1. In Rajasthan, Congress legislators staged an all-night sit-in protest inside the state assembly, as six of their party MLAs were suspended. Earlier, answering the question hour, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Avinash Gehlot referred to Congress’ practice of naming schemes in the name of Indira Gandhi, addressing her as ‘Dadi’. The protest that followed led to the suspension of the Congress MLAs.
2. Former RBI chief Shaktikanta Das, who served as the central bank governor for six years from December 2018, was appointed Principal Secretary-2 to PM Narendra Modi today. The announcement was made through a notification from the appointments committee. It must be noted that Shaktikanta Das steered the government’s response during the tumultuous Covid-19 pandemic.
3. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has sought answers from the Uttar Pradesh government, Prayagraj Mela Authority, and the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UP PCB) over accusations of open defecation at the Sangam river banks due to inadequate sanitation facility. Earlier, a report from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) warned of high levels of Fecal Coliform.
4. Politics and war of words between DMK in Tamil Nadu and Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan after the latter said, the state could lose Rs.5000 crore for not rolling out PM Shri scheme of the National Education Policy (NEP) went a notch further of Friday. Dubbing the three-language policy in NEP as Hindi imposition, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said it wouldn’t take time for them to say “We won’t play the central taxes.”
5. At least eight workers are feared trapped following a roof collapse in the under-construction segment of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district. The state government has called for a 19-member team from Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) to join the rescue efforts. Telangana irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said the administration has also approached the Indian Army, NDRF, and experts who did the rescue work at Uttarakhand last year.
6. Karan Adani, managing director of Adani Ports and SEZ, revealed that the Adani Group plans to invest Rs.30,000 crores in Kerala while delivering his address at the Invest Kerala Global Summit. Earlier, addressing the summit online, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said 31 upcoming projects in Kerala spanning 896 kilometers at the cost of ₹50,000 crore are being kickstarted. State CM Pinarayi Vijayan assured investors they would neither face procedural delays nor red tape.
7. The Indian government has objected to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statement on the Kashmir issue and has lodged its protest with the country’s Turkish envoy. On February 13, visiting Islamabad, Erdogan called for a Kashmir solution in line with the UN resolution and aspirations of Kashmiris. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called the statement unwarranted and unacceptable.
8. ED has slapped a penalty of Rs.3.44 crore on BBC World Service India for FEMA violation. All its three directors have been fined Rs.1.14 crore each as the Indian arm of the British Broadcaster violated FDI norms. In August 2023, the Enforcement Directorate sent show-cause notices to BBC India and its directors for ‘contraventions’.
9. An ‘entrepreneur’ from Prayagraj has grabbed the attention of social media users. He is receiving both laurels and flak for his out-of-the-box thinking. Wondering what he is up to? This man is offering a digital ‘snan’ at the MahaKumbh. You could be from anywhere in the world. He fetches your photo and gives it a complete dip at the Sangam. He takes Rs.1100 for his service. Now, who should we blame? The believers or the businessman?
10. After a Maharastra State-owned bus plying between Bengaluru and Mumbai was attacked in Chitradurga by pro-Kannada activists, Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik suspended Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses to Karnataka. In a similar incident, the conductor of a Karnataka state bus was assaulted in Belagavi bordering Maharashtra for saying he doesn’t know Marathi.
References: NDTV | Indian Today | Times of India | Hindustan Times