Explanation: In Jaipur, nearly 250 families continue to preserve Kathputli, one of Rajasthans oldest folk art traditions. Kathputli is a traditional string puppet theatre form that originated in Rajasthan. Historically, travelling performers used Kathputli shows to narrate stories of Rajput kings, brave warriors, folk heroes, and moral tales to village audiences. The word Kathputli comes from kath meaning wood and putli meaning doll, highlighting its simple wooden structure. A Kathputli puppet is made using wood, cloth, thread, and metal wire, with a wooden upper body and cotton and fabric below.

Explanation: India moved up to 9th position in the world for total forest area and retained 3rd spot for annual forest gains, according to the United Nations’ Global Forest Resource Assessment (GFRA) 2025. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav credited government conservation policies and state-led plantation efforts for this achievement. GFRA, released by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), analysed 35 years of data (1990-2025) from 236 countries. India has 72.74 million hectares of forests, about 2% of global forest cover. Russia leads with 832.63 million hectares, followed by Brazil, Canada, and the US. India added approximately 191,000 hectares per year between 2015-2025, behind China (1.69 million) and Russia (942,000).

Explanation: The Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) government is considering diverting water from the Ravi River in Punjab to the Jammu region. This move comes amid the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) between India and Pakistan. J&K is also pushing to revive the Tulbul Navigation Barrage Project, also called the Wular Barrage. The barrage is a navigation lock-cum-control structure at the outlet of Wular Lake in J&K. It was designed to facilitate navigation on the Jhelum River during lean winter months. The project regulates Wular Lake water to maintain minimum river draft up to Baramulla in winter.

Explanation: केरल के पलक्कड़ से एनआरआई व्यवसायी यूनुस अहमद को कैमल इंटरनेशनल अवार्ड 2025 मिला है। वे मिडिल ईस्ट डॉटस्पेस कोवर्किंग के एग्जीक्यूटिव डायरेक्टर हैं। यह सम्मान उन्हें उनके योगदान और नेतृत्व के लिए Arabian World Records द्वारा दिया गया। इसी संस्था ने साहित्य, कला, व्यवसाय और सोशल मीडिया में 14 अन्य वैश्विक हस्तियों को भी सम्मानित किया।

Explanation: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s first Semiconductor Assembly, Test and Packaging (ATMP) facility at Sanand, Gujarat. The plant is set up by Micron Technology India with an investment of over ₹22,500 crore. It marks the start of commercial production and shipment of made-in-India semiconductor memory modules. The project is approved under the India Semiconductor Mission.

Explanation: A 29-year-old man in Karnataka died after contracting Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), also called monkey fever. Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) is a tick-borne viral haemorrhagic disease mostly found in southern India, first reported in 1957 from Kyasanur Forest, Karnataka. The virus belongs to the family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus, part of the tick-borne encephalitis complex. It is called monkey fever due to its association with monkey deaths.

Explanation: Recently, Telangana is preparing for the biennial SammakkaSaralamma Jatara starting 28 January 2026 along with redevelopment of the Medaram sacred area. It is a biennial tribal spiritual festival honouring Sammakka and Saralamma, ancestral goddesses of the Koya Adivasi community. It is recognised as Asias largest tribal festival and among the worlds biggest human congregations. The festival is held at Medaram village in Mulugu district, Telangana. The site lies inside Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary in the Dandakaranya forest belt. It is celebrated during the full moon of the Hindu month of Magh.

Explanation: SVAMITVA Scheme aims to cover 3.44 lakh villages with property mapping and issuance of property cards. The SVAMITVA (Survey Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) scheme is a Central Sector Scheme by Ministry of Panchayati Raj that uses drone technology to map rural land and create legal ownership records for residents As of now, drone surveys have been completed in 3.28 lakh villages, around 95% of the target. Land is a State subject under the 7th Schedule of the Constitution; legal provisions for SVAMITVA follow relevant State Acts and Rules. Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) plans to complete all drone surveys and property cards by March 2026.

Explanation: INS Imphal of the Indian Navy recently conducted a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) 2025 with the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Gridley (DDG 101). It is an indigenously built stealth guided missile destroyer. INS Imphal is the third ship of Project P-15B (Visakhapatnam-class destroyers). Other ships in the class are INS Visakhapatnam, INS Mormugao, and INS Surat. It was designed by the Warship Design Bureau and built by Mazagon Dock Ltd. (MDL). It is the first warship named after a Northeast city — Imphal, capital of Manipur. It is also the first warship with accommodation for women officers and sailors.

Explanation: Recently, the President of India undertook a sortie in the indigenous Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Prachand at Air Force Station Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. It is an indigenously developed Light Combat Helicopter made by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. It is the only attack helicopter in the world capable of landing and taking off at 5,000 metres (16,400 feet). It has advanced stealth features, armoured protection and night attack capability. It has crash-resistant landing gear for better survivability. It reduces radar and Infrared (IR) signature and has a countermeasure dispensing system against enemy missiles.