THE HEADLINES:-
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi likely to reply in Rajya Sabha this evening on Motion of Thanks to President’s address on commencement of Budget Session.
- Lok Sabha adopts Motion of Thanks to President’s address by voice vote amid uproar by Opposition parties.
- India and Gulf Cooperation Council sign Terms of Reference for a Free Trade Agreement.
- Supreme Court directs West Bengal government to pay 25 per cent of pending Dearness Allowance to state government employees immediately.
- India’s first cooperative-based ride-hailing platform, Bharat Taxi to be launched in New Delhi today.
- And, in Women’s Premier League Cricket, Royal Challengers Bengaluru to lock horns with Delhi Capitals in Summit Clash in Vadodara this evening.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address in Rajya Sabha this evening. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stated this in the Upper House during Zero Hour today. Rijiju said, all the MPs want to listen to the Prime Minister’s speech in the Upper House today but the Congress Party doesn’t want to listen to the Prime Minister’s address, which is their own choice.
Mr Rijiju rejected the allegation of Leader of Opposition in the House and Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge that the Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, wanted to speak on the country’s interests, but he was not allowed to speak on the motion of thanks. He said, Mr Gandhi was not following parliamentary norms and he was speaking beyond rules.
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said that the Rajya Sabha is not the only House, adding that both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha are together called as Parliament.
Leader of the House and Union Minister J P Nadda also objected to Mr. Kharge’s remarks saying that the matters related to the Lok Sabha cannot be discussed in the Rajya Sabha. Mr Nadda added that the government led by Prime Minister Modi is always ready to discuss any issue in Parliament but the opposition members are creating disruption in the Lok Sabha. He said, the Prime Minister was prepared to answer questions in the Lok Sabha yesterday on Motion of Thanks, but the Opposition did not allow the House to function.
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Lok Sabha has adopted by Voice Vote the Motion of Thanks to President’s Address to the joint sitting of both the Houses of Parliament on commencement of the Budget Session. President Droupadi Murmu had addressed both the Houses on the first day of the session on the 28th of last month. The Motion was moved by Union Minister and BJP MP Sarbananda Sonowal, which was seconded by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya.
When the House met after the first adjournment at 12 Noon, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla took up the Motion of Thanks to the President Address. Mr Birla put to vote the amendments moved by several opposition members on the motion but they were negated by the House. Amid opposition uproar, the Lok Sabha adopted the Motion of Thanks. The Speaker said, now the Lower House will take up discussion on Union Budget 2026-27 and every member will get an opportunity to speak on it. Amid continued uproar by the opposition, Mr Birla adjourned the House till 2 PM.
Earlier, when the Lok Sabha assembled for the day, Speaker Om Birla expressed displeasure over the behaviour of the opposition members, who reached near the treasury benches yesterday shouting slogans.
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Union Minister Chirag Paswan hit out at the Opposition for creating a ruckus in both the houses, saying democratic dissent must be expressed with dignity.
Talking to Akashvani News, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Arun Singh criticised Congress for disrupting the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh said that all the opposition parties are united, and if the Leader of the Opposition is not allowed to speak, then there is very little opportunity for the House to run.
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India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have signed the Terms of Reference for a Free Trade Agreement in New Delhi today. Presiding over the ceremony Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said India’s agreement for a free trade agreement with the six GCC countries will open another major trade corridor.
Mr Goyal noted that India will soon announce the first tranche of a trade deal agreed with the United States. He said that the India-US bilateral will be the 9th FTA.
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The Supreme Court today directed the West Bengal government to immediately release 25 per cent of the pending Dearness Allowance arrears to state government employees. Emphasizing that the state must act as a Model Employer, the top court highlighted the necessity of ensuring justice for the workforce. To oversee the process, the top court has constituted a committee headed by former Supreme Court Justice Indu Malhotra, Justice Tilak Singh Chauhan, and Justice Gautam Maghuria. This committee is tasked with determining the total arrear amount and a definitive payment schedule by 6th of March. According to the court’s timeline, the first installment of the remaining 75 per cent must be cleared by 31st of March, with a comprehensive compliance report due by 15th of April, which is the date of the next hearing.
Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly and BJP leader, Suvendu Adhikari, said, the Supreme Court’s order has safeguarded the fundamental rights of state government employees.
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In Chhattisgarh, twelve Maoists surrendered in Bijapur district today. A total reward of fifty four lakh rupees had been announced on all of them. Meanwhile, a Maoist was killed in an encounter with security forces in the district this morning. So far, the body of one Maoist along with an AK-47 rifle has been recovered from the encounter site.
