ModiWatch: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) 's ‘Bima Sakhi Yojana’ in Panipat, Haryana, in line with the government's commitment to women's empowerment and financial inclusion.

PM Modi inaugurated the Rising Rajasthan Global Investment Summit 2024 and the Rajasthan Global Business Expo in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

PM Modi also addressed the event at Ramakrishna Math in Gujarat via video conferencing.

Parliamentary affairs

Lower House adjourned for the day: Following disruptions caused by the claims of a George Soros-Congress connection and the Adani issue, the Lok Sabha (Lower House) suspended its business for the day.

Upper House also adjourned for the day: Amid controversy surrounding the BJP's accusation that top Congress leaders conspired with billionaire investor George Soros to destabilise the nation, the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) was also adjourned for the day. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar warned the House that "the functioning of the deep state affects us more perniciously than the Covid disease."

Opposition protests over the Adani issue: Leaders of several INDIA bloc parties demonstrated inside the Parliament complex and chanted slogans calling for a joint parliamentary investigation into the Adani issue. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also conducted a mock interview with opposition MPs wearing Adani and PM Modi masks.

Opposition unhappy with Upper House speaker: The INDIA bloc leaders want to move a resolution of no-confidence against Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, expressing their displeasure with his management of the Rajya Sabha's operations

One Nation, One Election Bill likely in this session: According to insiders who spoke to NDTV, the Centre is prepared to introduce its One Country One Election initiative in this parliament session. The Ram Nath Kovind Committee on One Country One Election's report has already received Cabinet approval.

BJP demands clarification from the US: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stated that the US State Department should provide clarification on the accusations the party made against the agency regarding the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). The party said the accusations were based on a French media report by Mediapart.

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Defence Minister's Russia visit

Defence Minister arrives in Moscow: During the commissioning of the stealth-guided missile frigate INS Tushil into the Indian Navy at Kaliningrad, Russia, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh declared that India and Russia will embark on a new era of collaboration by leveraging each other's expertise in fields like artificial intelligence, cyber security, space exploration, and counterterrorism.

Foreign Secretary in Bangladesh: Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri arrived in Dhaka and met with his counterpart from Bangladesh, Mohammad Jashim Uddin, to convey India’s “concerns” about “recent developments” regarding the safety and security of minority religious communities in Bangladesh.

FDI flow news - brought to you by

FDI reaches $1 trillion in India: During the first half of the current fiscal year, India's gross foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows increased by about 29% to $42.3 billion, bringing the total amount of foreign investment since April 2000 to $1 trillion.

Change in RBI Governor

New governor for central bank: Sanjay Malhotra was named the new Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor for a three-year term by the Cabinet's Appointments Committee.

Investments by India Inc

Air India’s Airbus order: Air India announced, it had ordered 100 additional Airbus aircraft, including 90 narrowbody A320 Family aircraft and 10 widebody A350 aircraft.

Adani Group to invest $90 billion in Rajasthan: A senior Adani Group official said the Group plans to invest ₹7.5 lakh crore across various sectors in Rajasthan. According to him, the Group intends to construct the largest integrated dream energy ecosystem in the world, which will include 1.8 gigawatts of hydro projects, 2 million tonnes of hydrogen, and 100 gigawatts of renewable energy.

Fintech firms offer 9.5% interest on FD: MobiKwik, Flipkart-backed super.money, and Stable Money have introduced Fixed Deposit (FD) services, offering interest rates of up to 9.5% annually for a range of tenures.

Airtel flags spam calls and SMSes: Telecom provider Bharti Airtel reported that just two and a half months after launching its spam-fighting AI-powered solution, its network had identified an astounding 8 billion spam calls and 0.8 billion spam SMSes.

250 monuments in India listed as Waqf holdings

250 monuments listed as Waqf properties: According to information obtained by The Indian Express, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) discovered during an internal audit that 250 of its protected monuments are presently listed as Waqf holdings.

Delhi elections 2025

AAP releases second list for Delhi elections: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) released its second Candidate List for the Delhi elections scheduled in February 2025, with a change in nominations on 20 out of the 70 seats.

Delhi today: Hazy sun.

Air quality remains ‘poor’: The city's air quality remains in the 'poor' category, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 212. Delhi also hit a low temperature of 8.2 degrees Celsius, 1.2 degrees below the season's average.

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