THE HEADLINES:
- India announces 175-million-dollar Special Economic Package for Seychelles; Both countries sign MoUs across sectors like Health, Meteorology, Electronics, IT and Good Governance.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks to his Mauritian counterpart Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam; Reaffirms shared objectives of peace and stability in Indian Ocean Region.
- Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan says, India-US trade deal safeguards interests of Indian farmers, with major grains fully protected in the agreement.
- Uttar Pradesh becomes first state to present its own ‘Economic Survey’ report during the on-going Budget Session of Assembly.
- BJP-led Mahayuti records sweeping victory in Maharashtra Zilla Parishad elections.
- And, ICC confirms Pakistan’s participation in all scheduled ICC Men’s T20 World Cup matches, including against India on 15th February in Colombo.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a Special Economic Package of 175 million dollars for the Seychelles. Addressing the Joint Press Conference after meeting the President of the Seychelles, Dr Patrick Herminie in New Delhi yesterday, the Prime Minister said, this package will support Social Housing, E-Mobility, Vocational Training, Health, Defence, and Maritime Security.
The Prime Minister added that as a maritime neighbour and trusted partner, Seychelles holds a special place in India’s Vision MAHASAGAR.
India and Seychelles also signed 7 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) across various sectors including Health, Meteorology, Electronics and Information Technology and Good Governance.
Moreover, President Droupadi Murmu hosted a banquet in honour of visiting Seychelles President Patrick Herminie at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Welcoming him yesterday, she said that India’s relationship with Seychelles is based on mutual trust and respect, and shared belief in democracy and pluralism. Earlier, Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan called on the President of Seychelles.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a telephonic conversation with his Mauritian counterpart Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam. In a social media post, Mr Modi said that during the conversation yesterday, they reaffirmed commitment to strengthen the special, historic and people-centric ties that unite both nations. Both leaders also reviewed progress in the wide-ranging cooperation. The Prime Minister further said that India and Mauritius will continue to work together to achieve shared objectives of peace and stability in the Indian Ocean Region. Mr Modi also said that he looks forward to welcoming Dr Ramgoolam for the AI Impact Summit next week.
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Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has said that the India-US trade deal is the best agreement in the national interest, in which the interests of farmers have been fully safeguarded. Talking to media after Govardhan parikrama at Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, the Agriculture Minister said, major grains including wheat and paddy have been completely protected in this agreement.
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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that the Union Budget 2026-27 reflects the Government’s commitment for continuity, certainty and predictability from a policy point of view for businesses and industry. She said that it will enable them to foster long-term plans and investment commitments. She said this while addressing the Board Members of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum in New Delhi yesterday.
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Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw met US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor in New Delhi. They discussed strengthening strategic ties, with a focus on semiconductors, electronics manufacturing and supply chain resilience. In a social media post yesterday, Mr Vaishnaw said, he looks forward to strong participation from the United States in the AI Impact Summit 2026.
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The first BRICS Sherpa Meeting commenced in New Delhi yesterday. Secretary for Economic Relations and India’s BRICS Sherpa Sudhakar Dalela highlighted key priorities of India’s Chairship based on Prime Miniter Narendra Modi’s vision for people-centric and humanity-first approach. He also underlined the overall theme of Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability. India will chair BRICS for the fourth time this year.
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Russia has said it will actively support India’s chairmanship of BRICS, describing New Delhi’s agenda as modern and highly relevant, with strong focus on counter-terrorism and energy security. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that India, which assumed the chair on 1st of January, this year, is prioritising issues that address current global challenges while preparing for the future. In an interview with TV BRICS, he highlighted the relevance of counter-terrorism amid persistent threats in the region.
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah will deliver the keynote address at the National Conference on Tackling Cyber-Enabled Frauds and Dismantling the Ecosystem in New Delhi today. On this occasion, he will also inaugurate the new Cyber crime Branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation. He will also launch the State Cyber Crime Coordination Centre Dashboard of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
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The Rajya Sabha will resume discussions on the Union Budget 2026-27 today. Lok Sabha is also scheduled to take up the General Discussion on Union Budget. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had presented the Union Budget in Parliament on the 1st of this month. The first phase of the Budget session commenced on 28th of January and will continue till the Friday. The second phase will take place from 9th March to 2nd April.
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Uttar Pradesh has become the first state in the country to present its own ‘Economic Survey’ report showcasing the pace of development and acceleration in industrialization. Uttar Pradesh’s Finance Minister Suresh Khanna yesterday tabled the Economic Review Report for the year 2025-26 during the Budget Session of the Legislative Assembly.
