Current Affairs 31 January 2026

Coking Coal Designated Critical & Strategic Mineral under MMDR Act.

• Govt notified coking coal as a Critical & Strategic Mineral under the MMDR Act, 1957, recognizing its importance for steel sector mineral security.
• Aims to reduce import dependence, accelerate domestic mining/exploration, and boost private investment.
• Enables quicker approvals, use of forest land for compensatory afforestation, strengthening steel sector supply chains.

SAIL Earns "Great Place to Work" Certification Third Year Running.

• SAIL earned the Great Place to Work certification for Feb 2026–Feb 2027, marking its 3rd consecutive year of recognition.
• The honor reflects high employee trust and positive culture, measured via rigorous surveys by the Great Place to Work Institute.
• SAIL’s progressive HR initiatives include SAIL DARPAN for transparent appraisals and domain-change training with top management institutes.

National Asian Art Museum to Return 3 Stolen Bronze Sculpture to India.

• The National Museum of Asian Art will return 3 historic bronze sculptures (Shiva Nataraja, Somaskanda, & Saint Sundarar with Paravai) to India.
• Shiva Nataraja (Chola, 990 CE) will be placed on long-term loan & remain on view, restoring its origin story.
• Follows extensive research, highlighting its commitment to ethical collaboration with Indian authorities.

MoSPI Launches PAIMANA Portal for Centralised Infrastructure Project.

• MoSPI launched the PAIMANA (Project Assessment, Infrastructure Monitoring & Analytics for Nation-building) portal to monitor all Central Sector Infrastructure Projects worth ₹150 crore+, replacing OCMS-2006.
• Integrated with DPIIT’s IPMP for automated data flow—60% of projects updated automatically.
• Features include analytics, dashboards, role-based access for policy and decision support.

SC Declares Menstrual Health a Fundamental Right Under Article 21.

• The Supreme Court ruled menstrual hygiene is part of right to life under Article 21, directing all states/UTs to provide free biodegradable sanitary pads to schoolgirls.
• Mandated pan-India implementation of the Menstrual Hygiene Policy for school-going girls (Classes 6–12).
• Compliance is compulsory for government and private schools; failure by private schools may lead to derecognition.