NATIONAL NEWS

Foundation Stone of Multiple Development Projects in Maharashtra

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth over 30,500 crore rupees in Maharashtra.

Mr Modi will inaugurate Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewari - Nhava Sheva Atal Setu to improve ease of mobility by strengthening urban transport infrastructure.

Atal Setu has been constructed at a total cost of more than 17,840 crore rupees.

It is about a 21.8 km long 6-lane bridge having about 16.5 km length over sea and about 5.5 km on the land.

Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone of the bridge in December 2016.

Mr Modi will also lay the foundation stone of the underground road tunnel connecting Eastern Freeway's Orange Gate to Marine Drive.

The 9.2 Km tunnel will be built at a cost of more than 8,700 crore rupees.

It will be a significant infrastructure development in Mumbai which will reduce travel time between Orange Gate and Marine Drive.

The project, developed at a cost of more than 1975 crore rupees will provide drinking water supply to the Palghar and Thane districts of Maharashtra, benefiting about 14 lakh population.

Direct Flight Between Ayodhya And Ahmedabad

Direct flight services from Ayodhya to Ahmedabad started on January 11,2024.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the direct flight of IndiGo Airlines from Ayodhya to Ahmedabad through Video conferencing.

On this occasion, the Chief Minister stated that this Maharshi Valmiki International Airport in Ayodhya will help in shaping the future of the youth of the region and will also benefit the economy in a major way.

He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Indigo Airlines for this initiative and stated that with this facility of international airport, Ayodhya is going to shine on the tourist map of the world.

Flights from Ayodhya to cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru are going to start soon.

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

International Camel Festival

The Department of Tourism organised the three-day International Camel Festival, which started with a Heritage Walk in the Bikaner district of Rajasthan.

On the first day of the festival, both domestic and foreign tourists were seen enjoying the celebration of traditional folk culture.

The festivities commence at Rampuriya Haveli with beautifully decorated camels, women dressed in colourful traditional costumes and folk artists participating in the Heritage Walk.

Local artists entertained the crowd with folk songs, Rammats and dances, showcasing the local culture.

During the heritage walk, city residents extended a warm welcome to the guests by showering flowers and creating rangolis at various places along the way.

 

BANKING

India Post Payments Bank Signed MoU with Hindustan Zinc

India Post Payments Bank signed a MoU with Hindustan Zinc to provide financial inclusion services to its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) beneficiaries.

This collaboration will ensure a lasting impact on the lives of community beneficiaries around Hindustan Zinc's operational areas.

This collaboration will ensure financial support for 3.5 lakh+ beneficiaries covering SHG women, farmers and youth.

This will ensure easy access to opening bank accounts, pension products, long-term savings, and investment plans etc.

India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has been set up under the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications, with 100 per cent equity owned by the Government of India.

                                          

BUSINESS               

Direct Tax Collections Surpass 17 Lakh Crore in Current Fiscal

The Direct Tax collections have recorded over 17 lakh crore rupee in the current fiscal so far, which is about 17 per cent higher than the gross collections for the same period last year.

Finance Ministry said, this collection is over 80 percent of the total Budget estimates of Direct Taxes for 2023-24.

The growth rate for Corporate Income Tax is 8.32 percent and Personal Income Tax is over 26 percent.

The refunds amounting to two lakh 48 thousand crore rupees have been issued during the current fiscal so far.

 

SPORTS

Zagreb Open 2024 Wrestling Tournament in Croatia

Asian champion Aman Sehrawat won the Gold medal in Men’s 57kg at the Zagreb Open 2024 Wrestling Tournament in Croatia.

He defeated China’s Zou Wanhao through technical superiority in the 57kg final, to win India’s first medal in this edition of the Ranking Series.

Deepak Punia, competing in the men’s 86kg category, lost by 6-2 against Kazakhstan's Azamat Dauletbekov in the qualification round.

Another Indian wrestler Yash Tushir was defeated by USA’s Quincy by 15-4 in the round of 16 of the men’s 74kg category.

