THE HEADLINES:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds bilateral meetings with several world leaders on sidelines of India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.
Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurates WAVES Creators’ Corner at AI Summit; 51 startups to showcase AI innovations.
Election Commission announces schedule for 37 seats of Rajya Sabha in 10 states; Voting to take place on 16th of next month.
Maharashtra government cancels five per cent reservation for Muslim community in jobs and education.
And, in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, India to take on Netherlands at Ahmedabad this evening.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a series of bilateral meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi today. The Prime Minister held a meeting with President of Spain Pedro Sanchez at Hyderabad House this morning. Both leaders discussed a wide range of issues aimed at deepening India-Spain partnership. The External Affairs Ministry said in a statement that key areas discussed include trade and economy, digital, innovation, health, climate action and education among others. Prime Minister Modi conveyed his appreciation for Spain’s consistent support for strong India-EU relations. In a social media post, Mr Modi said they discussed ways to boost the India-Spain friendship, especially in areas such as defence, security, technology and more. The Prime Minister also held talks with Prime Minister of Finland Antti Petteri Orpo. They discussed cooperation in sustainability and digitalization, AI research and ethical innovation and how Indian talent can strengthen bilateral collaboration. The Prime Minister commended Finland’s efforts as an emerging innovation player in AI. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to advancing responsible, talent-driven AI and harnessing tech-enabled solutions for a sustainable future.
The Prime Minister said India and Finland aim to double trade, thus giving a strong boost to economic linkages. They also talked about enhancing cooperation in futuristic technologies like 6G, innovation, clean energy, biofuels, and circular economy.
Mr Modi also held talks with President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic on the sidelines of the Summit. The two leaders discussed avenues to strengthen bilateral cooperation in trade and investment, AI, fintech, education, agriculture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
Mr Modi also held bilateral talks with Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenkovic. Prime Minister Modi is slated to hold meetings with President of Estonia Alar Karis, Prime Minister of Bhutan Dasho Tshering Tobgay and Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov later in the afternoon.
Earlier this morning, Prime Minister Modi met Google CEO Sundar Pichai who is also in the city to attend the India AI Impact Summit. In a social media post, Mr Modi said they talked about the work India is doing in AI and how Google can work with India’s talented students and professionals in this field.
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Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurated the WAVES Creators’ Corner, at Bharat Mandapam on the second day of India AI Impact Summit yesterday. Addressing the inaugural ceremony, the Minister underscored that the WAVES Creators’ Corner serves as a strategic extension of the Ministry’s key initiatives, including WaveX, Waves Bazaar and the Create in India Challenges. Mr Vaishnaw also praised the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies for integrating Artificial Intelligence into creative education to equip students for evolving industry demands. The Minister engaged with 51 Media Tech start-ups and challenged winners at WAVES.
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India AI and Intel India have created a new World Record under the category for most pledges received for an AI responsibility campaign in 24 hours. More than 2.5 lakh students took pledge under the campaign. Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said the achievement reflects the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The Minister also noted that it is the direction in which the country should lead the thought process of Responsible AI. He also congratulated and thanked the entire team for this achievement.
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The Government has extended the India AI Impact Expo by one day till the 21st of this month. Briefing the media in New Delhi, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology Secretary S. Krishnan said this move has been taken because of the overwhelming response from exhibitors, innovators, and visitors. He said that on the 20th and 21st of this month, the Expo will remain open until 8 PM. The Secretary added that tomorrow, the expo will be closed to the general public and will be open only to invited guests.
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The Election Commission today announced elections for 37 seats of the Rajya Sabha in 10 states. The notification for the polls will be issued on the 26th of this month and nominations can be filed till the 5th of March. Polling will be held on the 16th of March. Union Minister Ramnath Thakur, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, NCP-SP leader Sharad Pawar are among those who are completing their tenure in the Upper House.
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An allocation of 5.01 lakh crore rupees has been earmarked for the welfare of women and girls in the Gender Budget Statement for the current financial year, reflecting an 11.55 per cent increase over 4.49 lakh crore rupees in the previous financial year. Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2026-27, with a significant rise in the Gender Budget allocation. The Ministry of Women and Child Development informed that the share of Gender Budget in the total Union Budget has increased to 9.37 per cent in the Current Financial Year from 8.86 per cent in the previous Financial Year.
