January 4th Week Current Affairs 2025 for CDSE/OTA – Latest Updates, National & International News, Banking, and Defence

Current Affairs for the fourth week of January 2025 cover key updates in national and international events, banking, defense, and major appointments. India observed Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti, National Voters Day, and Martyrs’ Day, while global events included International Day of Clean Energy and Holocaust Remembrance Day.

In banking, the RBI injected ₹75,772 crore and introduced new ARC guidelines. India showcased its digital and sustainable growth at WEF 2025, and eVTOL air taxi trials were announced. Defense highlights included DRDL Hyderabad’s hypersonic technology development and INS Sarvekshak’s hydrographic survey in Mauritius.

On the international front, India joined the Eurodrone program, and the UAE declared 2025 as the Year of Community. Donald Trump took oath as the 47th US President, and Elon Musk remained the world’s richest person. In awards, the 97th Oscars and WEF Crystal Awards recognized global achievers, while President Murmu conferred gallantry awards.

These updates are crucial for CDSE, OTA, and other exam aspirants to stay updated with key national and global affairs.

JANUARY 4TH WEEK CURRENT AFFAIRS: CDSE/OTA

IMPORTANT DAYS

• Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti (23rd January) – Observed to honor the birth of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
• International Day of Education (24th January) – Declared by the UN in 2018 to recognize the importance of education.
• National Girl Child Day (24th January) – Established in 2008 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development to address gender discrimination.
• National Voters Day (25th January) – First observed in 2011 to encourage electoral participation, with the 2025 theme: “Nothing Like Voting, I Vote for Sure.”
• National Tourism Day (25th January) – Highlights the significance of tourism in India’s economy.
• International Day of Clean Energy (26th January) – Declared by the UN in 2023 to promote clean energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• World Leprosy Day (26th January) – Observed on the last Sunday of January to raise awareness about leprosy.
• International Customs Day (26th January) – Established by the World Customs Organization (WCO) in 1983 to promote customs cooperation.
• International Holocaust Remembrance Day (27th January) – Established by the UN in 2005 to honor the victims of the Holocaust.
• Birth Anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai (28th January) – Commemorates the life of freedom fighter and social reformer Lala Lajpat Rai.
• Data Protection Day (28th January) – Established by the Council of Europe in 2006 to promote awareness about data privacy and security.
• The World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day 2025 is celebrated every year on the 30th of January 2025.
• Martyrs Day 2025 is observed on the 30th of January 2025.
  

BANKING AND FINANCE

• The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) injected ₹75,772 crore into the banking system via a variable rate repo (VRR)
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)came up with new guidelines for Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs) to streamline and provide an efficient settlement process for the dues of borrowers.
• Bajaj Finance and Bharti Airtelhave partnered to create a digital platform for financial services, targeting Airtel’s vast customer base.
• Power Finance Corporation (PFC)has signed a loan agreement with Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) for 120 billion Japanese yen (~₹6,600 crore).
• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)has proposed broadening the definition of Not-for-Profit Organizations (NPOs) and expanding eligible activities under the Social Stock Exchange (SSE) to address operational challenges and create a more inclusive framework.
  