 

AWARDS & PRIZES

ISRO Awarded "Indian of The Year 2023"

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh presented the "Indian of the Year Award" for the year 2023 in the 'Outstanding Achievement' category to ISRO.

The award was received by ISRO Chairman S. Somnath and Chandrayaan 3 Project Director Dr. P. Veeramuthuvel.

The award citation states that the award recognises the work done by ISRO in pushing the boundaries of space exploration.

In the year 2023, India's space agency demonstrated unparalleled skill and flexibility in facing challenges.

The culmination of ISRO's achievements in 2023 was the first successful soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the unexplored south-polar region of the Moon.

Chandrayaan-3 was not only indigenous, but it was also a very cost-effective mission with a budget of around Rs 600 crore.

 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Prime Minister of Bangladesh

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina will be sworn in as Prime Minister of Bangladesh for the fourth straight term.

Bangladesh's President will administer the oath to the new prime minister in Dhaka.

25 ministers and 11 state ministers are also likely to be sworn in this occassion.

Cabinet Secretary announced the list of ministers and as per the list, 15 ministers of the last cabinet including some heavyweights like Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzak, Foreign Minister Dr AK Momen, and Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi have been dropped from the new cabinet.

The new faces in the cabinet include former commerce minister Lt Colonel (retd) Mohammad Farooq Khan and former foreign minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali.

India’s Ambassador to WTO

India has recently appointed Senthil Pandian C as its Ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO), marking a significant development in the country’s representation on the global trade stage.

Senthil Pandian C, an experienced diplomat with a proven track record, is set to take charge at a crucial time when international trade dynamics are evolving rapidly.

Over the years, India has been a vocal advocate for the interests of developing nations, emphasizing issues such as agricultural subsidies, intellectual property rights, and equitable trade practices.

Prime Minister of Bhutan

The party of Bhutan's former Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay won general elections with nearly two-thirds of seats in parliament.

Tobgay's People's Democratic Party (PDP) won the 2024 National Assembly general elections with 30 seats' ' while the Bhutan Tendrel Party (BTP) took the remaining 17, local media reported.

Tshering Tobgay is expected to become Bhutan's PM for the second time.

He was leader of the opposition in Bhutan's first parliament when it was established in 2008 after the start of the reign of the present king.

Tshering Tobgay, 58, a former civil servant and a conservation advocate holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and a master's in public administration from Harvard.

He served as prime minister from 2013 to 2018.

 

DEFENCE

Indian Navy Will Host The MILAN 24 Exercise

Indian Navy's multinational exercise, MILAN 24, is all set to be held in Visakhapatnam from 19 to 27 February 24.

MILAN is a biennial multi-national naval exercise that started in 1995 with the participation of four foreign countries (Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand) under India's 'Look East policy'.

The MILAN Exercise flourished under the Andaman and Nicobar command's aegis til its 10th edition. Visakhapatnam has been selected as the preferred location for upcoming MILAN exercises.

The 11th edition of this exercise was held in Visakhapatnam under the Eastern Naval Command with the theme 'Camaraderie-Cohesion-Collaboration'.

MILAN 24 exercise would comprise the 'Harbour phase' and the 'Sea phase'.

The MILAN serves as a platform for nations to form partnerships, share ideas and strengthen maritime security in order to increase their maritime power.

 

OBITUTARY

Famous Malayalam Filmmaker Vinu

Famous Malayalam filmmaker Vinu passed away in Coimbatore. The popular filmmaker was 73 years old. He was suffering from a stomach-related illness.

Vinu and director Suresh had given many films to the cinema world. The Suresh-Vinu pair was very popular in Malayalam cinema.

Suresh-Vinu made many Malayalam films together. These include the names of 'Mangalam Veettil Manaseshwari Gupta', 'Kusruthi Kattu' and 'Ayushman Bhava'.

The last film Suresh-Vinu made together was 'Kanichukulangarayil CBI', which was released in 2008.