News of The Day : 16th January 2026

News of The Day – 16th Jan 2026

The Hindu, Indian Express, Live Mint, Business Standard, Economic Times, PIB and AIR, etc

(with Syllabus Relevance)

• About National Startup Day (January 16)
  • Marks 10 years of the Startup India Initiative (launched January 16, 2016).
• India has one of the world’s largest startup ecosystems with over 2 lakh DPIIT-recognized startups (as of December 2025), including 120+ unicorns valued at over $350 billion.
• About Startup India 
  • Focuses on job creation, innovation, inclusive growth (Tier 2/3 cities contribute significantly)
  • Policy support like funding, mentorship, and regulatory ease.

(GS-3: Economy)

• About National Campaign on Entrepreneurship 
• Schemes promoting Rural Entrepreneurship
  • Startup Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP)
  • Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana-NRLM.
• Emphasizes self-employment, skill development, and economic empowerment in rural areas to reduce migration and boost local economies.

(GS-2 IR)

• About Global Risk Report
• 21st edition highlights an “age of competition” with geoeconomic confrontation as the top risk for 2026 
• Analyzes risks across immediate (2026), short-medium (to 2028), and long-term (to 2036) horizons.
• Emphasizes uncertainty, fragmentation, protectionism, and the need for dialogue/multilateralism amid geopolitical tensions and economic challenges.

(GS-3: Environment)

• Key Findings of Copernicus Climate Change Service (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) 
  • Past 11 years are the warmest on record
  • Three-year average (2023-2025) exceeds 1.5°C Paris limit for the first time
• Highlights ongoing climate urgency despite slight dip from El Niño effects.

• About Thiruvalluvar Day (aligned with Pongal festivities),
• About Thiruvalluvar
  • Ancient Tamil saint-poet and author of Tirukkural (ethical treatise on virtue, wealth, and love). 

(GS-2: Polity & Governance)

• Key Highlights of Supreme Court Ruling  (in Kanchana Rai vs. Geeta Sharma, 2026)
• Cited Manusmriti (Verse: no one should forsake mother, father, wife, or son) for moral duty.
• Provision of Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956
• Ensures equality (Article 14), dignity (Article 21), and prevents arbitrary denial.

• Scientists confirmed India’s first documented case of tetrodotoxin (TTX) poisoning from freshwater pufferfish consumption (highly toxic neurotoxin; no antidote)
• About Pufferfish and its Consumption.

• Signed January 14, 2026, during Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh’s visit to Israel for the Blue Food Security Summit.
• Focuses on technology transfer (RAS, biofloc, cage culture, genetic improvement, mariculture, water management), joint R&D, Centres of Excellence, startup exchange, and trade facilitation.
• Builds on Indo-Israel strategic partnership for sustainable Blue Economy, food security, and livelihoods.

(GS-3: Science and tech)

• About Role of Iron 
  • Essential for hemoglobin synthesis, oxygen transport, energy metabolism, immunity, and cognitive development
• Deficiency causes anemia (prevalent in India, especially among women/children)
  • leads to fatigue, reduced productivity, and developmental issues. 
• Sources include heme (animal) and non-heme (plant, fortified foods);
• Absorption enhanced by vitamin C, inhibited by tea/calcium/phytates. 
• Government programs to provide supplements.