THE HEADLINES :-
- RBI reduces interest rates for the first time in nearly five years to boost the economy; Slashes policy repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.25 per cent.
- Lok Sabha takes up discussion on General Budget 2025-26.
- All arrangements in place for counting of votes for Delhi Assembly elections tomorrow.
- 38th Surajkund International Crafts Mela begins in Faridabad; 600 artisans from 42 countries showcasing their crafts at the fair.
- Ninth Asian Winter Games to kick off at Harbin in China this evening; 88-member Indian contingent taking part in mega event.
- In Tennis; Indian Men’s Doubles pairs to be in action in both the semi-finals of Chennai Open Challenger today.
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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) today reduced its interest rates for the first time in nearly five years to boost the economy. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the apex bank has unanimously decided to slash policy repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.25 per cent from 6.5 per cent.
Making the announcement following a three-day meeting of the MPC, newly appointed RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said, the interest of the economy demands financial stability and consumer protection and their mandate at the RBI is to ensure both of them.
It was Sanjay Malhotra’s first key address after taking over as the RBI Governor last December.
The 25 basis points rate cut to 6.25 per cent comes after the last rate reduction in May 2020. The last revision of rates happened in February 2023 when the policy rate was hiked by 25 basis points to 6.5 per cent.
The RBI Governor further informed that, according to the first advance estimates, real GDP growth for the current year is projected at 6.4 per cent. The Central Bank has also revised real GDP estimates to 6.7 per cent from 6.9 per cent for the next financial year 2025-2026.
The Apex Bank said, CPI inflation for the current financial year is estimated to be at 4.8 per cent. Assuming a normal monsoon, CPI inflation for the financial year 2025-26 is projected at 4.2 per cent.
In order to enhance digital security in the banking and payments system, RBI has proposed to extend Additional Factor of Authentication to online international digital payments.
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The Lok Sabha today took up discussion on the General Budget 2025-26. Participating in the discussion, Rao Rajendra Singh of BJP lauded the Union Budget saying it has taken care of the interests of the poor, farmers and women. He said the government has focused on the well being of farmers and taken several initiatives in this direction.
Earlier, initiating the discussion, Dharamvir Gandhi of Congress alleged that the Union Budget has failed to address the agrarian challenges being faced by the country.
The discussion is underway.
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NDA MPs from Bihar today met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Parliament House. During the meeting, the MPs of BJP, JD(U) and LJP (R) felicitated Mr. Modi. Union Ministers Giriraj Singh, Rajiv Ranjan Singh and Chirag Paswan were also present at the meeting. It came in the backdrop of several announcements by the Centre for Bihar in the Union Budget 2025-26. Later talking to media, Mr Giriraj Singh said they met the Prime Minister to thank him for the Budget announcements related to Bihar.
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Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today said over 4300 Farm Producer Organisations (FPO) have registered with the e-NAM portal till the end of last year. He said, over 4 crore 80 lakh farmers of these FPOs have received payments to a tune of 249 crore rupees. Replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, the Minister said over 1400 markets across the country have joined the e-NAM portal. He said farmers can utilise the benefit of e-NAM while sitting at home.
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All arrangements are in place for counting of votes for the Delhi Assembly elections to be held tomorrow.
The counting will commence at 8 in the morning and results are expected to start coming around noon. Postal ballots will be counted first, followed by the Electronic Voting Machines.
Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi, R. Alice Waz informed that nineteen counting centres have been set up in 11 districts of Delhi for the counting process. Around five thousand staff members, and other supporting personnel have been deployed and trained for the purpose.
The Election Commission has set up robust, fool proof and secured infrastructure facility for disseminating Trends and Results through its website www.eci.gov.in.
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The Election Commission today highlighted that it considers political parties as priority stakeholders, with the voters being the prime stakeholder and it deeply values views, suggestions and questions coming from them. In a social media post, the Commission said that it will respond in writing with full factual and procedural matrix uniformly adopted across the country. The Poll Body’s comments came in the wake of questions raised by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on electoral data in Maharashtra.