The state’s contribution to the national economy has increased from 8.6 per cent in the year 2016-17 to 9.1 per cent in the year 2024-25. The survey also states that size of state economy has more than doubled from rupee 13.30 lakh crore rupees in 2016-17 to 30.25 lakh crore rupees in 2024-25, and it is poised to reach rupees 36 lakh crore in 2025-26.
According to the Survey, the state government has consistently increased spending on rural development. Compared to 1,814.34 lakh ‘Manav diwas’ in 2017-18, UP generated 3,363.97 lakh ‘Manav Diwas’ in 2024-25, an increase of 85.41 percent. SUSHIL TIWARI, AKASHVANI NEWS, LUCKNOW.
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The BJP-led Mahayuti has recorded a sweeping victory in the Maharashtra Zilla Parishad elections, winning 552 of the 731 seats whose results were declared by the State Election Commission yesterday. Within the ruling alliance, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged on top with 225 seats, followed by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) with 165 seats and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena with 162 seats.
In the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, the Congress won 55 seats, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) secured 43 seats, while the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) won 26 seats. Independents and smaller parties accounted for the remaining seats.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hailed the resounding success of the BJP and Mahayuti in the Zilla Parishad elections in Maharashtra. In a social media post, Mr Modi said that across rural and urban Maharashtra, the people want good governance and an alliance which works in the spirit of the state’s glorious culture.
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The Election Commission of India has appointed Ashok Kumar as the new Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi. He will assume the charger replacing R Alice Vaz. In a letter to Chief Secretary of Delhi, the Commission mentioned that Mr Ashok Kumar has to assume the charge of the office of the CEO, NCT of Delhi immediately. In January, the poll panel asked the Delhi government to furnish a panel of three IAS officers to select the CEO.
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Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw flagged off a new passenger train service connecting Sairang in Mizoram and Silchar in Assam. He also inaugurated the Blended Hospitality Service at Gauhati Railway Station. The newly introduced train will operate five days a week, improving rail connectivity between Mizoram and Assam.
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On to sports, The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed the participation of Pakistan in all their scheduled ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 matches, including their match against India on 15th of February in Colombo. In a statement released last light, the ICC said that the dialogue between ICC and Pakistan Cricket Board took place as part of a broader engagement with both parties recognising the need for constructive dealings and being united, committed and purposeful in their aspirations to serve the best interests of the game with integrity, neutrality and cooperation.
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINES
- Dailies have widely reported on the Prime Minister announcing a special economic package of 175 million dollar for Seychelles to spport the developemental needs of the island nation. The Asian Age headline states “Talks held on defence,trade; 14 pacts inked; Modi invited to 50th year celebrations in June.”
- The Statesman cites “PM Modi engages students nationwide in ‘Pariksha pe Charcha 2026’ , inspiring vision for Viksit Bharat.”
- In its editorial, Hindustan Times has highlighted on how domestic entrepreneurs have led the country’s economic transformation with prioritisation of nurturing domestic talent by enabling better access to capital, regulatory clarity and stronger research-industry links.
- The Hindu mentions the Delhi police is all set to probe the leak of former Army Chief’s book as the necessary clearance for publication of this book is yet to be received.
- The Indian Express writes about Pakistan’s U-turn on the T-20 World cup boycott threat as Pakistan is now ready to play India. The paper adds, the decision has saved international cricket from massive financial dent as the game slates high stakes.
- Tax payers who earn only via salary set to get simpler I-T forms, says Hindustan Times.
- And Finally, “Time to fly over traffic? Air taxi proposal is here” is a Times of India headline talking about a CII report about an air taxi corridor linking Gurgaon, Connaught Place and Noida International Airport with roof-top vertiports, cutting travelling time from hours to mere minutes and help ease chronic infrastructure bottlenecks in Delhi-NCR.
THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:-
- India announces 175-million-dollar Special Economic Package for Seychelles; Both countries sign MoUs across sectors like Health, Meteorology, Electronics, IT and Good Governance.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks to his Mauritian counterpart Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam; Reaffirms shared objectives of peace and stability in Indian Ocean Region.
- Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan says, India-US trade deal safeguards interests of Indian farmers, with major grains fully protected in the agreement.
- Uttar Pradesh becomes first state to present its own ‘Economic Survey’ report during the on-going Budget Session of Assembly.
- BJP-led Mahayuti records sweeping victory in Maharashtra Zilla Parishad elections.
- And, ICC confirms Pakistan’s participation in all scheduled ICC Men’s T20 World Cup matches, including against India on 15th February in Colombo.
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