🏛️ Polity & Governance

🔷 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (NRI Day) Celebrated Today

Every year, January 9 is celebrated as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community.
This day commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to Mumbai in 1915.
While 2026 is a non-convention year (full conventions happen biennially), Indian embassies globally are holding events focused on the theme of "Diaspora Contribution to a Viksit Bharat."

💰 Economy & Banking

🔷 NSO Releases First Advance Estimates of GDP (2025-26)

The National Statistical Office (NSO) has released the First Advance Estimates for the current financial year.
India's Real GDP growth is projected at 7.4% for FY 2025-26, up from 7.2% in the previous year.
The growth is driven by strong performance in the manufacturing and construction sectors.
Nominal GDP growth (which includes inflation) is estimated at 10.5%.

🔬 Science & Technology

🔷 India Enters 'Green Highway' Era with Bio-Bitumen Technology

The Union Ministry of Science & Technology announced the successful commercialization of Bio-Bitumen technology.
This technology converts farm residue (stubble/parali) into bitumen using a process called Pyrolysis.
It will help reduce India's import dependency on petroleum-based bitumen and solve the problem of stubble burning by farmers.
The technology has been developed by CSIR-IIP (Indian Institute of Petroleum).

🌿 Environment & Ecology

🔷 Renowned Ecologist Madhav Gadgil Passes Away

Legendary environmentalist and ecologist Madhav Gadgil passed away at the age of 82 in Pune.
He is most famous for heading the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), also known as the Gadgil Commission (2010).
He was a recipient of the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and the prestigious Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement.
His work was crucial in identifying "Ecologically Sensitive Areas" in the Western Ghats.

🔷 Unusual Deep Depression over Bay of Bengal

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has tracked a rare deep depression over the Bay of Bengal in the month of January.
Such systems are unusual for January; only 20 such intense systems have been recorded since 1891.
It is expected to bring heavy rainfall to coastal Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh over the next 48 hours.

🌐 International Relations & Agreements

🔷 USA Withdraws from International Solar Alliance (ISA)

In a significant geopolitical shift, the USA under the Trump administration has announced its withdrawal from the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
The ISA was co-founded by India and France in 2015 to promote solar energy globally.
The US also announced its exit from 66 other international organizations, citing its "America First" policy.
This move is seen as a challenge to global climate cooperation agreements.

🏅 Sports

🔷 PV Sindhu Reaches Malaysia Open Quarterfinals

Indian badminton star PV Sindhu has secured a spot in the women's singles quarterfinals of the Malaysia Open Super 1000.
She defeated Japan's Tomoka Miyazaki in a dominant performance (21-12, 21-15).
Sindhu is aiming for her first major title of the 2026 season.

🔷 Australian Cricketer Usman Khawaja Announces Retirement

Veteran Australian opening batsman Usman Khawaja has announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket.
He finished his career with over 6,000 Test runs and was a key player in Australia's recent World Test Championship and Ashes successes.

👤 Personalities

🔷 Former Union Minister Kabindra Purkayastha Passes Away

Senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Kabindra Purkayastha passed away in Silchar, Assam at 94.
He served as the Union Minister of State for Communications in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government (1998-1999).

📌 January 9, 2026 General Knowledge

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: Observed to mark the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India on January 9, 1915. The PBD convention started in 2003.
Birth of Hargobind Khorana (1922): Today is the birth anniversary of the Indian-American biochemist who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine (1968) for his work on the genetic code.
First Miss India (1952): On this day, Indrani Rehman was crowned the first-ever Miss India.
Establishment of BSE (1875): The Bombay Stock Exchange, Asia's oldest stock exchange, was founded on this day as "The Native Share & Stock Brokers' Association."