up an 11-member working group under the Chairmanship of former SEBI chief UK Sinha to go into the concept of ‘Group Insolvency’ and suggest a suitable framework.

• Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad (IIT-H)has announced the launch of a full-fledged bachelor’s programme in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology from the new academic session, a first for the country and only the third globally.

• Nepal’s central bank has banned the use of Indian currency notes of 2,000, Rs.500 and Rs.200 denominations (Indian bank notes higher than Rs.100). Note: Nepal’s central bank is called as Nepal Rashtra Bank.

• The Swedish Parliament approved Stefan Lofven as Prime Minister for a second four-year term.

• The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)has named the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro as the World Capital of Architecture for 2020. Rio will be the first city to receive the title.

• Himachal Pradesh MP Anurag Thakur has been bestowed with Sansad Ratna Award for his distinguished performance as a parliamentarian under Jury Committee Special Award category.

• The Reserve Bank of India has approved the appointment of V Vaidyanathan as MD and CEO of IDFC First Bank for a period of three years. In December 2018, IDFC Bank and non-banking financial company Capital First completed their merger.

• India’s Ankita Raina has won the International Tennis Federation’s 25,000-dollar Women’s tournament in Singapore.

• The world’s oldest man, Masazo Nonaka of Japan, has died at the age of 113.