Current Affairs Quiz - January 2026

Notes:
A 29-year-old man in Karnataka died after contracting Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), also called monkey fever. Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) is a tick-borne viral haemorrhagic disease mostly found in southern India, first reported in 1957 from Kyasanur Forest, Karnataka. The virus belongs to the family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus, part of the tick-borne encephalitis complex. It is called monkey fever due to its association with monkey deaths.

Notes:
Karnataka leads India’s Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) startup ecosystem with 39% share, as per Economic Survey 2025–26. India’s GenAI startups rose threefold from 240 in first half of 2024 to 890 in first half of 2025. The sector attracted 76.4 million US dollars Year-To-Date (YTD) funding across 18 rounds. Deep technology funding grew by 78% in Calendar Year (CY) 2024. Karnataka supports innovation with 43 State Public Universities, the highest in India. The state is driving India’s shift from back-office services to an Artificial Intelligence front office.

Notes:
World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day is observed every year on 30 January by the World Health Organization. It highlights the impact of Neglected Tropical Diseases on poor and underserved communities. Neglected Tropical Diseases affect about one billion people worldwide but are preventable and treatable. In 2024, around 1.4 billion people needed interventions, showing a 36 percent decline since 2010. By early 2026, 58 countries eliminated at least one Neglected Tropical Disease.

Notes:
Uttar Pradesh won the national award for Most Proactive State under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)–UDAN in the Non-Priority Area category. The award recognises states that are neither hill states nor in the North-East, highlighting UP’s aviation expansion under CM Yogi Adityanath. Air passenger numbers grew from 59.97 lakh in 2016 to 1.28 crore in 2024 and 1.55 crore in 2025. Air cargo volume increased from 5,895 metric tonnes in 2016 to 29,761 metric tonnes in 2025, a CAGR of 17.58% over nine years.

Notes:
India’s first Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Advocate Training and Research Centre was inaugurated at Taloja, Navi Mumbai. The centre has been established by the Maharashtra and Goa Bar Council. It aims to strengthen the legal profession by bridging the gap between legal education and courtroom practice. The academy will focus on advocate training, legal research, and practical skill development. The initiative is seen as a landmark step for improving professional standards in law.

Notes:
The National Career Service (NCS) Portal is a digital platform providing career services such as job listings, job fairs, career counselling, vocational guidance, and skill development information. It is an initiative under the Ministry of Labour and Employment It aims to connect jobseekers and employers, offering decent employment opportunities and career development assistance. As of 20 January 2026, more than 2.23 crore jobseekers have been shortlisted. The portal offers online employability and digital skill enhancement programmes.

Notes:
Young Indian shuttler Devika Sihag won her first Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 title at the Thailand Masters in Bangkok. She was leading 21-8, 6-3 in the women’s singles final when Malaysia’s Goh Jin Wei retired due to a hamstring injury. Devika Sihag is 20 years old and hails from Haryana. Goh Jin Wei, world No. 68, is a two-time former World Junior Champion. This victory marks the biggest title of Devika Sihag’s career.

Notes:
Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya launched MY Bharat Budget Quest 2026, a youth-focused initiative to increase understanding of the Union Budget. The initiative connects the Union Budget 2026 with citizens’ everyday lives through participatory engagement of youth from colleges, institutions, and coaching centres. The competition runs on the MY Bharat platform, with the first round being a national-level online quiz.

Notes:
Guatemala’s Volcán de Fuego, one of Central America’s most persistently active volcanoes, has recently witnessed a powerful explosive eruption. Volcán de Fuego is an active volcano located in Guatemala and means “Volcano of Fire” in Spanish. It is a young basaltic stratovolcano overlooking the historic city of Antigua. The volcano lies between Acatenango and Agua volcanoes and rises to 3,763 metres above sea level. It is part of the Central American Volcanic Arc stretching from Guatemala to Panama. Guatemala lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, making it prone to volcanic and seismic activity.

Notes:
India will display the sacred Devnimori Relics of Lord Buddha in Sri Lanka as part of cultural and spiritual diplomacy. The relics come from the Devnimori archaeological site near Shamlaji in the Aravalli district of Gujarat. The site was first explored in 1957 by archaeologist Professor S. N. Chowdhry. Excavations showed that Buddhism flourished in western India during the early Common Era. A relic casket made of green schist was found inside the Devnimori Stupa at 24 feet height. The Brahmi script inscription reads “dashabala sharira nilay”, meaning abode of Buddha’s bodily relic.