THE HEADLINES ::

 

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Acting President of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez agree to deepen bilateral ties in all areas, including energy; Hold discussion over phone.

 

 

2. New Delhi hosts landmark India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting today to expand cooperation in key sectors.

 

 

3. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar meets Foreign Ministers of several Arab nations in National Capital; Discuss bilateral relations and West Asia situation.

 

4. Supreme Court rules, menstrual health a fundamental right under Constitution; Directs states to ensure schools provide free biodegradable sanitary pads to girls.

 

5. Nationalist Congress Party to hold legislature party meeting in Mumbai today to elect a new leader.

 

6. In Cricket, India to take on New Zealand in fifth and final T20 at Thiruvananthapuram this evening.

 

 

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Acting President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez have agreed to further expand and deepen the bilateral partnership in all areas, including trade and investment, energy, digital technology, health, agriculture and people-to-people ties. In a statement, External Affairs Ministry said, Mr Modi received a telephone call from the Acting President of Venezuela yesterday. The two leaders exchanged views on various regional and global issues of mutual interest and emphasized the importance of their close cooperation for the Global South.

 

 

 

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The second India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting will be held in New Delhi today. The meeting will be co-chaired by India and the UAE. Foreign Ministers of Arab League Member States and Arab League Secretary General will participate in the meeting. This is the first India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting to be hosted by India in New Delhi. The event will witness the participation of all 22 Arab Nations. Ahead of the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the 4th India-Arab Senior Officials’ Meeting was held in the national capital yesterday. Our correspondent reports that the second India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting is expected to build on existing cooperation, expanding and deepening this partnership.

 

India-Arab trade stands at over 240 billion dollars. Bilateral hydrocarbon trade exceeds 107 billion dollars and accounts for nearly half of the bilateral trade. India imports over 95 percent of LPG, 60 percent of LNG and 47 percent of crude oil requirement from the Arab League countries, in addition to more than 50 percent of fertilizers and related products. Most of India’s external trade passes through the Suez Canal, the Red

Sea, and the Gulf of Aden. Indian companies invest in energy sector in Oman, UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Algeria, Libya and Morocco. This Partnership spans Food and Energy, Financial Services, Health and Education, IT, Renewable Energy including start-ups and large infrastructure projects. Over 9 million Indian diaspora live in Arab League nations. With Dipendra Kumar, Suparna Saikia, Akashvani News, Delhi.

 

 

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External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar held bilateral talks with his counterparts from several Arab League member nations in New Delhi yesterday. The meetings were focused on enhancing bilateral ties and taking stock of the situation in the West Asia. We have a detailed report on this…

 

Dr Jaishankar held talks with the Foreign Ministers of Comoros, Libya, Somalia and Palestine. He also met Arabia League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit. On his meeting with Mr Gheit, Dr Jaishankar said, he had a wide ranging conversation about cooperation and strengthening across various domains. Dr Jaishankar described his meeting with Foreign Minister of Somalia, Abdisalam Ali, as productive. In their meeting, the External Affairs Minister and his Libyan counterpart Eltaher Elbaour discussed ways to boost bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade, business, infrastructure and energy. Dr Jaishankar also reiterated India’s position for an end to violence in Sudan and return to dialogue during his meeting with Sudan counterpart Salim Ahmed Ibrahim. Dr Jaishankar also met Foreign Affairs Minister of Palestine, Varsen Aghabekian Shahin and exchanged views on the Gaza Peace Plan and regional developments. Moreover, Dr Jaishankar and Foreign Minister of Comoros Mbae Mohamed agreed on the importance of more frequent engagements between the two sides. WITH SUPARNA’S REPORT, ASHISH P. ABRAHAM, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI.

 

 

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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget 2026-27 in the Lok Sabha tomorow. After presentation of the Budget in the Lower House, the copy of the budget will be tabled in the Rajya Sabha. This will be ninth consecutive Budget presentation by Mrs Sitharaman since assuming office in 2019. Also, it will be the third Budget of the Narendra Modi government in its third term. The Budget documents will be available on the Mobile App and the website after the completion of the Budget Speech in Parliament.

 

 

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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will also interact with around thirty college students from different regions of the country after the presentation of the Union Budget 2026-27 tomorrow. As part of this initiative, the college students will also get to witness live presentation of the Union Budget from the Lok Sabha Gallery. The Finance Ministry in a statement said that this will offer the students, coming from a variety of academic disciplines, a chance to view one of the most significant Parliamentary proceedings of the year.

 

 

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The government has debunked a message circulating on social media claiming that a scanned copy of the Union Budget 2026-27 has been leaked on a messenger app. The fact check unit of the Press Information Bureau has informed that the claim is fake. The unit added that one of the images being circulated is not related to the Union Budget 2026-27 but from Union Budget 2025-26, which has been digitally edited. The government has advised people to rely only on authentic sources and avoid sharing unverified content on social media.

 

 

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The Supreme Court has ruled that the right to menstrual hygiene is an integral part of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution. The Apex court yesterday issued a series of binding directions to states and Union Territories and schools to ensure dignity, health and equality for girls and women. A bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan directed all states and Union Territories to ensure that every school provides biodegradable sanitary napkins free of cost to adolescent girls. The Court further directed the pan-India implementation of the Union’s national policy, ‘Menstrual Hygiene Policy for School-going Girls’ in schools for adolescent girl children from Classes 6th to 12th. The top court was hearing a plea seeking free sanitary pads and adequate sanitation facilities for schoolgirls.