NATIONAL NEWS

• 3rd National Mining Ministers’ Conference held in Konark, Odisha, with participation from Union Minister Shri G. Kishan Reddy and Odisha CM Shri Mohan Charan Majhi.
• Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Public Administration 2024launched on 20th January 2025.
• Entity Locker, a digital platform for business document management, launched by MeitY.
• Smriti Iraniand Shekhar Kapur join reconstituted Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library Society.
• Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority launches ₹2,000 crore expansion projects, including solar-powered boats and tugs.
• Livestock Conclave in Shillong inaugurated by Union Minister Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh.
• Diamond Imprest Authorization (DIA) Scheme introduced to boost India’s diamond sector, effective April 2025.
• India prepares for eVTOL air taxi trialsto address urban congestion.
• 10th anniversary of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme celebrated, aligning with Viksit Bharat 2047
• India aims for 500 GW renewable energy capacity by 2030.
• Draft e-commerce self-regulation guidelinesintroduced to protect consumers.
• Indian Sustainable Natural Rubber (iSNR)initiative launched in Kottayam, Kerala.
• National Health Mission (NHM)drives progress toward health-related SDGs by 2030.
• Competition Commission of India’s Monetary Penalty Guidelinesnominated for global antitrust award.
• India showcases inclusive growth hand digital transformation at World Economic Forum 2025.
• UNESCO and MeitY collaborate on AI Readiness Assessment to align with global ethical standards.
• INCOI Sawarded Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar-2025 for disaster management contributions.
• Air India launches AI-powered eZ Booking feature for seamless ticket booking.
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the Minimum Support Price (MSP)for Raw Jute for the Marketing season 2025-26.
• The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA)has issued notices to cab aggregators Ola and Uber regarding alleged differential pricing based on the user’s mobile operating system (iOS vs Android).
• Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Manohar Lal Khattar, launched the 9th edition of Swachh Survekshan (SS), the world’s largest urban cleanliness survey, with a new toolkitaimed at simplifying and enhancing the process.
• The National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), Government of India, organized the Second BIMSTEC Expert Group Meeting on Cyber Security Cooperationin New Delhi.
• The Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI)announced that the Government of India has approved a capital infusion of ₹500 crore into the company through the preferential issue of shares.
• On 26th January 2025, President Droupadi Murmuled the nation in celebrating the 76th Republic Day at Kartavya Path (formerly Janpath) in New Delhi.
• Indoreand Udaipur recognized as Wetland Cities under Ramsar Convention.
• India’s National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP)aims for TB elimination by 2025.
• India participates in FITUR 2025to boost tourism from Spain and Latin America.
• THDC India achieves COD for Khurja Super Thermal Power Plant’s Unit #1 (660 MW).
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 38th National Gamesin Dehradun, Uttarakhand
• The Union Cabinet has approved the National Critical Mineral Mission (CMM) with a financial allocation of Rs 16,300 crore
• The Republic Day Parade 2025 at Kartavya Path, Delhi showcased India’s military strength, cultural diversity, and historical legacy.
• The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) chairperson Jagdambika Pal stated that the panel adopted Waqf (Amendment) Bill draft report and the amended version of the proposed law with a majority vote.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• India has officially joined the Eurodrone programme as an observer state, marking its entry into the OCCAR-managed Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS)
• Nepal Pashmina Industries Association and the Confederation of Nepalese Industries hosted the first International Pashmina Festival in Nepal, showcasing over 150 domestic stalls, including 40 dedicated to pure Nepali Pashmina.
• The Trump administration’s Interior Department announced a rebranding effort. The Gulf of Mexico was renamed to the Gulf of America and Alaska’s Denali was renamed back to Mount McKinley.
• UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced 2025 as the Year of Community, aiming to promote unity and inclusion across the society.
• The Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year, marks the beginning of the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

• The 97th Academy Awards (Oscars 2025) will be held on March 2, 2025 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Leading Film: “Emilia Pérez”
• The 55th World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting commenced in Davos, Switzerland, recognizing global leaders with the Crystal Awards for their contributions to social, environmental, and creative progress. The 2025 awardees include:
  • David Beckham: For championing children’s rights.
  • Diane von Furstenberg: For empowering women.
  • Riken Yamamoto: For innovating sustainable architecture.
• President Droupadi Murmu conferred gallantry awards to 93 personnel from the Armed Forces and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), recognising their extraordinary bravery, valiant efforts, and selfless service to the nation.
• The Padma Awards are among India’s highest civilian honours, recognizing distinguished achievements across various fields which are announced annually on the eve of Republic Day. The awards are conferred in three categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri.
• On the occasion of the 76th Republic Day, President Smt. Droupadi Murmu has approved the prestigious President’s Tatrakshak Medal (PTM) and Tatrakshak Medal (TM) for the personnel of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).
• Shri Hariman Sharma, a pioneering farmer from Himachal Pradesh, has been awarded the prestigious Padma Shri (2025) for his revolutionary contributions to Indian agriculture.
• Doordarshan, India’s national broadcaster, has been recognized with an award in the Electronic Media category for its exemplary Voter Awareness and Education Campaign during the Lok Sabha Elections 2024.
• Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha was conferred with the prestigious Maharaja Hari Singh Award at a grand ceremony held at Satyam Resort, Jammu.
• Uttar Pradesh’s tableau, titled ‘Maha Kumbh 2025 – Swarnim Bharat: Virasat aur Vikas’, has claimed the first place in the People’s Choice Award category, securing 40% of the votes (25,007).

