India’s first-ever glass sea bridge opened in Kanniyakumari.

Tamil Nadu’s CM MK Stalin inaugurated India’s first glass bridge in Kanyakumari. The 77 meter long and 10 meter wide glass bridge connects the Vivekananda Memorial with the Thiruvalluvar statue. A first of its kind in India. The project cost Rs 37 crore, and was inaugurated on the 25th anniversary of the Thiruvalluvar statue‘s unveiling by the late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi. Glass bridge has become yet another reason to visit the beautiful and culturally rich Kanyakumari.

Assam’s Elephant pupolation increased to 5828.

Assam has recorded an elephant population of 5,828 during the Elephant Population Estimation 2024. This survey was conducted by the state forest department. an increase from 2017 with 5,719 elephants. The population includes 3,044 adults, 1,042 sub-adults, 717 juveniles and 1,025 calves. The estimation was conducted in all 43 forest divisions in Assam. It states that 82% of the total population are within the five elephant reserves (Chirang Ripu, Sonitpur, Dining Patkai, Kajiranga Karbi Anglong, Dhansiri Lungding) in the state, with the highest density in Chirang-Ripu Elephant Reserve.

Chhattisgarh, First state to link forest ecosystem with Green GDP.

Chhattisgarh (CM- Vishnu Dev Sai) has introduced an innovative plan to connects the ecosystem services of its forests with the Green Gross Domestic Product. This initiative aimed at the link between environmental contributions of forests like clean air, water conservation, biodiversity and the state’s economic progress. Chhattisgarh with 44 per cent of its land covered by forests, the state’s natural resources are central to the livelihoods of millions of people. It will help to Recognizes the non-tangible benefits of forests, such as climate regulation and soil enrichment, often overlooked in traditional GDP calculations.

World Braille Day: 4th January

Louis Braille, who lost his sight at a very young age due to an accident, invented Braille. Braille is a tactile reading and writing system designed for blind or visually impaired individuals. Louis Braille born on 4th january 1809 in Coupvray, France. His birth day is globally celebrated as Braille Day. The Braille characters are embossed in a line on paper and are usually read by moving fingertips over the text. The theme for 2025 World Braille Day is “Celebrating Accessibility and Inclusion for the Visually Impaired“.

RBI cleared the merger of National, Cosmos Co-operative bank.

The Reserve Bank of India has cleared the Amalgamation of The National Co-operative Bank Ltd., Bangalore (Karnataka) with Cosmos Co-operative Bank Limited (Maharashtra). The Scheme has been sanctioned in exercise of the powers conferred under Sub-Section (4) of Section 44A read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. The merger would come into effect on January 6. In July 2023, RBI had imposed business restrictions on The National Co-operative Bank Ltd.

Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, appointed as DG of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, a 1996-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer was appointed as the director general of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Kidwai, who is presently serving as additional secretary in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Vikram Dev Dutt, previously served as DG of the aviation regulator from February 2023, stepped down on October 2024 after his appointment as the coal secretary.

Government of India update base year 2022-23 for GDP calculation.

The Government of India is set to update the base year for calculating Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from 2011-12 to 2022-23. To oversee the transition, a 26-member Advisory Committee on National Accounts Statistics (ACNAS), chaired by Biswanath Goldar. By aligning with the economic realities of 2022-23, the revised series will offer a more precise framework for policymaking and analysis. This change will lead to a revision of past GDP rates, offering a clearer picture of the economy. The updated figures will align more closely with other indices, such as the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) and the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Rajagopala Chidambaram, involved in India’s nuclear tests in 1974 and in 1998 passes away.

Neuclear scientist Rajagopala Chidambaram, played a pivotal role in India’s nuclear programme, passed away at the age of 88. Chidambaram is remembered for his involvement in the 1974 “Smiling Buddha” and the 1998 Pokhran-II nuclear tests. Born in 1936, Chidambaram was an alumnus of Presidency College of Tamil Nadu’s Chennai and Indian Institute of Science in Karnataka’s Bengaluru. His career including Principal Scientific Adviser to the government of India (2001–2018), director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (1990-1993), chairman of Atomic Energy Commission, and secretary to the government of India, DAE (1993-2000).

China Declared State Of Emergency Over human metapneumovirus (HMPV) Virus Outbreaks.

Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic changed the world, China is facing another viral outbreak. This time, it’s the Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV), a respiratory virus that has been around for decades but is now causing significant concern. Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) a respiratory illness with flu-like symptoms, similar to COVID-19 in China has raised health concerns globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) is yet to issue a statement on the outbreak of the virus in China and no state of emergency has been declared by the global health body.

The Union education ministry launched the One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) scheme.

The Union education ministry launched the One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) scheme to facilitate free access to most high-end academic journals and articles published globally to students in various government-funded higher educational institutions, across the country. The scheme will benefit around 18 million students, faculty, and researchers across disciplines such as STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), medicine, social sciences, finance and accounts, etc. The scheme, which was approved by the Union Cabinet on November 25 last year, aims at improving research and development (R&D) ecosystem in the country.

New ant species discovered in western ghat area of karnataka.

A recent discovery in the western ghat has brought attention. Scientists from Goa, Karnataka, discovered a new ant species named Tapinoma onaele in Kodagu district, Karnataka. This discovery marks the importance of leaf litter. The name ‘Onaele’ translates to ‘dried leaves’ in Kannada. The head of the research division at AERO, emphasised the leaf litter’s biodiversity as a vital component of forest ecosystems.

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