INDIA
– Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment Dr. Virendra Kumar launches “SMILE” (Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise) scheme to rehabilitate beggars
– Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) & Indian Navy seize 760 kilograms of narcotics in Arabian Sea off the Gujarat coast
– Andhra Pradesh: 2 lakh kg of cannabis destroyed under operation ‘Parivarthan’
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
– FM Sitharaman launches first colour souvenir coin on ‘Panchtantra’ on the foundation day of SPMCIL (Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited)
– Rahul Bajaj, chairman emeritus of Bajaj Auto, dies at 83; awarded Padma Bhushan in 2001, served as Rajya Sabha MP
– Debashis Mitra elected ICAI (Institute of Chartered Accountants of India) President for 2022-23 term
– CBI books Gujarat-based ABG Shipyard Limited, others for ‘causing ₹22,842-cr. loss’ to banks; is the biggest–ever case of bank fraud registered by the agency
– Govt scraps requirement of drone pilot licence
WORLD
– India signs MoU to hand over wheat to United Nation’s World Food Programme (WFP) in Kandahar, Afghanistan
– EAM S. Jaishankar holds talks with Australian counterpart Marise Payne in Melbourne
– Australia announces ‘Maitri’ Scholars Program to support Indian students in its universities
– NASA unveils first images from James Webb Space Telescope; was launched on December 25, 2021
– US: President Joe Biden frees $7 billion in Afghan assets for relief, 9/11 victims
