NEWS & VIEWS|||SARASIJ|||03-02--2026

 

NEWS & VIEWS|||SARASIJ|||03-02--2026

TUESDAY|| VOL—V/2026/FEBRUARY

OPINIONATED, FOR FREE CIRCULATION.

उत्सवे व्यसने चैव दुर्भिक्षे राष्ट्रविप्लवे ।

राजद्वारे श्मशाने च यतिष्ठति स वान्धवः ॥

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INDIA: (GOI, SWARAJYA, VISHWAMITRA, HINDU POST, INDIA TODAY).

ON BUDGET:

India’s government announced plans Sunday to increase public spending on pharmaceutical and semiconductor manufacturing. Unlike last year, the government did not unveil big tax cuts for the middle class in its budget, focusing instead on boosting domestic industry in the face of steep U.S. tariffs. The International Monetary Fund expects India’s economy will grow more than 6 percent this year.

The government has proposed the *Bio-Pharma SHAKTI scheme* in the Union Budget 2026-27 at an outlay of ten thousand crore rupees over five years to boost bio-manufacturing sector. The initiative is aimed at strengthening India’s ecosystem for production of biologics and biosimilars. It also aims to reduce import dependence, and enhance India’s competitiveness in global biologics supply chains.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw today said that a record budget of 2 lakh 78 crore rupees has been allotted for Railways in the Union Budget 2026-27.

The Union Budget has shown a significant increase in central transfers to Himachal Pradesh. According to budget estimates, a budget of 13,949 crore rupees has been allocated to Himachal Pradesh in 2026-27 for tax transfers. Similarly, a budget of 10,243 crore rupees has been allocated to Himachal Pradesh in 2025-26 for grant-in-aid.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has said, the Union budget provides opportunities for youth, women, the middle class, and presents a clear roadmap for strengthening the country’s economy.

Gyan Bharatam, announced in the Union Budget 2025–26, is a flagship national initiative aimed at preserving and revitalizing India’s vast manuscript heritage. Implemented by the Ministry of Culture, the programme aligns with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 by integrating cultural conservation with knowledge creation and human capital development.

The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) has welcomed the Union Budget 2026-27, describing it as a progressive and comprehensive roadmap that strengthens India’s competitiveness, boosts investment, and enhances ease of doing business.

THIS IS A FUTURISTIC BUDGET AND NEUTRAL. Present Geo-Political uncertainty demands this neutrality.  ITS BENEFIT CAN BE UNDERSTOOD IN FUTURE.

GENERAL:

The India AI Impact Summit 2026, scheduled to be held in New Delhi from February 16 to 20, is set to become the largest global summit on artificial intelligence hosted to date.

The Government on World Wetlands Day yesterday highlighted the rise in Ramsar sites in the country. The day is observed every year to raise global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and planet.

Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) is set to become India’s first airport to operate hydrogen-powered buses for passenger transportation, marking a significant step in the country’s clean mobility transition.

The Andhra Pradesh government has taken another step towards digital empowerment of small businesses with the launch of Pilloo AI, a voice-based accounting and billing application. The platform aims to simplify financial management for micro, small and medium enterprises by enabling core accounting tasks through spoken commands in native Indian languages.

The Election Commission has rejected the allegations of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral roll and termed them as false.

The National Council of Churches of India has filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the anti-conversion laws enacted by twelve states :  Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, and Rajasthan.

India and Norway reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation and agreed to strengthen it further in the areas of political engagements, trade and investment, blue economy, circular economy, renewable energy, education, science and technology, AI, space and the Arctic. Secretary (West), External Affairs Ministry, Sibi George and Secretary General in Norway’s Foreign Affairs Ministry Torgeir Larsen co-chaired the 12th India-Norway Foreign Office Consultations in Oslo.

