Celebrated on 14^th January.

• Pongal is a harvest festival and a dish of boiled rice in milk that is celebrated in South India and Sri Lanka.
• A four-day celebration that marks the beginning of the harvest season, the Tamil month of Thai, and the end of winter. It’s a time to give thanks to nature, the sun, and farm animals for a bountiful harvest.
• The word “pongal” comes from the Tamil word pongu, which means “to boil over”.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the book ‘Jammu Kashmir & Ladakh Through the Ages: A Visual Narrative of Continuities and Linkages’ in New Delhi.

• Published by the National Book Trust, the book highlights India’s geo-cultural unity.
• It counters myths of India’s disunity and documents Kashmir’s integral role in India’s history for over 8,000 years.
• The book explores the relationship between Kashmir, Ladakh, Buddhism, and Shaivism, showcasing their historical and cultural linkages.

West Bengal won the 33rd Santosh Trophy, defeating Kerala 1-0 in the final.

• The final was held at GMC Balayogi Stadium in Hyderabad.
• The Santosh Trophy was founded in 1941 as India’s premier football competition for state teams.
• Initially managed by the Indian Football Association (IFA), it is now organized by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
• The tournament is named after Sir Manmatha Nath Roy Chowdhury, Maharaja of Santosh.

Lionel Messi, Argentina’s national football team captain, received the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.

• Messi is the first male footballer to be honored with this prestigious award.
• The award was presented by US President Joe Biden.
• The US Presidential Medal of Freedom recognizes individuals for contributions to national interest, world peace, or significant public/private endeavors.
• Messi was recognized for his humanitarian efforts through the Leo Messi Foundation and his work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
• The medal is awarded for outstanding contributions in fields like national security, cultural impact, and global peace, similar to India’s Bharat Ratna.

India’s metro rail network has expanded to over 1,000 kilometers, making it the third-largest globally, following China and the United States. 

• The first metro system in India, the Kolkata Metro, began operations in 1984.
• The Delhi Metro, inaugurated in 2002, is the largest in India, with an operational network of 395 kilometers.
• As of January 2025, metro services are operational in 11 states and 23 cities across India, collectively covering over 1,000 kilometers.
• An additional 998+ kilometers of metro projects are currently underway, indicating a strong commitment to further expanding urban transit infrastructure.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation as leader of the Liberal Party after nearly a decade in office, citing internal party issues and declining support. He will remain as caretaker prime minister until a new leader is elected.

• Canada is the second-largest country in the world by land area, covering approximately 9.98 million square kilometers.
• It has the longest coastline of any country, stretching over 243,977 kilometers.
• Canada spans six time zones and borders three oceans: the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic.
• The country is divided into 10 provinces and three territories. 
• Canada has two official languages: English and French. 
• The capital city is Ottawa, located in the province of Ontario.

Canada is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy.

In 2024, India ranked second globally for cyberattacks, with 95 entities affected by data theft, according to CloudSEK’s ThreatLandscape Report 2024.

• The United States had the highest number of attacks, with 140 incidents.
• Israel ranked third, with 57 cyberattacks.
• The finance and banking sectors were the most impacted, with 20 victims.
• Other affected sectors included government (13), telecommunications (12), healthcare and pharma (10), and education (9).
• 108 ransomware incidents were reported in India in 2024.
• Lockbit was the most active ransomware group, responsible for over 20 attacks.
• Major breaches included the leak of 850 million records from Hi-Tek Group, customer data from Star Health and Allied Insurance, and 2TB of data from Telecommunications Consultants India.

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day is observed annually on January 11.

• Established in 2007 by the U.S. Senate to raise awareness about human trafficking and modern slavery.
• Aims to educate the public, recognize signs of trafficking, and encourage prevention efforts.
• Human trafficking involves forced labor, sexual exploitation, and other forms of coercion affecting millions worldwide.

Observed annually on 11 January.

• Date of Death: January 11, 1966.
• Place of Death: Tashkent, Uzbekistan (then Soviet Union).

Contributions as Prime Minister

• Promoted the White Revolutionto boost milk production.
• Initiated the Green Revolutionfor agricultural growth and food security.
• Led India during the 1965 Indo-Pak War.
• Coined the slogan “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan”to honor soldiers and farmers.

The Ministry of Education (MoE) has recently released the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report 2023-24.

• The UDISE+ report for 2023-24 shows student enrolment declined to 24.8 crore, a drop of over 1 crore compared to 2022-23.
• Enrolment has decreased by 6% from 26.02 crore in 2018-19 due to improved data accuracy and elimination of duplicate entries.
• The UDISE+ system, revamped in 2022-23, collects over 60 data fields per student and integrates Aadhaar details for reliability.
• Unique educational IDs (EIDs) have been assigned to eliminate ghost entries and ensure accurate benefit transfers for schemes.