 

 

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Senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah reached Kolkata in West Bengal last night. Mr Shah will attend BJP workers’ conference at Barrackpore under North 24 Parganas district this morning. He will then reach Bagdogra and attend a BJP organizational meeting. In the evening, Union Home Minister will leave for Delhi through Bagdogra Airport.

 

 

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Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Maharashtra Minister Chhagan Bhujbal has said that the NCP legislature party meeting will be held in Mumbai today to elect a new leader. He was speaking to reporters yesterday. The post fell vacant following the demise of NCP National President and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash on Wednesday. There is strong speculation within party circles that Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra Pawar, is likely to be elected as the new leader. Meanwhile, senior NCP leaders met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis yesterday to discuss the political situation that has emerged following Ajit Pawar’s sudden demise.

 

 

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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. In this special series, today, our correspondent takes a look at the projects related to the Ministry of Railways.

 

Indian Railways is one of the strongest pillars of country’s economic and social infrastructure, forming the backbone of passenger mobility and freight transportation across the country. As one of the world’s largest railway systems, it plays a vital role in national integration, logistics efficiency and regional connectivity. A total of 387 railway projects with a cumulative investment of over 12 lakh crore rupees are currently being monitored on the Project Monitoring Group portal. Out of these, 97 high-value projects have been reviewed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the PRAGATI mechanism. These projects include high-speed rail corridors, Dedicated Freight Corridors, new line projects in difficult terrains, and large station redevelopment initiatives. Railways has executed some of the most complex and ambitious infrastructure projects like Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link, providing all-weather rail connectivity to the Kashmir Valley through Chenab Bridge and Anji Bridge, commissioning of the Bairabi-Sairang line in the Northeast, and inauguration of India’s first vertical-lift sea bridge at Pamban, in Tamil Nadu. The PRAGATI mechanism has played a critical role in expediting railway projects by resolving inter-ministerial and Centre-State issues related to land acquisition and forest clearances. Indian Railways supports industrial growth, agricultural supply chains, tourism, defence logistics and the daily mobility of millions of citizens, making it indispensable to the country’s development trajectory. With Dipendra Kumar, Bhanu Pratap Singh, Akashvani News Delhi.

 

 

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The 39th Surajkund International Crafts Mela 2026 will begin in Faridabad today. Vice President CP Radhakrishnan will inaugurate the fair. The theme of the fair this year is Local to Global, aiming to give traditional art of local artisans recognition on an international platform. Uttar Pradesh and Meghalaya are the theme states for this edition, while Egypt participates as the partner nation. The fair will feature numerous performances by renowned national and international folk artists and cultural groups.

 

 

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The Jammu and Kashmir Rural Livelihood Mission (JKRLM) is set to host an expansive edition of the SARAS MELA at Kala Kendra in Jammu, starting today. The fair will conclude on 9th of February. The 10-day long Mela will transform Kala Kendra into a vibrant showcase of country’s rural creativity. The national-level event will bring together rural women entrepreneurs from across the country, offering visitors a unique opportunity to explore India’s rich diversity of crafts, colors, culture, and traditions-all under one roof.

 

 

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In Men’s Cricket, India will take on New Zealand in the fifth and final T20 International at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram this evening. The match will begin at 7 PM. The Men in Blue suffered a 50-run defeat against the visitors in the fourth T20 International at Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. Despite the loss, India continue to hold an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.

 

 

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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,

 

• All newspapers have widely noticed the political churnings in Maharashtra after the sudden demise of Deputy Chief Minister, Ajit Pawar. Some other stories covered by the Press are supreme court’s observation on menstrual hygiene and Union Minister Piyush Goyal’s remarks after the historic free trade deal between India and EU.
• ‘Sunetra Pawar to take oath as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister,’ headlines Hindustan Times while The Times of India informs, she will be the ‘first woman in the post in Maharashtra’.
• The Hindu quotes Union Minister Piyush Goyal in its headline, Deal with EU to be implemented this year itself.
• The Indian Express writes, ‘Menstrual health is part of fundamental right, says Supreme Court’, ‘orders free sanitary pads, separate toilets in all government and private schools.’ The Hindu says, ‘Menstrual health in schools is integral to right to life, says Supreme Court.’
• ‘Precious metals melt as dollar flexes, world markets action heats up,’ writes The Economic Times while The Times of India headlines, ‘Silver plunges 25 per cent in worst fall in fifteen years; gold down nine per cent.’
• And finally, an editorial in The Hindu commends the Economic Survey. The editorial piece titled, ‘A job well done’ writes, ‘With the global economy in flux and the Indian economy displaying stability, the need of the day is pointed analysis of current data for future policy.’

 

 

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN,

 

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Acting President of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez agree to deepen bilateral ties in all areas, including energy; Hold discussion over phone.

 

2. New Delhi hosts landmark India-Arab Foreign Ministers’ Meeting today to expand cooperation in key sectors.

 

3. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar meets Foreign Ministers of several Arab nations in National Capital; Discuss bilateral relations and West Asia situation.

 

4. Supreme Court rules, menstrual health a fundamental right under Constitution; Directs states to ensure schools provide free biodegradable sanitary pads to girls.

 

5. Nationalist Congress Party to hold legislature party meeting in Mumbai today to elect a new leader.

 

6. In Cricket, India to take on New Zealand in fifth and final T20 at Thiruvananthapuram this evening.

 

 

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