Current Affairs 31 January 2026

Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister passed away

Ajit Anantrao Pawar, Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister, passed away at the age of 66 in a tragic plane crash. A senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), he was a dominant political figure in Maharashtra, especially in Baramati, which elected him eight consecutive times.

Women Entrepreneurs’ Industrial Park

• The Andhra Pradesh Government signed an MoU with FICCI Ladies Organisation (FICCI-FLO) to promote women entrepreneurship in the State.
• The MoU was signed by Minister for Industries and Commerce, T.G. Bharath.
• The agreement provides for the establishment of a 30-acre exclusive Women Entrepreneurs’ Industrial Park under the AP Plug and Play Private Industrial Parks Policy 2024–29. 
• The industrial park will be exclusively for women entrepreneurs who are members of FICCI-FLO.
• The initiative aligns with AP Government’s “One Family, One Entrepreneur policy”.

One Family, One Entrepreneur Scheme

The Andhra Pradesh Government has launched the “One Family, One Entrepreneur” initiative as part of its broader MSME & Entrepreneur Development Policy 4.0 (2024–29). The vision is to empower every family in the state to become economically self-reliant by fostering at least one entrepreneur in each household.

RBI Report on Health Spending by the Union Government

• The National Health Policy (NHP), 2017 aimed to raise public health expenditure to 2.5% of GDP by 2025, with the Union government contributing 40% of total public health spending.
• However, this target remains unachieved.
• State governments have steadily increased health spending:
  • From 0.67% of GDP (2017–18) to 1.1% of GDP (2025–26 BE).
• In contrast, Union government health spending has declined post-COVID:
  • From 0.37% of GDP in 2020–21 to 0.29% of GDP in 2025–26 (BE).
• The share of health in the Union Budget fell from 2.26% to 2.05% during this period.
• The Health and Education Cess (4%), introduced in 2018–19, has not significantly expanded health budgets; only about one-fourth of collections are used for health.
• Funding for key public health schemes like the National Health Mission (NHM) and Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) has seen real-term cuts.
• Overall, while States have increased health spending, the Centre’s reduced allocations have limited progress toward universal and robust public healthcare.

Ancient Grain Storage Tradition in Srikakulam

• Paathara (also called Khoni) is a traditional underground grain storage system once widely practised by farmers along the Mahendratanaya river in the Uddanam region of Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh.
• The storage pit is rectangular, plastered with straw and clay, and sealed with cow dung, making it eco-friendly and effective against rodents, moisture, and theft.
• This practice symbolised food security, prosperity, and joint family culture, with each family storing enough paddy for annual consumption and rituals.

Free Power Scheme for Weavers in Andhra Pradesh

• The Andhra Pradesh government will launch a Free Power Scheme for weavers from April 1, 2026.
• Under the scheme, handloom weavers will receive free electricity up to 200 units per month, while power loom weavers will get free power up to 500 units per month.
• A total of 1,03,534 weaver families will benefit, including 93,000 handloom families and 10,534 power loom families.
• Additional welfare measures: Increase in monthly pension from ₹3,000 to ₹4,000 for weavers aged 50 and above.
• MoUs were signed with Co-optex, Taneira (Tata), and Aadyam (Aditya Birla) to promote handlooms through e-commerce platforms.

Republic Day Parade 2026 Awards Announced

• The results of the Best Marching Contingents and Best Tableaux for the Republic Day Parade 2026 have been officially announced.
• Jury Awards:
  • Best Marching Contingent (Services): Indian Navy
  • Best Marching Contingent (CAPFs): Delhi Police
  • Top Tableaux (States/UTs): Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir, and Kerala
  • Best Central Ministry Tableau: Ministry of Culture, Government of India
  • Special Prizes:
    • Central Public Works Department (CPWD)
    • “Vande Mataram: The Eternal Resonance of India” Dance Group
• Popular Choice Awards (MyGov Voting):
  • Best Marching Contingent (Services): Assam Regiment
  • Best Marching Contingent (CAPFs): CRPF
  • Top Tableaux (States/UTs): Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan
  • Best Central Ministry Tableau: Department of School Education & Literacy

These awards recognise excellence in discipline, presentation, cultural depiction, and public engagement during the Republic Day celebrations.

India Energy Week (IEW) 2026 Awards

India Energy Week (IEW) 2026 concluded on 30 January 2026 in Goa, after a four-day global energy conclave held from 27–30 January 2026. The event recognised innovators, startups, academic institutions, and industry leaders for their contributions to clean energy, upstream technology, exploration, and sustainability.

• AVINYA – The Energy Startup Challenge awarded Minimines Cleantech Solutions as the winner for its low-carbon recovery technology from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries.
• VASUDHA – Overseas Upstream Startup Challenge was won by SENERGETICS (Netherlands) for AI-driven corrosion monitoring solutions.
• In the Hackathon Challenge, IIT Bombay emerged as the winner for developing an AI-based unified reservoir analysis platform.
• Under the FIPI / IIP Annual Industry Awards, major recognitions included:
  • ONGC as Exploration Company of the Year
  • Oil India Limited as Oil & Gas Production Company of the Year (Over 1 MTOE)
  • Reliance Industries Ltd., Jamnagar (SEZ) as Refinery of the Year

Disclaimer: This article is prepared for competitive exam preparation using publicly available information.