Current Affairs Quiz - January 2026

Notes:
The world’s largest compressed-air energy storage plant has started operations in Jiangsu province, central China, supporting the country’s green energy transition. The plant has a capacity of 2,400 megawatt-hours and can generate 600 megawatts, enough to meet the annual electricity demand of 600,000 households. China’s energy storage sector has grown rapidly, driven by large-scale renewable energy deployment and a government target of over 180 gigawatts of new capacity by 2027.

Notes:
The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) in collaboration with the Central Sanskrit University (CSU), successfully completed a 15-day transliteration capacity-building workshop on Ayurvedic manuscripts in Kerala. The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) functions under the Ministry of Ayush. The programme was organised under a MoU between CCRAS and CSU as part of a national initiative to document, digitise, and promote research use of classical Ayurvedic manuscripts.

Notes:
PESA (Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas) State Rankings for 2024–25 were released. Maharashtra secured 1st position, Madhya Pradesh 2nd, and Himachal Pradesh 3rd among the 10 States with Fifth Schedule Areas. The rankings assess implementation of the PESA Act, which strengthens Gram Sabhas and Panchayats in Scheduled Areas. The rankings aim to promote Gram Sabha-centric self-governance, evidence-based policy interventions, and identify areas needing focused support. The initiative reflects a collective commitment of the Centre and States for outcome-oriented PESA implementation.

Notes:
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) launched Operation Sahyadri Checkmate based on developed intelligence. A clandestine mobile mephedrone manufacturing laboratory was dismantled in the Sahyadri ranges, disguised as a poultry farm. The lab frequently shifted locations to evade detection and was fully operational for producing Mephedrone (a narcotic under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act). The operation highlights DRI’s role in disrupting organized drug trafficking and protecting public health, law and order, and economic stability.

Notes:
The Rusty-spotted Cat, one of the rarest and smallest wild cats in the world, was recently spotted in the Shergarh forest of Baran district, Rajasthan. It is the world’s smallest and lightest known cat species. The species is found in dry deciduous and semi-deciduous forests of northern and central India, the Western Ghats, Kachchh, Rajasthan, and peninsular India. It is also distributed in Nepal and Sri Lanka. India supports about 80 percent of the global population of this species. Its conservation status on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List is Near Threatened.

Notes:
Amid controversy over reducing its boundary, the Forest Minister recently visited Shettihalli Wildlife Sanctuary to assess the situation. The sanctuary is located in Shimoga (Shivamogga) district of Karnataka and covers about 395.6 square kilometres. The Tunga Anicut Dam lies within the sanctuary and supports otters and several water bird species. Mandagadde Bird Sanctuary is part of Shettihalli and is a major bird nesting site on an island in the Tunga River. The area has tropical evergreen, semi-evergreen, dry deciduous, and moist deciduous forests.

Notes:
Thailand launched its first rewilding effort by releasing a young Indo-Pacific leopard shark near Maiton Island. Indo-Pacific leopard sharks are also called zebra sharks due to their changing spotted or striped patterns with age. They are slow-swimming reef sharks found in tropical coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific. It is classified as Endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Notes:
Former Australian hockey player Michael Nobbs has passed away today after a prolonged illness at the age of 72. He earned 76 international caps for Australia between 1979 and 1985. Nobbs played in the 1981 Hockey World Cup in Bombay and the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He coached the Indian men’s hockey team at the 2012 London Olympics, taking over in 2011 after India failed to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Games. Apart from India, he also coached the Japanese national hockey team.

Notes:
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur researchers developed a new method to predict solar cycles. A solar cycle is an about 11-year cycle of solar activity controlled by the Sun’s magnetic field. It is measured by the number and intensity of sunspots seen on the Sun’s surface. Around every 11 years, the Sun’s magnetic field flips, swapping north and south poles. Sunspots increase and decrease as magnetic activity changes on the Sun. The cycle starts with solar minimum, when sunspots are very few. Activity rises to solar maximum, when sunspots are highest. After this, activity declines back to solar minimum and a new cycle begins.

Notes:
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel launched the state-wide Mukhyamantri Gramotthan Yojana from Bhadran in Anand district. The scheme aims to provide urban-level facilities in rural areas and reduce the rural–urban development gap. In the first phase, 114 villages that are Taluka headquarters will be upgraded with modern infrastructure. The Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for 2,666 Gram Panchayat Ghar-cum-Talati Awas buildings worth ₹663 crore. The Gramotthan Abhiyan will later cover all villages with a population above 10,000. The initiative focuses on inclusive and balanced rural development across Gujarat.