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The Delhi Police has termed the bomb threat emails sent to Delhi University’s St Stephens College and another two schools of Delhi NCR as hoaxes. The city police made the statement after conducting security check operations at the education institutes. The institutes had received bomb threat emails earlier this morning which validated a security check from the police.
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The 38th Surajkund International Crafts Fair, a unique confluence of colours, art, crafts, music and cultural heritage, began in Faridabad today. Union Tourism and Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini inaugurated the fair this morning.
The partner states at the Fair for this year are Madhya Pradesh and Odisha.
The annual fair is being attended by nearly 600 artisans from around 42 countries including Egypt, Ethiopia, Syria, Afghanistan, Belarus among others. The fair aims to provide a platform to international craftsmen and artists from all over the world to showcase their art, craft and talent. The fair will be open for public till the 23rd of this month from 10 AM to 8 PM.
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Now news from ongoing Mahakumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj.
The Union Culture Ministry is organizing a grand event at Mahakumbh Mela this evening. Renowned artists from across the country will mesmerize devotees with grand presentations of music, dance, and art. We have a report:
“Maha Kumbh 2025 is not only a grand festival of devotion and faith, but it is also establishing itself as a global platform for Indian culture, music, dance, and literature. The events at the Ganga Pandal will showcase India’s rich cultural traditions, allowing devotees to experience this festival in both spiritual and cultural forms. The main highlights of the event includes performances by famous artists like Odissi dancers Sonal Mansingh and Dona Ganguly, singer Kavita Krishnamurti, Hariharan and Suresh Wadkar. In addition, prominent artists from various Indian classical dance and music traditions will also make the evening at the Mahakumbh musical and grand. With Dipendra Kumar, Aman Yadav Akashwani news, Prayagraj”
Over 40 crore devotees have taken holy dip so far at Triveni Sangam during the Mahakumbh.
President Droupadi Murmu is also likely to visit Prayagraj on 10th of February to participate in the sacred ritual at Triveni Sangam.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today expressed grief over the demise of senior BJP leader and trustee of Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Kameshwar Chaupal. In a social media post, Mr Modi said that Mr Chaupal was a dedicated Ram Bhakt who made a valuable contribution in the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.
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US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) accusing it for illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and its close ally Israel. The measure places financial and visa restrictions on individuals and their families who assist in ICC investigations of American citizens or allies.
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Ninth Asian Winter Games 2025 will kick off at Harbin in China this evening. The Games will continue the 14th of this month. This year’s Games will see the largest representation of Asian countries in history with representatives from 34 countries and regions across Asia taking part in the parade during the opening ceremony today.
In a landmark move to foster winter sports in India, the Government has given clearance for participation of the 88-member Indian contingent which includes 59 athletes and 29 team officials.
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In Tennis, Indian Men’s Doubles pairs will be in action in both the semi-finals of Chennai Open Challenger today.
In the first semifinal this evening, the duo of Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan will take on top seeds, Ray Ho of Taiwan and Matthew Christopher Romios of Australia. The match will start at 3.30 PM, Indian Standard Time. In the second semifinal, another Indian pair of Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Vijay Sundar Prashanth will lock horns with the Japanese pair of Shintaro Mochizuki and Kaito Uesugi. The match is scheduled to begin at 4.40 PM.
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Benchmark domestic equity indices, Sensex and Nifty, were trading with modest losses in the afternoon trade today. The 30-share BSE Sensex slipped 164 points to 77,894 and the NSE Nifty50 was trading marginally down by 21 points,to 23,582, when reports last came in.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN :-
- RBI reduces interest rates for the first time in nearly five years to boost the economy; Slashes policy repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.25 per cent.
- Lok Sabha takes up discussion on General Budget 2025-26.
- All arrangements in place for counting of votes for Delhi Assembly elections tomorrow.
- 38th Surajkund International Crafts Mela begins in Faridabad; 600 artisans from 42 countries showcasing their crafts at the fair.
- Ninth Asian Winter Games to kick off at Harbin in China this evening; 88-member Indian contingent taking part in mega event.
- In Tennis; Indian Men’s Doubles pairs to be in action in both the semi-finals of Chennai Open Challenger today.
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