RBI Monetary Policy Committee decided to keep repo rate unchanged at 5.15%. It also decided to continue with the accommodative stance as long as it is necessary to revive growth. In December also MPC kept rates unchanged when economists had forecast a cut.
RBI pegs GDP growth for 2020-21 at 6 percent.
India slipped to 40th position on the International IP Index, which analysed 53 global economies, this year according to a report of US Chamber of Commerce's Global Innovation Policy Centre. Last year India ranked at 36th position out of 50 countries.
US, UK, Sweden, France & Germany remained the top 5 economies.
As per World Steel Association data, India became the second largest steel producer of crude steel after China in 2018 and 2019, by replacing Japan. India’s crude steel production in 2018 was at 109.3 MT, an increase of 7.7 per cent from 101.5 MT in 2017.
USA & South Korea ranked 4th and 5th positions, respectively.
Virat Kohli retained the top spot in the celebrity brand valuation rankings released by Duff & Phelps, for the third year in a row. His brand value grew by nearly 39 per cent to $237.5 million in 2019. Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar bagged the second spot.
Deepika Padukone & Ranveer Singh held the third spot.
Cabinet has given its in-principle approval for setting up a Major Port at Vadhavan in Maharashtra. A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) will be formed with JNPT as the lead partner with equity participation equal to or more than 50% to implement the project.
Vadhavan port will be developed on ‘landlord model’.
IOCL and Rosneft signed first-ever Term Contract for importing 2 Million Metric Tonnes of Urals grade crude oil during the year 2020 to India. This is a part of India’s strategy for diversifying the country’s crude oil supplies from non-OPEC countries.
It is also a part of the cooperation in the hydrocarbons sector.
Audrey Azoulay handed over the certificate relate to the inclusion of walled city of Jaipur in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites to the state Urban Development Minister Shanti Dhariwal. ICOMOS had inspected the city in 2018 after its nomination.
International Council on Monuments and Sites HQ- Paris, France.
During the DefExpo 2020, PM said that government has set a defence export target of USD 5 billion in the next 5 years. The eleventh edition of the mega defence event is being held in Lucknow with the theme-India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub.
It is a biennial exhibition of military platforms and weapons.
More than 22 crore Soil Health Cards have been distributed to farmers till date. The scheme also provides for the analysis of soil composition by the State Governments once in every two years so that remedial steps can be taken to improve soil nutrients.
The Soil Health Card scheme was launched in 2015.
On the second day of DEFEXPO 2020, two important meetings are scheduled along with many discussions on defence related issues. The First India-Africa defence conclave and the fifth India-Russia Military Industry Conference are scheduled on 6 February.
DefExpo 2020 is being held at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
Cabinet gave its approval to confer the status of Institution of National Importance to 5 IIITs. The bill will declare the remaining 5 IIITs along with the existing 15 IIITs in PPP mode as Institutions of National Importance with powers to award degrees.
It also approved introduction of IIIT Laws Amendment Bill, 2020.
NIDM organized the National Conference on Disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction: Pathways for Inclusion and Action for Resilience, in alliance with the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities & Social Justice & Empowerment Ministry.
Aim-to form strategies for disability-inclusion in DRR practice.
The 'Intivadhakey Pension' programme-started as a door-delivery pension-was launched in 13 districts of the state on February 1. The scheme has covered 94% of about 60 lakh pensioners within a few days, said the Govt. This is the 1st of its kind in India.
For the month of February, Rs 1,320 Crore has been released.
A drug molecule that help in the treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a rare disease of the nervous system, has been identified by researchers at the IITH. With no known drugs to treat ALS the molecule code named ‘AIM4’ raises expectations.
Globally, the condition is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Former BCCI president late Jagmohan Dalmiya's son Avishek became the 18th and the youngest president of Cricket Association Bengal (CAB). Avishek, 38, was holding the post of joint secretary before his elevation. Snehasish Ganguly is the joint secretary.
Post was vacant after Sourav Ganguly took the charge of BCCI.
In Senior Women's National Weightlifting Championships, Rakhi Halder of Bengal has bagged gold in the 64 Kg category of the 35th edition of the weightlifting event in Kolkata. She lifted 93 Kg in snatch and 117 Kg in clean & jerk to clinch the gold medal.
She was 10 Kg ahead of her nearest rival Harjinder Kaur.
UN chosen February 6th as the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation to amplify the efforts on the removal of this practice. Theme: Unleashing Youth Power: One decade of accelerating actions for zero female genital mutilation.
UNFPA & UNICEF leads the largest global programme for this.
India is set to host East Asia Summit conference in Chennai with a focus on maritime security cooperation & tackling challenges in the maritime domain. External Affairs ministry, in partnership with Australia and Indonesia, will organise the Conference.
The 1st conference was organised in New Delhi in November 2015.