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS

• Gobind Jain, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of IndusInd Bank, resigned on January 17, 2025, after serving 25 years.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reconstituted the Standing External Advisory Committee (SEAC) to evaluate applications for universal banks and small finance banks.
• Neeraj Parakh has been appointed as the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Reliance Power Limited, effective January 20, 2025.
• Usha Vance has made history as the 1st Indian-American and Hindu 2nd Lady of the United States. Her husband J.D. Vance took the oath of office as the 50th Vice President in Washington, D.C.
• Paytm has appointed former IAS officer Bimal Julka as a Non-Executive Independent Director, effective from 20 January 2025.
• Donald Trump, who took oath as the 47th US President on January 20, 2025.
• Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal, a 1994-batch IPS officer from the Tamil Nadu cadre, has been appointed as the Additional Director General (ADG) of the Border Security Force (BSF).
• The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) has announced the election of Dhananjay Shukla as its President for the year 2025.
• Digi Haat, a buyer app launched by Nirmit Bharat, a subsidiary of the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), has announced the appointment of Rahul Vij as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO).
• Akhil Gupta, the Vice Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, has been appointed as the new Chairman of Bharti AXA Life Insurance.
• Amrit Mohan Prasad, a 1989-batch Odisha cadre IPS officer, has been given the additional charge of Director General of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), in addition to his current role as Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
• IDBI Bank has announced the reappointment of Rakesh Sharma as Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for another three-year term.
• Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has been confirmed as Prime Minister of Ireland after a vote in the Dáil, Ireland’s lower house of parliament.
• Jitender Pal Singh, who has served as India’s point person for engaging with the Taliban since their capture of power in Afghanistan in August 2021, has been appointed as India’s new Ambassador to Israel.
• Ayushmann Khurrana has been appointed as the ambassador of ‘FICCI Frames’.
• Alexander Lukashenko has been reelected president of Belarus, securing a 7th five-year term.
• Sridhar Vembu, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Zoho Corp, will step down from his role as CEO and take on a new position as Chief Scientist.
• Mandar Donde, currently Head of Asia-Pacific TMT Investment Banking at BofA Securities, will take over as the new Head of Global Corporate and Investment Banking in India starting April 1, 2025.
• Geoff Allardice, the CEO of the International Cricket Council (ICC), has decided to step down just weeks before the upcoming Champions Trophy.
• Milos Vucevic, the Prime Minister of Serbia, has announced his resignation amid growing protests and political tensions following the train station canopy collapse in Novi Sad in November, 2024.
• Vedanta Resources, the parent company of Mumbai-based Vedanta Ltd, has appointed Deshnee Naidoo as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) effective from 20 January 2025.
• Hideaki Nishino will become the CEO and President of Sony Interactive Entertainment as a whole.
• Maruti Suzuki’s Board of Directors approved Hisashi Takeuchi’s re-appointment as Managing Director and CEO for another 3 Years.

RANKING AND REPORTS

• India has emerged as the seventh-largest coffee producer in the world, with its coffee exports reaching $1.29 billion in FY 2023-24, nearly doubling from $719.42 million in 2020-21.
• Elon Musk remains the world’s richest person in 2025, with a net worth of $433.9 billion, primarily from Tesla and SpaceX.
• NITI Aayog released the Fiscal Health Index (FHI) for 18 major states in India, analyzing their fiscal health based on GDP contribution, demography, public expenditure, revenues, and fiscal stability. Odisha topped the index with a score of 67.8, excelling in the Debt Index (99.0).
• Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has made significant strides by overtaking OpenAI’s ChatGPT as the most downloaded free app in Apple’s App Store.

