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Current Affairs 23rd January 2026
Indian Constitution
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The DPSP in India are borrowed from Ireland.
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The Indian Constitution was adopted on 26th November 1949.
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The Indian Constitution came into force on 26th January 1950.
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The Indian Constitution currently has about 470 Articles.
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Fundamental Duties are mentioned in Part IVA of the Constitution.
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The Indian Constitution is the longest written Constitution of any sovereign country.
1. Namita Gokhale Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
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Honoring a Literary Legend: The award recognizes Gokhale’s "sustained contribution" to Indian literature and publishing. Best known for her cult classic debut Paro: Dreams of Passion and her Sahitya Akademi-winning novel Things to Leave Behind, she is celebrated for her vivid portrayal of the Himalayan region and her commitment to cross-cultural dialogue.
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Cultural Institution Building: Beyond her writing, the award highlights her role as the co-founder and co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF). She has been instrumental in creating global platforms for Indian writers and fostering a multilingual literary environment through initiatives like Kitaabnama on Doordarshan.
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Award Details and Ceremony: The lifetime achievement honor carries a cash prize of ₹1 lakh, a citation, and a trophy. It will be formally presented during the Banaras Lit Fest, scheduled to take place in Varanasi from January 30 to February 1, 2026.
2. General Anil Chauhan Releases ‘Military Quantum Mission Policy Framework’
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Four Pillars of Integration: The policy establishes a roadmap to integrate four critical quantum technologies into the Tri-Services: Quantum Communication (hack-proof networks), Quantum Computing (advanced simulations and code-breaking), Quantum Sensing & Metrology (precision navigation in GPS-denied zones), and Quantum Materials & Devices.
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Civil-Military Fusion & Jointness: The framework emphasizes a "jointness" approach, ensuring the Army, Navy, and Air Force adopt standardized quantum protocols rather than working in silos. It also proposes Civil-Military Fusion, creating dedicated governing bodies that link defense needs with civilian researchers, startups, and academia.
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Alignment with National Goals: The MQM is specifically designed to align with India's National Quantum Mission (NQM). Its primary goal is to transition the Indian Armed Forces from "passive end-users" to active stakeholders, securing technological dominance and "Atmanirbharta" (self-reliance) in future quantum-centric warfare.
3. Tamil Nadu Launches ‘Semmozhi Illakiya Virudhu
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National Scope for Non-Hindi Languages: In its inaugural phase, the award will be conferred annually on outstanding literary works in seven Indian languages: Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Bengali, and Marathi. It is designed as a "national-level" honor to celebrate linguistic diversity.
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Significant Cash Prize: Each award winner will receive a cash prize of ₹5 lakh. To ensure transparency and quality, the state government will act only as a patron, while independent committees of reputed writers for each language will handle the selection process.
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Response to Sahitya Akademi Row: The award was launched as a "constructive response" to the recent controversy and delay surrounding the Sahitya Akademi Awards 2025. CM Stalin cited concerns over political interference by the Union Ministry of Culture as the primary reason for creating this independent state-backed platform.
Footnotes: Tamil Nadu's Governor: R. N. Ravi, CM: M. K. Stalin, Capital: Chennai
4. Lucknow Becomes UP’s First Zero Fresh Waste Dump City
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100% Scientific Waste Processing: With the commissioning of the third Shivari Solid Waste Management Plant, Lucknow now has the capacity to process over 2,100 metric tonnes of waste daily. This matches the city’s total daily waste generation, effectively ending the need for open dumping of fresh waste.
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Circular Economy Model: Waste is strictly segregated into organic (55%) and inorganic (45%) fractions. Organic waste is converted into compost and biogas, while inorganic waste is transformed into Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) for the cement and paper industries, or recycled into construction materials.
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Land Reclamation and Future Power: The city has already cleared over 12.86 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste, reclaiming 25 acres of land at the Shivari site. The municipal corporation now plans to establish a 15 MW Waste-to-Energy plant to turn RDF into electricity, further reducing the environmental footprint.
Footnotes: UP's Governor: Anandiben Patel, CM: Yogi Adityanath, Capital: Lucknow
5. IndusInd Bank appointed Mr. Arijit Basu as Chairman
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Leadership Succession: Basu succeeds Sunil Mehta, whose tenure concludes on January 30, 2026. The appointment is for a three-year term (until January 2029) and has received the necessary approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
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Distinguished Banking Career: Basu brings over four decades of experience. Prior to this, he served as the Chairman of HDB Financial Services (an HDFC Bank subsidiary) and held top leadership roles at SBI, including Managing Director of the bank and MD & CEO of SBI Life Insurance.
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Strategic Governance Role: His appointment comes at a crucial time as the bank focuses on strengthening corporate governance and navigating a leadership transition following a challenging 2025. He will serve as an Additional Director in the category of Non-Executive Independent Director.
Footnotes: IndusInd Bank's Previous Chairman Sunil Mehta, HQ: Mumbai, Estd: 1994
6. Tata Communications appointed Ganesh Lakshminarayanan as CEO
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Leadership Transition: Lakshminarayanan will formally take over the role of MD and CEO on April 13, 2026. He succeeds the current chief, A.S. Lakshminarayanan, who is retiring after a six-year tenure that saw the company's shift from a telecom major to a technology powerhouse.
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Proven Track Record: An industry veteran with over 30 years of experience, Ganesh most recently served as the MD and Group Vice President for ServiceNow India and SAARC. He previously led Airtel Business as its CEO, where he achieved 50% growth over three years and significantly increased market share.
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Strategic Focus on AI and Growth: His appointment is intended to drive Tata Communications’ "City in a Garden" digital fabric strategy. The board highlighted his expertise in automation, AI, and digital transformation as key to maintaining the company’s current growth momentum and handling large-scale enterprise deals.
Footnotes: Tata's Previous CEO: Amur Swaminathan, HQ: Mumbai, Estd: 1868
7. Guardian India Appoints Karunakaran Azhisur as Country Head
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Dual Leadership Role: Azhisur will serve as the Country Head – India while simultaneously retaining his current position as the Chief Information Officer (CIO). In this expanded role, he will oversee overall India operations across the company’s centers in Chennai and Gurugram.
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Focus on AI and Digital Transformation: With over two decades of global experience (including Silicon Valley), he is tasked with driving technology-led growth. His recent work has focused on AI-driven enterprise transformation, specifically building "agentic AI" capabilities and modernizing core technology platforms.
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Succession and Reporting: He succeeds Shiney Prasad, who left the organization in August 2025. Azhisur will report directly to Michael Prestileo, the Chief Strategy Officer of Guardian Life and Chair of the Guardian India Board.
8. Kirtida Mekani, an environmental leader passed away
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Pioneer of the Plant-A-Tree Programme: She was the visionary behind this initiative launched in 2007, which has seen over 76,000 trees planted across Singapore. Her efforts were instrumental in transforming the nation’s "City in a Garden" vision into a reality through community participation.
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Highly Decorated Environmentalist: She received Singapore's highest environmental honor, the President's Award for the Environment, in 2015. More recently, in 2024, she was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame for her lifelong dedication to sustainability.
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Grassroots & Institutional Leader: Mekani was the founding Executive Director of the Singapore Environment Council and served on the boards of major organizations like WWF-Singapore and the Garden City Fund. She was a major advocate for the "Community in Bloom" movement, which now supports nearly 2,000 community gardens.
WHAT HAPPENED TODAY?
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National Girl Child Day: Observed on 24 January in India to promote the rights and safety of the girl child.
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Aims to raise awareness against gender discrimination and practices like child marriage and inequality.
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Theme: “Empowering Girls for a Bright Future”
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