🏛️ Polity & Governance

🔷 28th Commonwealth Speakers' Conference concludes in New Delhi

The three-day CSPOC (Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth) successfully ended on January 16.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla delivered the valedictory address, emphasizing that democratic institutions must be transparent and accountable.
Key Handover: The chairmanship for the 29th CSPOC was officially handed over to Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the UK House of Commons.
London will host the next edition of this conference in 2028.

💰 Economy & Banking

🔷 Wholesale Inflation (WPI) rises to 0.83% in December 2025

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry released the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) data.
Inflation returned to positive territory at 0.83% after two months of deflation (negative growth).
Main Reason: Increase in prices of minerals, machinery, textiles, and food products.
Contrast: Retail inflation (CPI) for the same period was slightly higher at 1.33%.

🔬 Science & Technology

🔷 National Startup Day: India celebrates 10 years of Startup India

January 16 marked the 10th anniversary of the Startup India Initiative.
PM Narendra Modi addressed the "Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue," urging startups to lead in AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Manufacturing.
Growth: India now has over 1.5 lakh recognized startups, up from just 500 in 2014.
National Startup Awards 2025 Highlights:
- Best Performer (Category A): Gujarat.
- Best Performer (Category B): Arunachal Pradesh and Goa.
- Award Winners: Sunfox Technologies (Uttarakhand) and Goat Robotics (Tamil Nadu) were among the top innovators.

🌿 Environment & Ecology

🔷 Government amends Forest Conservation Guidelines 2026

The Ministry of Environment (MoEFCC) amended the rules under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980.
New Change: It now allows non-government participation (private players/NGOs) in restoring degraded forest land.
The move aims to increase India's green cover and meet the target of creating a carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes by 2030.

🌐 International Relations & Agreements

🔷 India prepares for BRICS Presidency 2026

India has officially launched the logo, website, and theme for its BRICS Presidency in 2026.
Theme: "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."
The logo features a 'Namaste' gesture, symbolizing India’s welcoming culture and leadership in the Global South.
2026 is a milestone year as it marks 20 years of the BRICS grouping.

🏅 Sports

🔷 India Open 2026: Loh Kean Yew enters Semi-Finals

Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew (2021 World Champion) defeated Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn in a thrilling match in New Delhi.
He will now face Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie in the semi-finals on January 17.
The tournament is a BWF Super 750 event held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.

🎭 Culture & Important Events

🔷 Ajith wins Palamedu Jallikattu 2026

The famous Palamedu Jallikattu in Madurai was flagged off by Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin on January 16.
Winner: Ajith from Ponthukkampatti tamed 17 bulls and was awarded a car.
Best Bull: The bull belonging to Sreedharan (Kulamangalam) won a tractor.
This traditional event follows the Avaniyapuram event and will be followed by the Alanganallur Jallikattu today.

📌 January 17 General Knowledge

Birth Anniversary of M. G. Ramachandran (1917): Born today, he was a legendary actor and the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He was the first film actor in India to become a Chief Minister.
Death of Harivansh Rai Bachchan (2003): The renowned Hindi poet and author of 'Madhushala' passed away on this day.
Captain Scott reaches South Pole (1912): On this day, British explorer Robert Falcon Scott reached the South Pole, only to find that Roald Amundsen had arrived there five weeks earlier.
Death of Jyoti Basu (2010): The veteran CPM leader and former Chief Minister of West Bengal (who served for a record 23 years) passed away today.