THE HEADLINES::

 

1. Budget Session of Parliament begins today with President Droupadi Murmu’s address to joint sitting of both Houses.

 

2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address Annual NCC PM Rally at Cariappa Parade Ground in New Delhi this afternoon.

 

3. Government approves setting up of smart and integrated fishing harbour at Mayabunder in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

 

4. Industry bodies describe India-European Union Free Trade Agreement as game changer for Indian industry.

 

5. Asia’s largest civil aviation event ‘Wings India 2026’ to begin today at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad.

 

6. In Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup, India beat Zimbabwe by 204 runs in Super Six stage match at Bulawayo.

 

 

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The Budget Session of Parliament will begin today. The session will begin with the address of President Droupadi Murmu to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament. The Economic Survey will be tabled tomorrow and the Union Budget will be presented on Sunday 1st February. The first phase of the budget session will be held from today till 13th February. The second phase will take place from 9th March to 2nd April. There will be 30 sittings during the session.

 

 

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Government convened an all Party Meeting in New Delhi yesterday, ahead of the Budget Session of Parliament. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the meeting. Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha J P Nadda, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Ministers of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal and Dr L Murugan were present at the occasion. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Leader Tiruchi Shiva, Trinmool Congess leader Sagarika Ghose, Samajwadi Party MP Ramgopal Yadav attended the meeting among others. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Union Parliamentry Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the first part of the Budget Session will have motion of thanks on President’s address, later discussion on Budget will be held in both the houses. Mr Rijiju requested all the parties to cooperate in running the session smoothly.

 

 

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the annual NCC PM Rally today at the Cariappa Parade Ground in New Delhi. The theme of this year’s rally is Rashtra Pratham – Kartavya Nishth Yuva.

 

“The NCC PM Rally will mark the grand culmination of the month-long NCC Republic Day Camp 2026. During the rally, the Cadets will present a symbolic urn to the Prime Minister containing soil from 21 uninhabited islands of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which have been named after Param Vir Chakra awardees. This year, 2,406 NCC cadets from across the country participated in the camp, including 898 girls. The rally will also see the participation of 207 youth and officers from 21 foreign countries. On the occasion, a vibrant cultural programme will be presented by NCC cadets, members of Rashtriya Rangshala and National Service Scheme, showcasing their role in nation building, social service and character development. The NCC PM Rally is a key annual event in the Republic Day calendar and serves as a platform to recognise the discipline, leadership and service-oriented ethos of NCC cadets. With Dilnashi Arzoo,Tripti Srivastava, Akashvani News, Delhi.”

 

 

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Government has approved a proposal to set up a smart and integrated fishing harbour at Mayabunder in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The project, to be set up at a cost of around 200 crore rupees, will be fully funded by Central government under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). The Harbour will create safe landing and berthing facilities for 430 fishing vessels and cater to an annual fish landing of nine thousand nine hundred tonnes. It will integrate sustainable fisheries management, enhanced fish-handling capacity, improved operational safety, energy-efficient systems, and digital traceability. It is expected to generate employment, enhance stakeholder incomes, strengthen livelihoods, and contribute to combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

 

 

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President Droupadi Murmu has said, India and Europe are connected not only by contemporary interests, but also by shared values such as democracy, pluralism, and an open market economy. She said, these principles guide the nations in a rapidly changing global environment. The President was speaking at the banquet hosted in honour of President of the European Council António Costa and President of European Commission Ursula von der Leyen at Rashtrapati Bhavan yesterday evening. President Murmu said that economic cooperation is a key pillar of India-European Union relations. She said, India and EU view trade and investment as instruments of shared prosperity and social progress.

 

 

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Industry bodies have welcomed the landmark India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed in New Delhi. Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has said that the agreement represents a strategic breakthrough in the country’s global trade engagement and significantly deepens the partnership between them. CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said that the unprecedented preferential access secured for over 99 percent of Indian exports through the agreement is a game-changer for Indian industry.

Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, FICCI has congratulated the government for advancing this agreement of strategic scale and long-term significance. FICCI President Anant Goenka said, the FTA is poised to unlock substantial untapped trade and investment opportunities, enabling deeper market access, and stronger value-chain integration.

Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) President S C Ralhan said the agreement will open unprecedented market access for Indian exporters across goods and services, particularly empowering labour-intensive sectors, MSMEs, women entrepreneurs, artisans, and youth.

 

 

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In Assam, six people including four children are missing after a overloaded country boat capsized in Brahmaputra River near Chenga in Barpeta district yesterday.

 

“Six memebers of a single family went missing including four children after a small country boat capsized in the Brahmaputra river. The victims were among 27 passengers travelling in the boat to attend a relative’s wedding  at Barhola Char.  The country boat was playing between Rahampur and Barhola in Chenga of Barpeta district. Local residents and fellow passengers managed to rescue several people. District administration had pressed SDRF and NDRF teams to trace and rescue the missing persons immediately after the incident but had to temporarily suspend it at night due to poor visibility and safty concerns. Today, early morning SDRF and NDRF teams resumed search operations to trace the missing persons. This is Aminul  Jwadder, Akashvani News, Guwahati.”