DEFENCE NEWS

• Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad, has developed Supersonic Combustion Ramjet (Scramjet) powered hypersonic technology.
• The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a ₹1,561 crore contract with Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF) for the procurement of 47 T-72 Bridge Laying Tanks (BLT) for the Indian Army.
• INS Sarvekshak successfully completed the final phase of the hydrographic survey of Mauritius, covering over 25,000 sq. nautical miles.
• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh flagged off ‘SANJAY – The Battlefield Surveillance System (BSS)’ from South Block, New Delhi on January 24, 2025.
• The Keel Laying of the 7th ship (BY 529, Machilipatnam) under the Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC) project was conducted on 29 Jan 25 in the presence of RAdm Upal Kundu, Chief of Staff, Southern Naval Command.

FAQs – January 4th Week Current Affairs (CDSE/OTA)

What were the important days observed in the fourth week of January 2025?

• Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti (23rd January)
• International Day of Education (24th January)
• National Girl Child Day (24th January)
• National Voters Day (25th January) – Theme: “Nothing Like Voting, I Vote for Sure.”
• National Tourism Day (25th January)
• International Day of Clean Energy (26th January)
• International Holocaust Remembrance Day (27th January)
• Martyrs’ Day (30th January)

What were the key updates in banking and finance?

• RBI injected ₹75,772 crore into the banking system via Variable Rate Repo (VRR).
• RBI introduced new guidelines for Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs).
• Bajaj Finance and Bharti Airtel partnered to launch a digital financial services platform.
• Power Finance Corporation (PFC) signed a ₹6,600 crore loan agreement with Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

What are the major national news updates from this week?

• India participated in the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2025 to showcase digital growth.
• The 3rd National Mining Ministers’ Conference was held in Odisha.
• Entity Locker, a digital document management platform, was launched by MeitY.
• India initiated eVTOL air taxi trials to address urban congestion.
• The 10th anniversary of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme was celebrated.

What are the major international developments?

• India joined the Eurodrone program as an observer.
• The UAE declared 2025 as the Year of Community.
• Donald Trump took oath as the 47th US President on January 20, 2025.
• Usha Vance became the first Indian-American and Hindu Second Lady of the United States.
• Nepal hosted the first International Pashmina Festival.

What were the latest defense updates?

• DRDL Hyderabad developed supersonic scramjet-powered hypersonic technology.
• INS Sarvekshak completed the hydrographic survey of Mauritius.
• The Ministry of Defence signed a ₹1,561 crore contract for 47 T-72 Bridge Laying Tanks (BLT).
• Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh flagged off ‘SANJAY – The Battlefield Surveillance System (BSS).’

What awards and honors were announced?

• 97th Academy Awards (Oscars 2025) to be held on March 2, 2025.
• World Economic Forum (WEF) Crystal Awards honored:
  • David Beckham – Championing children’s rights.
  • Diane von Furstenberg – Women’s empowerment.
  • Riken Yamamoto – Sustainable architecture.
• President Droupadi Murmu conferred gallantry awards to 93 armed forces personnel.
• Uttar Pradesh’s tableau ‘Maha Kumbh 2025 – Swarnim Bharat: Virasat aur Vikas’ won the People’s Choice Award.

What were the key appointments and resignations?

• Donald Trump sworn in as the 47th US President.
• Neeraj Parakh appointed as CEO of Reliance Power.
• Jitender Pal Singh appointed as India’s new Ambassador to Israel.
• Gobind Jain resigned as CFO of IndusInd Bank.
• Sridhar Vembu stepped down as CEO of Zoho Corp to become Chief Scientist.

What were the major reports and rankings released?

• India ranked 7th in global coffee production.
• Elon Musk remained the world’s richest person with a net worth of $433.9 billion.
• NITI Aayog released the Fiscal Health Index (FHI), where Odisha topped with a score of 67.8.
• Chinese AI startup DeepSeek surpassed OpenAI’s ChatGPT as the most downloaded free app on Apple’s App Store.