National

PM inaugurates World Sustainable Development Summit 2021

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today inaugurated World Sustainable Development Summit 2021 via video conferencing. The theme of the Summit is ‘Redefining our common future: Safe and secure environment for all’.
PM’s reply to the motion of thanks on the President’s Address in Lok Sabha

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today replied to the motion of thanks on the President’s address to Parliament, in the Lok Sabha. He said, the speech by Rashtrapati Ji showcased India's 'Sankalp Shakti.' His words have boosted the spirit of confidence among the people of India. Shri Modi thanked the members of the House. He noted during the discussion, a large number of women MPs took part and congratulated them for enriching the House proceedings with their thoughts.

Cabinet approves Grant-in-aid of Rs.100 crore to Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corporation Limited, Assam

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today accorded approval to the proposal of the Department of Fertilizers for Grant-in-aid of Rs.100 crore to Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizers Corporation Limited (BVFCL), Namrup (Assam) to sustain operations of it's urea manufacturing units.

India has launched 328 satellites from 33 different countries till date: Dr Jitendra Singh

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Atomic Energy and Space, Dr.Jitendra Singh said that Rs 900 Crore was allocated to ISRO for F.Y. 2020-21for developing capacity for launching of satellites. In the Lok Sabha, he said that the Department of Space has been involved in launching satellites of foreign countries since long. Total number of satellites launched till date is 328 from 33 different countries and the revenue earned till date is 25 M USD and 189 M Euros.  Moreover, Government of India has established NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a PSU under Department of Space to commercially launch satellites and become financially   self-reliant.
ISRO is striving towards achieving Atmanirbharta in the field of capacity development in launching satellites; therefore, no policy is envisaged for seeking foreign cooperation in this direction.

Union Minister Shri Tomar graces the occasion as chief guest on World Pulses Day: 10 February

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Rural Development, Panchayat Raj and Food Processing Industries, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar said that India is moving towards the goal of self-sufficiency in pulses production. "In the last five-six years, due to the tireless hard work of farmers, scientists and farmer-friendly policies of the central government, the country has increased its pulses production from 140 lakh tonnes to 240 lakh tonnes.
Shri Tomar said that the World Food and Agriculture Organization has decided to celebrate World Pulses Day in view of the good impact of pulses on people health.
National Digital Education Architecture (NDEAR) to be set up

Union Budget 2021-22 has laid a major emphasis on strengthening country’s digital infrastructure for education by announcing setting up of a National Digital Educational Architecture (NDEAR) within the context of a Digital First Mindset where the Digital Architecture will not only support teaching and learning activities but also educational planning, governance administrative activities of the Centre and the States/ Union Territories.
It will provide diverse education eco-system architecture for development of digital infrastructure, a federated but interoperable system that will ensure autonomy of all stakeholders, especially States and UTs.
 

To boost farmers’ income, additional commodities (Mandarin & Turmeric) included for the subsidy through Kisan Rail transportation

To incentivise farmers to transport their agricultural produce through Kisan Rail, Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Food Processing Industries have included Mandarin (a variety of Orange) and Turmeric (raw) in the list of eligible Fruits and Vegetables for 50% transportation subsidy through any type of train service provided by Indian Railways under Operation Greens – TOP to TOTAL.
Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) is providing 50% subsidy on transportation of any Fruits and Vegetables through any type of train service provided by Indian Railways under Operation Greens – TOP to TOTAL.

Eligible Items under subsidy already:
Fruits- Mango, Banana, Guava, Kiwi, Litchi, Papaya, Mousambi, Orange, Kinnow, Lime, Lemon,  Pineapple, Pomegranate, Jackfruit, Apple, Almond, Aonla, Passion fruit and Pear;

Vegetables - French beans, Bitter Gourd, Brinjal, Capsicum, Carrot, Cauliflower, Chillies (Green), Okra, Cucumber, Peas, Garlic, Onion, Potato and Tomato.

No civilian aware of move to abrogate Article 370: govt to RS

The government on Wednesday denied that civilians, including a journalist, were privy to information related to the abrogation of Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Man wanted in Red Fort violence arrested from Punjab

A man wanted in connection with the violence at the Red Fort on Republic Day was arrested by Delhi Police from Punjab, officials said on Wednesday.

96 arrests in 93 sedition cases in 2019: Govt

As many as 93 cases of sedition were registered in different parts of the country in 2019 in which 96 people were arrested, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.

