THE HEADLINES ::
- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to present Union Budget 2025-26 in Lok Sabha today.
- President Droupadi Murmu to inaugurate New Delhi World Book Fair at Bharat Mandapam this morning.
- Four more wetlands in India added to Ramsar sites list.
- White House says, US President Donald Trump will impose new tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico today.
- Hyderabad Toofans beat JSW Soorma Hockey Club 3-1 to storm into the final of Hockey India League in Rourkela.
- Men’s cricket, India defeat England by 15 runs in fourth T20 International in Pune to take unassailable 3-1 lead in five-match series.
<><><><><><>
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget 2025-26 in the Lok Sabha today. It will be the second Budget of the Narendra Modi government in its third term. Ahead of the Budget presentation, the Economic Survey was tabled in both Houses of Parliament yesterday, giving an overview of the economy’s performance.
“This will be Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s eighth consecutive Budget presentation since taking office in 2019. After presentation of the Budget in the Lok Sabha, the copy of the budget will be tabled in the Rajya Sabha. During her pre Budget consultations, Finance Minister held meetings with several stakeholders, including experts and representatives from farmer associations and agriculture economists, trade unions, education and health sector, MSME, trade and services, industry, economists, financial sector and capital markets. On 1 st February 2021, Finance Minister Sitharaman presented the first paperless budget and the digital budget has been presented ever since then. The first part of the Budget session will be held till 13th February while the second leg of the session will be held from 10th March to 4th April. Suparna Saikia, Akashvani News, Delhi”.
The Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange will remain open for trading today, on account of the presentation of Union Budget. This is only the third instance when the share market will remain open on a Saturday for the Budget.
<><><><><><>
The World Book Fair 2025 will commence today at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. This year, the fair’s theme is ‘We the People of India’, commemorating 75 years of the Republic of India.
The nine-day fair will be inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu. Speaking to Akashvani News, Director of the National Book Trust, Yuvraj Malik, highlighted that this year, Russia is the focus country of the fair, and over 50 countries will participate, including France, Argentina, Spain, Colombia, Abu Dhabi, and Qatar. He added that nearly two thousand publishers and one thousand speakers will attend the fair.
<><><><><><>
The Centre has announced the addition of four new Ramsar sites in India, taking the tally to 89. In a social media post, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said that ahead of World Wetlands Day, the Government announced that Sakkarakottai Bird Sanctuary and Therthangal Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu, Khecheopalri Wetland in Sikkim, and Udhwa Lake in Jharkhand have been included in the list of Ramsar sites in the country.
In the post, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav shared that India still stands as the country with the highest number of Ramsar sites in Asia and third in the world. He also termed this a special achievement for Sikkim and Jharkhand, which have added their first Ramsar sites.
<><><><><><>
The 70-member Delhi assembly will go to polls on the 5th of this month. Akashvani News brings to you a special series in view of Delhi assembly polls. Today, we take a look at the Babarpur constituency:
“The Babarpur seat of Shahdara district in North-East Delhi has been occupied by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party for the last ten years. Senior AAP leader and Environment Minister in Delhi Government Gopal Rai has won this seat twice in a row. In the last election, he defeated BJP’s Naresh Gaud by more than 33 thousand votes. The party has once again expressed confidence in him, citing good performance of Mr. Rai in his assembly constituency. At the same time, BJP has cut the ticket of four-time former MLA Naresh Gaud and has given a chance to Anil Vashisht to try his luck on this seat. There are more than 2 lakh voters in Babarpur, out of which more than 1 lakh 14 thousand are male and more than 1 lakh are female. This Assembly constituency includes colonies like Jafrabad Market, Naveen Shahdara, Babarpur, Balbir Nagar, Shivaji Park and Kabul Nagar, famous for coolers, jackets and kites. The major issues for the people in this assembly constituency are Sanitation, traffic jams, crime and lack of parking space. With Akshit Vedyan, Bhanu Pratap Singh, Akashvani News Delhi”.
<><><><><><>
President Droupadi Murmu will inaugurate the annual Udyanotsav of the Rashtrapati Bhavan today. The Amrit Udyan will open for public viewing from tomorrow. People can visit the Udyan six days a week between 10 AM and 6 PM except on Mondays, which are maintenance days. Booking and entry to the Garden is free of cost. Booking can be made at the portal visit.rashtrapatibhavan.gov.in and walk-in entry is also available.
Deputy Press Secretary to President Navika Gupta said, the Amrit Udyan will be open to public from tomorrow till 30th March. She said, Rashtrapati Bhavan will also host Vividhta Ka Amrit Mahotsav as part of Udyanotsav.
