Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana to provide free electricity to its beneficiaries. As per the scheme, the central government will provide 300 units of free electricity per month to its beneficiaries by investing worth ₹75,000 crores. The free electricity scheme was earlier announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her interim budget speech on Februrary 1.

“To further sustainable development and people’s well-being, we are launching the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana. This project, with an investment of over Rs. 75,000 crores, aims to light up 1 crore households by providing up to 300 units of free electricity every month," wrote PM Modi in his post on X. In his series of X posts, PM Modi also gave the link to directly apply for the link.

Odisha Agriculture Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain said that the state government, in its recent cabinet meeting, has decided to provide interest-free loans up to Rs 1 lakh to youth of the state under the new government scheme 'Swayam.'

Speaking to ANI after the cabinet meeting on Monday, Swain said, "Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has also decided to give more employment or more income to the rural youth and the urban youth by introducing one new scheme, 'SWAYAM' so that people who are maintaining small enterprises can avail liquid capital without any collateral security."

"The entire burden will be borne by the state government. They can take Rs 1 lakh at a time to enhance their existing business or to start a new business," he said.

The renowned Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) of the Indian Air Force (lAF) is all set to enthral the audience at the Air Show scheduled to be held on 16 February at 9 AM at Air Force Station Bagdogra in West Bengal. Formed in 1996, SKAT is among the very few nine-aircraft aerobatics teams in the world, and is the only one in Asia. This one of a kind team has carried out an astounding 500 displays in India, besides showcasing the professionalism of the IAF in Air Shows abroad at China, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore and UAE.

According to PRO Defance, the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team, popularly known as SKAT, inherits the motto "Sadhaiva Sarvottam" with ease, aptly describing the adage "Always the Best". This event will not only showcase the extraordinary skills of these pilots but will also provide an opportunity for the public to witness the dedication and excellence of the Indian Air Force. The team's motive is to spread awareness about the Armed Forces and to inspire the youth of the country to join the armed forces.

The Defence Ministry has signed a Rs 2,269-crore deal with state-run Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for the procurement of 11 Shakti warfare systems, along with associated equipment, the ministry said in an official statement.

According to the ministry, it signed the contract with BEL on Tuesday for the procurement of 11 Shakti Electronic Warfare Systems along with associated equipment and accessories for the Indian Navy under the Buy (Indian- IDDM) category at a total cost of Rs 2269.54 cr.

"The Shakti EW System is indigenously designed, developed and manufactured. The Shakti EW System is capable of accurately intercepting electronic emissions and implementing countermeasures in dense electromagnetic environment," the ministry said.

The annual award is instituted by the government of the UAE and is presented to government entities, central or local, worldwide, to recognize creative and innovative solutions. India won under the category of 'AI-Powered Government Services'.

The accolade recognizes the remarkable efforts of the Ministry for Road Transport & Highways, Government of India, for its transformative project known as iRASTE. iRASTE, a collaborative initiative involving the government, industry, and academia, is revolutionizing road safety through the integration of AI technology. This innovative project marks a significant departure from conventional approaches by harnessing the predictive power of AI to preemptively address road safety challenges.

At its core, iRASTE aims to reimagine road safety by leveraging AI as a force multiplier in road safety engineering. By harnessing predictive insights generated by AI algorithms, iRASTE endeavors to prevent accidents before they occur, thus mitigating the risk of fatalities and injuries on Indian roads.

At the Global Investors’ Summit in February 2023, the state had received 321 investment proposals totalling over ₹5,29,472.52 crore in the IT and electronics sector. Out of these, 60 projects worth ₹91,456.89 crore will be initiated at the groundbreaking ceremony.

The information technology and electronics department is counted among the most successful departments of the state government when it comes to attracting investment. The IT department is all set to roll out MoUs worth ₹91,000 crore at the groundbreaking ceremony (GBC) to be held on February 19.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch 60 mega MoUs of the IT department, which are expected to generate 81,424 employment opportunities.

United World Wrestling (UWW), wrestling's global governing body, on Tuesday lifted the suspension from the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) with immediate effect. WFI had remained under UWW's suspension since August 23 last year for failing to hold the elections. WFI elections were eventually held on December 21 when Sanjay Singh-led panel won 13 of the 15 contested positions.

"The UWW Disciplinary Chamber decided that it had sufficient grounds to impose the provisional suspension on the body as the situation in the federation prevailed for at least six months," UWW's statement read.

Assam Finance Minister Ajanta Neog will table the state budget for 2024-25 in the floor of the Assam Legislative Assembly on Monday.

This budget will be her fourth budget and earlier, the state Finance Minister told ANI that this budget will be a realistic budget.

The budget session of the state assembly started on February 5 and will continue till February 28.

Last year, Neog presented a budget with an aggregate expenditure estimated at Rs 3.21 lakh crore for the year.

In preparation for the global promotion of the upcoming Maha Kumbh 2025 in Prayagraj, the Yogi government is planning to organise a social media conclave.

This initiative involves collaborating with both governmental and non-governmental agencies to reach a wide audience, an official from Tourism Department said.

Until now, only government agencies have been involved in organising the Maha Kumbh. However, the state government is now taking proactive steps to involve non-governmental agencies in the process. Aparajita Singh, the Regional Tourism Officer of Prayagraj, said that the Tourism Department wants to connect with as many people as possible through the Maha Kumbh.

Paytm E-commerce has rebranded itself as Pai Platforms, marking a shift in its corporate identity. The move comes alongside the acquisition of Bitsila, a prominent seller platform operating within the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). This strategic shift underscores Pai Platforms' ambition to assert its presence and gain a larger foothold in the fiercely competitive landscape of online retail.

According to PTI’s insider sources familiar with the development, the company initiated the process of rebranding approximately three months ago. Their efforts culminated in official approval from the Registrar of Companies on February 8th, heralding the dawn of Pai Platforms. The Registrar of Companies notification, dated February 8th, confirmed the alteration, stating, "The name of the company has been changed from Paytm E-Commerce Private Limited to Pai Platforms Private Limited with effect from the date of this certificate."