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah will begin a crucial three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir today to conduct a comprehensive security review, assess ongoing developmental projects, and engage with political stakeholders.
“The Home Minister will reach Jammu today and will straightway reach the Lok Bhawan where he will meet political leaders. He will visit the International Border at Hiranagar in Kathua district in the morning tomorrow and inspect the new gadgetry installed by the Border Security Force (BSF) for plugging infiltration from across the border. In the afternoon, he will hold a high-level review of the security situation at the Lok Bhawan Jammu. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, top officials of the Union Home Ministry, heads of paramilitary forces and senior officers of civil and police administration besides Intelligence agencies from J&K will attend the security review meeting On February 7 morning, the Home Minister will leave Jammu for Srinagar where he will launch various development projects for Jammu and Kashmir. This will be Shah’s second high-level review of the security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir in less than a month. This is N. Gulshan Raina For Akashvani News From Jammu.”
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The Public Sector manufacturing hub Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has today issued clarification on the delivery of LCA Tejas Mark 1A to the Indian Air Force. In a statement issued by the PSU, it has confirmed that five LCA Mark 1A aircrafts are fully ready for delivery, incorporating major contracted capabilities in accordance with the agreed specifications. An additional nine aircrafts were built and flown earlier. HAL has said that it is awaiting engines from American company, General Electric and the aircraft will be ready for delivery after the receipt of these engines. The delay in the delivery of F404 jet engines by General Electric has caused delay in the delivery of Tejas fighter aircrafts.
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India’s first cooperative-based ride-hailing platform, Bharat Taxi, will be launched by Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi today. The platform is a transformative initiative in the mobility sector, placing drivers, referred to as Sarathis, at the centre of ownership and governance, and freeing them from exploitative aggregator-based models. The launch of Bharat Taxi is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Sahkar se Samriddhi
The Bharat Taxi App marks a significant step towards strengthening the cooperative sector while promoting citizen-centric mobility solutions. The platform will operate on a zero-commission, surge-free pricing model, with profits directly shared with drivers. It also prioritises the social security of Sarathis through health and accident insurance, retirement savings, and a dedicated driver support system. As part of its focus on women’s safety and empowerment, Bharat Taxi has introduced initiatives like Sarathi Didi and Bike Didi, under which more than 150 women drivers have joined the platform so far. Since its inception, Nearly 4 lakh drivers have joined Bharat Taxi platform and over 10 lakh users have successfully registered on the platform so far. The platform aims to expand to all States and cities across the country within the next two years, Bhanu Pratap Singh. Akashvani News, Delhi
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News Just In
The Rajya Sabha has taken up further discussion on the motion of thanks to the President’s address. President Droupadi Murmu has addressed the joint sitting of both the House on 28th of last month.
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Union Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel will participate in the World Government Summit in Dubai today. She will speak at a session titled “From Policy to Practice: Investing in the Future of Integrative Medicine.” on the third day of the summit In an exclusive interview with Prasar Bharati ahead of the summit, Ms Patel said the platform offers an important opportunity to showcase India’s approach to integrative healthcare.
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Seychelles President Patrick Herminie arrived in Chennai this morning, on his first official visit to India. The External Affairs Ministry in a statement said, during his five-day visit to India, Mr Herminie will meet President Droupadi Murmu and hold discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on bilateral, regional, and international issues of mutual interest.
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India Meteorological Department has forecast rainfall and snowfall over Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand till tomorrow. The weather agency said that dense to very dense fog is likely to prevail over Uttar Pradesh for the next two days. Similar conditions are expected over Assam, Meghalaya, Bihar and West Madhya Pradesh today.
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In the Women’s Premier League Cricket, Delhi Capitals will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Summit Clash in Vadodara this evening. The match will begin at 7:30 PM Indian Standard Time. Royal Challengers Bengaluru have entered the WPL final for the second time with a chance to clinch a second title, while Delhi Capitals are hoping to be fourth time lucky as they return to the summit clash once again.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:-
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi likely to reply in Rajya Sabha this evening on Motion of Thanks to President’s address on commencement of Budget Session.
- Lok Sabha adopts Motion of Thanks to President’s address by voice vote amid uproar by Opposition parties.
- India and Gulf Cooperation Council sign Terms of Reference for a Free Trade Agreement.
- Supreme Court directs West Bengal government to pay 25 per cent of pending Dearness Allowance to state government employees immediately.
- India’s first cooperative-based ride-hailing platform, Bharat Taxi to be launched in New Delhi today.
- And, in Women’s Premier League Cricket, Royal Challengers Bengaluru to lock horns with Delhi Capitals in Summit Clash in Vadodara this evening.
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