 

 

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Wings India 2026, Asia’s largest civil aviation event will begin today at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad. The four-day event will showcase the rise of Indian Aviation and the Future of Global Flight. The event will feature an elaborate and world class international exhibition, static aircraft displays and aerobatic flying shows, high-level global aviation conference, CEO roundtables, B2B and B2G meetings, aviation Job Fair and Student Innovation Competition. Ministerial-level and official foreign delegations from 20 countries, including Russia, Singapore, Maldives, Mongolia, Oman, Qatar, European Union, UK, France, Germany, USA will attend Wings India 2026.

 

 

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Prime Minister’s flagship platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, PRAGATI, has marked a significant milestone with the successful conduct of its 50th meeting. Since its launch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015, PRAGATI has transformed governance by enabling real-time monitoring and resolution of key infrastructure projects and public grievances through direct Prime Ministerial review. The platform exemplifies cooperative federalism, bringing together the Centre, States, and Union Ministries on a single digital interface. Over a decade, PRAGATI has helped accelerate decision-making, resolution of issues causing delay in key infrastructure projects, and instilled a strong culture of accountability. Today, in this special series, we take a look at the 6-Laning of Chakeri to Prayagraj Section of NH-2 located in Uttar Pradesh.

 

“The 6-laning of the Chakeri – Allahabad section of old NH-2 now part of NH-19 in Uttar Pradesh marks a critical milestone in upgrading of one of India’s most important national transport corridors the Delhi – Kolkata Golden Quadrilateral. Spanning approximately 145 km, the project traverses key districts including Kanpur Nagar, Fatehpur and Kaushambi, linking major industrial, commercial and pilgrimage centres such as Kanpur and Prayagraj. The project was sponsored by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and was sanctioned in March 2017.. The core objective of the project was to upgrade capacity, reduce travel time and vehicle operating costs, enhance road safety, and catalyse socio-economic development in the state. Despite its strategic importance, the project encountered implementation challenges, land acquisition complexities and statutory clearances related to forest and environment and pending disbursement of compensation to landowners. These constraints risked cascading delays across the 145 km corridor

Recognising the national importance of the corridor, the project was reviewed under the PRAGATI mechanism on July 2019, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The review provided decisive, time-bound directions aimed at resolving the remaining bottlenecks and restoring execution momentum. During the meeting, Uttar Pradesh Government was directed to expeditiously disburse the balance compensation, acquire and hand over the remaining land, and remove pending structures at the earliest to ensure continuous availability of work fronts. Simultaneously, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, in close coordination with the Uttar Pradesh Government, was directed to accelerate overall project execution and ensure timely completion.

By modernising a vital national highway link through PRAGATI-enabled coordination and time-bound governance, the Chakeri – Allahabad 6-Laning project stands as a strong example of how strategic oversight can unlock complex infrastructure and deliver lasting socio-economic dividends. Aman Yadav, Akashvani News, Delhi.”

 

 

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In the Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup, India moved to the top of the Group 2 points table with a convincing win over hosts Zimbabwe by 204 runs in the Super Six stage match in Bulawayo yesterday evening. 

Vihaan Malhotra smashed an unbeaten 109 to lead India to a gigantic total of 352 in stimulated 50 overs.

 

 

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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,

 

• The historic trade deal between India and the European Union dominates the front pages of all the newspapers.
• ‘Historic deal: India, EU play their trump card’ writes Hindustan Times, adding ‘FTA sealed, strategic agenda laid out: Leaders say India and EU will strengthen stability in international system roiled by tariff turmoil.’
• The Asian Age writes ‘India, EU seal ‘historic’ FTA; Modi hails ‘start of new era’
• India, EU conclude ‘mother of all deals’; FTA to reshape global order, writes The Statesman.
• ‘Tariffs down from eleven percent to zero, drugs for critical illnesses to get cheaper,’ headlines The Tribune.
• Apex Court takes a tough stand in acid attack cases. Hindustan Times informs ‘Seize offender’s assets in acid attack cases, says Supreme Court’.
• Papers have also widely noticed the mood across political circles ahead of the budget session. The Pioneer writes, ‘Stormy Budget Session likely as Government, opposition lock horns’
• The Economic Times headlines, ‘US companies Backing only those seen making H-1B cut.’
• Financial Express writes that Realtors are trimming apartment sizes as prices surge, sales slump. The paper headlines, ‘When homes shrink to stay within reach.’
• In The Times of India two interesting stories are covered ‘In MP, boycott call against love marriages,’ and ‘France OKs bill banning social media for children under fifteen’
• And finally, The Indian Express in its Editorial page covers an article by the Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Conrad G Sangma about Meghalaya’s emergence as one of the hubs of AI development represents a significant milestone in India’s technological transformation. The title of the article reads ‘ Meghalaya’s AI story is a template for inclusive technology.

 

 

 

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN,

 

 

1. Budget Session of Parliament begins today with President Droupadi Murmu’s address to joint sitting of both Houses.

 

2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address Annual NCC PM Rally at Cariappa Parade Ground in New Delhi this afternoon.

 

3. Government approves setting up of smart and integrated fishing harbour at Mayabunder in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

 

4. Industry bodies describe India-European Union Free Trade Agreement as game changer for Indian industry.

 

5. Asia’s largest civil aviation event ‘Wings India 2026’ to begin today at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad.

 

6. In Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup, India beat Zimbabwe by 204 runs in Super Six stage match at Bulawayo.

 

 

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