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The Textile sector has hailed the Interim Trade Agreement between India and the US. Talking to Akashvani News, Sanjeev Saran, former Chairman of Manmade Textiles Export Promotion Council and current member of Export Promotion said that the tariff reduction is going to benefit the exporters. Mr Saran added that this could also bring in new investment and joint ventures in India as it is now one of the most suitable countries for the export of textiles to the United States.
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President Droupadi Murmu, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, today reviewed the International Fleet Review 2026 off the coast of Visakhapatnam, underscoring India’s growing maritime capability and its commitment to global naval cooperation. Embarking on INS Sumedha, the Presidential Yacht, she inspected a formidable assembly of 71 Indian and foreign vessels anchored along the coastline. The fleet comprised 45 Indian Navy ships, 19 visiting warships and other vessels representing the Coast Guard, Merchant Navy and research organisations. Addressing the gathering, the President emphasised the importance of unity, trust and collective responsibility among nations in ensuring a stable maritime order.
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New and Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi today said that offshore wind can become a strong pillar of the country’s clean, reliable, and self-reliant energy future. Mr Joshi was speaking at the launch of the India-UK Offshore Wind Taskforce in New Delhi. He said offshore wind has a strategic role in the country’s transition to strengthen reliability and grid stability, industrial depth, and energy security. The Minister also highlighted that transmission planning for an initial 10 gigawatts offshore evacuation capacity has been completed, with five gigawatts each for Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. Mr Joshi also stressed that India achieved 50 percent of its cumulative installed power capacity from non-fossil sources last year.
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The Maharashtra government has cancelled the five per cent reservation for members of the Muslim community in jobs and education. A Government Resolution was issued yesterday, as the previous ordinance providing for the five per cent reservation has lapsed, and the court has placed an interim stay on the decision.
The previous Congress-NCP government had issued an ordinance granting a 16 per cent quota to Marathas and five per cent to Muslims. As per the new resolution, all previous decisions and the ordinance related to the five per cent reservation in government and semi-government jobs, as well as in educational institutions, for the socially and educationally backward Muslim group included under the Special Backward Category (A), have been cancelled.
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The Supreme Court has adjourned the hearing on a plea filed by the Enforcement Directorate alleging obstruction by the West Bengal government during its search operations till the 18th of next month. Earlier, the Enforcement Directorate held search operations at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC in connection with an alleged coal pilferage scam. A Bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and K V Viswanathan deferred the matter after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that a rejoinder would be filed today. Earlier, the apex court had termed the alleged obstruction as very serious and agreed to examine whether a state’s law-enforcing agencies can interfere with a central agency’s probe into serious offences.
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In Bangladesh, Political tensions rose as the newly elected members of the 13th Parliament disagreed over taking an additional oath as members of the proposed Constitutional Reform Council. Members of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party took oath only as Members of Parliament at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, declining to recite the second pledge.
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Gamini, a South African cheetah, has given birth to three cubs at Kuno National Park, taking the country’s total cheetah population to 38. Sharing this in a social media post, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav today said that the number of surviving Indian-born cheetah cubs has now increased to 27.
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In the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup, Defending champions India will take on Netherlands in a Group A match at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The match will start at 7 PM local time.
In Group D, the match between South Africa and United Arab Emirates is underway at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Chasing the target of 123 runs South Africa were 86 for 2 in 9 overs, when reports last came in.
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The India Meteorological Department, IMD has forecast thunderstorm and hailstorm over Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and East Rajasthan today. Thunderstorm with lightning and gusty winds is expected over Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Rajasthan for the day. The Met Department has also predicted thunderstorm with lightning over West Madhya Pradesh. According to IMD, maximum temperatures are likely to fall by two to four degree Celsius across parts of Northwest India till tomorrow.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds bilateral meetings with several world leaders on sidelines of India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.
Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurates WAVES Creators’ Corner at AI Summit; 51 startups to showcase AI innovations.
Election Commission announces schedule for 37 seats of Rajya Sabha in 10 states; Voting to take place on 16th of next month.
Maharashtra government cancels five per cent reservation for Muslim community in jobs and education.
And, in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, India to take on Netherlands at Ahmedabad this evening.
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