WORLD: (REUTER, AP, AFP, BLOOMBERG, CNN, WP)

Israel partially reopened the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt today after it had been largely closed since May 2024.  The second phase of the Gaza peace plan includes disarmament of Hamas, reconstruction, and technocratic governance. More than twenty countries announced last month they would join Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza, even as it remains unclear how disarmament will occur or who will comprise the international stabilization force in the enclave. 

The United Nations faces “imminent financial collapse” as its regular operating budget stands to run out by July if members do not pay outstanding dues, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned in a letter obtained by multiple news outlets. The United States is the largest debtor, owing around $2.2 billion in regular dues and more than $2.4 billion for peacekeeping missions and international courts, an unnamed senior UN official told reporters. Guterres also urged the organization to overhaul a 1945 budget rule requiring it to return unspent money to members.

Antiterrorism operations by Pakistan killed an estimated 177 people during Saturday and Sunday in Balochistan.

Costa Rica’s election. Conservative candidate Laura Fernández, from the incumbent Sovereign People’s Party, swept to victory in yesterday’s presidential election.

Trump told reporters yesterday his administration is speaking with “the highest people in Cuba”.

Yuan-denominated debt in Africa. After Kenya converted a group of Chinese dollar-denominated loans into yuan-denominated loans, its debt repayments fell by some $167 million, the country’s budget controller told Bloomberg. Separately, Ethiopia is in talks to convert some money it owes China into a yuan loan, while Zambia has allowed some Chinese companies to pay taxes and royalties in yuan. These are a part of  De-Dollarization.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY:

Big test under way for Artemis 2 moonshot

It is a big one for the folks at NASA as the space agency fuels up the Artemis 2 moon rocket in a critical wet dress rehearsal for the first astronaut trip to the moon in over 50 years. 

CLIMATE:

The India Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for dense fog conditions over Uttar Pradesh till the 5th of this month. The Met department has predicted similar conditions over Bihar, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh for the next two to three days.

ENTERTAINMENT:

The presentation ceremony of the 68th Annual Grammy Awards was held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles yesterday. It was hosted by Comedian Trevor Noah for his sixth and final time. The ceremony was defined by a historic win for Bad Bunny, who took home Album of the Year, and a groundbreaking first-ever Grammy for a K-Pop act.

Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama also won his first Grammy for best audio book, narration and storytelling recording for “Meditations: The Reflections Of His Holiness The Dalai Lama”. Musician Rufus Wainwright accepted the award on the his behalf.

CRIME & PUNISHMENT:

China has executed four Myanmar nationals which China claimed found guilty of causing six Chinese citizens’ deaths and running scam and gambling operations based in Myanmar.

A Dhaka special court on Monday sentenced former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to 10 years’ imprisonment and her niece, British MP Tulip Siddiq, to four years in two corruption cases linked to irregularities in the Purvanchal New Town plot allocation project.

MISHAPS: -

A 4.6-magnitude earthquake shook Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district early yesterday morning. Officials said the tremor occurred at 5.35 am, with Pattan area as the epicentre. There were no reports of any damage due to the earthquake so far.

GAMES & SPORTS: -

Indian women sportspersons Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and chess prodigy Divya Deshmukh are among the nominees for the 2025 BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year 2025 Awards.

DAS KAPITAL:

Indian Share Market: -

SENSEX:81,666.46 +943.52 (1.17%)

 *NIFTY*25,088.40 +262.95 (1.06%)

MARKET SHOOK OF BUDGET EFFECT.

 BULLIONS: Both are on Correction Trail.

 *GOLD* : ₹ 15,300/ 01gm (24 krt)

 *SILVER* : ₹ 300,000/KG

Currency Exchange Rates:

*Euro* : ₹107/-*USD*  ₹ 91/-China Y* : ₹ 13/-

WHAT IS NEXT:

Today, Uruguay’s President Yamandú Orsi continues a visit to China.

Today, India’s foreign minister begins a visit to the United States.

Tomorrow, the Singapore Airshow begins. INDIA is participating.

 

 

THE END.