International

India, China begin disengagement from Pangong lake
China’s military announced on Wednesday that front line troops of India and China had begun disengaging in a “synchronised and organised” manner from the north and southbanks of Pangong lake, where both sides have been locked in a stand-off for months which, an official source in Delhi said, was the first step in the long process of disengagement and de-escalation.
This restarts the stalled process of disengagement in the most protracted military standoffs between India and China in decades that has resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese casualties at Galwan on June 15, 2020.

Trial highlights: history lessons, Trump tweets and more

Washington: Donald Trump will stand trial for impeachment after the Senate rejected arguments from the former president''s lawyers on Tuesday that the chamber cannot move forward because he is no longer in office.

Turkey unveils space program including 2023 moon mission

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan unveiled an ambitious 10-year space programme for his country Tuesday that includes missions to the moon, sending Turkish astronauts into space and developing internationally viable satellite systems.

Imperative that the world learns as much as possible about the earliest days of COVID-19: US

It is imperative that the world learns as much as possible about the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic so that the world can understand its origins and prevent future biological catastrophes, the US has said after international experts investigating the origins of the disease have dismissed as unlikely a theory that the virus came from a laboratory in China.

Aus court rules terrorists can be imprisoned longer

Australia''s highest court on Wednesday upheld a law that can keep extremists in prison after they have served their sentences.

Business

E-commerce grows by 36 per cent in last quarter in India: Report

Bengaluru: The last quarter of 2020 saw e- commerce order volume growing by 36 per cent in India with Personal care, Beauty and Wellness (PCB&W) segment being the biggest beneficiary, according to a report.

TCS to recruit 1,500 tech staff in UK

India''s largest software services firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on Wednesday said it will recruit 1,500 technology employees across the UK over the next year. The announcement followed Monday''s meeting in Mumbai between visiting UK Trade Secretary Liz Truss and TCS CEO Rajesh Gopinathan.

Sensex jumps over 150 pts in early trade, Nifty tests 15,150

Equity benchmark Sensex jumped over 150 points in early trade on Wednesday tracking gains in index-heavyweight stocks like Reliance Industries, Bajaj Finance and TCS, amid largely positive trend in global markets and sustained foreign fund inflow.

Withheld some a/cs within India, to continue advocating right of free expression: Twitter

Twitter on Wednesday said it has withheld some of the accounts flagged by the Indian government for blocking "within India only", but has not blocked handles of civil society activists, politicians and media as "it would violate their fundamental right to free expression" guaranteed under country''s law.

Rupee opens on flat note against US dollar in early trade

The rupee opened on a flat note and edged higher by 2 paise to 72.85 against the US dollar in opening trade on Wednesday, amid lacklustre trend in the domestic equity market.

Legal

SC rejects plea seeking formulation of national mortal remains management, disposal protocol

New Delhi: The SC dismissed a plea which had sought a direction to the Centre to formulate a national mortal remains management and disposal protocol for pandemic and non-pandemic times to be implemented across the country.

HC orders reinstatement of home guard sacked for being gay

The Allahabad High Court has directed reinstatement of a home guard dismissed from service after a video of him with his same sex partner surfaced, saying display of public affection amongst LGBT members cannot be bogged down by majority perception if it does not amount to indecency or has potential to disturb public order.

Entertainment

Sandra Bullock joins Brad Pitt-starrer 'Bullet Train'

Los Angeles: Hollywood star Sandra Bullock is the latest addition to the cast of action-thriller "Bullet Train", led by Oscar winner Brad Pitt.

'Jallikattu' fails to make the cut at Oscars

Filmmaker Lijo Jose Pellissery''s "Jallikattu", India''s official entry in the Best International Feature category at the 93rd Academy Awards, is out of the Oscars race.

Sports

Root will probably break all batting records of England: Hussain

London: Former England captain Nasser Hussain feels incumbent Joe Root is "arguably" the country's best ever player of spin and can break all the Test batting records accumulated by the nation's batsmen.

Tsegay sets new world indoor record in 1,500m

Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia set a new 1,500 meters indoor world record by finishing in 3 minutes 53.09 seconds at a meet in northern France.

French soccer league asks gov't for financial rescue plan

The French soccer league will ask the government to set up a financial rescue plan amid huge revenue losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the collapse of its television deal.

Kohli doesn't offer excuses for team's bad displays, love that about his captaincy: sprinter Blake

Star Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake admires India captain Virat Kohli for not offering excuses when his team does not perform well and taking the blame on himself.