On 17 February, the world celebrates Global Tourism Resilience Day, designated by the United Nations General Assembly.
For many developing countries, including the least developed countries, small island developing states, countries in Africa and middle-income countries, tourism is a major source of income, foreign currency earnings, tax revenue and employment.
Because tourism connects people with nature, sustainable tourism has the unique ability to spur environmental responsibility and conservation.
Celebrated for the first time on February 17, 2023, this day was established by a United Nations General Assembly resolution led by Jamaica.
The idea behind the day is to encourage nations worldwide to build a more robust, resilient tourism industry capable of facing future challenges. The day serves as a reminder of tourism’s vulnerability and the importance of preparing for unforeseen events. It emphasizes capacity-building, awareness, and the adoption of practices that ensure tourism’s sustainability.
On this day communities, governments, and businesses unite, sharing knowledge and strategies to make travel more sustainable and resilient.
Global Tourism Resilience Day, celebrated annually for more than a decade, is a significant occasion that highlights the importance of sustainable and resilient tourism.
Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, will launch a new digital companion, “Bharat-VISTAAR,” for farmers across the country in Jaipur.
Designed to make farmers technologically empowered, this AI-based platform will provide information related to weather updates, mandi prices, pest and disease management, soil health, crop advisory, and government schemes – all at one place.
Farmers will be able to access the services through phone calls, a chatbot, and, in the next phase, via a mobile application.
In Phase 1, the platform will be launched in Hindi and English and will reach lakhs of farmers across several states, including Maharashtra, Bihar, and Gujarat. During the programme, Agriculture Ministers of various states, along with farmers from across the country, will join virtually through the network of ICAR, KVKs, agricultural universities and institutions.
The ceremony will also be attended by the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Bhajanlal Sharma, Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Bhagirath Choudhary, and senior officials of the Agriculture Department. On this occasion, Mr Chouhan and Chief Minister Sharma will also launch the “AI for Agriculture Roadmap.”
Wholesale price inflation extended upward momentum for the third straight month, at 1.81% in January, driven by an uptick in prices of food, non-food articles, and manufactured items on a month-on-month basis, government data. Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation was 2.51% in January last year, while in the previous month (December 2025), it was 0.83%.
"Positive rate of inflation in January 2026 is primarily due to increase in prices of manufacture of basic metals, other manufacturing, non-food articles, food articles, and textiles, etc," the Industry Ministry said in a statement.
According to WPI data, inflation in food articles was 1.55% in January as against deflation of 0.43% in December.
In vegetables, inflation was 6.78% in January as against deflation of 3.50% in December. In the case of manufactured products, WPI inflation inched up to 2.86%, as against 1.82% in December. Non-food articles category inflation spiked to 7.58% in January, against 2.95% in December.
Negative inflation, or deflation, continued in the fuel and power sectors, at 4.01% in January, as against 2.31% in December.
The country's retail inflation inched up to 2.75% in January, data released last week showed.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has reduced policy interest rates by 1.25 percentage points in the current fiscal year as inflation remained low.
NLC India Ltd. (NLCIL) has inked a memorandum of understanding with National Aluminium Company (NALCO), a Navaratna Central Public Enterprise (CPSE) under the Ministry of Mines to strengthen collaboration in the development of thermal and renewable energy projects.
According to NLCIL, the MoU provides a structured framework for cooperation in the proposed 1,200 MW Thermal Captive Power Project and renewable energy development, aimed at meeting NALCO’s captive and long-term power requirements in a reliable, cost-effective and sustainable manner.
The collaboration also enables exploration of long-term power tie-ups, including captive and group captive arrangements, as well as long-term coal supply arrangements, ensuring energy and fuel security for identified projects. It further envisages joint project development, including the possible formation of a Joint Venture company.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has, by an order dated February 13, 2026, imposed a monetary penalty of ₹40,000/- (Rupees Forty Thousand only) on Matoshri Mahila Sahakari Bank Limited, Parner, Maharashtra (the bank), for non-compliance with certain directions issued by RBI on ‘Know Your Customer (KYC)’.
This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers conferred on RBI under the provisions of Section 47A(1)(c) read with Sections 46(4)(i) and 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
The statutory inspection of the bank was conducted by RBI with reference to its financial position as on March 31, 2025.
Based on supervisory findings of non-compliance with RBI directions and related correspondence in that regard, a notice was issued to the bank advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed on it for its failure to comply with the said directions.
Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy will inaugurate the 23rd edition of BioAsia 2026 international summit today. The two-day global conference will be held at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC). This year’s summit is themed ‘TechBio Unleashed – AI, Automation, and the Revolutionary Changes in Life Sciences.’
As India rapidly emerges as a global hub for TechBio innovations, the event will focus on leveraging advanced technology to shape the future of healthcare. The Chief Minister will officially open the international exhibition, featuring world-renowned life sciences organisations, before delivering the keynote address to inaugurate the summit.
The event will bring together global experts, scientists, & industry leaders to discuss critical advancements in the field. Industries Minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu will participate alongside prominent international speakers, including Professor Bruce L. Levine from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Dr. Howard Y. Chang, Chief Scientific Officer at Amgen
Delegates from around the world will engage in discussions covering crucial topics such as next-generation biologics, AI-driven R&D, digital transformation, and the future of pharma and biotech, under the overarching theme of ‘Telangana Rising 2047 – World-Class Life Sciences Ecosystem.’
The President of India Smt Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the Centenary Celebration of the Ol Chiki script, being organised by the Ministry of Culture in New Delhi.
Speaking on the occasion, the President said that the Santal community has its own language, literature and culture.
However, due to the lack of its own script, the Santhali language was initially written in the Roman, Devanagari, Oriya, and Bengali scripts. Members of the Santal community living in Nepal, Bhutan, and Mauritius also used to write in the scripts prevalent in those countries. These scripts were not able to correctly pronounce the original words of the Santhali language.
In 1925, Pandit Raghunath Murmu invented the Ol Chiki script. Since then, it has been used for the Santhali language. Now, this script is a powerful symbol of Santal identity worldwide. It is also an effective means of establishing unity among the Santal community.
On the occasion, the President released a commemorative coin and postage stamp on the completion of 100 years of Ol Chiki. She also felicitated 10 achievers from the Santal community for promoting wide use of Ol Chiki script among the Santhali people.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has, by an order dated February 06, 2026, imposed a monetary penalty of ₹63.60 lakh (Rupees Sixty Three Lakh Sixty Thousand only) on CSB Bank Limited (the bank) for non-compliance with certain directions issued by RBI on ‘Scope of activities to be undertaken of Business Correspondents (BCs)’ and ‘Customer Service in Banks’.
This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers conferred on RBI under the provisions of section 47A(1)(c) read with section 46(4)(i) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
The Statutory Inspection for Supervisory Evaluation (ISE 2025) of the bank was conducted by RBI with reference to its financial position as on March 31, 2025.
Based on supervisory findings of non-compliance with the provisions of RBI directions and related correspondence in that regard, a notice was issued to the bank advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed on it for its failure to comply with the said provisions of RBI directions.
Deepak Gupta will assume charge as chairman and managing director of GAIL (India) Limited on March 1, 2026, marking a leadership transition at the country’s largest natural gas processing and distribution company.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has appointed Gupta to the top post
He will serve until his superannuation on February 28, 2029, or until further orders.
Gupta currently serves as Director (Projects) at GAIL, where he has overseen key infrastructure and execution portfolios central to the company’s expansion strategy.
Rashid Khan has become the first Asian bowler to take 150+ wickets in T20Is and 200+ wickets in ODIs.
Afghanistan star spinner Rashid Khan made history, becoming the first-ever bowler from his team to complete 200 ODI wickets.
Already a dominant performer in T20 international cricket, Rashid has also become the first Asian bowler to take more than 150 wickets in T20Is and 200+ wickets in ODIs in his white-ball career. The Afghan spin wizard made this milestone during his side's first ODI against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi, taking three wickets for 38 runs in his 10 overs.
In 115 ODIs, Rashid has now taken 202 wickets in 107 innings at an average of 20.28 and an economy rate of 4.23. His best bowling figures are 7/18. His career figures also include six four-wicket hauls and five five-wicket hauls. Second is veteran all-rounder Mohammed Nabi (176 wickets in 174 matches) and Dawlat Zadran at third (115 wickets in 82 matches).
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the final guidelines on external commercial borrowings (ECBs), rationalising fundraising through the route.
The regulator had issued the draft guidelines regarding the same on October 3.
UPI has emerged as the most preferred mode of transaction, surpassing cash transactions, and there is a need for targeted interventions to strengthen RuPay debit card usage, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas, a report said.
The Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance, released a report titled "Socio-Economic Impact Analysis of the Incentive Scheme for Promotion of RuPay Debit Card and low-value BHIM-UPI (Person-to-Merchant) transactions" during the Chintan Shivir held on 13-14 February 2026.