<><><><><><>
News from Mahakumbh-
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar will visit Mahakumbh, Prayagraj today. He will take a holy dip at the Sangam. Our correspondent reports that the grand and divine Mahakumbh is also capturing global attention. The heads of diplomatic missions from various countries will visit Maha Kumbh today. A report:
“The Maha Kumbh 2025 has cemented its place as not only India’s largest spiritual gathering but also a global cultural event by attracting millions. For the first time, diplomats from 73 countries will come to Prayagraj today to take a holy dip in the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers. They will also visit Akshayvat and Bade Hanuman Temple. The diplomat will explore the depth of Mahakumbh through modern technology at the Digital Mahakumbh Experience Centre. Earlier, a 21-members delegation from ten countries had also visited Mahakumbh and took a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam. With Dipendra Kumar, Aman Yadav, Akashwani News, Prayagraj”.
<><><><><><>
India’s foreign exchange reserves increased by 5.57 billion dollars to 629.55 billion dollars in the week ending January 24th according to the latest data released by the Reserve Bank of India. The uptick was primarily attributed to a significant gain in Foreign Currency Assets (FCA), a major component of the reserves. The FCA surged by 4.75 billion dollars to over 537.89 billion dollars during the week.
<><><><><><>
The White House has confirmed that President Donald Trump will be slapping aggressive tariffs on major US trading partners including, China Canada and Mexico from today. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the US will be leveling 25 per cent tariffs on Mexico and Canada as well as a 10 per cent duty on China for allowing distribution of the illegal fentanyl into the US which has killed tens of millions of Americans.
<><><><><><>
In the US, multiple casualties are feared after a small aircraft crashed in northeast Philadelphia last night, sparking a large fire and prompting a major emergency response. The crash occurred near the busy Roosevelt Mall in the residential neighbourhood of Rhawnhurst, police reported.
<><><><><><>
In the Hockey India League, Hyderabad Toofans stormed into the final after defeating JSW Soorma Hockey Club 3-1 at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela last evening.
<><><><><><>
In Men’s cricket, India defeated England by 15 runs in the fourth T20 International in Pune last night, taking an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
“The Indian cricket team achieved another remarkable milestone yesterday, securing their 17th consecutive T20I series win at home. Chasing a target of 182, England were bowled out for 166 runs, courtesy of a disciplined bowling performance by the hosts. Shivam Dube’s all-round performance earned him the Player of the Match award. In some more Cricket news, Legendary former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar will be honoured with the BCCI’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the Board’s annual gala in Mumbai today. Moving on to the world of Chess, in the Tata Steel Tournament, World Champion D. Gukesh maintained his half-point lead at the top with a comfortable draw against China’s Wei Yi after round 11 in Wijk Aan Zee, the Netherlands, yesterday. Meanwhile, R. Praggnanandhaa outplayed top seed and American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana to close in on the leader. And finally, exciting news for winter sports enthusiasts: the Indian government has approved the participation of the national contingent in the 9th Asian Winter Games, set to take place from February 7-14, 2025, in Harbin, China. This is the first occasion where the Government has formally extended financial support for the country’s participation in the Asian Winter Games. MANIK SHARMA, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI.”
<><><><><><>
A layer of dense fog blanketed national capital Delhi this morning affecting visibility in the city. The fog accompanied by cold winds made the early hours quite chilly for residents. The dip in morning and night temperatures is attributed to northwesterly winds coming from the Himalayas. A change in weather is anticipated today onwards with light rain expected in Delhi-NCR.
India Meteorological Department has said that the Maximum and Minimum temperatures will hover around 26 and 10 degrees Celcius.
<><><><><><>
TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS :-
- News about the Economic Survey and Union Budget 2025-26 have appeared on the front pages of dailies. “Economic survey bats for deregulation stimulus”, says Business Standard while The Economic Times writes, “Economic Survey’s unflinching prescription to the state – Get out of the way”. “Economy’s fundamentals robust amid strong downsides” notes The Hindu. A headline in Hindustan Times says, “Taxpayers eye relief as PM seeks blessings for middle class, poor”.
- “World braces for steep US tariffs on China, Canada, Mexico from today”, reads a headline in The Asian Age.
- “Sonia calls President ‘poor thing’, PM says insulting; Rashtrapati Bhavan says ‘in poor taste'”, reports The Indian Express.
- The Times of India reports that 8 AAP MLAs from the outgoing Delhi assembly have resigned from the primary membership of the party after being denied tickets.
- Under the headline “Delhi’s rural belt cries in silence amid poll din”, The Tribune lists the endless miseries of rural Delhi with broken roads, dangling wires, sewage problems and piles of garbage at every 50 metres.
<><><><><><>
THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN :-
- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to present Union Budget 2025-26 in Lok Sabha today.
- President Droupadi Murmu to inaugurate New Delhi World Book Fair at Bharat Mandapam this morning.
- Four more wetlands in India added to Ramsar sites list.
- White House says, US President Donald Trump will impose new tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico today.
- Hyderabad Toofans beat JSW Soorma Hockey Club 3-1 to storm into the final of Hockey India League in Rourkela.
- Men’s cricket, India defeat England by 15 runs in fourth T20 International in Pune to take unassailable 3-1 lead in five-match series.
<><><><><><>